STATE OF THE BOTANICAL CARDEX AT ST. VINCENTT. g73 



in the garden proves a male, and there is no prospect, at 



present, of obtaining more, as in the present situation of 



affairs, no communication from St. Vincent to Cayenne can 



be had by fiags of truce or otherwise. Several plants of it Chirrese colony 



Mere brought to Trinidad with the colony of the Chinese : ''*'^""'''^^'^' 



J much fear they are, or will be lost there. 



I send you some cloves, about two thirds of the produce Cloves. 

 of one young tree for the first time. My reason for troub- 

 ling the Society with thera is from a wish to know whether 

 drying theiai in the shade or sun is the most proper mode, 

 or if it makes any difference in the quality of the spice ; if 

 not, they may be cured in the sun with no trouble, in a 

 very short tirae. The young fruit I reserved on the tree for 

 seed, part of which v^as beaten off by the wind, and seems 

 to me little inferior to the flower buds. 



On reading, in the Society's Transactions, Dr. P^oxburgh's Sub^titutai for 

 Experiments on the Comparative Qualities of Bark of East ^^"^" 

 India Plants as Substitutes for European Hemp*, I was in- Fibres of the 

 duccd to try the leaves of the agave, to ascertain how far ' 

 the fibres of them w ould answer the purpose. I transmit a 

 specimen of them for the society's inspection. The small 

 bundle, tied with some twine made of the same, is the pro- 

 duce of one moderate sized leaf, and was obtained from 

 it, immediately cut from the plant, in a very short time. 

 The operation was performed by a black boy. The plants 

 are produced in abundance by nature among the rocks by 

 the seaside and barren hills. If found useful, any quantity 

 may be obtained with little labour and no expense of first 

 cost. The superior advantage over the East India articles 

 (must of them common in these islands) is the trifling la- 

 bour requisite to get the fibres from the fleshy substance of 

 the leaves without steeping, or any other previous process. 

 When macerated in water, I think it lessens the strength 

 of the fibre, and gives it a dusky hue. 



The three small bundles, which I nqw send, were taken Much valued 



' • oj. fT- i • ' • by the Mtxi- 



from two species common in St. Vincent, viz. agave vzvi- ^^^^^^^ 

 ijaruj and a. cubensia. The leaves of all the tropical 



io)nMH« : 



Ti'idi v^vi* S^^^-^o^''-^^'^ ^'"^- ^^> P- ^^-^ ^'"^ ^^'^' P- '--^• 



specie^ 



