LETTER IV. loi 



that they brought him to his fenfes again : the beft 

 account he could give of the matter was, that the 

 very moment wherein he grafped hold of it, the 

 cold from it ran fwiftly up his arm into his body, 

 and pierced him to the heart, fo as to deprive 

 him of all fenfe. I forgot to enquire, whether 

 this Eel is ever eaten : but perhaps it may ; for 

 the cold quality of the Eel may depart with its 

 Life ; an inftance not much unlike it, falling un- 

 der my cognizance every day in the Weji Indies. 

 Our Wheaten Bread there, is made of Flower 

 brought to us from the fine Province of New 

 Tork^ in North America, and is worked up with 

 Eggs inftead of Yeaft or Barm. But we have 

 another fort of Bread that is made of Caflada 

 Root. Caflada is a Shrub of four foot high and 

 better, grows up in a fl:raight, tough, and brown- 

 ifli flalk, that is very knobby, juft like an Englifli 

 Crab-tree bough, and clofe at the top, is fet all 

 around with long narrow Leaves of a deepifli 

 Green colour. The Root of it is carefully fcrap- 

 ed till the white part appears, and then it is rub- 

 bed hard againft a large Tin Grater, in fhape of 

 a Nutmeg-grater, nailed faft to a piece of Wood, 

 that is about two foot long ; and being wondrous 

 juicy, is foon rubbed to a foft matter that refem- 

 bles Children's Pap. This pappy fublknce is then 

 put into a hair Bag, and prefled hard between 

 two Stones, until there comes from it a mUk 



G 3 white 



