The Hi/lory of BookI. 



made in the trunks of thefe Trees, they will yield abundance 

 of Gum, whereof there might be a good ufe made, if any 

 tryal had been made of it. 



ACOMAS. 



THe-Aww^isaTree grows up to the height and bulk of 

 the Acajou, and is no lefs efteem'd by Carpenters and 

 Joyners. Its leaves are fmooth and long enough : It bears a 

 fruit of the bignefs of a Plumb, which come to maturity, is of a 

 yellow colour, pleafant to the eye, but too bitter to be mans- 

 meat. The Wood-Quifts grow fat on it at a certain time of 

 the year, and during that time 9 their flelh is of the lame tafte 

 as the fruit they have eaten. The bark is of an Afti-colour, 

 and very rough, the wood heavy and eafily polifrYd, and ac- 

 cording to the places where it grows, the heart of it is red, or 

 yellowilh, or inclining to violet. If the bark be opened, there 

 will come forth a milky liquor, which grows hard like Gum, 



KOS E-W 0 0D. 



T He wood called Rofe-mod is fit not only for the Car- 

 penter, but alfo for the Joyner 5 and therefore is nun> 

 bred among themoft confiderable. And here we cannot but 

 acknowledg, that if the ancient Inhabitants of the Caribbies 

 had any defign to make a firm fetlement of themfelves there, 

 they might find not only things requifite for their fubfiftance, 

 but alfo delicacies and curiofities, as well in order to their 

 nouriftimentand cloathing, as to the building of their Houfes, 

 and the furniftiing of them when they are built. But the flat- 

 tering imaginations of a return into the place of their birth, 

 whereof mofthave their hearts full, induce them to a neglecl: 

 of all thofe confiderable advantages which thefe Iflands pre- 

 fentthem withall, and an indifFerency, if not a contempt, for 

 that abundance of precious things which they fo liberally pro- 

 duce. For not to fay any thing at prefent how eafily they 

 might makes StufTes of the Cotton growing here 5 how they 

 might keep all forts of Fowl, and tameCattel, which breed 

 there as abundantly as in any place in the World , they might, 

 no doubt , enrich themfelves very much by feveral forts of 

 precious wood, through the Trade they might drive into fe- 

 veral parts of Europe, fince they think not fit to make ufe of 

 them in order to the better accommodation of their habitati- 

 ons. The defcription we (hall make of fome of thefe rare 

 Trees in this and the next Chapter will make good this Pro- 

 portion. 



Of thefe, as we faid before, the Rofe-wood is to be ranked 

 among the chiefeft. This Tree grows to a height proporti- 

 onable 



40 



