V.WII I A AKkMATK A. 87 



\ anill.i was iioi known in l-umju! iiniil alirr llic tliscovtTy 

 ol Anu-rica. aiul lillK" <>r noihini; was known of the plant that 

 proilucfd it until 1703, wlu-n it was il<_-scril)cil by lMun)i<T, 



1' Mcnonviili'. \n ho iravcllt-cl to (juaxaca in 1777, thus 

 describes his iliscoviry of \ anilla in that district. After various 

 himlranccs and tlisappointnu-nis. he says: "Ai length an Indian, 

 with a hoe in his hanil, made his api)earance. ' Broth<r,' said I, 

 holihni^ out a doll.ir, 'show me some \ anilla and this is yours.' 

 He co«»lly l>aile me follow him. and atlvancinj^ a few ste|)s through 

 the underwood into a thicket, in which were a numhcr of trees, 

 he immediately climbed up one, threw down to m<- two |>ods of 

 N'aniila jK-rfectly ripe, and poinieil out lo me a branch on which 

 several others were hanging yet green, together with two faded 

 flowers. The form of the leaves, the fruit, ihc. peculi.ir smell of 

 the plant — everything convinced me it was the real X'anilla, in 

 everything corresp)nding with such ius I had seen at X'cr.i Cruz. 

 All the trees of this little copse were covered with il. 1 saw a 

 (|uantity of green fruit, but collected no more than six s|K*cimens 

 of these, and four large pods which were ripe. I caused the 

 Indian afterwards to j)art from the nH>t sonu- of the scions which 

 had sprung up. These I tied well together, wraj)|)ing u|) the 

 whole in the leaves of an arum, which at their base are 3 feet 

 wide. After thus jiacking a fj»ggot, which weighed upwards of 

 thirty |)«>unils, I placed it in my large sack, which I fastened on 

 my horse. I was so well satisfied with my Indian that. In-sidcs 

 what I promiseil him, I gave him two reals in adilition. I'or his 

 [Kirt, unwilling to In; outdone in generosif' '^'- r-^ •" '^'- '^>>« '"-! 

 brought me three other |xkIs of X'anilla." 



G 2 



