146 Timehri. 



At this time, one Renatus Enys wrote to Sir Henry Bennet a glowing 

 account of the colony of Surinam — " the country healthy and fruitful, 

 the air moderately hot ; the natives not numerous, and at peace with the 

 English. These parts exceedingly abound with strange rarities, both of 

 beasts, fish, reptiles, insects and vegetables, the which for shape and 

 colour are wonderful." There were then about 4,000 inhabitants. With- 

 in the previous two months nine ships had brought immigrants. " Were 

 the English nation really informed of the goodness of this country there 

 would quickly be thousands of settlers. The chiefest commodity is sugar, 

 and better cannot be made." 



In October, 1664, Willoughby, in writing home to the Lords of the 

 Council, mentions that he was going to Surinam. There he was danger- 

 ously wounded by one of the inhabitants, who intended to murder him : 

 but in May, 1665, he was back in Barbados. 



Sir Thomas Modyford, the energetic Governor of Jamaica, in that 

 year, submitted a scheme for " rooting the Dutch out of the West 

 Indies " in which they were to be expelled by Forces from Surinam and 

 Barbados. 



On account of loss of ships through Dutch " capers," as privateers 

 were then called, the Surinam fleet was ordered to attach itself to that of 

 Barbados, and little by little the system of regular sailings of West India 

 merchantmen under convoy was built up. 



This was a complete reversal of the former custom of using 

 merchantmen as auxiliary to the King's ships, their usefulness having in 

 the meantime, been impaired by their relative decrease in sailing 

 qualities and the advance of gunnery on the King's ships. 



At one time Willoughby appears to have governed Surinam with a 

 high hand. Colonel Robert Sanford complained to the King that 

 " one Byam " (the Governor) continued in office beyond the time limit ; 

 at another the Council, joining with the Assembly, sent to Willoughby 

 nineteen grievances, telling him that they would quit the colony " if he 

 speedily relieve them not." 



In July, 1666, Willoughby perished at sea in a hurricane, on his way 

 to the relief of St. Kitts, the English portion of which had been taken by 

 the French. By his will, made a few weeks before his death, ho left to 

 his daughters two-thirds of his moiety of the land in the Province of 

 Willoughby Land, and two-thirds of his plantation of Parham Hill, on the 

 river of Surinam, and all his private estate in Willoughby Land : the 

 remaining third going to his nephew, Henry Willoughby, 



As part of the operations of the Second Dutch War, in February 

 1666-7, a Zealand fleet of seven ships, with one thousand men under the 

 command of Abraham Crynsens appeared off the port of Surinam. When 

 summoned to surrender, the Governor, William Byam, declined : but the 

 next day, after two or three hours lighting, having but fifty pounds »f 



