POTATOE. 79 



cured it the year before from the attendants 

 of the Pope's legate, under the name of Tara- 

 toufli. In Italy, where it was then in use, 

 no one knew whether it originally came from 

 Spain or from America ; but as the Spaniards 

 were at that period sole possessors of South 

 America, there can be little doubt but that 

 they procured it from the mountainous parts 

 of that country, and particularly in the 

 neighbourhood of Quito, and from thence 

 sent it to Spain. 



It is said to have been first introduced into 

 this country by Sir Francis Drake, who brought 

 it from the South Sea; others give the credit 

 to Sir John Hawkins : but this kind of pota- 

 toe requiring a warm climate, could never 

 have been cultivated in this country, except 

 by the curious. 



The potatoe now in use was brought to 

 England by the colonists sent out by Sir 

 Walter Raleigh, under the authority of his 

 patent granted by Queen Elizabeth for dis- 

 covering and planting new countries not pos- 

 sessed by Christians, which passed the Great 

 Seal in 1584. Some of Sir Walter's ships 

 sailed in the same year, and returned in July 

 1586 ; but it seems uncertain whether Sir 

 Walter brought the potatoe root to England, 



