Up the Cuyuni in 1837. 325 



ture. There will be no religion where there is no bread, 

 and if famine be a natural consequence of the introduc- 

 tion of a Mission it will be a greater curse to the Indians 

 than an Indian Post — a nuisance which I did not believe it 

 possible to surpass. On my arrival in March in Massaroony 

 I savv- no fields burning, and what cultivation I saw or heard 

 of was far below the adequate scale. This was not so 

 of old. In February the Indian cut down the bush for 

 his field — in March he burnt the wood on the ground- 

 in April he planted his cassada for the next year's sup- 

 ply. Not merely the Indians but the free people of 

 colour were in the same predicament — not a cake of cas- 

 sada bread could be bought for any money in either of 

 the three rivers. The Indians and free people in the 

 vicinity of the Protestant Mission were starving — the 

 Indians beyond its reach were revelling in plenty. This 

 fa6l speaks volumes. I bought in Coora-Coora 50 pounds 

 of hard dried cas'^ada bread for a three bit knife. It 

 cost me 6 shillings a day to feed my crew with rice from 

 Georgetown to the Harapeery Creek — 2s. 4^d. per diem 

 afterwards with cassada. It would be unfair to infer 

 that because the beginning has been unfortunate the 

 end must necessarily be so also, and common report 

 gives the clergyman now in charge of the Mission a 

 chara6ler of great zeal and worthiness. But it is a 

 melancholy prospe6l for the colony to see such a result 

 as the present from freedom, civilization and religious 

 instruction, after so many years of experimental progress. 

 1 have added little in this excursion to Geographical 

 or Botanical science. The Yuruary river and its savan- 

 nahs v/ere still five days journey off when I turned back 

 just in time to encounter incessant rain in the Mas^a-f 



