Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-08-08
LIFE ON A HUGE MUD FLAT.
WHAT A CORRESPONDENTS SAW IN
DEMERARA.

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British Aliana and its PeOpIe-um-
menSe Market Houses and what
they contain n-Gsusiness INT sreAts.
In an interesting letter from George
own, Demerara, to the Chicago Tribune,
he writer says On the northern coast
of South America, and to the eastward
Of the Orinoco delta, there lies a huge
mud flat. In our biographies it is called
tijuana, and in romance and history it is
spoken of as the Spanish Main; but to
The commercial world and to the people
generally it is known as Demerara. Back
Of this mud fiat, at distance of from
thirty to sixty miles, commences the
dark forest of Guiana. which stretches
IN an almost uninterrupted band over the
! equator and down to the Amazon River.
This mud fiat and this forest have their
history, and strange and romantic one
lit is. But, for the present at least, |
will have to omit the romance and try to
give you an idea of a very matter-of-fact
city, whose interest now centers in its
chief Xports-sugar and rum. George
town, the capital of British Guiana, lies
upon the right bank of the Demerara
river, almost at its mouth. It's popula-
lion, they tell me, is about As, 900, of
which some 45, 900 are colored, yellow,
olack or brown, for the majority of its
citizens come from distant climes-some
rom China, many from Africa, and
thousands from the southern provinces of
India. In approaching the Guiana coast,
If your captain has his bearings correctly,
the taller buildings of Georgetown and the
masts of vessels in the harbor will appear
over the horizon before the land itself is
seen; for, as | have said, Guiana is a
mud-fat, and its coast lies four feet
below the level of the sea, the salt ocean
being only kept off the land by an extern
Slve system of dykes. As your vessel
makes her way through the mud colored
waters and objects begin to assume some
distinctness you will see directly under
your bow, on a little artificial eminence,
the tumble down fort which guards the
mouth of the Demerara river. To the
left will be seen long stretch of sea-
coast, made apparent only by the line of
courida trees which grow along its edge,
and by the tall chimneys of sugar estates,
scattered here and there; while to the
right will appear the same monotonous
scene, ending on the western horizon
with the Island of Wakenaam, which lies
directly in the mouth of the river Esse-
quibo. Sailing around the little port and
going perhaps half mile up the river
you will drop anchor before the city
itself, the sight of which will certainly
not prepossess you in its favor, especially
if the tide is up and the long slopes Of
green ooze left uncovered by the reced-
ing waters are in view.
The day will, without doubt, be hot
for all days are hot in this Southern land
and you will be besieged by shouting
negroes in bright colored boats, who will
worry you more in one minute than our
much-maligned hotel-runners would in
an hour: but the torture will end some
timn, and ynr- will o~4antu,slIy End sour-
self on one of the numerous "stellings, y
Or wharves, surrounded most likely by
sugar hogsheads and rum puncheons,
and disorderly crowd of coolie porters
and negro donkey drivers, all anxious to
take you and your baggage to some
hotel. There are only two hotels in the
place-the "Tower" and the ''Demerara
Ice house"-so that no great effort is re-
9uired to make a choice. Both are
equally bad, and neither can compare in
accommodations or table with many less
pretentious establishments to be found
through "the islands" Perhaps this
may in measure be accounted for by
the opposition which they receive from
the numerous clubs which are supported
here by every body who is anybody, and
supply solid and liquid refreshment to a
vast majority of the white men of
Georgetown. Perhaps the best place to
get an idea of the strange life here is in
the Stabroek market. This handsome
building, covering whole square, faces
Water street; and runs back to the
river. 1t is rooted with corrugated iron,
and such portions of it as are enclosed
lre of stamped metal. The interior is
divided off into stalls, which are rented
20 Portuguese, negroes and coolies and are
occupied for all sorts of purposes. Down
One side are the fruit-venders, mostly
lat, comfortable-looK;ng negro women,
each with huge baskets of fruit before
her, loudly soliciting patronage from the
passersby. In these baskets, and hang
ng from frame work, are all sorts of
extraordinary looking fruits-granadil-
las, paw-paws, alligator pears, ,sapodillas,
nangoes, guavas, water-lemons and star
apples, to say nothing of the familiar
orange, pineapple, and banana These
after are of various sizes, the smallest
here and in ''the islands" called q 'fg."
being the favorite. This little banana,
Of less size than mans thumb, has a
most delicious, slightly acid taste, and is
IS far superior to our common banana as
can be imagined. Back of the fruit stalls.
and covering the whole of the rear of
the building, are the fish and vegetable
markets, and many curiosity they con
tain-fish of queer appearance and
strange names, querryman, gillbacca,
pacu, cartabac, and so on; vegetables
like the yam and yucca, which take the
place of our potatoes and plantains in
enormous punches, the staple food of
the poorer classes and Indians. Occupying
the center of the market are the stalls of
Portuguese traders-dealers in all man
ner of curious things, paddles, parrots
hammocks, monkeys, common groceries
and bright colored cloths while to the
right of these is space taken up by
coolie women, who sell the smaller fruits.
little cakes or dodoes, and sweetmeats of
various kinds. What sensation one of
these coolie women would create in an
American city. Small and graceful, with