Sir Walter Raleigh and his search for the City of Gold

Aug 21, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

In 1595, the Europeans came in search for wealth headed by English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh. He came because he heard of plenty gold and the golden King in South America. All the other lands were taken by the Spanish, the Portguese and the French in South America. During his sailing, he came across a river later known as Cuyuni. The group of English voyagers sailed through that river and turned left into a smaller river called Waini.

After sailing for a short while, he saw about forty Native Indian (who were later called Amerindian) families— men women and children, living in what looked like tents (benabs) on the right hand side of the small river. And since he was flying the English flag, they welcomed him, as they were not afraid of the English.

Walter Raleigh then introduced himself and told them, that he was in search of the golden king. The Natives greeted him by saying, yes, there is a large amount of gold, in this land and there is a golden King who lives on the other side of the hill in a golden palace. Walter Raleigh, after sharing gifts to them, said take us to the King. The Native Chief said no, come back tomorrow early and you will see the Golden King; he passes here early every morning.

Walter Raleigh and his men returned to their ship. During the night, they put together a plan to steal the King and take him back to England because the Queen of England loved gold, they returned early the next morning and waited for four hours and no King passed.

Walter Raleigh, then told the Chief let us go to the palace over the hill, they all agreed and walked over several hills and all the natives kept saying was, just one more. Walter Raleigh and the English men, having had enough, walked right back to their ship.

Walter said, let’s leave for England. When Walter Raleigh arrived in England, he was knighted by the Queen and he told the people he saw the Golden King and the Golden Palace and every step he walked on it was like gold and minerals. On hearing this, the Dutch, the French, the Irish and some Germans, started to sail in search of gold. They too found nothing and eventually left. However, the Dutch found something of value; they found fertile land to plant sugar.

However, the Dutch needed a large number of labourers, reliable labourers. They started with the natives as slaves, but they refused to work as slaves and ran away into the forest. They then turned to some whites; that too did not work. The sun and the work were too hot and hard, they then realise that they needed strong and reliable labourers.

By 1651, a small number of African slaves were brought to the Pomeroon and by 1658; they came in large numbers to Pomeroon and Kykoveral and for labour that was also used in Berbice, Essequibo and Demerara. African slaves were used to build the seawall, and roads in Guyana, manually.

Canals were dug too manually. For instance, Croal Street was once known as Red Road, it was the African labour, who built Croal Street from Vlissengen Road to Stabroek Market.

During 1825, the Anti-Slavery Society was formed by Thomas Forwell Buxton (the village of Buxton was named after him). Later other anti-slavery, he was joined by Mr. John Smith, Reverend Quamina, a good man and a fighter, for the African slaves. He was shot in Chateau Margot, we must not forget these men. We must not forget the people who fought for the freedom of slaves – Akara, Captain in Command of Negroes, Cuffy, Rebel Leader of African Slaves and Atta, African Leader of African Slaves. We must also remember the great work of anti-slavery advocate and Evangelical, William Wilberforce.

As a result of the raise in calls to end slavery, in 1825 a British Premier abolished slavery, by his first Act in Parliament.

The slave masters in Demerara and Berbice received over twenty-one and a half million dollars as compensation for the slaves leaving their plantations, while the slaves who worked from a hundred and eighty years got nothing.

Sincerely,
Frank De Abreu

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City of Gold, Cuyuni River, Frank De Abreu, gold, Sir Walter Raleigh

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