80 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



or whether it was afterwards sent him by Sir 

 Thomas Grenville or by Mr. Lane who was 

 the first Governor of Virginia. Mr. Thomas 

 Herrist, who went out with them, wrote an 

 account which will be found in De Bry's Col- 

 lection of Voyages. In vol. i. under the title 

 " Roots," he describes a plant called Ope- 

 nawk, thus : " These roots are round, some 

 large as a walnut, others much larger ; they 

 grow in damp soils, many hanging together 

 as if fixed on ropes ; they are good food 

 either boiled or roasted." 



By the manuscript minutes of the Royal 

 Society, December 13, 1693, it appears, that 

 the then President (Sir Robert Southwell) 

 informed the fellows, that his grandfather 

 brought potatoes into Ireland, and that he 

 first had them from Sir Walter Raleigh. 



Some writers state, that the potatoe was 

 introduced into Ireland as early as the year 

 1566. If this was the case, it evidently must 

 have been the batata, procured either from 

 Spain or Italy, as we have no account of the 

 Virginia potatoe having been known in Eu- 

 rope at that period. It was certainly used as 

 food by the Irish long before its utility was 

 generally known in England ; and we are in- 

 formed that it was accidentally thrown on our 



