A. E. Verrlll — The Bermuda Islands. 609 



The Yelloic-icood {Xanthoxylum aromaticum) ; its History. 



The early historians often refer to a large and valuable timber 

 tree that they called Yellow-wood.* Its wood was fine-erained, 

 very yellow, and had an aromatic odor. The bark had a pungent 

 taste. 



The earliest and best account of this tree was written in 1612 by 

 the anonymous writer, believed to be Governor Moore. After 

 describing the cedar, he says : 



" The other sorte we have no name for," ..." some did think it 

 to be Lignum vitae ; but it is not so ; it is a verie fine wood, of 

 colour yellow, and it bears a leaf like unto a walnut tree, and the 

 rine [rind] or barke is much like a walnut tree, and the barke, if one 

 taste of it will bite one's tongue, as if it were Ginney Pepper, that 

 wood is also very sweet." 



The Bermuda Company, in their commission to Governor Moore 

 (1612), mentioned the Yellow-wood as an unknown timber, of which 

 they wished him to ship a " tunn " for examination. 



This tree seems to have been common and generally distributed 

 over the larger islands at the time of the early settlements, but was 

 never abundant. It is spoken of as used for lumber, and it was also 

 early exported to England, for several laws were passed and procla- 

 mations issued against exporting it, without permission. 



That Yellow-wood timber continued to be an article of illicit 

 traffic appears certain from a proclamation issued by Governor Roger 

 Wood, Oct. 6, 1632, of which the following is an extract : 



" As also the like punishment shall be inflicted upon every such 

 p'son or p'sons as at any time hereafter shall be approved to have 

 conveyed aboard any shipp or barque that shall arrive here (not 

 having a sufficient warrant for the same) either trees, juncks ceader 

 or yellow wood, boards, clefts, chests, plankes or the like, contrarie to 

 the true intent and meaning of this my proclamacon And lastlie I 

 doe hereby ordaine and confirme for a law, by and with the consent 

 of the whole Counsel], that what seaman soever that shall hereafter 

 arrive here, be he Captain or master or other officer or comon sayler 

 that shall receave and take aboard any ceader or yellow wood trees, 



* At present, the name "Yellow-wood" is applied locally to two very differ- 

 ent trees of the genus Erythrina, which are not aromatic nor pungent. They 

 belong to the Leguminosae, and are similar to the Locust-trees. One of these 

 seems to have been introduced in rather early times ; the other, about seventy- 

 five or eighty years ago. 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. XI. 39 Mat, 1902, 



