272 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



limes ; at that time none of the earliest fruit was to be 

 seen in the town ; but this vessel had collected a cargo 

 on the outlying islands, of the ripest fruit, or that 

 nearest ripe, so as to be the first off to America. In 

 exchange they take from North America and from 

 Europe fresh and salted meats, butter, rice, corn, 

 wheat &c, utensils and clothing of every description. 



From these several products and the work of the 

 negroes those who own plantations draw considerable 

 returns. The statement is made that only from pine- 

 apples, yams, lemons, and coffee, a plantation (large 

 to be sure) has yielded a profit in one year of 2300 

 pieces of eight. 



In a few gardens about the town divers European 

 vegetables are raised ; but this can only be during the 

 rain months ; during the rest of the year nothing of 

 the sort does well, owing to the great heat and the 

 dryness. But they have water-melons and some other 

 fruits almost throughout the year. The soil and the 

 weather being what they are, gardeners and planters 

 do not find here sufficient occupation or support ; there- 

 fore they must look about for other ways to make a 

 living, and of these the most important are : the felling 

 of all kinds of wood ; fishing ; the catching of turtles ; 

 and what is called wracking, seeking out and raising 

 those ships and cargoes which have had the ill luck to 

 founder or sink in the Bahama straights or among the 

 other islands. 



Almost all the Bahama islands, such as are not mere 

 barren ledges or keys so-called, are thickly overgrown 

 with bush. Although most of the trees of these islands 

 are low and mean looking, there are found neverthe- 

 less on some of the larger islands strong, high trunks. 



