Lees 
XX 
The Introduction. 
Chocolate is here us’d by all People, ac all times, buc chiefly in 
he morning ;_it feems by its oilinefs chiefly to be nouri{hing and by 
the Eggs mixt with it to be renderd more fo. The Cuftom, and 
very common ufage of drinking it came to us from the Spaniards, 
although ours here is plain, without Spice. I found it in great 
quantities, naufeous, and hard of digeftion, which I fuppofe came 
from its great oilinels, and therefore | was very unwilling to allow. 
weak Stomachs the ule of it, though Children and Infants drink ic 
here, as commonly as in England they feed on Milk, Chocolate 
colours the Excrements of thofe feeding on it of a dirty colour. 
The common ule of this, by all People in feveral Countries in 
‘America, proves fufficiently its being a wholelome Food, The drink- 
ing of it a€tually warm, may make it the more Stomachic, for we 
know by Anatomical preparations, that the tone of the fibres are 
ftrengthened by dipping the Stomach in hot water, and that hot 
Liquors will diffolve what cold will leave unaffected, 
Befides thefe ordinary Provifions, the Racoon, a {mall Quadruped, 
is eaten. Rats are likewife fold by the dozen, and when they have 
been bred amongft the Sugar-Canes, are thought by fome difcerning 
people very delicious Victuals. - Snakes or Serpents and Goff (a fort 
of Worms) are eaten. by the Indians and Negros. oie 
As I have formerly obferved fome wonderful contrivances of N2- 
ture, for propagating the Kind, iflialk- now on this occafion take 
notice of one very obvious, afid \yet'not regarded for the prefervati- 
onof the individuum. °Tis the great variety of Foods Mankind is 
fuftained by, ‘not only here-but'in che feveral parts of the Earth. 
Mankind would be at-a great lofs were they reftrain’d by Nature 
to any certain limited kind of Food.°*For when they fhould come 
to multiply and replenifh the Earth, and live in all Climates, where 
the difference of Air and. Soil taifesvariety of Vegetable and Ani- 
mal Productions, they would come to want neceflary fuftenance for 
Life, were they not fitted by Natute, or rather the All-wife Author 
of it, to make ule of what they find: ready for that purpofe. 
Tis for this reafon Man has cutting and tearing,as well as grinding 
Teeth, and a natural Menftraum or diflolvent in his Stomach and 
Guts, of great force and power ia extracting Nourifhment from the 
great variety of Meats, found and ufed in che feveral parts of the 
World. ~Chymifts have with great induftry many years foughe 
after an Alcabeft, Univerfal Diflolyent, ‘or Menfiruum, whereby ¢o 
open or extract the Quinteflence of Bodies, and‘have not, {o far 
as'l can fee or learn, been yet able tovattain ins We {ee every da 
Nature furpafs chem’ in» this particular, for whereas with diag fo 
many kinds of Drugs or Bodies,.:fo: many kinds of Menfirua ate 
required, the Spittle, or whateyer is the Men/truxm comes from 
the 
