of the Ifthmus of America.' 323 



Leaf it felf feems to be nothing but a Congeries of 

 Strings inclos'd with a Skin on each Side. They 

 twift thefe Strings as they do thofe of the Maho- 

 tree, and make of them Ropes for Hammocks, 

 Cordage of all Sorts, but efpecially a finer kind of 

 Nets for fmall Fifh. In Jamaica the Shoomakers 

 ufe this to few with, as being ftronger than any 

 other. The Spanifh Women make Stockings of it, 

 which are called Silk-grafs Stockings, and are fold very 

 dear. They make of it alfo a kind of yellowifh 

 Lace, which is much bought and worn by the Mo- 

 Jlefa- Women in the Weft-Indian Plantations. 



There grows here a Tree about the Bignefs of an Light- 

 Elm, the Wood of which is very light, and we WopJU 

 therefore call it Light-wood. The Tree is very 

 ftreight and well-bodied, and has a great Leaf like 

 a Wall-nut. A Man may carry a great Quantity of 

 the Wood when cut down : Its Subftance referable^ 

 Cork, and is of a whitifh Colour but the Grain o!f- 

 it is rougher than Fir, or coarfer yet, like that of 

 the Cotton-Tree. I know not whether it has that 

 fpongy Elafticity that Cork has ; yet I fliould think 

 it an excellent Wood for making Tomkins or Stop- 

 ples for Muzzles of great Guns. 'Tis fo very light 

 in Water that 3 or 4 Logs of it, about as thick as 

 one's Thigh and about 4 Foot long, (hall make a 

 Rafter on which 2 or 3 Men may go out to Sea. 

 The Indians make large Rafters of it upon Occafi- 

 on after this Manner : They take Logs of this 

 Wood not very big, and bind them together colla- 

 terally with Maho Cords, making of them a kind 

 of Floor. Then they lay another Range of Logs 

 a-crofs thefe, at fome Diftance from each other, 

 and peg them down to the former with long Pins of 

 Maccaw-wood *, and the Wood of the Float is fa 

 foft, and tenacious withal, that it eafily gives Ad- 

 mittance to the Peg upon driving, and clofes fait 

 about it. The Floats* were they boarded, would 



Y 2 referable 



