246" 



VEGETABLE WAX. 



dear as a sheep or goat ; and in one instance, as 

 has been related, I paid four times the money 

 for one of these birds that I had given for a kid. 

 The hawkers seldom obtain money in exchange 

 for their wares ; they take whatever is offered, 

 and hire people to assist in conveying the cattle 

 or produce to a market, where they are ex- 

 changed for goods, and then the owner again 

 returns. A twelvemonth is sometimes passed in 

 turning over the property once ; but the profits 

 are usually enormous ; two or three hundred 

 per cent. 



During my stay at Natal, the Governor showed 

 me a species of wax which is produced from the 

 leaves of the carnauba, a tree I have frequently 

 mentioned. A quantity oi' this wax was sent 

 by him to Rio de Janeiro ; it is mentioned in 

 one of Dr. Arruda's publications, and a sample 

 of it found its way to England, and has been 

 taken notice of by the Royal Society.* The 

 Governor, in one of his journeys through his pro- 

 vince, passed the night, as often happened, in 

 a peasant's cottage. A wax candle was lighted 

 and placed before him, which was rudely made, 

 but afforded a good light; he was somewhat 

 surprised at this, because oil is generally used ; 

 on making enquiry, he found out that the wax 

 dropped from the leaves which covered the cot- 

 tage, during the heat of the day ; — I suppose 



* Vide Appendix for a further account of this wax. 



