Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-09-10

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 L
have said, Guiana Is mud flat, and its
coast lies four feet below the level of
the sea, the salt ocean being only kept
off the land by an extensive system of
dykes. AS your vessels makes her way
through the mud-cOlOred waters and OBJ
jects begin to assume 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
b. 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, scat
tered 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 direct
ly in the mouth of the river Essequibo.
Sailing around the little port and going
perhaps half a mile up the river you
will drop anchor before the city itself.
the sight of which will certainly not
progresses 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 coiored
boats, who will worry you more in one
minute than our much-maligned hotel
runners would in an hour, but the tor
ture will end sometime, and you will
eventually find yourself on one of the
numerous ''Stellings," or wharveS, sur
rounded most likely bysugar hogsheads
and rum puncheons, and a disOrderly
crowd of cOolie porters and negro dom
key drivers, all anxious to take you ana
your baggage to some hotel. There
are only two hotels in the place-the
Tower" and the "Demerera Ice
House"-so that no great effort is re-
quired 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 IL measure be accounted for
by the opposition which they receive
from the henumerous clubs which are sup
ported here by everybody who is any
body, and supply solid and liquid re-
freshments 10 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 COW
ering a 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 are
of stamped metal. The interior Is di-
vided off into stalls, which are rented
TO Portuguese, negroes and coolies, and
are occupied for all sorts of purposes.
Down one side are. the fruit-venders,
mostly fat, comfortable looking negro
women, each with huge baskets of fruit
before her. loudly soliciting patronage
from the passers-by. In these baskets,
and hanging from a frame work, are
ali sorts of extraordinary looking fruits
-granadillas, paw-paws, alligator
pears, sapodillas, mangoes, guavas,
water-lemons, and star apples, to say
nothing of the familiar orange, pine
apple, and banana. These latter are of
various sizes, the smallest here and in
''the islands" called fig" being the
favorite. This little banana, of less
size than mans thumb, has a most
delicious, slightly acid taste, and is as
fa haY
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 a curios-
ity they contain-fiSh of queer appear
ance and strange names, query man,
gillbacca, pacu, cartabac, and so on;
vegetables like the yam and yuca,
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 manner of Gu
rious things. paddles, parrots, ham,
mocks, monkeys, common groceriesaH
bright colOred cloths; while to the right
of these is Il space taken up by coOlie
women who sell the smaller fruits, lit
tie cakes or dodoes. and sweetmeats of
various kinds. What a sensation one
of these coolie women would create in
an american city. Small and grace
full, with exceedingly pretty faces, great
black eyes, and a complexion little dar-
ker than some of our brunettes, dressed
in a flowing garb of most gorgeous
colOrs, and bedecked from head to foot
with solid gold and silver jewelry, they
are indeed a novel sight. L have seen
one cOOlie girl here-a common fruit
seller In the market-place-who wears
daily nearly 81 600 worth of rings, brace
lets and bangles on her person. Hardly
less interesting than the women are the
coolie men; thln, lank, ,sad-faced fellows,
dressed in variety OF ways, according
to their position III life; some with moth
ing on but dirty breech-clout and a
huge turban, and others snugly clad in
robes of snowy whlteness and softest
texture; all barefooted and barelegged,
and many with strings of coins around
their necks, the result, perhaps, of
years of hard labor on the planta-
ti0ns.