268 November 1748. 



£0 covered over with little blifters from their 

 flings, that people are afhamed to appear in 

 public. The water melons which are culti- 

 vated near the town grow very large : they 

 are extremely delicious, and are better than 

 in other parts of North America ; though 

 they are planted in the open fields and 

 never in a hot-bed. 1 faw a water melon 

 at Governor Clinton's in September 1750, 

 which weighed forty feven Engliih pounds, 

 and at a merchant's in town another of fortv 



J 



two pounds weight : however they were 

 reckoned the biggeft ever feen in this coun- 

 try. 



In the year 1710, five kings, or Sachems 

 of the Iroquois went from hence to England, 

 in order to engage §>ueen Anne to make an 

 alliance with them againft the French. 

 Their names, drefs, reception at court, 

 foeeches to the Queen, opinion of England 

 and of the European manners, and feveral 

 other particulars about them are fufficiently 

 known from other writings; it would there- 

 fore be here unneceffary to enlarge about 

 them. The kings or Sachems of the Indi- 

 ans, have commonly no greater authority 

 over their fubjecls than conftables in a meet- 

 ing of the inhabitants of a parifh, and hard- 

 ly fo much. On my travels through the 

 country of thele Indians, I had never any 



occafion 



