L U C O N I A. 6i 



one may alfo fay, thofe of the old and the new world ; of Europe^ 

 oi India f and of China \ and in return it receives the filver of 

 Potoji, The indolence of the Spaniards will not fuffer thefe 

 iflands to produce any one article of commerce, a little gold ex- GotD. 

 cepted, brought down the floods into the channels of the ri- 

 vers. The group certainly contains rich mines of the pretious 

 metal, but as wealth flows in fuch abundance with very little 

 trouble to the colonifts, they will not be at the pains of exploring 

 the veins. Luconia alfo produces abundance of excellent iron 

 and copper. 



The fruitfulnefs of foil is a perpetual reproach to the floth- 

 fulnefs of its lords. A very few exceptions are to be found ; one 

 friend to the ifland introduced the Coco tree, 'Tbeobrojna cacao^ 

 Catejhy, Suppl. tab. 6, which is cultivated with fuch fuccefs, as to 

 become almoft the fuj)port of the inhabitants, by giving them 

 the favorite food of the Spaniards^ chocolate ; indigo, which Indigo. 

 grows fpontaneoufly, owes of late years its ufe in their manu- 

 fadlories to the fagacity of an individvial. It was not till the 

 year 1744, that the fluggifh Spaniards ever knew the culture of 

 European grains or efculents. As to the native produdtions,' it 

 pofTelTes every tree or fruit common to the torrid zone, and num- 

 bers probably peculiar to itfelf, few only of which are brought 

 to view, and that by the induftry of a Sonnerat. 



The uiTvvife expuKion of the Jefuits will long retard, pof- 

 fibly for ever prevent, the improvement of the Manilla iflands. 

 The domains of that intelligent order were covered with cattle 

 innumerable; their meadows flretched numbers of miles, wa- 

 tered and fertilized by the rivers of the country. 



Manilla, 



