Cap. VII. The Caribby-Iflands. 



onable to its bignefs. The trunk of it is commonly fo ftraic 5 

 that it is one of the greateft ornaments of the Caribbian Forefts* 

 It is cover'd with many fair boughs, and thofe loaden with fbft 

 leaves., downy on one fide, and neer as long as thofe of a Wall- 

 nut-tree* During the feafon of the Rains it bears white flow- 

 ers, of a good fcent, which growing in bufhes, or as it were 

 Pofies , add very much to the natural beauty of the Tree. 

 Thefe flowers are follow'd by a fmall blacikifti and fmooth feed. 

 The bark of the boal is of a whitifti-grey : The wood within is 

 of the colour of a dead leaf, and when the Smoothing-plane 

 and Polifher hath pafs'd upon it , there may be feen feveral 

 veins of different colours, waving up and down, which gives 

 italuftre, as if it were marbled: But the fweet (cent it cafts 

 forth while it is handled and wrought caufes it to be the more 

 efteem'd, and procur'd it the name it is now known by. Some 

 have irflagin'd,that that fweet fcent,which indeed is more plea- 

 fantthen that of aRofe, fhould have given it the name of Cy~ 

 prian-wood, and indeed in fome parts of the Caribbies it pafles 

 under that denomination. This Tree grows in all the Illands 

 after the fame fafhion, astothe external figure 5 but the wood 

 of it is marbled with divers colours, according to the difference 

 of the foil where it had its production and growth, 



INDIANWOOD. 



TH E Indian-wood is alfo a precious Tree, arid of good 

 fcent : Of this there is fuch abundance in the Ifland of 

 S. Croix, and feveral others, that there are in them whole Fo- 

 refts of it. It is not inferior to the Rofe-mood^ but grows big- 

 ger and higher when it meets with good ground. The roots of 

 it fpread themfelves very deep into the ground, and the trunk 

 is very ftrait : The bark is fmooth, thin, and even all over, of 

 a bright filver-grey colour, and in fome places inclining to yel- 

 low, which is a diftindion between this Tree and all others : It 

 flourifhes once a year, in the feafon of the Rains, and then it 

 renews fome part of its leaves. The wood of it is very fblid 

 and weighty, whence it comes that it may be polifh'd, and 

 fome Savages make their Clubs of it. Having taken off a Ver- 

 milion-pith which is under the barky there appears the heart of 

 the tree, which is extream hard, and of a Violet colour, for 

 which it is much efteemed by the curious. 



The good fcent of this tree confifts particularly in its leaves P 

 they are of the fame figure with thofe ohheGuava-trec^nd when 

 they are handled, they perfume the hands with afweeter fcent 

 then that of the Laurel: they derive to Meat and Sauces fo de- 

 licate a gujio, as might be attributed rather to a compoficion of 

 feveral Spices, then to a fimple leaf : It is ufed alfo in the Baths 

 prefcrib'd by Phyficiansto fbrtifiebruifed Nerves^ and dry up 



G the 



