STUDY XI. 219 



voyage of fixty or fourfcore leagues, without being 

 corrupted. He took it for granted, and he was 

 in the right, that they came from the Ifland of St. 

 Brande, which is fituated to the North-eaft of 

 Rodriguez. Thofe two defert iflands had not, as 

 yet, from the Creation of the World, communi- 

 cated to each other ,all their vegetables, though 

 fituated in a current of the Ocean which fets in 

 alternately, in the courfe of one year, for fix 

 months toward the one, and fix months toward the 

 other. 



However this may be, they planted thofe co- 

 coa-nuts, which, in the fpace of a year and a half, 

 fent out (hoots of four feet in height. A bleffing 

 from Heaven, fo diftinctly marked, had not ths 

 power of detaining them in that happy ifland. An 

 inconfiderate defire of procuring for themfelves 

 women conftrained them to abandon it, notwith- 

 flandingthe remonftrances of Léguai, and plunged 

 them into a long feries of calamities, which few of 

 them were able to furvive. For my own part, I 

 I can entertain no doubt, that had they repofed 

 that confidence in Providence which they had rea- 

 fon to do, it's care would have conveyed wives for 

 them into that defert Ifland, as it had fent to 

 them the gift of the cocoa-nut. 



To 



