184 
Spanish Indians. 
person, kissed his hand, and individually received his blessing. It was 
a line stamp of men who were now rallied before the altar, and their 
outward appearance already led us to expect that they stood upon a 
higher plane of civilization than tin 1 natives around. The women aad 
girls wore print, dresses and seemed to be very fond of finery, because I 
noticed amongst them many gold chains, ear-trinkets and rings, while 
the beautiful shiny black hair was tastefully done up in long plaits 
hanging down the back. The men wore white trousers and jackets. Here 
and there a half-naked Warrau rendered himself conspicuous among the 
circle of devotees, and showed all Hie more plainly that Indian bicod did 
not alone flow in the veins of tin* former. The little choir-bovs, whose 
white gowns were in marked contrast with their brown faces and black 
hair, were thoroughly trained in their office. 
tilO. On conclusion of the Mass the crowd tarried awhile in front of 
the Church chatting with one another, when I recognised from the airs 
and graces with which the beauties promenaded up and down, that they 
were of Spanish blood even before Father Cullen confirmed it. 
020. The mission population approximated 500 residents, the off- 
spring of Spaniards and Indian women, generally known in the Colony 
under the name of ‘‘Spanish Indians.” During the Revolution in 
Columbia in 1818 and 1810 these fled to English soil and territory, placed 
themselves under the protection of the British flag and settled down on 
the scattered hills of the Morocco savannah which they changed into a 
flourishing garden of fruits and vegetables. They generally speak 
Spanish and stand on a higher level of culture than this desolate waste 
might lead one to expect. 
021. In the course of the lively conversation carried on outside the 
Church we had already heard from the catechist the disquieting news 
that not only yellow fever but also black pox had broken out in George- 
town to a frightful extent. This information was still further dilated 
upon at noon by the arrival of the Post-holder of the Pomeroon, Mr. 
McClintock. Smallpox had attacked the Arawaks of that river where 
it had caused considerable loss and spread general terror. It was not 
to be wondered at that up to now hardly any of those afflicted by the 
dread disease had been saved, considering that, unfamiliar with its 
nature, the Indians had applied a most absurd method of treatment, in 
which, as the Post-Holder assured us, they held such implicit faith, that 
neither remonstrance nor indeed any power on earth could break them 
of it: the absolutely unsuitable procedure in question is as it were born 
in their flesh and blood from their treatment of fever in general. More 
than this, no one could remember smallpox ever having attacked them 
before. The Government unfortunately did not seem to want to do any- 
thing on behalf of the poor people, because up till now it had not even 
been considered necessary to send a medical man to the areas affected. 
A large number of Indians had already abandoned their settlements and 
withdrawn into the interior which naturally gave reason to fear that the 
virus of the disease would be spread. 
