LETTER VIII. 209 



Houle-Lambj fay the good people there, and 

 breed twice if not oftener in a year ; and what is 

 more extraordinary, fuckle them all : they have 

 no Horns. The Rams are of a pale or faint red 

 colour^ and have a thick row of long, ftrait red 

 Hair hanging down, that extends itfelf from their 

 lower Jaw along their Throat quite to their 

 Breaft, as far as their Fore Legs. At Nevis they 

 were efteemed to be as good as the befl Englijh 

 Mutton, but I could not be of that opinion* 

 We have plenty of Goats, and I thought their 

 young Kids as nice eating almoll: as London 

 Houfe-Lamb : they too are wondrous prolifick* 

 Sir i?i^;2x 5/(5^;/ in his IntrodudlioUj p. 20, affirms 

 that at Jamaica^ Rats are fold by the dozen, and 

 when they "have been bred among the Sugar- 

 Canes, are thought by fome difcerning People, 

 very delicious Vidluals. Some Negroes at Nevis 

 do eat them, wrapping them up in Bonano-leaves 

 to bake them as it were under warm Embers. 

 I own they are fat and look well ; two Whites 

 of my Acquaintance eat of them, once out of 

 pure Curiofity, and faid, they did not tafte amifs, 

 though quite different from any other fort of Food. 

 3 1 . Our Porkets feeding upon Indian Corn, 

 Spanijh Potatoes, and Sugar-Cane Juice, during 

 Crop-time, their Fle(h is of courfe exceeding 

 fweet, and white as well as fat. Our Fowls being 

 fed with the fame fort of diet are good, and our 



O Tur- 



