THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 303 
find is in the ‘History of the Buccaneers,’ an old work published in 
London, in the year 1699. Its use, as an antidote for snakes, and 
place of growth, are there distinctly stated ; but whether on the autho- 
rity of the natives, or accidentally discovered by the pirates, does not - 
appear. If the former was the case, they must have learned it while 
on some of their, cruizes on the Magdalena, for in the Isthmus the 
very existence of the tree was unsuspected until about 1845, when 
Don Juan de Ansoatigui ascertained, by comparison, that the Cedron 
of Panamà and Darien was identical with that of Carthagena. The 
virtues of its seeds, however, were known, years ago, from those fruits 
imported from the Magdalena, where, according to Mr. William Purdie, 
the plant grows in profusion about the village of San Pablo. Inthe | 
Isthmus it is generally found on the outskirts of forests in almost 
every part of the country, but in greater abundance in Darien and 
Veraguas, than in Panama. The natives hold it in high esteem, and 
always carry a piece of the seed about with them. When a person is 
bitten, a little, mixed with water, is applied to the wound, and about 
two grains scraped into brandy, or, in the absence of it, into water, 
is administered internally. By following this treatment the bites of the 
most venomous snakes, scorpions, centipedes, and other noxious ani- 
mals, have been unattended by dangerous consequences. Doses of it 
have also proved highly beneficial in cases of intermittent fever. The 
Cedron is a tree, from twelve to sixteen feet high; its simple trunk is 
about six inches in diameter, and clothed on the top with long pin- 
nated leaves, which give it the appearance of a palm. Its flowers are 
greenish, and the fruit resembles very much an unripe peach. Each 
seed, or cotyledon 1 should rather say, is sold in the chemists’ peat of 
Panamà for two or three reals (about ls. or 1s. 6d. Begins); and 
sometimes a much larger price is given for them. 3 us 
Highly interesting is the ntà, a species of Vegetable ce (Phyte-. : 
lephas sp.) distinct, probably, from that of the Magdalena. It grows 
in low damp localities, principally on the banks of rivers and rivulets, 
and is diffused over the southern parts of Darien, and the vicinity of 
Portobello, distriets which are almost throughout the year deluged by 
torrents of rain, or enveloped in the thick vapour that is constantly 
arising from the humidity of the soil and the rankness of the vegeta- 
tion. It is always found in separate groves, seldom or never inter- . 
mixed with other trees or bushes, and where even herbs are rarely _ 
VOL. IIT. 2R 
