EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 29 



ing barbarity ; while they chaftife their partners not CHAP, 

 only with a fhew of ineffable contempt, but with giving 

 in public the moft unequivocal marks of preference 

 towards thofe gentlemen who newly arrive from Eu- 

 rope ; w^hich occafioned the trite proverb and obferva- 

 tion in the colony, that the Tropical ladies and the muf- 

 quitoes have an inftindlive preference for a newly-landed 

 European : this partiality is indeed fo very extreme, and 

 the proofs of it fo very apparent and naufeous, that 

 fome command of temper is neceffary to prevent the 

 difguft which fuch behaviour muft naturally excite, 

 particularly where the objecSl is not very inviting ; nay, 

 it was even publicly reported at Paramaribo, that two of 

 thefe 'Tropical Amazons had fought a duel for the fake 

 of one of our officers. 



I muft now mention a word or two of the Governor 

 and Colonel Fourgeoud ; when I will endeavour to put 

 an end to. this long chapter : for, notwithftanding the 

 polite reception our whole corps had met with ever jfince 

 we firft landed in the colony, it was evident to perceive 

 that mutual coolnefs which fublifted between him and 

 our commander in chief, who indeed gave the firft pub- 

 lic caufe of animofity, on the very day of our debarka- 

 tion, by drawing up his regiment with their backs to- 

 ward the governor's palace. 



It is eafy to conceive that the difguft which fo early 

 and fo reciprocally manifefted itfelf between the above 

 two gentlemen, who were both of them our commanders, 



E 3 but 



