CHAP, iv.] WEST INDIES. 217 



bury, mammee, mammee-sapota, Spanish-gooseberry, 

 prickly-pear, and perhaps a few others. For the 

 orange, Seville and China, the lemon, lime, shaddock, 

 and its numerous species, the vine, melon, fig and 

 pomegranate, the West Indian islands were probably 

 indebted to their Spanish invaders. Excepting the 

 peach, the strawberry, and a few of the growths of 

 European orchards, (which however attain to no great 

 perfection, unless in the highest mountains), the rose- 

 apple, genip, and some others of no great value, I 

 donot believe, that English industry had added much 

 to the catalogue, until within the last twenty years. 

 About the year 1773, a botanic garden was establish- 

 ed under the sanction of the assembly, but it was not 

 until the year 1782 that it could justly boast of many 

 valuable exotics. At that period, the fortune of war 

 having thrown into the possession of Lord Rodney a 

 French ship bound from the island of Bourbon to Cape 

 Francois in St. Domingo, which was found to have on 

 board some plants of the genuine cinnamon, the mango, 

 and other oriental productions, his lordship, from that 

 generous partiality which he always manifested for 

 Jamaica and its inhabitants, presented the plants to his 

 favourite island; thus noblv ornamenting and enrich- 



J O 



ing the country his valour had protected from conquest. 

 Happily, the present was not ill-bestowed. The cinna- 

 mon may now be said to be naturalized to the coun- 

 try: several persons are establishing plantations of it, 

 and one gentleman has set out fifty thousand plants. 

 The mango is become almost as common as the 

 orange; but, for want of attention, runs into a thou- 



Vol. I. EC 



