

3H AMERICA. Chap. XIII. 



Weather, leaving a round Stalk on the Boughs, which lofes not its Rind till two 

 years after - y half which time the Berry requires, before it attains to its perfect ripe, 

 nefs, which generally happens in the Winter : The Boughs flioot ftraight upwards 

 and become in time fo heavy, that they caufe the Body of the Tree to bend. This 

 raoft excellent Wood grows in divers places of the Bermudas. 



We (hall conclude with the refolute Exploit'of five Sea-men, jinno \6\6, who, to 

 the great admiration of all People, fet Sail from thence in an open Veflel of 

 three Tun through the main Ocean, and after having fuffer'd terrible Tempefts, 

 arriv'd in the fpace of feven Weeks fafe in Ireland* . 



Thefe Iflands are remarkable for divers forts of Plants, unknown in other Parts 

 as the Trickle fear, Poyfon Weed, <%ed Weed, Purging Bean, Cojihe Tree, <l(ed Pepper, and 

 the Sea Feather. Alfo feveral drange Birds, as the Egg Bird, Cabow, Tropick Bird, and 

 the Pemlico, which prefageth Storms. 



CHAP. XIII. 



Hifpaniola. 



THe Iflands call'd Tie BarloVento, by which arc underftood Hifpaniola, Cuba, 

 Jamaica, and Boriquen, as alfo the Lucaies,with the Caribes, and laftly the Ifles 

 call'd DeSotayento, viz. Margareta, Cabagua, and Tabago, arc by fome com- 

 prehended all under the general Name of The Ifles Antilles - y though others reckon 

 the Antilles to be the fame with the Caribes onely. But leaving this Controverfic 

 undecided, we fhall begin with the Ifles DeBarloVento, the chief whereof is Hw 

 fpaniola. 



rSSiJaSi Hifpaniola, or Little Spain (as Columbus nam'd it) is, though not the Urged, yet the 

 of Hifpamu. fai rc ft an j goodlieft of all the American Iflands, call'd by the Natives anciently Hayti 

 and Quifqueia s It lieth about fifteen Leagues Weftward of Porto P(ico, and didant 

 from the main Land of America about one hundred and twenty; 'tis of a tri- 

 angular form,the fliarped Point whereof is that towards Porto <%ico, which they call 

 Cabo de Enganno : that towards the Wed inclines to a Semicircle, containing a 

 good and convenient Bay betwixt the two Points, vi<. St. Nicholas to the North, 

 and Cabo de Donna Maria towards the South. It is not thought to be lefs than a 

 hundred and fifty Leagues in length, and in breadth fromthreefcore to thirty, and 

 to contain in the compafs of the whole, four hundred Leagues at lead, lying be* 

 twixt eighteen and twenty Degrees of Northern Latitude, having an Air fome what 

 infefted with the Morning Heats,but well cool'd again in the Afternoon, by a con- 

 ftant Wind from the Sea, which they call there Virafon. It is, for the fertility of the 

 Soil, one of the richeft and mod flourifhing Countreys in the World ; the Trees 

 and all things elfe there continually clad, as it were, in their Summer Livery, 

 the Meadows and Padures always green, and of fuch an excellent Herbage, that 

 Cattelboth breed and thrive there beyond belief; both great Cattel and fmall, as 

 Kine, Sheep, Hogs, Orr. brought thither out of Spain, having multiply'd to fuch 

 numbers, that they live wild now in Herds in feveral places, and are both hunted 

 and kill'd, like Stags or other Venifon, onely for their Hides, which they fend yearly 

 into Spain and other parts of Eur cpe, as a great Merchandize and Commodity of 

 huge profit to them. 



The 



