BOOK III. CHAP. VIII. 8:3. 



propagated, the planters made fences with it in the Southern low- 

 lands and favannahs, but its feeds difperfing about, it foon fprouted 

 fpontaneoufly, and now it over-runs vafl tradls of land, and maintains 

 its ground fo firmly, that fo long as the leafl: particle of the root 

 remains, it never ceaCes throwing up its thorny plants ; whence it 

 is next to impofiible to eiadicate it entirely from a piece of land in 

 which it has once flourished. The pods are richly impregnated 

 with a flicky aftringent gum, eafily to be extracted. When they- 

 are half ripe, this juice may be made ufe of for cementing broken 

 China. The trunk, when wounded, emits a tranfparent gum, like- 

 gitni'Arabic. This gum is produced from the acacia vera, or- 

 /Egyptian thorn, Vv'hich very much refembles the Jamaica plant, . 

 and is found in feveral parts of America.. The yEgyptians call the 

 true plant, Charad, and it is known to botanifts by another name,. 

 m'lnwfa Nilotica, which relates to the place of its growth near the 

 Nile. The hulk of the pods of the Jamaica tree being foaked all 

 night in water, and a little allum added, may be boiled to a due, 

 thicknefs, and makesa good black ink, which .never fades nor. turns 

 yellow like the copperas ink. Dr. Barham, having carried fome of, 

 the pods with him to England. in 1717, gave them to a dyer, who 

 tried them, an.d reported that, they exceeded galls for dying linen,... 

 and would be far preferable if they could be procured at a cheap 

 rate. They are liable- to be deftroyed by a worm, but they might 

 probably be preferved by fteeping. a little while in lime-water, by. 

 fumigation .with brimftone juft before they are packed, ,or by put-.- 

 ting a fmall bag or box of camphor into the package. . 



The roots, when bruifed, yield a very oftenfive fmell ; and. a de- 

 coiSion. made from them is faid to be mortally poifonous. 



But fince this plant is now grown fo common and even trouble— 

 fome, might.it not be worth while to try if fome benefit could be,: 

 made of it in trade?. TJie perfon who firft gave it introduftion. = 

 probably miftook it for the true acacia, which yields the medicinal 

 gum zx\^ Juccus oi thelhops; experiments are. required to deter- 

 mine, whether the gum obtainable from the trunk of thefe trees is 

 not of fimilar ufe and efficacy in medicine.? and whether the gummy 

 juice of the pods may not be cxtraded, and prepared in a proper 

 form, for .a renjittance to Europe ? Thirdly, whether they cannot 



be 



