I now observed, on the second morning after our landing, that my face, my breast, and hands were entirely spotted over like the skin of a leopard, occasioned by myriads of gnats or musquitoes, which flying in clouds, had kept me company during the night, though the fatigue from my voyage, and the oppressive heat of the climate, had sunk me into so profound a sleep, that I was insensible of their stings, till I perceived the effects. These insects are inconceivably numerous here during the rainy season, and particularly on the banks of creeks or rivers. None are secured from their attacks, but they peculiarly infest strangers in preference to the natives; and wherever they insert their proboscis, and remain unmolested, they suck the blood till they are scarcely able to fly. Every puncture they make is succeeded by a large blotch, or rather tumour, accompanied with an itching, which is almost intolerable. The presence of the musquitoes is indicated by their buzzing noise, which alone is sufficient to make one sweat, and which is so very disagreeable to those who have suffered from their stings, as to have obtained for them the name of the Devil’s Trumpeters. They are indeed inconceivably troublesome in every respect. The candles are no sooner lighted in an evening, than they are stuck full of them; all kinds of food and drink are exposed to their disagreeable visits, from which even the mouth and eyes are not exempted. The best cure for their stings is an application of the juice of lemons or limes, mixed with water, which is also a tolerable preservative against their attacks. Immediately before shutting the windows, the inhabitants commonly burn tobacco in their apartments, the smoke of which occasions the insects to fly about the room, when the negro girls unreservedly throw off their petticoats, which is the whole of their covering, and running naked about the chamber, chase the gnats therewith out at the windows, or destroy them. The more delicate or luxurious amongst the natives still employ their slaves in fanning them during the whole night, excepting such as have green gauze doors to their beds or pavilions; but the generality of the people in Surinam sleep in roomy cotton hammocks, which are covered with a very large thin sheet, suspended from a tight line immediately over them, something like the awning of a ship, which serves in some measure to keep off these troublesome insects, and the want of which had exposed me to be thus stung all over. There are also in Surinam a still larger species of gnats or musquitoes, called mawkers, the stings of which are extremely painful indeed; but as they are much less numerous than the former, they are not nearly so troublesome to the inhabitants, and are consequently less remarked.——But to proceed: