t)EMERABA GrEAT EaLLS. 
1.017. iWe proceeded on without interruption in amongst a most 
vigorous and lovely tioral growth of Cassia, Melastohui, DihiorphUj (Jlusia 
and Vochysia, while the less striking blossoms of the numerous Laurineae 
here met with, so characteristic of the vegetation of the Demeraj'a, filled 
the atmosphere with their aromatic scent. We escaped the bad weather 
in the lonely hut uf an old Negro couple W^'ith snow-white hair, who still 
managed to exist in this isolated spot, and \vho«e miserable quarters 
afforded us a friendly night's lodging, as 1 w as afraid of another stormy 
evening. Tlie old people could not sufficiently thank me next morning 
when, resuming our journey, I left iK'hind a jtresent of rice, salt-fish, and 
a few drops of rum : long after the paddles liad been started going, their 
voices still rang in my ears, ''Good massa, good niassa, long life to you!" 
A natural liollow among the thbkly wooded hills, which now on both 
banks reached a heigiit of 800 feet, enclosed the Demerara, and forced 
it at the same time into many a l>end. Upon several of these hills and 
on their slopes one could still see traces and remains of former Indian 
settlements the occupants of which are now no more. The once cultivated 
stretches were demarcated sharply and distinctly from the high virgin 
forest, and presented a strange appearance, especially in the distance. 
The banks of the Demerara, once so numei'onsly populated especially by 
Arawaksj have quite lost their red-brown population, some of whom have 
died out while others have taken up their quarters elsewhere : Golden 
Hill was the last Arawak settlement met with on its immediate water- 
side. A flock of parrots, in fact innumerable, that could bp heard 
shrieking already at a quarter of an hour's distance, trooped over tho 
river: they flew pretty low and settled upon jhe trees of the right bank 
which tliey apparently covered. 
1.018. Several hills were the cause of the river veering round again 
for a few miles in a westerly direction^ where it equally as suddenly 
makes a bend, so that here once more its course almost forms a 
right angle: it is in this bend that numerous rapids are met 
with.* On the other side of them, the path alre.ndy mentioned leads 
to the Essequibo. Six or seven miles beyond this track T reached the end 
of my journey, the Oruru-Mallali or Great Fall of the Colonists, the 
position of Arhich is 5° 19' lat. N. and 58* S3' long. W. Tn no respects 
did it make the mighty impression on me that I expected after what had 
been told me al>out its size: I had already seen many a more imposing 
spectacle. The height of the fall might amonnt to al)Out 12 feet.f Farther 
navigation stops here because the channel beyond is suitable only for 
smaller roi ials. The upper course of the Demei'ar.q is known alone to the 
Indians, and from what they say. its sources lie in the Maccari, a small 
mountain system that approaches the Essequibo in 4° 28' lat. K : its 
channel ruus in a general way fairly parallel with the Essequibo and 
Berbice, and although it receives a number of tributaries, none of them 
is of any importance. With a grand hai-vest, particularly of living 
orchids, I returned to Georgetown at the beginning of May. 
•. The Kuniaparu Rapids. (V.R.)J 
t, The height of the fall is really 60 feet. ( V.R ) 
