234 Statiftical and Commercial Importance of Surinam. 
extending about 1220 geographical miles 
in length, and upwards of 60 in breadth, 
arofe avout 150 years ago the colony of 
Surinam, fituated on the banks ofa large 
river of that name. It was founded in the 
year 1634, by a number of Englithmen, 
which naticn, after fome years interval 
(during which the French had made their 
appearance, put the inhabitants to the 
{word, and difappeared) inthe year 1650 
‘turned again its thoughts to thefe deferted 
parts of the new hemifphere, and fettled 
there once more, under the guidance and 
direétion of Lord Willoughby. 
Thie exertions of the firt colonifts were 
crowned with fo much fuccefs, that at the 
expiration of a term of feventeen years 
they poffeffed already fifty fine fugar-plan- 
tations, and feveral other ufeful eftablifh- 
ments, when, in the year 1667, the Dutch, 
furprized and rendered themfelves mafters 
of the colony, which, notwithftanding its 
fpeedy re-capture by the Englifh, was 
ceded to them by the treaty of peace, con- 
cluded. foon after at Breda. Since that 
period, the colony of Surmam continued 
in pofieffion of the Dutch, until, after an 
interval of 132 years, it fupmitted, on the 
2oth of Auguft of laft year, to the fceptre 
of George IIT. and thus returned under 
the dominion of its firft founders and pof- 
feffors. 
Of all’ the fettlements of the Europeans 
ander the torrid zone of Guyana, Surinam > 
ais by far the more important in point of 
‘extent, 25 well as from its fuperior culti- 
vation, trade, and wealth. Two rivers, 
the Pumafon and Mafoni, form the natu- 
ral boundaries of the poffeffions of the 
French and Spaniards, and of the formerly 
Dutch, now Britifh, Guyana, which ex- 
tends from the latter river to the mouth of 
the Oronoko, and along the coaft, thirty 
miles beyond the point where the Suri- 
nam empties into the fea. The policilors 
of that rich colony claim the whole extent 
of country which is bounded weftward by 
the river _Kanfe or Kange, forty miles 
from the river Corantine, and eaftward by 
the river Sinamary ; but this claim is called 
in queftion by the French. 
Surinam is inhabited by Europeans cr 
whites, of manifold religions, feéts, and 
nations, acd by negroes tran{ported thither 
from the coat of Guinea. Segveftered 
from the colonifts, t¥e original inhabitants 
of the country live on the banks of the 
rivers in floth, indclence and retirement. 
By. Raynal’s account, the population of 
Surinam amounted, in the year 1775, to 
2824 planters, exclufive of women and 
[April r, 
children, and 60,000 flaves. The number 
of inhabitants has fince certainly in- 
creafed, rather than decreafed, and that 
of the faves is faid to amount at prefent 
to $0,000; this colony having fortunate- 
ly efcaped the revolutionary convulfions 
which have defolated feveral other colonies 
in America. 
In earlier times the public peace and 
tranquillity were frequently ‘nterrapted in 
Surinam by dreadful infurreétions. Soon 
after the firft fettlements had heen made, 
a number of rebellious negroes fled into the 
thickeft forefts, where they not only found 
an afylum, but their number was alfo ra- 
pidly augmented by a multitude of fugi- 
tives. Cruelties committed by the plant- 
ers, want of affiftance, and fruitlefs at- 
tempts to crufh the rebellion, foon in- 
creafed their ftrength in fo alarming a de- 
gree, that the hard prefled-colonifts were 
neceffitated to purchafe peace of their re- 
bellious flaves. A peace, thus bought of 
negroes, is as precarious as pacifications 
fold to her tributaries by republican 
France. New rebellions foon fprung up, 
and Surinam was again expofed to the ut- 
moft danger. The detachments of regular 
troops, fent thither from Holland in 1773 
and 1774, although they fucceeded in fe- 
curing, by many bloody conflits, the life 
and property of the planters from the 
barbarous inroads and inhuman devafta- 
tions of the negroes, yet were not able to 
force the rebels to fubmiffion. On the 
contrary, it became at length neceffary to 
acknowledge the independence of thefe nu- 
merous hordes, which confifted of upwards 
of 100,000 negroes, divided into different 
tribes, but admit no longer of any fugi- 
tives among them ; and toinduce them by 
yearly prefents and other advantages to 
keep the peace. A mixture of blood, 
water, and earth, was the naufeous potion 
which was drank by the negociators of 
peace, as a pledge of their mutual 
good faith, and in confirmation of the 
treaty concluded. Far greater fecurity 
than this treaty can afford the planters of 
Surinam, they derive at prefent from the 
vaft military power cf the Britif Govern- 
ment, which has taken them under its 
protection. 
But it is not only in point of fecurity 
that this colony derives immenfe advan- 
tages from its late fubmiffion to Great 
Britain, but alfo with regard to its internal 
profperity, trade, wealth, and foreign re- 
lations. The foil of Surinam produces 
not only fugar, coffee, tobacco, cotton- 
wool, and indigo, of a fuperior quality, 
but 
