CHAP. The bourracourra, or brazil, grows to between thirty
XVIL t and forty feet, high, but not very thick, with a reddifh
bark. The heart only of this tree is valuable, after the
white pithy part is cut away, though then it is much di-
minifhed. This wood is as truly beautiful as it is ufe-
ful, the colour being a fine Crimfon, variegated with
irregular and fantaftical black-fpots* from which, by the
French, it is called bois de lettres. It is heavy, hard, and
durable, though rather brittle, and is capable of taking
the brighteft polifh; this 1 aft is fcarce in Guiana, but
the others are more plentiful, growing on the higheft
grbunds ; where alfoTs Toundebony. The heavy trees,
being fhaped into timbers for fugar-mills, are chiefly fent
to the Englifh Weft India iflands, and often fold for the
pace o f fifty gurnets each piece.
The word o f command being again given on the 5th,.
we unflung our hammocks, then marched fouth-fouth-
eaft, and fouth by eaft, through deep and dangerous
marfhes up to our breafts in water, and in very heavy rains;,
in which helplefs fituation we were fuddenly alarmed*
not by a party o f rebels, but by a company o f large mon-
\Jdes, which we difeovered in the tops of the trees, knockr
ing a kind of nuts againft the branches to break them for
their contents,, wkh tfie greatefl: regularity* as k were
keeping time alternately at every ftroke, while fome o f
them threw down their b u r th en s an d a nut falling from
a conftderable height, broke the head o f one ©f our marines.
The found' o f breaking thefe nuts* we had: mif-
taken for the rebel negroes cutting wood with an axe;
In
In phe-s evening we encamped near the Tempatee
Creek; where we, made large fires, and built comfortable
,hn!ts,;ujthus this .flight we flept prote&ed from
the? wet. Here >ve,found the beft water I ever tafted:
and in the tc,amp I faw two remarkable lizards, the one
called the devil d } f i l < k e and the other agama, in this,
country. The firft is an ugly fbaall lizard of a deep brown
or blackifh colour, which !7arts with amazing fwiftnefs up
and down the trees ; it ht&no fc^les, a large head, and it
is laid to bite, which .is fuppofed to be an unscohimon property
in a lizard* The o fte^ s ,Galledtfoe Mexican came-
leon, which is remarkably fplendrd; and, like others of
the*kind, is endued with the property of changing, its
colour; but of its. nature and qualities I -can fay little
more, having never had the opportunity, of a clofe examination.
In Surinam there is alfo a fpecies .of lizard,
known by the name of falamander, Which-alfo T never
faw.i
On the 6th we marched .again,, keeping due weft
till twelve o’clock, through very heavy r-ain and deep
water; when we changed our. courfe to the north, and
palled oV$r very high mountains,' by many fuppofed ta
be pregnant with treafure.
w Rocks rich, with gems, and mountains bright with mines,
u That on the high equator ridgy rife y v
ir Where many a bttrftirig ftream auriferous pliys; .
Majeftic woods of every vigorous, green,
" Stage above ftage high waving o’er the hills.*'
D m
T homson.
The