;Q2 N A R R A T I V E OF AN
CHAP.
; Xu.
.the river Comewina, on board a decent tent-boat rowed
by, fix .baying once .more bid Eoy^b^-
loved. Joanna. In the evening I palled the- Sporkfgift
-effca,te». in the MatajAcaCreek; the next day I arrived at
.Arentru.ft, in Comewina» having palled the Orelana
«Creek and the fortrefs Somelixlyk, which is about fixteen
miles above Fort Amlterdam, and forms the; reparation
hetween that andthe river Cottica, commanding the two
oppofite {hones by the fire of its cannon. This fortrefs
-Wasbuilt in the year 1684 by Governor Somclfdyk, whd&
-name it ftill. bears. It is built in the form of a pentagon,
having,, fixe haftions mounted with artillery * it; ha?: 1 a
fofie»- and_is,w,ell provided with;military ffore? thoPgh
it is not large, it is well defended, efgecialfy by its low
and m_arfiaj fitnatfon*. Not al^y44hi% tp- tbs tight»
as .a, fine cre&k^ ca^^,^|neterWan^*^|
On the 19th, about noon, I reached the Hope; having
found th.is: river flaH more charming than the river Cot-
tica, both being bordered with beautiful;-eftafesof coffee
and firgar, the firih of . which abounds principally! near
its mouth. About- half way up hpth thefe riyers- are.alfp
in eaeh a Pr-oteiiant chureh, where the plantation people
jpgfijrt to hear divine worfhip: the expend® of th e gar?
ifon, &c. being paid by the'planters.
The eftate I/Elgerance, or the Hope, where I now took
the command, is a valuable fugar-plantation, fttnated: on
the left fide of the Comewina, at the mouthy, nfr;ariwujp$
called Bottle Creek, and almp&opgoiite ;to anotherrcreek
X called
303
called Caffivimca i the Bottle Crèék communicating With C HY| TA p.
the Comewina and Wrifây ös' the Wàn'a Creek does with. . ‘ ;
Catmoetibo^and Rio^Comewinav
•••. Here the troops-Wérd lodged in temporary houles built
with the .maaicöle^tröe ; bbt the fitwttiotrwâs fo low
and marfliy as at fprirîg-üdeé to rbe eniimly underwater.-
The officers were ah- -crowded iri one apartment of thé
fame ‘ æonft^n^oîi | -While fhe plante0 s !ihe; hóufé,. which*
might hâ-Vè been fèlvidéablê f®r; thWp&afttre 'and health^
of thefe gentlemenj-wà^‘made -uie of by;nobody but the-
averfeemf the etofcm ! t
About à' câùnoii-lhôt ' higher up the river is th’é etoéè •
the-aa'drtïö èiaraine the;
fiate of the hofpital> and whéré 1 found the hoops moré
difegreéably quartered than-at .thè' Hoipè, dwing cîâé®f
to the'amazing -number of rats With Which this place
wasiinfefted, defttoyffig the men’s dfótSê&and pftftffibbs*,
and running over their faces -by dozens aVthef lay iii>
theirhammocks. The''only- mode of remedying thii-
horritHncorrvenience* was-to break hóles* iiï the hottomé
of ' quart bottles, ; .and then firing -them like beads upon ;
the. lathings of each hammock, both ht: liead and foot*;
- when this was .properly* done» their polifli rendered it :
impoffibfc for the rats; to reach the cahvasv- s
Here th e crowded hotpithlafiorded a mdanchóiy.fpeo*
taelé, by: the miferablW pbfelfe' I t prfefented. Hum'affitÿ
fuffers fo much from fuch-féeôeâ, that I felt myfdf happy
upon my .feturn to the Hope.' Mÿ- óldèfsphere-wefë
much