148 



in the warm regions, bananas, constituted the basis of the nourish- 

 ment of the Indians.* Clavigero says " the potato was brought into 

 Mexico from South America, its native 7i077ie.-\ The Abbe MoHna 

 asserts that it grew wild in almost every field.J Sir Walter Raleigh 

 speaks of having seen potatoes in Guiana ; § but probably these 

 were sweet potatoes, the climate of Guiana not being adapted to the 

 Solanum Tuberosum. Darwin, in the " Voyage of a Naturalist," says, 

 " the wild potato grows on these islands (the island of Chonos and 

 others on the Pacific coast of South America) in great abundance, 

 near the beach. The tubers were generally small ; but I found one 

 that was two inches in diameter. When boiled they shrunk much, 

 and were watery and insipid, without any bitter taste." There is 

 no question that it was found wild in Chili, nor that from Chili it 

 was carried to Southern Europe by the Spanish colonists. 



But how it reached England is not so evident. The opinion has 

 long prevailed that it was introduced from Virginia into England by 

 Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1586. Even so discriminating a Avritcr as 

 Humboldt is deceived by the authority of Sir Joseph Banks and 

 others, and takes great pains to account for its existence in Virginia, 

 aware that it was indigenous nowhere else in North America. It 

 would be difficult to show that Raleigh ever was in Virginia. The 

 colonizing expedition in which he was concerned reached Albemarle, 

 some distance further south. There is reason to believe that the 

 misunderstanding arose from a confusion of names. The early navi- 

 gators, careless of botanical distinctions, may have applied the name of 

 potato to the Solanum Tuberosum, and the Batatas Edulis or sweet 

 potato, the latter alone being indigenous in the southern parts of 

 North America. This was early carried to England, and cultivated. 

 It is several times mentioned by Shakspeare and other writers. 



There is some conflicting testimony on this point: for Gerard, in 

 his " Herbal," published in 1633, says : " I have received roots hereof 

 from Virginia, (otherwise called Norerabega) which grow and prosper 

 in my garden as in their own native country." || And by the drawing 



•New Spain, Volume 2d, p. 370. fHistory of Mexico, p. 27. 



+Nat. History of Chili, p. 108. §Work3, Volume 2d, p. 191. 



II Herbal, or Gen. Hist, of Plants, p. 927. 



