482 



Indians meant to tell Acunha of commitnica 

 tions which might take place with the Dutch 

 possessions by portages from the Rio Branco to 

 the Rio Essequibo. The Caribbees, no doubt, 

 reached the banks of the Rio Negro both ways, 

 by the isthmus of Rupunuri, and by the Cassi- 

 quiare ; but an uninterrupted communication 

 of rivers must have appeared to the natives an 

 object more adapted to fix the attention of stran- 

 gers ; and if the mouth of the Oroonoko be not 

 found j properly speaking, in the Dutch posses- 

 sions, it is at least extremely near them. The 

 abode of Acunha at the confluence of the Rio 

 Negro not only procured to Europe the first 

 knowledge of the communication between the 

 Amazon and the Oroonoko, but had also re- 

 sults advantageous to humanity. The troop of 

 Teixeira wanted to force it's commander to enter 

 the Rio Negro, in order to carry off slaves. 

 The two monks, Acunha and Artedia, pro- 

 tested in writing against this unjust and impo- 

 litic expedition. They maintained at the same 

 time a principle somewhat strange, that " con- 

 science did not permit Christians to drag into 

 slavery any natives, but such as were to serve 

 as interpreters." Whatever may be thought of 

 this axiom, the noble and courageous protest of 

 the two monks caused the failure of the pro- 

 jected enterprise*. 



* Acunha, p. 34, §G7. 



