It  would  be  really  laughable,  if  the  matter  were  not  so  exceed-

*  See  this  subject  fully  treated  in  my  Guyanxan  Indians,  Sect.  VI.,
pp.  85-41.
THE  COLONY  OF  BRITISH  GUYANA.  37

ingly  serious,  to  contemplate  the  horror  with  which  this  much-
vaunted  El  Dorado  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  is  regarded  by  tho
English  people.  There  are  Europeans  who  have  been  living
here  for  many  years,  who  bear  testimony  in  their  own  persona
to  the  immunity  from  disease  that  may  be  enjoyed  in  this
Colony.  Here  one  may  live  in  good  health  if  he  only  wishes.
It  would  seem  as  if  here,  more  than  anywhere  else,  Providence
had  placed  the  life  and  death  of  each  man  in  his  own  hands.
It  is  true  that  the  preservation  of  health  may  necessitate  some
self-denial ;  but  certainly  no  greater  sacrifice  than  the  import-
ance of  the  object  to  be  gained  deserves.  Educated  men  from
England  coming  to  settle  here  soon  learn  the  importance  of
paying  proper  attention  to  health ;  but  sailors  and  soldiers  are
not  easily  taught  to  seek  what  is  for  their  advantage,  and
they  are  constantly  overstepping  the  bounds  of  prudence,  and
hence  they  sicken  and  die.  This  is  a  very  healthy  country
for  those  who  are  suffering  in  England  from  consumption.
