183 



Sloane mentions one of these gourds as 

 large as the human body. Brown says, 

 " the decoction of the leaves is recommended 

 much in purging clysters, and the pulp of 

 the fruit is often employed in resolutive poul- 

 tices." He adds, that " it is bitter and 

 purgative, and may be used instead of the 

 common coloquintida." Sloane and Bar- 

 ham describe a sweet gourd, which, the lat- 

 ter says, "grow two or three feet long, as 

 big as a man's thigh, is full of sweet pulp 

 that makes a pleasant sort of sweetmeat or 

 preserve/' He says, " the distilled water is 

 good in fevers, and the pulp applied to the 

 eyes abates their inflammation." Sloane says 

 " the seeds are diuretic, and made into 

 emulsions, temper and take off the acrimony 

 of urine." 



Lunan describes the squash (melopeps) 9 

 a small gourd, not exceeding the size of a 

 moderate fist, and which, he says, " when 

 young and properly boiled and dressed 

 with butter and black pepper, is a deli- 

 cious vegetable." Louriero says, " this fruit 

 is of great use in long voyages, as it may be 

 kept several months fresh and sweet." 



The Gourd, called Vegetable Marrow, is 

 of a pale yellow colour. Those I have seen 

 did not exceed from seven to nine inches in 



