INDUCEMENTS
TO THE
COLORED PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
TO EMIGRATE TO BRITISH GUIANA,
Compiled from Statements and Documents furnished by Mr. Edward Carbery,
Agent of the "Immigration Society of British Guiana," and
a Proprietor in that Colony.
BY A FRIEND TO THE COLORED PEOPLE.
BOSTON:
PRINTED FOR DISTRIBUTION.
KIDDER AND WRIGHT, CONGRESS STREET.
1840.
INDUCEMENTS.
I. SITUATION, EXTENT, GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES, CLIMATE, SOIL ANDPRODUCTIONS OF BRITISH GUIANA.
Guiana is a vast tract of territory situated on the north-east coastof South America, between the mouths of those celebrated rivers, theOronoco and the Amazons.
British Guiana includes a portion of this coast, extending some twohundred miles from east to west, bounded on the east by the riverCorentyn which separates it from Dutch Guiana, or Surinam, and on thewest by the Morocco creek, or the tract of country adjacent to it,belonging to the republic of Venezuela. British Guiana extends inlandfrom the coast some two hundred miles, in a southerly direction, to achain of high mountains, by which it is bounded on the south, and whichseparates it from Brazil. It thus includes an area of upwards of fortythousand square miles, being about equal in extent to the State of New York.
The whole country slopes gradually down from the mountains to the sea.The back country is hilly and much diversified in surface; the landalong the sea-coast is flat, level, and extremely fertile. The colonyis watered by three large rivers, the Essequebo, the Demarara, and theBerbice. These rivers descend from the mountains, and run parallelto each other at nearly equal distances. They are navigable for manymiles, and together with numerous smaller rivers and creeks, they notonly afford great facilities for internal navigation, but also forirrigating the land, a thing of great importance in that climate.
British Guiana never suffers from those violent storms and hurricaneswith which other tropical regions are visited. Along the whole coast,vessels can ride at anchor in perfect safety, at all seasons of theyear. The whole shore is a bed of deep soft mud, and can be approachedby vessels without danger.
The latitude of the coast, along which the settlements are situated, isabout seven degrees, north. The longitude of Georgetown, the capital,is about fifty-seven degrees west from Greenwich. Its direction fromthe city of New York is considerably east of south. The distance isabout two thousand miles, or twenty days' sail, very nearly the samedistance as New Orleans.
Situated under the tropic, Guiana enjoys a perpetual summer. Thethermometer generally ranges from 78° to 84°. The trade winds, whichblow constantly from the coast, render the climate comfortable andsalubrious. The year is divided into four seasons, two rainy and twodry. The short rainy season usually commences about December, and lastsfour weeks: the long rainy season begins in June, and lasts till themiddle of[Pg 5] August. But as regards these seasons there is a good dealof variation. In the rainy season, the rain falls violently during theforenoon, but the afternoons are clear and pleasant. During the d