246 Timehri. 
them was the establishment of Kyk-over-al ; Hartsinck gives 1613 and John 
Scott 1616, but there is little reliance to be placed on either. Then the question 
of its being built on the site of a Spanish (Portuguese) post is still unsettled. 
The American Commission was inclined to the opinion that it could not have 
existed until after the West Indian Company took over Essequebo about 1623. 
It is however quite certain that Dutch traders came to Guiana from about 1600, 
but the reported settlement in Pomeroon in 1580 may be safely put down as an 
error, for at that time the Netherlands were occupied at home in gaining their 
independence. 
As the settlement of this matter is of some historical importance I have gone 
carefully into it and it may be well to see what can be gathered from the evi- 
dence. Hartsinck speaks of a Portuguese stone fort being oceupied by the 
Dutch in 1613. It is, however, very doubtful if Portuguese ever came so far, and 
then again Portugal was under the domination of Spain at the time. There may 
have been a Spanish post at some time towards the end of the 16th century but 
there is no evidence ; possibly a temporary fort might have been erected. As 
however the Dutch traders were very weak, itis not to be supposed that they 
would occupy a strong fort of the enemy. We may therefore safely dismiss the 
Spanish fortification. That 1613 was near the date of Dutch occupation may 
besafely assumed but possibly three years later, as Major John Scott said is 
the more probable. 
Scott’s account of his capture of the Pomeroon and Kyk-over-al was written 
to show the damage he had done to the enemy in view to compensation for his 
expenses. There is undoubtedly some exaggeration in his statement of the 
value of the settlements but his account of Gromweagle (Van Groenwegen) has 
nothing to do with his claim and may therefore be put down as correct so far as 
hearsay evidence can be. His statement is virtually that Van Groenwegen had 
built Kyk-over-al and that he was an Indian trader in Essequebo. Of course 
he could only have been connected with one or more Dutch merchants, for the 
Company was not yet formed. There is, however, no record of such connection, 
nevertheless it is possible that he may have represented William Courteen, the 
founder of the English settlement in Barbados. The incident of Powell 
going to Essequebo and getting Indians to teach young Barbados how to 
plant is easily explained if Powell and Van Groenwegen worked for the same 
house. However that may have been there seems to be no doubt that private 
merchants were trading in Essequebo before the Company came into existence. 
TheSe traders probably joined the Company, and being shareholders still kept 
their private transactions until at last the fort was handed over to the Company 
and Van Groenwegen at a later date became Commandeur. No doubt the fort 
was altered and improved by the Company ; we have records of repairs being 
done in 1627. 
The most striking thing about this Fort is that it was 80 much more substan- 
tial than anything elsewhere ; the usual form was a block-house with palissades 
as in Berbice. To erect such a building of stone and brick would necessarily 
have required European workman and this meant a larger company than was 
necessary for a mere trading station. 
