( 2 5 0 ' J 



produces its fruit in water ; this fruit is fharp, and 

 is made into a confection. The white- thorn is 

 found along rivulets, and produces a quantity of 

 fruit with a treble kernel ; this is the food of feve- 

 ral wild beads. What they call here the cotton- 

 tree, is a plant which fprouts like afparagus, to the 

 heighth of about three feet, and at the end grow 

 feveral tufts of flowers. In the morning before the 

 dew has fallen off, they fhake the flowers, and there 

 fails from it, with the humidity, a kind of honey, 

 which by boiling is reduced to a kind of fugar. 

 The feed is formed in a fort of pod, which contains 

 a kind of very fine cotton. 



The foleil is another very common plant in the 

 fields of the Indians, and which rifes to the height 

 of feven or eight feet. Its flower, which is very 

 thick has much the fame figure with that of the 

 marigold, and the feed is difpofed in the fame man-* 

 ner the Indians extract an oil from it by boiling, 

 with which they anoint their hair. The legumes 

 they cultivate mod, are, Maize, or Turkey-corn, 

 French-beans, gourds, and melons. They have a 

 fort of gourds fmaller than ours, and which tafte 

 much of fugar they boil them whole in water, or 

 roaft them under the afhes, and fa eat them with- 

 out any other preparation. 



The Indians were acquainted before our arrival 

 in their country with the common and water me- 

 lon. The former are as good as thofe in France, 

 efpecially in this ifland, where they are in great 

 plenty. The hop- plant and capilaire are likewife 

 the natural produce of Canada ^ but the latter 

 grows to a much greater height, and is infinitely 

 better than in France. I now finifli a letter, by 



which 



