4i8 JAMAICA. 



friend fired, and killed him dead. This accident, with the cir- 

 cumftances leading to it, were loon made known ; and, for fome 

 time, brought the priefts and their art into great difrepute among 

 all their converts. The dexterity of thefe priefts, or conjurers, 

 in the preparation of poifons, has been mentioned by many authors. 

 Kalm obferves, that this art is known to the Negroes of North- 

 America, in the provice of Pennfilvania ; and that they frequently 

 pradife it on one another. This poifon does not kill immediately ; 

 for fometimes the fick perfon dies fome years after : but, from the 

 moment he receives the poifon, he falls into a decline, and enjoys 

 but few days of good health. Kalm fays, they commonly employ 

 it on fuch of their brethren who behave well; are beloved by their 

 mafters ; and feparate, as it were, from their countrymen, or do 

 not like to converfe with them. There are likewife other reafons 

 for their enmity ; but there are few examples of their having 

 poifoned their mafters. Perhaps, the mild treatment they receive 

 keeps them from it ; or they fear a difcovery, and that in fuch cafe 

 their punishment would be very fevere[w]. Sir Hans Sloane 

 gives one or two inftances of this praftice in Jamaica. And Dr. 

 Barham tells us, that the favannah flower, which grows exceed- 

 ingly common in all the lowlands of that ifland, has been made ufe 

 of for this purpofe. It is a fpecies of dog's bane; the apocynum 

 ereElum of Sir Hans Sloane, p. 206 ; the nirium of Browne, p. 180. 

 It is one of the rankeft poifons in the world. Barham fays, he law 

 but two drachms of the exprefied juice given to a dog, which 

 killed him in eight minutes ; but that it may be fo ordered, that it 

 fhall not deftroy a perfon in many days, weeks, months, or years. 

 Some call it the Spanifh gilly-flower. Some years paft (continues 

 he) a practitioner of phyfick was poifoned with this plant by his 

 Ncgroe-woman, who had fo contrived it, that it did not difpatch 

 him quickly; but he was feized with violent gripings, inclination 

 to vomit, lofs of appetite, and afterwards fmall convulfions in fe- 

 veral parts of his body, a heftic fever, and continual wafting of 

 his flefti. Upon application to Dr. Barham for advice, he gave him 

 fome nhcindiroba kernels, to infufe in wine, and drink frequently ; 

 which cured him in time ; but it was long before the convuHive 



[iu] Kalm's Tiayels into North- America. 



fymptoms 



