5-i S November 1748. 



the flem of a pig. The fkia, which Is pretty 

 coarfe, and has long hair, is not made ufe of by 

 the Europeans ; but the Indians prepare it with 

 the hair on, and make tobacco pouches of it, 

 which they carry before them. 



November 6th. IN the evening I made a 

 vifit to Mr. Bartram, and found him in conver- 

 fation with a gentleman of Carolina, from whom 

 I obtained feveral particulars ; a few of which 

 I will here mention. 



TAR, pitchy and rice are the chief products of 

 Carolina. The foil is very fandy, and therefore 

 many pines and firs grow in it, from which they 

 make tar : the firs which are taken for this pur- 

 pofe are common ly fuch as are dried up of them- 

 felves ; the people here in general not knowing 

 how to prepare the firs by taking the bark off 

 on one, or on feveral fides, as they do in Oftro- 

 tothnia. In fome parts of Carolina they like- 

 wife make ufe of 'the branches. The manner of 

 burning or boiling, as the man defcribes it to me, 

 is entirely the fame as in Finland. The pitch is 

 thus made : they dig a hole into the ground, and 

 fmear the infide well with clay, into which they 

 pour the tar, and make a fire round it, which is 

 kept up till the tar has got the confidence of 

 pitch. They make two kinds of tar in the North 

 American colonies : one is the common tar, 

 which I have above defcribed, and which is made 

 of the ftems, branches, and roots, of fuch firs, as 

 were already confiderably dried out before ; which 

 is .the moft common way in this country. The 

 other way is peeling the bark from the firs on 

 one fide, and afterwards letting them ftand ano- 

 ther 



