GUYANA. "Plan of a colony in French Guiana [sic] on the bank - Lot 261

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Lot n° 261
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GUYANA. "Plan of a colony in French Guiana [sic] on the bank - Lot 261
GUYANA. "Plan of a colony in French Guiana [sic] on the banks of the Amazon River". Manuscript signed "Gautier", title + 5 pp. large folio (37 x 23 cm). Late 18th century [circa 1792-1795, time of the National Convention]. A very rare and interesting manuscript by a citizen of Guyana who has lived and traveled in the colony for 28 years, who, addressing the National Convention, proposes to install a colony of deportees and to bring in families of settlers; and to form unions with the "Sauvages. "The banks of Oyapock and Ouanary await only the arms of five hundred indigent but honest families, to lavish them with the treasures of a land that will soon prevail in its productions over all those of our neighboring islands. He proposes to install a colony of deportees on "the land bordering the river of the Amazons" where about fifteen individuals already live. "It is there that it would be appropriate to place those whom the disorder has made guilty or dangerous. The impossibility of communicating with their neighbors because of the distance and insurmountable obstacles, would guarantee them from contagion [] ". He suggests separating individuals into two classes, granting them different lands and activities according to their state of mind. "Although it appears that it would not be appropriate to send women to those who would be transported, before the production of their lands had put them in a position to provide for their existence, however, reflecting that this dislocation could become very prejudicial to the rest of the naturally jealous savages and how important it is not to force them to go into the woods to keep their wives safe, Sr. Gautier begs the august assembly to take this into consideration. Moreover, the women being embarked at the same time, would contain their husbands, discover or prevent plots. If there were any, they would learn from the women of the savages to do many useful and amusing works; from this habit of frequenting each other would be born the friendship between their common children who by there having only one language would form only one heart and would contract thereafter unions which would give to the State subjects who would not feel anything of their origin ". He praises the beauty of the landscapes, the fertility of the grounds and the abundance of the resources. Speaking of the river of the Amazons, "the Karapapoury, this beautiful lake which was discovered by M. de La Condamine, during his trip to Brazil, waters it. Many others, although less considerable, compete with it for the glory of fertilizing it, bringing a salutary freshness to it. The enormous fish, such as the manatee, or sea cow, that they feed from their breast, seem to invite him to settle there, by the abundant prey that they offer to him; and if he penetrates in the interior of the lands, the excellent fruits, the numerous game, would invincibly determine him there [] ". Since fishing was so abundant, he proposed to grant "royal fishing rights", thus providing "the greatest resource for the food of the negroes", and allowing to supply the ships. "To facilitate the means for the savages to make this fishery more abundant, they are provided with the proper instruments to catch the fish, to cut it, and the salt to preserve it. With what eagerness the new settler in the times that the cultivation of the land would leave him free would occupy himself with fishing and hunting, of which he would make a branch of commerce with Cayenne and the neighboring islands [] ". Rare and fascinating manuscript.
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