184 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



account of the differences of their nature, could not fuc- 

 ceed in Europe. But what advantage is it to Europeans 

 that Afia has abundance while it is at fo great a diftance ? 

 On the contrary, the Mexicans being furrounded by 

 countries of every fort of climate, enjoy all their differ- 

 ent fruits. The market of Mexico, like that of many 

 other cities of America, is the emporium of all the gifts 

 of nature. There we find apples, peaches, apricots, 

 pears, grapes, cherries, camotes^ xicames, and other nu- 

 merous fruits, roots, and favory herbs, which cool and 

 temperate climes yield ; ananas, mufas, cocoas, anonas, 

 chirimoyas, mameys, chicozapotes, zapotes, and many 

 others which hot countries produce ; melons, cucum- 

 bers, oranges, pomegranates, and others which cold or 

 hot countries equally produce. At all feafons of the 

 year their market is abundantly provided with variety of 

 excellent fruits, even at thofe times when the Europeans 

 muft content themfelves with their chefnuts, or at moft 

 with apples and grapes, which their induftry has pre- 

 ferved. Through all the year, even in the feverity of 

 winter, veffels enter their market by one of the innume- 

 rable canals of the city, loaded with fuch variety of 

 fruits, flowers, and herbs, that it feems as if all the fea- 

 fons of the year offered their productions at once ; the 

 moft valuable plants of Europe, as well as all the native 

 productions of Mexico being collected there ; which all 

 Europeans who have viiited that part can teftify. 



Nor is that land lefs abundant in plants of medicinal 

 nature. To be fatisfied of this truth, it will be fufficient 

 to look into the work of the celebrated naturalift Her- 

 nandez ; in which nine hundred plants, that are for the 

 moft part produced in the neighbourhood of Mexico, 

 are defcribed and defigned, whofe virtues have been as- 

 certained 



