Temp.rature 

 of the Air. 



Nature of 

 the Soil. 



tt* AMERICA. Chap. XVIII. 



The Air of all thefc Iflands is of a good temperature and healthy, and the Heat 

 not fo exceflivc in them at any time of the year, as might be conje&ur'd from their 

 Situation under the Torrid Zone, by reafon of a gentle Eaft Wind, which rifing in the 

 Morning, continues moil commonly till towards the Evening, allaying the fcorch- 

 ing heat of the Sun, and refrefliing the Air . but the Nights are commonly very 

 cold ; and it is obfcrvable, that by how much the hotter any Day hath been, fo 

 much the colder the Night following happens to be . whereof this reafon is given, 

 That the Vapors rais'd in the Day-time by the Sun, and falling down condensed at 

 Night, do very much cool the Air ; but it is never fo cold as to Freeze. 



For half a year together Day and Night are equal in thefe Parts, and the reft of 

 the Year the Day fourteen hours long, and the Night ten. 



From April to December there commonly fall here great Rains, and all that Seafon 

 is accounted Winter, and the Drought and Heat of the other Moncths is taken for 

 Summer • but the Woods of thefe Parts looking ever green, make as it were con- 

 tinual Summer. 



The Soil is generally as fertile as in moft places of Europe, and each Ifland fur- 

 nilh'd with fair Rivers, Brooks, Lakes, Springs, Wells, and other Sources of frcft 

 Water, befides in many places Mineral Waters, which are us'd with good fuccefs 

 in the cure of fcveral Difeafcs - alfo out of fomc Mountains (tore of Brimftone 

 is digg'd,and it is conjectur'd that there are not wanting Mines of Gold and Silver, 

 if they were well look'd after . and there hath been often found Cryftal upon the 

 Sands by Rivers fides. 



The Vine, though wild, and naturally growing in the Woods, yet yields a very 

 £* Crf,l/ " lar g c fair Grape ; and thofe which are cultivated in their Gardens or Vineyards, 

 bear excellent Grapes twice a year, but very little Wine is made of them, in regard 

 they find it will keep but very few days. 



Wheat in the Qaribbees grows up no farther than the Blade, and the reafon is 

 judg d to be, becaufe through the ranknefs of the Soil,and for want of Winter,this 

 Grain fprings up faft, and hath not fubftance enough left in the Root to fupply it 

 up to maturity . but no doubt but Barley, Rye, and thofe other Grains, to the ripe- 

 ning of which more Heat is requir'd, would thrive there very well. 



Befides Lemmon-Trees, Orange-Trees, Citrons, and Pomegranates, and other 

 Fruit-Trees growing in Europe, there are very many forts of Trees, Herbs, Pulfe, 

 and other Plants, of a different kind from thofe amongft us, and peculiar for the 

 moft part to thefe Iflands. 



Of Fruit-Trees, the moftobfervable are the Goyavier, fomewhat refembling the 

 Laurel, onely having a fofter Leaf, and of a brighter Green . -its Eruit about the 

 bignefs of a Pearmain, but full of little Kernels like a Pomegranate. 



ThcPapayer, which is of two kinds, one generally growing in all the Iflands, the 

 other proper to Santa Crux ; the firft hath a Leaf not much unlike that of the Fig- 

 Tree, and the other bears a Fruit about the bignefs of a Melon, which by the Por- 

 tuguefe is call'd Mamao, from its refcmblance of a Womans Breaft : the Tree is hol- 

 low and Ipungy within, and grows up fometimes to the heighth of twenty Foot. 



The Monick, call'd by the Iflandcrs Corfot, from the Name of an Ifland fiom 

 whence the Seeds were firft brought by the Dutch, and bearing a Fruit like a fmall 

 Cucumber not perfectly ripe. 



The Junipa, or Jenipa, by the Vortuguefe call'd Jenipapo \ and by the Srafilians, Jeni* 

 paba - having Leaves like thofe of the WalnutVTree, Flowers like the J^arcijfus, 

 and a Fruit like a bak'd Apple, which when it falls from the Tree makes a noife 

 like the Report of a Gun difcharg'd, which is faid to proceed from the burfting 



forth 



Vine* grow 

 ing naturally 



Wheat not 

 apt to grow 

 there. 



Fruit- Trees • 



'•/,*' 



