74 



the^South Seas, found plenty of cacas in 

 the island called King George's Island, and 

 that many of his men, who were so afflicted 

 with scorbutic disorders that their limbs were 

 become black as ink, and who could not 

 move without assistance, and suffering excru- 

 ciating pain, were in a few days completely 

 cured by eating these nuts, and able to re- 

 sume their accustomed duties. 



I have often been surprised that the 

 making of the small chocolate cakes for 

 eating, should not have been attempted by 

 some persons in London, when they are in 

 such demand at Paris, where a celebrated 

 manufacturer of these chocolate trifles as- 

 sured me that he had then, in 1816, received 

 an order from a late high personage in Eng- 

 land that would exceed 500. 



The oil of the cacas-nut is the hottest of 

 any known, and is used to recover cold, 

 weak, and paralytic limbs. The Mexicans 

 are said to eat the nuts raw, to assuage pains 

 in the bowels. 



We cannot but regret that the cultivation 

 of this valuable plant should have been dis- 

 continued in our West-India islands, nor 

 can we be surprised when we find that the 

 duty, including the customs and excise, 

 amounted to upwards of four hundred and 



