tance from the window, is Agave A/nericana, Ameri- 



50 



" which is soft and white like the inside of ne^T 

 '* baked bread, having neither seed nor stone ; but, 

 " if kept longer than twenty-four hours, it is harsh. 

 ** This fruit is in season eight months in the year, 

 " and the natives feed on no other sort of bread du- 

 ** ring that time." 



Somewhat to the right of the foregoing, at a dis- 

 nee from the wind( 

 can Aloe, in bloom. 



The next division of the windows is formed by 



Citrus the Five-fingered Lemon, or Citron, an 



agreeable acid fruit, which is used by the inhabitants 

 of hot climates for the same purposes as the Common 

 Lemon. 



Fronting the third window, is 3Tusa Sapkntum, the 

 Banana. This plant is to the inhabitants of the 

 West Lidia Islands, what the Bread-fruit Tree is to 

 the countries where it is indigenous, the staple article 

 of food : the fruit is so essential to the natives of 

 tropical climes, that they never go to a distance 

 without taking a quantity of it with them. When 

 " the West Indians undertake a voyage, they make 

 *' a provision of paste of Banana, which in case of 

 " need serves them for nourishment and drink ; for 

 " this purpose they take ripe Bananas, and, having 

 " squeezed them through a fine sieve, form the solid 

 " fruit into loaves, which are dried in the sun or in 

 " hot ashes, after being previously wrapped up in 

 " the leaves of the Indian Flowering Reed." 



When they make use of this paste they dissolve it 

 in Water, which is very easily done, and the liquor^, 

 thereby rendered thick, has an agreeable acid taste 

 imparted to it, which n)akes it both refreshing and 

 nourishing. 



