82 TlMEHRI. 
their encouragement, bestowed a gold chain upon one 
of them named ISAAC ISRAEL DE PlSO, His Majesty's 
pleasure is that it be taken from him and returned to 
His Majesty."* Lord WlLLOUGHBY being the Governor 
of Barbados and Lord Proprietor of Surinam, with a 
grant of "all Manner of Mynes of Gold and Silver as 
well not opened as opened" would naturally have sent 
experts to Guiana. As, however, the king took a fifth 
part of all precious metals as a royalty, it is probable 
that the prospectors worked quietly, which accounts for 
there being no record of gold mining while Surinam 
was in the possession of the English. 
In the early part of the eighteenth century several 
attempts at gold mining were made in the Colony of 
Essequebo. " In 1721 the Council of Ten in Holland, 
granted a privilege, whereby it was ena6led that all 
persons disposed to work mines in Guiana might do so 
upon certain conditions, and Mr. HlLDEBRAND, a miner, 
was sent from Holland for that purpose. A shaft was 
sunk at a short distance from the first catarafts in the 
Cuyuni, but the small quantity of ore found did not 
repay the expenses of working it, and the attempt was 
abandoned.'^ There are also traditions of gold mines 
in the Groote creek and at Saxicalli on the Essequebo, 
silver at Caytan on the Cuyuni, and copper on the last 
named river. If these three metals should be found 
within the same districts, it will go to confirm the 
report of the natives of Hispaniola concerning the 
metal Guanin. 
* Calendar of State Papers — Colonial. 
t Schomburgk's Life of Raleigh in Re-print of the Discoverie of 
Guiana. 
