First Impressions. 
15 
liuge boiling-house chimneys of the Sugar Plantations situated on the 
western bank all surrounded with beautiful cabbage palms ( Areca oler- 
acea Jacq. ) and Coconuts (Cocos nucif era). The Rhizophora Mangle 
Linn., Avicennia nitida Linn. and Laguncularia racemose 
Gaert. form the coast and river fringes, of which the 
two latter stretch along the uncultivated waterside and 
s'ea-shore in thick uniform hedges. In the distance they looked just as. 
if they had been trimmed with shears and from behind their dark invig- 
orating verdure there peeped the pleasant buildings of the Estates, un- 
til finally on the right or eastern bank, bordered by the hundreds of 
masts of merchant ships, schooners and sloops at anchor, Georgetown, 
the capital, presented itself to view. 
58. The sun was already hurrying towards the western horizon as 
we slowly made our way over to Fort William Frederick which is close- 
ly connected Avith the Lighthouse Avhere our ship’s signal still fluttered, 
along through roAVS of merchant vessels under English ancTNorth Amer- 
ican flags, Avhose sailors had croAvded together on the decks to Avatch 
the incoming Cleopatra and welcome her Avith a general Hurrah! The 
creAvs of the coastal boats consisted for the most part of half-naked 
negroes and mulattoes avIio were busily discharging ground provisions, 
and enlivening their labours with strange sorts of songs. Along the 
banks the city showed nothing but an uninterrupted facade of wharves 
built on posts, with huge cranes, baggage- stores and Avarehouses which 
Avere given life to by the bustling agency of human hands: behind them 
again there rose slim cabbage and coconut palms Avhich thus hid the 
remaining portions of the capital. The Western bank certainly did not 
shoAV so lively but yet none-the-less interesting a landscape. The thick 
border of Avicennia and Laguncularia concealed in part the Estates’ 
residential quarters and boiling-houses, enclosed as they were on all 
sides by hundreds of small nigger-huts, together Avith their towering 
chimneys Avhich in perspective eA r er became gradually reduced in size 
until they finally indicated but the site of cultivated areas lying farther 
inland, where a bluish yellow evening haze limited the far horizon. The 
steamer that is always keeping up communication between both banks, 
as well as thje innumerable boats that assiduously cross the river next 
attracted our attention. 
59. After a long and fruitless search, the Cleopatra found a berth 
and to everybody’s satisfaction the anchor rattled down onto the soil of 
the New World. Rut our wish to sleep on shore to-day Avas not fulfilled. 
Evening haAung set in we were forced once more to be satisfied with our 
cabins: — my brother alone landed so as to wait upon the Governor 
without loss of time next morning. Immediately after his departure the 
Customs-House officers paid us a visit. 
60. In the evening, we heard the singing of the jolliest songs on the 
ships which, according to the distance of their anchorage, finally became 
blurred into single chords: the skylarking and noise betrayed the sail- 
ors’ dispositions, while in between a few crude or melodious sounds of 
different instruments managed to reach us. Nature had been resting 
already long in deep repose, when Man alone showed he shunned its 
soA T ereignty : for the dull thunder of the cannon at the Fort that lightly 
rolled over the ruffled surface of the rivermoutli and 
only died away in the far distance, notified the 
