THE MIGRATION FROM SURINAM TO JAMAICA. 

 By Frank Cundall. 



[The story of the evacuation of Surinam by the British is peculiarly interesting:, for 

 nothing like it appears to have been recorded in history, We read of many surrenders of 

 island and other colonies where combatants have been allowed to leave, but not where 

 practically a whole colony wanted to go off with their slaves and effects- 

 It was almost a desertion, the main object of the British authorities being to leave 

 Surinam as bare as it was when there was no colony at all. That the Dutch did not like 

 this goes without saying, and that they tried their best to prevent such a removal could 

 only be expected. I have told the story in several of my books but Mr. Cundall has given 

 the sequel and shown what became of those who went to Jamaica, especially Governor 

 Banister. A few months ago Surinam celebrated its 250th year as a Dutch 

 possession. — JR- ] 



From the time when Ralegh ascended the Orinoco in search of El 

 Dorado, Guiana has ever been of interest to Great Britain. Early in the 

 seventeenth century the Dutch had settled on the coast, and by the middle 

 the French were established at Cayenne and the English in Surinam. By 

 the Treaty of Breda in 1667 Surinam was allowed by England to remain 

 with the Dutch who had conquered it in that year, in consideration of New 

 Amsterdam (New York), remaining English ; and for upwards of a cen- 

 tury from that time England had no colony in South America. Of the 

 large tract of the north-eastern portion of the continent part is still pos- 

 sessed by the French, part by the Dutch and part by the British, while 

 these contiguous colonies are flanked by land owned respectively by 

 Venezuela, and Brazil. The subjeet of this sketch, however, is not the 

 history of the strife which eventually led to the formation of British 

 Guiana, but the fate of the early British settlers at Surinam when their 

 nationality was taken from them. 



As early as 1650, Francis, fifth Baron Willoughby of Parham, the 

 then royalist Governor of Barbados, made a settlement in Surinam ; ten 

 years later he was granted the Manor of East Greenwich, on pay- 

 ment of two white horses whenever the King might land there ; but he 

 had claimed, from 1654, the whole country — 1,200 miles in 

 length by 600 in breadth — as first settler. As early as 1661, by which 

 time he had expended nearly £20,000 on his infant colony, it was reported 

 that Surinam yielded as good sugar as Barbados, which was then, to its 

 own detriment, a nursery for providing planters for Surinam as well as 

 for Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean Sea. 



In 1663 when Willoughby was again Governor of Barbados, Charles 

 II issued a patent to him and Lawrence Hyde, Clarendon's second son, 

 granting to them — under the name of Willoughby Land — the tract of 

 country between Copenam and Maroni Rivers, except 30,000 acres 

 reserved for the Crown. At the same time Willoughby received a licence 

 to transport 1,000 horses to Surinam or to any of the Leeward Islands 

 and one rather wonders whether amongst these were included a few 

 white ones in view of a possible royal visit. 



