1 62 May 1749* 



graved. Mr. Lewis Evans told me, from 

 his own experience, that no wood in this 

 country was more fit for making moulds 

 for cafling brafs in, than this. I enquired 

 of Mr. Bartram, " Whether he had found 

 the rofin on this tree, which is fo much 

 praifed in phyfic." He told me, " That a 

 very odoriferous rofin always flows out of 

 any cut or wound, which is made in the 

 tree ; but ''that the quantity here was too 

 inconfiderable to recompenfe the labour of 

 colle&ing it." This odoriferous rofin or 

 gum firft gave rile to the Englijh name. 

 The further you go to the South, the 

 greater quantity of gum does the tree 

 yield, fo that it is eafy to collect it. Mr. 

 Bartram was of opinion, that this tree was 

 properly calculated for the climate of Caro- 

 lina^ and that it was brought by feveral ways 

 fo far North as New York. In the fouthern 

 countries the heat of the Sun fills the tree 

 with gum, but in the northern ones it does 

 not. 



May the 2d. THIS morning I travelled 

 down to Salem, in order to fee the coun- 

 try. 



THE Saffafras-tree flood fingle in the 

 woods, and along the fences, round the 

 fields : it was now diftinguifhable at a dif- 

 tance for its fine flowers,, which being now 



quite 



