38 cook's first voyage dec. 



have, however, very Httle care bestowed upon them, 

 the plants being set between beds of any kind of 

 garden-stuff, and suffered to take the chance of the 

 season. The melons are still worse, at least those 

 that we tasted, which were mealy and insipid ; but 

 the water-melons are excellent ; they have a flavour, 

 at least a degree of acidity which ours have not. 

 We saw also several species of the prickle pear, and 

 some European fruits, particularly the apple and 

 peach, both which were very mealy and insipid. In 

 these gardens also grow yams and mandihoca, which 

 in the West Indies is called Cassada or Cassava, and 

 to the flower of which the people here, as I have 

 before observed, give the name of Farinha de Pao, 

 which may not improperly be translated, Powder of 

 Post. The soil, though it produces tobacco and 

 sugar, will not produce bread-corn ; so that the people 

 here have no wheat-flour, but what is brought from 

 Portugal, and sold at the rate of a shilling a pound, 

 though it is generally spoiled by being heated in its 

 passage. Mr. Banks is of opinion, that all the pro- 

 ducts of our West Indian islands would grow here ; 

 notwithstanding which, the inhabitants import their 

 coftee and chocolate from Lisbon. 



Most of the land, as far we saw of the country, 

 is laid down in grass, upon which cattle are pastured 

 in great plenty; but they are so lean, that an English- 

 man will scarcely eat of their flesh : the herbage of 

 these pastures consists principally of cresses, and con- 

 sequently is so short, that though it may afford a 

 bite for horses and sheep, it can scarcely be grazed 

 by horned cattle in a sufficient quantity to keep them 

 alive. 



This country may possibly produce many valuable 

 drugs; but we could not find any in the apothecaries' 

 shops, except pariera brava, and balsam capivi; both 

 of which were excellent in their kind, and sold at a 

 very low price. The drug trade is probably carried 

 on to the northward, as well as that of the dying 



