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Bourracourra, as it is called by the 

 Indians, by the French, Bois du Lettre, 

 and by the Dutch, Letter Hout, is the 

 heart of a tree growing about thirty 

 feet in height, and confiding of many 

 branches : it is covered with a reddifh 

 brown bark. The trunk is of different 

 fizes, but feldom exceeds lixteen or eigh- 

 teen inches in diameter. Its leaves, 

 which are of a middle fize, are narrow 

 and pointed. The flowers are pentape- 

 talous, and of a purple colour : to thefe 

 fucceed fmall red berries. After hew- 

 ing off the white fap, which is very 

 thick, the heart of the tree is difcover- 

 ed, which is very fmall, feldom exceed- 

 ing twelve inches in circumference, in 

 a tree whofe diameter is fixteen inches. 

 Hence, great labour is required to ob- 

 tain a very fmall piece of this wood, 

 which, with its unequalled beauty, and 

 the fcarcity of the trees, has rendered it 

 of great value even in this country, where 



timber 



