1770 PLANTS 299 
We had still fewer fruits; to the southwards was one 
somewhat resembling a heart cherry (Eugenia), only the 
stone was soft: it had nothing but a slight acid to re- 
commend it. To the northward, we had a kind of very 
indifferent fig (Ficus caudiciflora) growing from the stalk of 
a tree, a fruit we called plums—like them in colour, but 
flat like a little cheese—and another much like a damson 
both in appearance and taste. Both these last, however, 
were so full of a large stone, that eating them was but an 
unprofitable business. Wild plantains we had also, but so 
full of seeds that they had little or no pulp. 
For the article of timber there is certainly no want of 
trees of more than the middling size, and some in the 
valleys are very large, but all of a very hard nature. Our 
carpenters, who cut them down for firewood, complained 
much that their tools were damaged by them. Some trees 
there are also to the northward, whose soft bark, which 
easily peels off, is in the East Indies used for caulking ships 
in lieu of oakum. 
Palms here are of three different sorts: the first,’ which 
grew plentifully to the southward, has leaves plaited like a 
fan; the cabbage of these is small, but exquisitely sweet, 
and the nuts which it bears in great abundance make a very 
good food for hogs. The second is very like the real 
cabbage tree of the West Indies, bearing pinnated leaves 
like those of a cocoanut: this also yields cabbage, which, if 
not so sweet as the other sort, yet makes ample amends in 
quantity. The third,? which like the second is found only 
in the northern parts, is low, seldom 10 feet in height, 
with small pinnated leaves resembling those of some kinds 
of fern. Cabbage it has none, but generally bears a plenti- 
ful crop of nuts, about the size of a large chestnut, and 
rounder. By the hulls of these, which we found plentifully 
near the Indian fires, we were assured that these people ate 
them, and some of our gentlemen tried to do the same, but 
were deterred from a second experiment by a hearty fit of 
vomiting. The hogs, however, which were still shorter of 
1 Livistona australis, Mart. 2 Cycas media, Br. 
