12° “Account of Cayénne, 
the borders of the river Appronague,where 
the soil is dry and richs. There is a sort 
of wild indigo, which naturalists call Anil, 
which grows without cultivation, at a 
dittle distance from the sea: it is cele- 
brated for its medicinal qualities, and is 
Imuch used in all complaints of a bilious 
‘Nature, 
The Roucew yields. four harvests in the 
year; it fears neither caterpillars nor 
worms, which make such havoc amongst 
the canes and cotton. Nothing but the 
heaviest rains ever injures it, or makes 
itshed. The tree which produces the 
roucow is always loaded with fruit and 
flowers; its leaf resembles our winter 
pear-tree; its flower, our hedge-rose ; 
its fruit, contained in a prickly husk, like 
our horse-chesnut, is seperated into two 
divisions of small seeds: A ‘roucou tree 
in full bearing, is a beautiful sight; but 
the gathering it, like the indigo, is un- 
healthy. The roucou is only cultivated in 
Guiana, by the Indians, who stain their 
bodies with the red colour they extract 
from it. Theberries of the roucou are 
made into a paste, which is much used in 
colouring different stuffs.—The Vanilla 
hkewise thrives here; it is a native of 
the country ; it is tall and luxuriant, like 
the vine; the fruit resembles the Ba- 
nana; the Indians alone cultivate it, and 
make it an article of commerce with the 
colonists. 
All the tropical fruits and plants are 
found in Guiana in abundance. The 
Bread Fruit and the Mango, from the 
East-Indies, were introduced some years 
ago, and have succeeded well. 
The rivers abound with various kinds 
of fish, but they are also infested with 
swarms of alligators or crocodiles, as large 
as those of the Nile; they are so vora- 
cious, that they scruple not to attack 
-boats, and often drag away the fisherman 
and his lines; some of them are full 
thirty feet im length, and, as 
interior of the country is but little 
Known, it is probable there are much 
Jarger ones. : 
The forests abounds with animals and 
wild beasts of every description. Ti- 
gers ave very numerous, and ojten take 
off cattle from the plantations. Man has 
many enemies on this great continent ; 
mous size. Were I to relate what many 
peopie of the colony have told as facts, 
yelative to these reptiles, few would bee 
lieve me. 
In the year 1773, the Court. of 
France determined to -establish’ a spice 
garden at Cayenne, and caused a num- 
in South America. 
the - 
ance. 
and amongst them serpents of an enor-— 
[Aug. 1, 
ber of various plants to be brought there 
from India. . Two other expeditions fol+ 
lowed in 1784 and in 1788, both from 
the Mauritius. —The clove and cinnamon 
succeeded very well, the other plants 
perished on the passage ; for a consider= 
able length of time, the cultivation of 
thesé trees was prohibited to the coloe 
nists, which of course prevented their 
increase. This system having been aban- 
doned, the Court sent several plants te 
St. Domingo and Martinique, mm 1787s 
and 1788: at present, the government.of 
Cayenne is occupied in increasing the 
spice gardens through the colony. - In 
the latter end of 1798, it distributed a 
great quantity of seed, and several plants 
of cloves and cinnamon to all the plant-~ 
ers who asked for them; and the gar 
dens of the town offer to the view allies of 
the mango growing beside the clove trees 
The strait which separates the Island 
of Cayenne from the main, is about a 
mile and a half wide, There are but 
few villages on the main. Of these the 
chief are Synnamari and Konamana. The 
latter place was fixed upon for the resi- 
dence of the unfortunate deputies, priests, 
and others, who were transported under 
the sanguinary decrees of the revolution- 
ary tyrants. It is a wretched village, 
consisting of afew huts, or Indien kare | 
bets, in a vemote desert situation, sur- 
rounded with almost impenetrable fo- 
rests, and distant, about 90 miles from 
Cayenne. From this place the cele- 
brated Senator Barthelemi, Ex-Director ; 
Generals Pichegru,-Willot, Ramel, and_ 
five others, made their escape, through 
the woods, to Surinam, in 1799, from 
whence they got to Barbadves, where 
they were furnished with a passage to 
Europe by the British Government. The 
celebrated Collot d’Herbois, well known , 
in the bloody annals of the revolution for 
his cruelties and murders, died here: 
when he was taken ill, the surgeon, who 
was appointed to attend the exiles, asked 
what was his complaint“ I have a fever, 
and a burning perspiration.” ==‘ { be= 
lieve it well—You perspire with guilt and 
crimes.” Collot turned from him, and 
burst into tears; he called on God and 
the Holy Virgin to come to his assist. 
A soldier, to whom, at his first 
arrival, he had preached his doctrine of 
atheism and infidelity, approached and 
asked him, Why he invoked that God and 
that Virgin, whom, but a few months be- 
fore he had turned into ridicule? ‘“* Ah} 
my friend, my tongue belied my heart.” 
And then added, “‘ My God, my God, 
dare I still hope for pardon? Oh! send 
) - wae 
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