of the Ifland of Barbudoes. 



79 



upward j and where they clofe, one to cover them, with the hollow j 

 fide downward, and fo the whole houfeover. And this was the ufel 

 they made of the bodies ofthefe Trees, for which 3 very many of them i 

 were deftroyed. j 

 Butjl doubt, I have tir'd you with naming fo many Trees,and there- ! 

 fore I will give over 5 but with this rule, that which way ibever I have I 

 travelled ( from the place I dwelt) either Eaft, Weft, North,or South, j 

 f but four miles diftant ) I have ftill found trees, fuch as I had never j 

 feen before, and not one of thofe I have named, and many of them | 

 extreamly large and beautiful. And the nearer the middle of the 

 Ifland, the larger the trees, and the leaves 5 fo that from trees of a hun- 

 dred foot high, to a diminution of twenty^and from leaves of eighteen 

 inches long, with a proportionable breadth to that length, to the Imall 

 onesofhalfan inch, which moft of the trees bear that are near the 

 Bridge, and, [ think, near the Sea, every where you (hall find many, 

 and the moft fiich. And the reafon I have given before 5 the land in 

 the higheft part of the Ifland being very rich mould, and that near the 

 Sea being a fandy light earth. And in the partings or twifts of the 

 branches of thofe trees, ( which I have not named ) fuch excrefeen- 

 ces grow out,as are ftrange for their formes, and no doubt medicinable 

 in their natures , fuch as is our Mijleto^ or Polypodmm^and much larger, 

 and more frequent , but we want skilfull men to find out their ver- 



tues. 



There are (befides the Bay-leaves, which, as I told you» might 

 forve for Cloves, Mace, and Cinamon) two forts of Spices, Ginger, 

 and red-Pepper: The Ginger being a root which brings forth blades, 

 not unlike in lhape to the blades of Wheat, but broader and thicker, 

 for they cover the ground fo, as you cannot foe any part of it. They 

 are of a Popinjay colour, the bloffbme a pure Scarlet. When 'tis ripe, 

 wc dig up the roots, (cutting off the blades) and put them into the 

 handsofanOverfoer, who fots many of the young Negroes to forape 

 them with little knives, or fmall Ironipuds, ground to an edge. They 

 areto fcrape all the outward skin off, to kill the fpirit 5 for, without 

 that, it will perpetually grow. Thofo that have Ginger,and not hands 

 to drefs it thus, are compelled to foald it, to kill the fpirit 5 and that 

 Ginger is nothing fo good as the other, for it will be hard as wood,and 

 black, whereas the icrapt Ginger is white and foft, and hath a cleaner 

 and quicker tafte. 



There is of this kind two forts ^ the one fo like a chllds Coral, as 

 not to be difoerned at the diftance of two paces 5 a crimfon and foarlet 



and Ihines more than the beft 



mixt 



, the fruit about two inches long. 



poliftit Coral. The other of the fame colour, and gliftering as much, 

 but (hap't like a large Button of a Cl oak 5 both of one and the fame 

 quality 5 both fo violently ftrong, as when Vv'e break but the skin, it 

 fends out (iich a vapour into our Lungs, as we fall all a Coughing, 

 which lafts a quarter of an hour after the fruit is removed 3 but, as 

 long as we are garbling it, we never give over. This Spice the Spaniards 

 love, and will have it in all their meat, that they intend to have pi- 

 cant , for a greater Hough goe is not in the world. Garlitk is faint and 

 cool to it. It growes on a little ftirub, no bigger than a Gobsberry 

 bufti. Having 



