177 



tend the too free use of strong liquors. They pre- 

 pare it nearly as we do tea, but seldom use any 

 sugar with it. Sometimes they take it by way of a 

 vomit ; when they drink it hike warm. 



The Caa-tree (that is its proper name) thrives best 

 in the marshy bottoms between the mountains of Ma- 

 racayu, east of Paraguay in about twenty-five de- 

 grees twenty-five minutes south latitude. They some- 

 times send to Peru alone in a year, a hundred thou- 

 sand arobcs, (an arobe is 28 pounds), and each 

 arobe is worth seven French crowns. 



By the whole account this appears to be a species 

 of tea, little differing from some of those which grow- 

 in China. The leaf is a third part less than that of 

 Bohea tea, but much hardier, for it bears the Eng- 

 lish frost, which that will not. Bohea-tea has a 

 smaller and a darker leaf than green ; which is as large 

 and^as bright as a bay leaf, and endures all weathers. 

 All these appear to be of a laurel kind, and I doubt 

 if laurel or bay leaves properly cured, would riot 

 equal any of them. 



The Coco-tree grows strait, without any branches, 

 thirty or forty feet high. Near the top it bears 

 twelve leaves, each ten feet long, and half a foot 

 broad. These are used in making mats, covering 

 houses, and for many other purposes. Above the 

 leaves grows a large excrescence, in the form of a 

 cabbage. But the taking it off kills the tree. Be- 

 tween the leaves and the top grows several shoots, as 

 thick as a man's arm, which when cut, yield a white, 

 sweet, agreeable liquor, serving as wine, and equally 

 intoxicating. Yet at the end of four and twenty- 

 hours it becomes a strong vinegar. As long as this 

 liquor distils, the tree bears no fruit, but when these 

 shoots are suffered to grow it puts forth a large 

 bunch, wherein the cocoa-nuts arc to the number of 

 ten or twelve. In each there is about half a pint of 

 ckar cooling water. In a little while this becomes 

 a white, soft pulp, which afterwards condenses inta 

 I* 



