New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-21

veeeels may obtain supply BY sending up as high
40 The sand hills. The water, though clear, has,
The the bush WATER a vegetable discoloration, but
like that, is both palatable and wholesome.
Next to the Demerara in importance, and next
70 IL in sre is the River Bsrbice which enters the
ocean about fifty miles to the eastward. inns
river in the entrance of which is small lslano'
has bar ak mil q across, which affords, however,
at spripq tides, depth of sixteen feet. a mile or
,,,o nm the Berbice receives con'ideraole '.rbu-
t,ry from the east, known as the CS'' ZEE Greek,
and iu.t at ibe junction Of the tv5 streams lies the
town Of New.Amsterdsw, FORT ofeutry, and next
TO Georgetown, though far inferior to it, the princ-
pal place in the Colony. For vessels drawing not
more than twelve feet the BeIbice is naygable for
upward Of hundred miles, windings included.
Vessels Of seven feet draft can aVcend il for hun
bred and sixty miles, TO nearly which distance the
tide is perceptble. The CaPjee may also be naVi-
gated By small vessels for a considerable distance
The banks of both rivers above the line of cultiya-
ton present thick forest growth including many
trees very valuable for timber But at some dis
lance from the river banks these fofets are super
seeded by widespread sayannahs, unduating, and
downs Of clay and sand, Of some ninety feet eesa-
ton above the rivers and alordiDg good pasturage
The Berbice has course above the tide about
equal TO that below II was in the upper part OF
this river that Shouburgk discovered, in 1887, the
Victoria lily, though il is said to have been pre-
yiously met with by explorers Of the Amazon.
TIE CorentJD, Of which tie east bank belongs
TO the Dutch, as it approaches the sea, spreads ont
into an estuary ten miles wide. Jost az its mouth
the Dutch have the harbOr and port of Nlckarie.
The British have On the other side few scattered
sugar plantations but no town. This river may be
ascended by small vessels one hundred and sixty
miles. Its whole course ia not less than four hund-
red miles in a direct line, as it takes ts rise in
range of mountains near the fret degree of North
latitude.
TIE Essequbo, which rises in the same group OF
mountains, is the Target of all the rivers OF British
Guiana. At its entrance into the ocean it spreads
out into an estuary twenty miles wide, filled with
long and narrow Islands, of which the three outer
most are cultivated in sugar. The entrance OF the
Essequibo is rendered dangerous by many shoals
and sand-banks The best caannel huge the eastern
shore, and has depth varying from twelve to
tyenty.fou feet The tide ascends this river for
only fifty miles, being stopped by ledge of rocks
which form rapids. Six miles below these rapids
if receives the waters of the MasseroOny and the
Cuyuni, two large rivers coming from the north and
west, which, having joined each other eight niles
before reaching the Essequibo flow into that river
in stream mile wide. But the ascent of these
rivers, like that of the Essequibo is soon impeded
BY rapids. The Essequibo s considerably frequent
ed by wood-cutters, its banks Astounding 10 fine tim
Der. But although, as we shall presently see, it
furnished the principal site OF the earliest Dutch
settlements, whence at a later day spraDg the col
opy on the Demarars, the only existing establish
mentt of any consequence now to be found on its
backs are the Indian mission school OF Bartica at
the entrances of the MasserOony into the Essequibo
and penal settlement few miles up the latter
river, and some fifty or sixty miles from George
town, where the coDyicts are employed in working
a quarry of granite. The present County Of Esse-
quibo which represents the ancient colony of that
name, is made up of the settlements the islands,
with few plantations on the line Of the sea coast
eastward, hut principally of the sea-coast planta
tons extending westward Of the rivers mouth,
known in tho colony as the Arabian Coast by cor
ruptiOn from Caribbean, that district having been
formerly inhabited by Tribe Of Indians known as
CARDS.