The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-07-27
prepared by the National Geographic
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THE Guianas-British, French
and Dutch-which form cOntinu-
Gus area on the north coast OF
South America, are the only ter
ritories in that continent not under
local, republican form of government.
The word Guiana is derived from the
name of an old Indian tribe which
once inhabited the entire country be-
tween the mouths of the Orinoco and
Amazon rivers as far back as the Rio
Negro and the Casiquiare. This huge
territory formerly went by the name
of Guiana, but much of it is now in
Guided in Venezuela and Brazil.
Guiana missed one chance for fame
through a typographical error. The
humble guinea" pig, native son,
would have carried its home lands
name into popular usage had not early
dent with African Guinea-a confusion
which is not altogether overcome to
this day.
Guiana first came Into public notice
because Of the tales of Juan Martinez,
who, for getting his lies believed, out
ranks Munchausen or Ananias. His
tales of Manoa, where the monuments
were marvels of lustrous gold, and
where men were anointed with oil and
then sprinkled with pulverized gold,
captured the imaginations of many ex-
plorers even before Sir Walter RAJ
leigh penetrated the humid interior
of Guiana in search of this Ell Dorado.
So generally is the term now used in
fgurative sense to denote any fam
ciful rainbow's end that it is hard TO
realize how seriously the tales of Mar
tinez, and lesser liars, were credited.
Indeed, Ell Dorado's mythical court city,
the lake on which it was supposed to
be located, and the estimated extent
of the country itself appeared on maps
until the serious scrutiny of Hum
boldt exploded the fairy tale.
The first actual settlements were
made by Dutch colonists in the last
quarter of the Sixteenth century. Par
amarillo, or, as the Dutch call it, Sori-
nam, the capital of Dutch Guiana, is
interesting as the city which was trad
ed to the English for the settlement
of New Amsterdam on Manhattan is
land, present-day New York. Para
marble now has population of about
10000 people, mostly negroes.
Gained Black Name
OF the three colonies, French Gui-
ana, the easternmost, is the smallest.
Because it has been heard Of princi-
pally in connection with the deporta-
tion of convicts, and especially in re-
gard to the Dreyfus case French Gui.
ana has gained black name. 1t is
true the region has been developed
chiefly as a penal station, and perhaps
it deserves its evil repute; but in phys
ical aspects and possibilities, at least,
1t is closely comparable to British and
Dutch Guiana, both of which have had
a measurable degree of prosperity.
With the convict milestone around its
neck, French Guiana, as a colony, has
never really had a chance.
Cayenne, known by sound at least
because 1t has given it's name to q
pepper, is the capital and only port of
Importance in French Guiana. It's in
habitants number $4,000, nearly q
third of the entire population of the
country. With it's houses of colored
stucco and it's avenues and squares
shaded by superb palms, it has attrac-
tive aspects. In it dwell men of many
climes and colors. Chinese keep the
shops; natives of Indo-China supply
the markets; officialdom is French;
and on the streets are to be seen Gre
oles from Martinique, Arabs from
northern Africa, and negroes from
Senegal and the Guiana interior.
Dutch Guiana is about the size of
Florida. The British first held it; and
the Dutch first held what now is Brit
ish Guiana. The easternmost of the
three foreign holdings. French Guiana,
is used, in part, as a penal colony.
Along the coast Dutch Guiana is a
strip of transplanted Holland. Back
in it's forests is a bit of Africa, in
habited by Bushmen, who live much
as do their Dark continent cousins.
The Africans were imported In slave
days.. and chased back to the forest
Businesses when the tax collector came
around. Many of them found their
tropical environment there so home
like that they eluded their owners.