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formation is given. Yet, notwithstanding these precautions, the 

 village is never in perfect security ; a house in its immediate vicinity 

 was surprised a few months previous to our visit to this district. 



We now took leave of the vicar and his guests, and, I may add, of 

 all the villagers, who came out to salute us as we passed. Returning 

 to Castro, I remained the whole of the next day to examine the 

 establishment. It is built, like that at Barro, in the form of a square, 

 the dwellings of the negroes forming three sides, and the mansion the 

 fourth, the entrance being in front through a pair of gates which, 

 when shut, secure the whole. The rooms in the mansion were like 

 ancient halls, adorned with carvings, and fitted up and furnished after 

 the old fafvhion. Here were blunderbusses, swords, and other wea- 

 pons for defence, used in former days, when the house was liable to 

 the continual attacks of the Bootocoodies. The stairs, gallery, and 

 floors were of fine wood, of a quality which time had not in any 

 degree perceptibly injured. Attached to the house were the remains 

 of a sugar-mill, distil-house, corn-mill, and a machine, worked by a 

 strap and spindles, for spinning cotton, all in a state of neglect. The 

 whole establishment bore marks of former opulence and grandeur, 

 from which it appeared to have gradually declined as the gold-wash- 

 ings at the confluence of the rivers and in other parts had become 

 exhausted. The negroes were now all removed to Barro, except a 

 few infirm and sick, who were stationed here to keep the mansion in 

 order, (this being considered as a light employment for them,) until 

 such time as their convalescence should fit thera for resuming 

 their labours along with their brethren at the other estate. 



Having made a sketch of the house, and visited every part which 

 interested me, I returned by the same road to Barro, where I em- 

 ployed myself in making a topographical map of the river, distin- 

 guishing by different colours the places already washed for gold, those 

 which were then washing, and the yet unworked grounds. This sort 

 of map might be made on a large scale, so as to include a whole 



