114 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



is properly managed. There are those who in a slovenly 

 manner chop up the fresh leaves, the twigs, the wood, 

 and the bark all together; but this gives the water a 

 repulsive taste. More careful housekeepers have the 

 leaves, which may be gathered at any season of the 

 year, culled out in a cleanly way, and dried in an iron 

 kettle over a slow fire ; they pound them a little in 

 a mortar, so as to keep them the better in glass bottles, 

 but before putting them up they let them evaporate a 

 while in the air. Prepared thus, the taste betters by 

 keeping, and not seldom a pound fetches one to one 

 and a half Spanish dollars. It is claimed here that at 

 one time this Japan-tea began to be much liked in 

 England, a pound bringing readily half a guinea ; but 

 importing was forbidden, lest the sale of the Chinese 

 tea should be diminished. 



All the good qualities of this tea, praised as they are, 

 cannot however prevent the sickliness of the inhabi- 

 tants, especially prevalent in the low, overflowed, and 

 swampy parts of this country, and giving the people 

 a pale, decayed, and prematurely old look. This is the 

 case not only about Edenton, but along the entire low- 

 lying coast, which this fall, from Virginia to South 

 Carolina, was visited with numerous fevers. Only 

 those living scattered in the deeper and dryer forests,* 

 and farther from large swamps, enjoyed at that time 

 (and commonly do enjoy) a somewhat more unshaken 

 state of health. The people themselves are apt to as- 



* But according to Director Achard's + experiments, {Chem. 

 Annal. 1786, 8, 108), the air of dry places, distant from 

 marshes, is not precisely the best. Thus, for the more exact 

 explanation of the above remarks other circumstances and 

 causes are to be sought out, local and at the time unknown. 



