INTRODUCTION. 89 



the most grand and beautiful, rise majestically above 

 the surrounding vegetation, waving their pinion- 

 like leaves in the soft breeze. 



This is the picture, which I have attempted 

 to trace, of that part of Guiana which forms the 

 British territory, * and which refers equally to the 

 regions between the Amazon and the Orinoco. 



Many of the animals and birds which inhabit Gui- 

 ana afford a wholesome and delicate food, but I 

 must pass them over without entering into a detailed 

 description, as it is the finny tribe which proves for 

 the present the object of my greatest interest. The 

 rivers of the interior teem with delicious fish in 

 great variety, which vie in delicacy with any of our 

 European fresh-water species, and contribute equally 

 to the nutriment of man. 



How I delight in recalling the scenes and adven- 

 tures of our exploring tours in Guiana ! I still 

 recollect, when starting on our first expedition, we 

 approached the embouchure of the majestic Esse- 

 quibo, forming at its mouth an estuary nearly 

 twenty miles wide, and divided into four channels 

 by three islands. Numerous other islands follow on 

 ascending, until the last traces of cultivation are 

 passed, and we see its banks lined by primitive 

 forests, only here and there interrupted by a solitary 

 cottage. From the margin of the water, as far as 

 the low land permits the survey of the shores, on 

 either side, extends an immense forest. We ascended 



* See Description of British Guiana, by Robert H. Schom- 

 burgk, p. 30. 



