1800. ] 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
An authentic ACCOUNT of FRENCH GUI- 
ANA, commonly called CAYENNE, ex- 
trated from the JOURNAL of a FRENCH 
OFFICER, who by Order of ihe late Go- 
VERNMENT Of FRANCE undertook three 
differcnt VOY AGES 10 explore and afcer- 
tain the NATURE Of ihe $01L, CLIMATE, 
and PRODUCTIONS of that COLONY. 
ai ia part of South America which 
extends along the Atlantic Ocean 
from the lett banks of the river Maragnon 
or Amazon; nearly under. the equator, to 
the Oronoko, is called Guiana. The 
boundaries of that country ,within land, are 
not yet exactly known, nor is it very ma- 
terial to afcertain them, as the ground is 
cultivated only within a moderate diftance 
from the coaft. 
nerally agreed, that they extend as far as 
the Rio Negro, which feems to be an arm 
of the Oronoko, and empties into the ri- 
ver Amazon, fo that under the appellation 
of Guiana is comprifed that vaft extent of 
country, which is fituated between the At- 
Jantic Ocean, the river Amazon, the Oro- 
noko, and Rio Negro. 
This extenfive tract of country was for- 
merly divided among four powers, viz. 
Portugal, which poffeffed a {pace of about 
twenty: five or thirty leagues between the 
rivers Amazon and Cape “North 5 ; France, 
which owned the part of Guiana fituated 
between the latter river and the Maroni ; 
Holland, whofe dominions extended from 
the river Maroni to the Pomaron; and 
Spain, which occupied the extent of coun- 
try between the latter river, and the Oro- 
noko. While this divifion remains unal- 
tered in regard to Portugal and Spain, 
Dutch Guiana has already changed her 
mafter, and French Guiana or Cayenne is 
likely to follow her example. No other 
known country is interfected by fo nume- 
rous rivers as Guiana, molt of which are 
very confiderable, and the mouths of fome 
of them are one, two, and three leagues 
in width. This is chiefly owing to the 
tide, and the nature of the ground, which 
is very low towards the conte, and does not 
in the leaft obftruSt the expantion of the 
rivers. 
On furveying on the map the creat num- 
ber and direétion of thefe natural canals, 
which at their rife feem to tend to one com- 
mon centre, and on their fallinto the fea 
expand in the form of a fan, it fhould feem 
extremely eafy to penetrate into the inte- 
rior of the country, to convey its produce 
to the fea in an expeditious and unexpen- 
{ve manner, and to connect the different 
MONTHLY MAG. NO» 60, 
Authentic Account of Cayenne. 
It is, however, pretty ge- 
525 
parts by means of navigable canals. But 
this is unfortunately impeded by infur- 
mountable obftacles. All thefe rivers are 
interrupted in their courfe by falls, more 
or lefs numerous and confiderable, where 
by the navigation is completely intercept- 
ed. The light veffels or boats are hauled 
on fhore, carried by men above the falls, 
and then the journey is further purfued, 
Troublefome as this proves. in regard to 
the moft infignificant cargoes, it would be 
impoffible with re{peét to veflels of a lar- 
ger fize. In this cafe, a number of vef- 
{els would be required lying conftantly in 
the river to receive the goods conveyed 
thither by land carriage from the veflels 
difcharged on the other fide of the falls, 
which would occafion a delay and expence 
hardly to be compenfated by any advan. 
tages of trade produced by this tedious 
and expenfive navigation, which 1s, more- 
over, attended by another inconvenience 
ftill greater than the former. In feveral 
of thefe rivers, the firft catara& is found 
when the boats have fcarce fix or feven 
miles worked up the ftream, and at that 
point the bed is frequently narrowed in an 
uncommon degree, and fometimes obftruét- 
ed by rocks, which render the navigation 
extremely troubiefome and dangerous. To 
fee a river, whofe wide expanfe and majef- 
tic courfe a few hours before excited our 
admiration, at once contraéted within the 
breadtf of the Seine at Paris, forms a fin- 
gular afpeét. Moft of thefe rivers are 
therefore navigated only for a fmall extent 
from their mouths ; ; and thus of this ex- 
tenfive country little or nothing is ae 
but the coaft. 
French Guiana, which is fegucly, 
though erroneoufly, called the Ifland of 
Cayenne (the latter only forming a very 
inconfiderable part of the former), extends 
from the river Cape North, about two de- 
grees north latitude, wehGres at a (mall dif. 
tance from the river Amazon, it is bound- 
ed by Portuguefe Guiana, to the river 
Maroni, where it borders upon the former 
Dutch, now Britifh, Guiana, or Surinam. 
The French formed their firft fettlement 
in Guiana about the year 1635. Having 
abandoned it foon after, they were fuc- 
ceeded by the Englifh, but again took paf- 
feffion of the country about the year 76645 
and retained it ever fince. 
The foil of this colony is in many parts 
uncommonly fruitful ; the productionsare © 
upon the whole of an excellent quality 5 it 
is eafy to gain a fubfiftence ; the climate 
is more heathful, than in any of the. An- 
tilles, and, in point of extent, French Gu- 
iana is far more confiderable than the 
ie largeft 
2 
