Among My Curios. 125 
With the fight for freedom there were some slaves loyal to their masters and 
Vigaro was one of them. The Bush Negroes, or runaway slaves, were continually 
giving trouble and Vigaro offered to lead an attack on the most turbulent. A 
saucer-like engraved silver medal records how he led an attack on the Bush 
Negroes on 10th May, 1810, under Von Cotter, Burgomaster Commander of 
Berbice, and it was presented to him for his valorous conduct therein. It is a 
forerunner of the Victoria Cross, for on the obverse is the word for valour. 
The D’ Urban Race Course is like a thing of the past, but the magnificent set of 
dinner ware of stone china now of 68 pieces used at the opening of the course 
testifies to the splendour of the good old days of the Sport of Kings. Governor 
D Urban presided. This set was the cynosure of many eyes and it somehow got 
under the Vendue Master’s hammer and was purchased by the proprietor of 
Vreed-en-Hoop. From his hands it got to Sir Frederick Haynes Smith and then 
to old D’Amil, the pioneer of the gold industry of the colony. D’Amil then sold it 
to Camacho, the Portuguese Consul, who wanted it for a dinner party and he 
repurchased it from the Consul. I bought it at D’ Amil’s sale when the splendour of 
his glory had departed. Governor D’Urban, who had the set originally, was a 
Major General and Lieutenant-Governor of the Colonies of Demerara and Esse- 
quebo, acting Governor in 1825 and Governor of the United Colony in July, 1831, 
on the union of the Colonies of Demerara and Essequebo and the Colony of 
Berbice. 
Governor D’ Urban’s youngest son, Walter Robert, although only 20 years old 
when he died, was Governor's Secretary of the Colony. He was officially declared 
drowned on che 1st November, 1824, whilst bathing in the falls of Rio Essequebo, 
and his remains were interred in the Military Burial Ground at Eve Leary 
and a tablet stands as his memorial in the Cathedral. His body was brought to 
Georgetown by the Second Fiscal. The older inhabitants of Scapie were strong 
on the point that he was killed by Major Hay ina duel. 
Old H. J. Parnell was the life and soul of the D’ Urban Race Club and there was 
hardly a meeting where his colours did not catch the judge’s eye. I can well 
remember the old man with his magnificent physique as he led the cavalry volun- 
teers onthe old Parade Ground. His name is perpetuated in the buildings used 
nowasanauctionmart. It wasalways known as Parnell’s Building and Parnell’s 
Building it will be until pulled down. [havea racing trophy, the cup presented 
by Governor Mundy in 1866, won by Parnell’s mare Brunette. For years I was 
after it but it was not for sale. Then it was purchased by Sir Frederic Hodgson, 
Governor of the Colony. He heard that I had been after it for some time and, 
good sportsman as he is, he sent it on to me, so that I could have a trophy of the 
old man. Parnell’s son is now a practising Solicitor. 
Old Forrester was another popular man at the Sport of Kings when Szlvertail 
and Crackers were the horses of the day. A racing trophy of Forreste> is in the 
shape of an old wooden snuff-box with wood hinges. At the bottom of the box 
is the tartan of the Stuarts to which clan he was allied. On the lid is a fine oil 
painting of the old boy in white pants, silk hat and morning coat of the period 
with his bay mare Platina and black horse Enterprise with black jockeys up. 
