NARRATIVE OF AN 



apples that I found on this eftate.— The firft I have al- 

 ready defcribed ; and, though often confounded with the 

 latter, it is a very diftindl fruit upon the whole. The china 

 apples, or civil oranges, as they are ufually called, differ in 

 this from the other oranges, that they are more lucid, and 

 of a more favoury tafte; that the fhell is fmoother, thin- 

 ner, and not fo deep coloured ; and particularly, that while 

 the oranges may be eaten in any quantity, without per- 

 nicious confequences, the immoderate ufe of the china 

 apples is by long experience in this colony found to pro- 

 duce very dangerous effedts. This fruit being here much 

 the fame as that which comes from Lifbon, it is fuppofed 

 to have been imported at firft (as was the other) by the 

 Portuguefe or the Spaniards ; and it may well be con- 

 ceived, that in thofe countries, where it drops ripe from 

 the trees in golden clufters, it muft be incomparably 

 more delicious than it can ever be tafted in Great Britain, 

 being fent thither green, after which it indeed becomes 

 orange, but can never arrive to its proper ftate of matu- 

 rity. As for the fine fragrance that is difFufed through 

 all this colony, by the continued groves of orange-blof- 

 foms and odoriferous fruits that it produces, it can be 

 more eafily conceived than defcribed. I alfo found fome 

 fine lemons on this eftate, which however are here thick 

 Ihelled, but very large. There are alfo a fpecies of 

 fweet ones, which are fmaller, and which have, in my 

 opinion, a very infipid tafte. 



Having mentioned Monf. de Cachelieu's fine fruit, I 



ought 



