244 LETTER IX. 



have in Odlober a piiblick Feaft or Thankfgiving 

 for it. 



19. We have fome Frogs in our Gardens and 

 white fwampey Ground behind them weftward 

 toward the Sea Side at the South end of Charles 

 Town, that ikip about, being not yellow like 

 E?-]gIiJh ones, but rather Brown and more of a 

 Toad-Colour, though I never heard of a Toad be- 

 ing feen there. Our Snakes are quite harmlefs -, but 

 our common Flies are exceedingly troublefome, 

 almoft as bad as our Muflvitoes, which are no 

 other than JV(Ji India Gnats, and perhaps not 

 much more troublefome than our Englijld Fenn 

 Gnats. I was credibly informed the other day, 

 that a Manchineal flick with the Bark peeled off, 

 and brought to London^ will (though dry) if one 

 end of it be put into a pail full of new Milk, and 

 iHrred half a dozen times round, immediately turn 

 the whole into Curds and Whey, fo forcible is 

 the llrength of its Poifon even then at fuch a 

 diltance of time. And laft Evening I was in com- 

 pany with a Sea Surgeon juft arrived from the 

 Wcjl Indies^ who eonlirms me in my opinion 

 about Water Spouts, as mentioned in Letter 8^^' 

 Paragraph 9. He has feen feveral, but more 

 particularly obferved one, that was fo near that 

 it had like to have broke upon their Ship -^ viz -, 

 A Whirlwind feized upon a fmall track of 

 Sea, mounting up a large body of Water round 



and 



