1770 PLANTS 299 



We had still fewer fruits; to the southwards was one 

 somewhat resembling a heart cherry (Eugenia), only the 

 stone was soft : it had nothing but a slight acid to re- 

 commend it. To the northward, we had a kind of very 

 indifferent fig (Ficus caudiciflora) growing from the stalk of 

 a tree, a fruit we called plums like them in colour, but 

 flat like a little cheese and another much like a damson 

 both in appearance and taste. Both these last, however, 

 were so full of a large stone, that eating them was but an 

 unprofitable business. "Wild plantains we had also, but so 

 full of seeds that they had little or no pulp. 



For the article of timber there is certainly no want of 

 trees of more than the middling size, and some in the 

 valleys are very large, but all of a very hard nature. Our 

 carpenters, who cut them down for firewood, complained 

 much that their tools were damaged by them. Some trees 

 there are also to the northward, whose soft bark, which 

 easily peels off, is in the East Indies used for caulking ships 

 in lieu of oakum. 



Palms here are of three different sorts : the first, 1 which 

 grew plentifully to the southward, has leaves plaited like a 

 fan ; the cabbage of these is small, but exquisitely sweet, 

 and the nuts which it bears in great abundance make a very 

 good food for hogs. The second is very like the real 

 cabbage tree of the "West Indies, bearing pinnated leaves 

 like those of a cocoanut : this also yields cabbage, which, if 

 not so sweet as the other sort, yet makes ample amends in 

 quantity. The third, 2 which like the second is found only 

 in the northern parts, is low, seldom 10 feet in height, 

 with small pinnated leaves resembling those of some kinds 

 of fern. Cabbage it has none, but generally bears a plenti- 

 ful crop of nuts, about the size of a large chestnut, and 

 rounder. By the hulls of these, which we found plentifully 

 near the Indian fires, we were assured that these people ate 

 them, and some of our gentlemen tried to do the same, but 

 were deterred from a second experiment by a hearty fit of 

 vomiting. The hogs, however, which were still shorter of 



1 Livistona australis, Mart. 2 Gycas media, Br. 



