NARRATIVE OF AN 



1662, the colony of Surinam was granted by charter of 

 Charles the Second to Francis Lord Willonghby, and 

 at that lord's defire to be divided with Lawrence Hide^ 

 fecond fon of Edward Earl of Clarendon, for them and 

 their defcendants for ever : the original record of this, 

 charter is to be found in the chapel of the Rolls. In 

 1664, the Englifli captured the New Netherlands, fince 

 called New- York, from the Dutch. 



In the year 1665, Surinam was fuccefs fully cultivated, 

 moftly by planting tobacco. They had alfo raifed above 

 forty fine fugar plantations, and eredled a ftrong fortrefs 

 of hewn Itone for their defence. It is proper however 

 to remark, that fome fuppofe thefe improvements were 

 effecSled by the Portuguefe, though at what period is 

 uncertain ; while the French flrenuoufly difpute the 

 point, and infifl that they were the work of Monfieur 

 Ponfert de Bretigny, when France had poiTeffion of that 

 country. However this may be, the fortrefs is fituated 

 about fixteen or eighteen miles from the mouth of the 

 river Sarinam, and thefe induftrious fettlers found them- 

 felves perfectly happy in a fmall town v/hich they had 

 built under the walls. Their felicity was not of long 

 duration ; for in the wars between Charles the Second 

 and the United Provinces, the Dutch having been driven 

 in 1661 from the Brazils by the Portuguefe, took the 

 colony of Surinam from the EngUfh in 1667, under the 

 command of a Captain Abraham Criuvon, who was dif- 

 A patched: 



