THE^DEMERARA RIVER. 665 



point of view. No waterfall in the territory surpasses them 

 in grandeur. 



The fierce Caribs, in the days of their power, inhabited 

 the banks, of the river, engaged in carrying into slavery 

 the people of other tribes from far and near ; but they, and 

 those they oppressed, have passed away a few families only of 

 their descendants remaining here and there the one to boast 

 of the prowess of their ancestors, the other to tell the tale of 

 their woes. 



THE DEMERARA RIVER. 



High up the River Demerara on which George Town, the 

 capital of the colony, is built where the river forces its way 

 through the dense forest, is a fall of great picturesque beauty. 

 Here, says Mr. Brett, the cataract precipitates itself in one 

 body over the rocky barrier ; and huge masses of rock, crowned 

 with stately trees, divide it into channels ere it reaches its 

 lower bed. Of these channels, there are two large ones in 

 the centre, with smaller ones on either side. All are filled 

 with great boulders, over which the dark waters toss and 

 dash until they roll into the wide basin below, covering its 

 surface and margin with masses of yeasty foam. The length of 

 the fall appears to be three or four hundred feet, though the 

 perpendicular difference between the levels of the river above 

 and below is sixty-five feet. Three-fourths of this cataract 

 is hid from view by the luxuriant forest which clothes its 

 sides and covers its islands. The misty spray rising, when 

 the river is full, from the channels between the tall trees the 

 rushing noise, and a glimpse of the torrent here and there, 

 show imperfectly its divided course. Could a clear view be 

 obtained of it, it would be found to contain a spectacle full 

 of beauty and interest. 



