154 lawson's history 



their mats and dry it in the sun to keep it for use. 

 The Spaniards in N"ew Spain have this plant very 

 plentifully on the coast of Florida, and hold it in 

 great esteem. Sometimes they cure it as the In- 

 dians do, or else beat it to a powder, so mix it as 

 coffee ; yet before they drink it, they filter the 

 same. They prefer it above all liquids, to drink 

 with physic, to carry the same safely and speedily 

 through the passages for which it is admirable, as 

 I myself have experimented. 



In the next place, I shall speak of the timber 

 that Carolina affords, which is as follows : 



Chesnut oak is a very lofty tree, clear of boughs 

 and limbs for fifty or sixty feet. They bear some- 

 times four or five feet through, all clear timber ; 

 and are the largest oaks we have, yielding the 

 fairest plank. They grow chiefly in low land, 

 that is stiff and rich. I have seen of them so 

 high, that a good gun could not reach a turkey, 

 though loaded with swan shot. They are called 

 chesnut, because of the largeness and sweetness of 

 the acorns. 



"White, scaly bark oak — This is used, as the for- 

 mer, in building sloops and ships, though it bears 

 a large acorn, yet it never grows to the bulk and 

 height of the chesnut oak. It is so called, because 

 of a scaly, broken, white bark, that covers this 

 tref , growing on dry land. 



We have red oak, sometimes, in good land, ve- 

 ry large and lofty. Tis a porous wood, and used 

 to rive into rails for fences. Tis not very durable, 



