288 November 1748. 



had a low fituation, and had ftagnant waters near 

 them, where the people declared they feldom 

 fuffered from this ficknefs ; but thefe places were 

 about two or three degrees more northerly. 



OTHERS were of opinion that diet did ve- 

 ry, much contribute towards it, and chiefly laid 

 the blame upon the inconfiderate and intempe- 

 rate confumption of fruit. This is particularly 

 the cafe with the Europeans, who come into Ame~ 

 rica 9 and are not ufed to its climate and its fruit ; 

 for thofe who are born here can bear more, yet 

 are not entirely free from the bad effecls of eating 

 too Knuch. I have heard many JLngliJhmen} Ger- 

 mans, and others, fpeak from their own experience 

 on this account; they owned, that they had of- 

 ten tried, and were certain that after eating a wa- 

 ter melon once or twice before they had break- 

 failed, they would have the fever and ague in a 

 few days after. Yet it is remarkable, that the 

 French in Canada told me that fevers were lefs 

 common in that country, though they confum- 

 ed as many water melons as the Ehglifh colonies, 

 and that it had never been pbferved that they oc- 

 cafioned a fever; but that on coming in the hot 

 feafon to the Illinois, an Indian nation which is 

 nearly in the fame latitude with Penjyfaania and 

 New Jcrfey, they could not eat a water melon 

 without feeling the ^making fits of an ague, and 

 that the Indians therefore warned them not to eat 

 of fo dangerous a fruit. Query, Does not this 

 lead us to think that the greater heat in Penfyl- 

 vania, and the country of the Ullrich, which 

 are both five or fix degrees more foutherly than 

 Canada, makes fruit in fome meafure mere dan- 

 gerous ? 



