98 TlMEHRI. 
have the effect of unsettling their minds, the Post-holder 
considering that Mr. S.'s conduct was diametrically oppo- 
site to the orders he (Post-holder) had received from 
Government, and wishing to corre6t the traveller from 
mixing too freely with the Spaniards, the Post-holder 
making use of language to that effect caused a misunder- 
standing between the two men. All this care and pro- 
te6lion on the part of the British Government towards 
our new arrivals exasperated the Oronokers so much that 
during my time, even, reports were circulated amongst 
the Spanish Arrawaks that large-sized launches from 
Oronoko manned by Spaniards were expected in Moruca 
— brought up for the express purpose of taking all of 
them back again to the Oronoko ; hand-bills were also 
distributed among the Moruca people offering to each 
person who returned to Rio Oronoko a supply of imple- 
ments of husbandry free of cost ; but no offers had any 
effect nor was it to be wondered at when it is known 
their escape from Rio Oronoko was to avoid military 
duty for which they were now called upon to serve, and 
without pay or clothing and rations very irregularly 
distributed ; the result was that they refused to a man 
to return, stating they were already established in Moruca 
and under the protection of the British Crown. 
I am come now to a very painful circumstance — the 
spread of leprosy among the Warrau Indians — proving 
beyond a doubt that the disease is infectious, although 
there are many physicians, at the present day, who deny 
the fact. 
The Government of that distant period could not have 
imagined that leprosy was contagious, otherwise the un- 
