674 



A HISTORY OF 



and pliant in warm water, uud (hen screwing II 

 them in a mould, like a medal : however, the 

 shell is most beautiful before it undergoes 

 this last operation. 



But of all animals of the tortoise kind, the 

 green turtle is the most noted, and the- most 

 valuable. The delicacy of its flesh, and its 

 nutritive qualities, together with the property 

 of being easily digested, were, for above a 

 century, known only to our seamen and the 

 inhabitants of the co:!st=; where (hey were 

 taken. It was not till by slow degrees the 

 distinction came to be made between such as 

 were malignant and such as were wholesome. 

 The controversies and contradictions of our 

 old tVavellers were numerous upon this head: 

 some asserting, that the turtle was delicious 

 lood ; and others, that it was actual poison. 

 Dampier, that rough seaman, who has added 

 jnore to natural history than half of the phi- 

 losophers that went before him, appears to be. 

 the first who informed us of their distinctions ; 

 and that, while the rest might be valuable for 

 other purposes, the green turtle alone was 

 chiefly prized for the delicacy of its flesh. 

 He never imagined, however, that this ani- 

 mal would make its way to the luxurious ta- 

 bles of Kurope; for he seems chietly to re- 

 commend it as salted up for ship's provision, 

 in case of necessity. 



At present the turtle is very well known 

 among us, and is become the favourite food 

 of those that are desirous of eating a great 

 deal without the danger of surfeiting. This 

 is a property the flesh of the turtle seems pe- 

 culiarly possessed of; and by the importa- 

 tion of it alive among us, "gluttony is freed 

 from one of its greatest restraints. The flesh 

 of the turtle is become a branch of commerce; 

 and therefore ships are provided with con- 

 veniences for supplying them with water and 

 provision, to bring them over in health from 

 Jamaica and other West India islands. This, 

 however, is not always effected ; for though 

 they are very vivacious, and scarcely require 

 any provision upon the voyage, yet, by the 

 working of the ship, and their beating against 

 the side of the boat that contains them, they 

 become battered and lean ; so that to eat this 

 animal in the highest perfection, instead of 

 bringing the turtle to the epicure, he ought 

 to be transported to the turtle. 



The animal is called the green turtle, from 

 the colour of its shell, which is rather greener 

 ihan that of others of this kind. It is gene- 

 rally found about two hundred weight; though 

 some are five hundred, and others not above 

 fifty. Darnpier tells us of one that was seen 

 at Port-Royal in Jamaica, that was six feet 

 broad across the back; he does not tell us its 

 other dimensions; but says, that the son of 

 Captain Uoach, a boy about ten years old, 

 sailed in the shell, as in a boat, from the shore 

 to his fathers ship, which was above a quar- 

 ter of a mile from land. But this is nothing 

 to the size of some turtles the ancients speak 

 of. ^Elian assures us, that the houses in the 

 island of Taprobane are usually covered with 

 a single shell. Diodorus Siculus tells us, that 

 a people neighbouring on Ethiopia, called the 

 Turtle-caters^ coasted along the shore in boats 

 made of the upper shell of this animal; and 

 that in war, when they had eaten the flesh, 

 the covering served them as a tent. In this 

 account, Pliny, and all the rest of the ancients 

 agree; and as they had frequent opportuni- 

 ties of knowing the truth, we are not lightly 

 to contradict their testimony. 



At present, however, they are not seen of 

 such amazing dimensions. We are told, by 

 Laet, that on the isle of Cuba they grow to 

 such a size, as that five men can stand on the 

 back of one of them together; and, what is 

 more surprising still, that the animal does not 

 seem overloaded, but will go off with them upon 

 its back, with a slow steady motion, towards 

 the sea. 



They are found in the greatest numbers on 

 the island of Ascension^ where, for several 

 years, they were taken to be salted to feed 

 the slaves, or for a supply of ship's provision. 

 Their value at present seems to be better 

 known. 



This animal seldom comes from the sea but 

 to deposite their eggs, and now and then to 

 sport in fresh water. Its chief food is a sub- 

 marine plant, that covers the bottom of seve- 

 ral parts of the sea not far from the shore. 

 There the turtles are seen, when the wea- 

 ther is fair, feeding in great numbers, like 

 flocks of sheep, several fathoms deep upon 

 the verdant carpet below. At other times 

 they go to the mouths of rivers; and they 

 seem to find gratification in fresh water 



