5 2 
The Natural Hiffory of | Jamaica. 
Branches join’d or anaftomos'd frequently one with another, tapering towards 
the top, and ending milk White like the tip of a Porn, this end under was 
ter, was always White, as well as foft, and contain’d a milky vifcid Juice, 
felling very ftrong of the Sea. The outward Surface of this Coral, was, 
from what we may call the Root, upwards, rayed, flriated, or waved by 
many Lines on its Surface, appearing very well to the Microfcope, between 
which were long vacuities, or empty fpaces, and all along there were a great 
many afperities, muricated prickles, or fmall eminencies, likened to the Leaves 
of Layender-Cotton by Clu/fs in his defcription of the leffcr fort, hollow oa 
the upper fide, and convex below ; fo that they are fit to hold Water, ox 
any Subftance for nourifhment of the Plant, and within thefe {mall Tu- 
bercles are many Lines, going from the Center round to the Circumference, 
as in feveral other of the Corals, and this ftarry radiated cavity grows leffer, 
going into the middle of the Branch, which has altogether from bottom to 
top, in lieu of a Pith, fucha radiated Cavity in its middle, on the fides of 
which is a {tony Subftance amongft which lies many Pores, interf{pers'd with- 
out any order. In time thefe under Stems and Brances have their Pores fill'd, 
and their Tubercles levell’d, with a ftony matter filling them up, and mak- 
ing them look quite of another Face and Confiftence, and of a yellowith 
or greenifh Colour without, which is altogether folid, without vifible Pores, 
and ftony ; and it is obfervable that if any tops of Coral have been broken 
accidentally, they are as they ly proftrate on the tops of others, confolidated 
and united very firmly together, and with thofe under them, as it were by 
fome fort of Cement. 
This I have found frequently in the Caribes, and in Famaica, in fhoal 
Waters, or rocky Banks, where they are produced in very great abundance, 
and look, when one is over them in a Boat, with their white tips, juft like 
Stags Horns, and if taken up they finell exceedingly of the Sea. 
In Columbus’s econd: Voyage, with their Anchor points, in St.Martin’s Road, 
they took up Coral, which gave them good hopes of other things : that be- 
ing thought a rich Commodity, which 1 am apt to believe muft be meant of 
this, as alfo that which X#ivet mentions to grow in Brafile by Cape Friv, 
this being the moft common Coral in the Weff-Jzdies. 
Having feen fome pieces of Coral, in Mr. Charlton's curious ColieGion, 
which came from the £a/?-Zzdies, that as to Subftance, Surface, Colour and 
Magnitude, agreed with this, Jam apt to believe, that his from the Zuf- 
Indies, is the fame with what I found in the Wef, therefore doubt whether 
this be that mentioned by Davis to grow about Madagafcar, and Baixos das 
Chagas, and by the fame Author, as well as Lancaffer and Havkins, co be 
found on the Shoals about Sumatra, and by Payton at Priaman and Tecoo; Lin- 
{choten near Mozambique, and by Hatch near Facatra or Batavie, in the firft of 
which places *tis obferv’d to cut the Cables of Ships, when they ride out of 
the Rivers Channel, where isOze ; and at the others to caufe or grow on dan- 
gerous Shoals, agreeable to what Hughes obferves, that Boats are loft on 
it at Jamaica, 1 am likewife of opinion that this is what Pyrard de la Vab 
tells us, grows about the Maldives, hindering the Inhabitants wading from 
Ile to Ifle, and which they beat with fall Stones, and_ boil with their Cocos 
Water making their Honey and Sugar (called Jagra) form, (or Kern) ufing 
it as temper for the Sugar, of which more hereafter. 
There are great varieties in this, brought both from the Eaft and Weft-Zns 
dies, one of which having lain expos’ to the Waves, being daflrd or tumbled } 
by them, and fo freed from part of their outward Coat, is what I fuppofe 
C.B. calls Corallii albi varietas afpera & ftriata, 
IV. Coral 
