tL me J | 
flowers are {mall and white, and grow promifcuoufly amongft the leaves ; and are fuccceded by 
‘{mall {pherical berries on fhort foot-ftalks: thefe berries turn red in Oétober, and remain fo 
all the winter; whereby, with the green leaves and white bark, they produce an elegant ap- — 
pearance. But the efteem the American Indians have for this fhrub, from the great ufe they 
make of it, renders it moft worthy notice: they fay its virtues have been known amoneft them 
from the earlieft times, and they have long ufed it in the fame manner they do at prefent ; they 
_ prepare the leaves. for keeping by drying, or rather parching them in a pottage-pot over a flow 
fire; and a ftrong decoétion of the leaves thus cured is their beloved liquor, of which they 
drink large quantities, both for health and pleafure, without fugar or other mixture; they 
drink it down and difgorge ‘it with eafe, repeating it very often, and {wallowing many quarts : 
they fay it reftores loft appetite, ftrengthens the ftomach, and confirms their health, giving 
them agility, and courage in war. 
It grows chiefly in the maritime parts of the country, but not further north than the capes of - 
Virginia. — The Indians on the fea-coafts fapply thofe of the mountains therewith, and carry on 
a confiderable trade with it in Florida; juft as the Spaniards do with their South-Sea tea 
from Paraguay to Buenos Ayres. Now Florida being in the fame latitude north, as Paraguay — 
is fouth, and no apparent difference being found on comparing the leaves of thefe two plants 
together, ‘it is not improbable they may be both the fame. 
In South Carolina it is called Caflena, in Virginia and North Carolina it is known by the 
mame of Yapon; in the latter of which places it is as much in ufe amongft the White People 
as among the Indians; and efpecially among thofe who inhabit the fea-coafts. 
This plant is raifed from its feeds, which lay two years in the ground Leite it appears: 
grows plentifully on many of the fand-banks on the fea-fhore of Carolina. 
— Arbor in aqua nafcens, foltis latis acuminatis & non dentatis, fruéfu 
= eleagni minore. 
Se ae OD « 
The Tupelo-tree. 
This tree ufually grows large and fpreading, with an erect trunk and regular head: the 
leaves are fhaped like thofe of a bay-tree. In Autumn its branches are thick fet with oval, 
black berries on foot:ftalks; each berry having an hard channelled flattifh ftone, which contains 
a kernel of a very bitter tafte ; 3 yet are they food for many wild animals. The grain of the 
wood is curled and very tough, and therefore proper for naves of cart-wheels, and other country 
ufes, 
