New Jerfey, Raccoon. 369 



days after. Yet it is remarkable, that the 

 French in Canada told me that fevers were 

 lefs common in that country, though they 

 confumed as many water melons as the 

 Englifi colonies, and that it had never been 

 obferved that they occalioned a fever ; but 

 that on coming in the hot feafon to the 

 Illinois, an Indian nation which is nearly in 

 the fame latitude with Penjyhania and ISfew 

 yerfey, they could not eat a water melon 

 without feeling the fhaking fits of an ague, 

 and that the Indians therefore warned them 

 not to eat of fo dangerous a fruit. Query, 

 Does not this lead us to think that the 

 greater heat in Penjyhania, and the country 

 of the Illinois, which are both five or fix 

 degrees more foutherly than Canada, makes 

 fruit in fome meafure more dangerous ? In 

 the EngliJJj North American colonies, every 

 countryman plants a number of water me- 

 lons, which are eaten whilft the people 

 make hay, or during the harveft when they 

 have nothing upon their flomachs, in order 

 to cool them during the great heat, as that 

 juicy fruit feems very proper to give re- 

 frefhment. In the fame manner melons, 

 cucumbers, gourds, fquafiies, mulberries, 

 apples, peaches, cherries, and fuch like 

 fruit are eaten here in fummer, and altoge- 

 ther contribute to the attacks of the ague. 

 A a But 



