The coast of Cayenne is generally low and marshy, and subject to inundations, from the number of rivers which rush down the mountains with great impetuosity. The soil is in many parts uncommonly fertile, though in others it is dry, sandy, and soon exhausted. The pro ductions are on the whole of an excellent quality ; and it is easy here to gain a subsistence. The Cayenne pepper is a noted article of the produce. This is the fruit of the capsicum baccation, gathered when ripe, dried in the sun, then pounded and mixed with salt. It is sometimes baked with a small addition of Rom' ; and the biscuit rasped into powder, is sent to Europe. Owing, at the same time, to the disposition of the inhabitants to indulge to excess in the use of this article, a considera ble quantity of it is even always imported from Peru. The subject to which the colonists first directed their attention in this quarter, with a view to profit, was the arnotto. Thence, they proceeded to the culture of cot ton, indigo, and sugar. The coffee tree was brought from Surinam in 1721, by sonic deserters, who thus purchased their pardon. Cocoa was planted ten or tw.elve years after. Maize, cassia, and vanilla, have also succeeded, though not very conspicuously, at Cayenne. Several kinds of grapes have been lately introduced ; and a wine is made there, said to be peculiarly medicinal fevers. The stale of the population, and production of this colony, stood thus in 1753 : number of wltites were 500, who employed 1500 negroes and lloo native Indians, and raised about 260,000 lbs. of arnotto, 80,000 18,000 lbs. of cotton, 27000 lbs. of coffee, 92,000 Ihs. of cocoa.—They exported also upwards of c,00 trees for timber, and 101 planks. The same was still nearly the state of things in 1763. The cultiva tion of indigo, ii hich at one time was carried on very successfully here, afterwards sustained a considerable diminution.
The island of Cayenne, or CtlyallI10, which, as it forms but an inconsiderable 'nut of the whole province, though it has been frequetitly, yet has erroneously amid impro perly been confounded with it, is separated from the con tinent only by two arms of a river of the same name. Northwards it is formed by the sea, in other directions by the river mentioned, together with the Ouya and the °rap!. It is about 18 miles long, and eight or ten broad. The situation of this island makes it a most unfit place for a settlement ; and it would probably have fared much better with the colonists, had they, instead of taking up their residence in it, in the first instance, commenced their operations on the main land. The part of the land here adjacent to the sea is hilly and mountainous, in which respect it is distinguished from the of the coast of Guiana, that is for the most part low, and covered with swamp-pines, a species of large trees which grow even in the sea, and form forests at a considerable distance from the shore. The central parts are low and swampy, subject to continual inundations ; the neces savy means for the prevention of which, it is much doubt ed whether the soil be good enough to justify putting in practice. All the productions of the neighbouring
continent are supplied also by the island ; but with this difference, that the latter is as it were exhausted, and does not equally indemnify the planter for his trouble and expellee. The number of the inhabitants, exclu sively of the garrison, amounts to about Woo or 1200 whites, persons commonly of the lowest class, who are chained down as it were to the glebe of the colony, be cause their means will not allow them to emigrate to other parts. They cultivate merely as much land as is requisite for their subsistence, obtaining from Europe in return for the part of their scanty produce which they can spare, wine, !lour, clothing, and some other things of which chiefly they stand in need. The remoter con tinental lands are often fruitful in a very astonishing degree ; yet as the produce of the soil, which is a kind of black sand, cos cring a loamy clay, and fit for making bricks, is not to be obtained without labour and expense, the culture of it has been much neglected. Several of the settlers, thinly scattered over vast deserts, and separated by impervious brakes and brambles, and, at the same time, surrounded by negroes, who threatened to endanger their safety and peace, have relinquished cultivation altogether, confining themselves to the rear ing of cattle, which could be kept without care or trouble, in the immense savannas or natural meadows of the country. In these interior parts, little as the improve ment of them has been attended to, and though, con sequently, they remain obstructed by thick forests and underwoud, and almost in all respects quite in a state of nature, there is fed a great number of horses, sheep, goats, and cattle, which roam in them at pleasure; and the beef and mutton obtained in this mode of rearing and pasturing the animals are reckoned excellent.
The climate of Cayenne r, much more salubib,u than that of any of the There • here pp. perly only two.. different seasons, the dry and the rainy seasons. The former generally continues from the begioning of June until the i.mid of Si wend): r, during which time the heat is coomionly very the air is almost always serene, and scat cely a few drops of rain descend to purify awl cool the atmosphere. •Fh y falls of rain begin in the mouth of 0( tuber, and arc very frequent in Dec ember, January, February, and March, at w hich time they begin gradually to der-lease, until the thy swason again sets in. During the rain y season, that is for 7 or 8 months, Itcat is vet) moderate for a place so near to the equator. Nav, the negroes sometimes complain of told ; and, Ilium the whole, the state of health is as good there as in Europe. However, at the time win n stagnant waters are dried up and corrupted by the heat, fever, pre% ail for 31,91 r two months, which, though not contagious. prove s destructi ye.