The " Good Old Times " in Guiana. 133 



I heard similar stories when I arrived in the colony, and it is quite 

 certain that people believed in then; whether true or not. The evidence 

 points to the introduction of the disease during the last forty years. 



Mr. William Hilhouse wrote a number of articles for the local papers 

 and three were published in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society. 



From his " Notices of the Indians " in Vol. 2 of the Journal I extract 

 the following : — 



" Their most valuable qualities are agility, dexterity, and the 

 intuitive tact of tracking or discovering footsteps in the bush. Where an 

 European can discover no indication whatever, an Indian will point out 

 the footsteps of any number of negroes, and will state the precise day 

 on which they have passed ; and if on the same day will state the hour. " 



" The duties of hospitality are paramount with all barbarous nations. 

 When a stranger, and particularly an European, enters into the house of 

 an Indian, everything is at his command . . . This is exceedingly in- 

 convenient in the sequel because all offices of kindness are supposed to be 

 reciprocal. When the Indian pays the white man a visit, the difference 

 in value of his furniture and equipments cause a return in kind to be too 

 expensive. The Indian therefore says, " When you visit me, I give you 

 everything I have in the world— but when I visit you, you refuse me the 

 commonest articles of your daily expenditure." 



The writings of the Schomburgks were mostly in German, but the reports 

 of Sir Robert to the Royal Geographical Society are in English and of much 

 importance. I cannot give anything like an idea of their work from a mere 

 quotation but only pick out something from each. Sir Robert's account 

 of finding Victoria regia in the Berbice River has often been quoted but 

 it is so characteristic that it will bear repetition : — 



" Some object on the southern point of the basin attracted my 

 attention ; I could not form any idea of what it might be, and I hurried 

 the crew to increase the rate of their paddling ; in a short time we were 

 opposite the object of our curiosity — a vegetable wonder ! All calamities 

 were forgotten; I felt as a botanist and felt myself rewarded. A gigantic leaf, 

 from five to six feet in diameter, salver-shaped, with a broad rim of licrht 

 green above and a vivid crimson below, rested upon the water : quite in 

 character with this wonderful leaf was the luxuriant flower, consisting of 

 many hundred petals, passing in alternate tints from pure white to rose 

 and pink, The smooth water was covered with them and I rowed from one 

 to the other, observing always something new to be admired. - ' 



Dr. Richard Schomburgk wrote in his " Botanical reminiscences " 

 of the lovely flower garden at the base of the Roraima cliffs and thus 

 speaks of his feelings : — 



"I was lost in admiration looking up to the gigantic wall, the summit 

 of which projected a little ; my heart began to beat as if I apprehended 

 danger, and a wish to escape from it. An oppressive solitude prevailed ; 



