EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 



vulnerable, and, of courfe, to engage without fear : by c 

 which deceit he has naoft certainly done much good to ^ 

 the colony, and at the fame time filled his pockets with 

 no inconiiderable profit to himfelf ; while his perfon by 

 the blacks is adored and refpedted like a God. The trafli 

 of which his amulets are made coils him in reality no- 

 thing ; being neither more nor lefs than a colle6lion of 

 fmall pebbles, fea-fhells, cut hair, fifh-bones,- feathers, 

 8cc. the whole fewed up together in fmall packets, which 

 are tied with a firing of cotton round the neck, or fomc 

 other part of the bodies of his credulous votaries. 



But'befides thefe, and many other artful contrivances, 

 he had the good fortune, in 1730, to find out the valuable 

 root known by the name of ^acia. bitter^ of which he 

 was a6lually the firfl difcoverer, and from which it took 

 its name : and, notwithflanding this medicine is now 

 lefs in repute in England than formerly, it is highly 

 efteemed in many other parts of the world for its efficacy 

 in flrengthening the flomach and refloring the appetite. 

 It has, befides this valuable property, that of being a 

 powerful febrifuge^ and may be fuccefsfuUy ufed when 

 the bark is naufeated, a§. is frequently the cafe. 



In 1761, it was made known to Linn(2us by Mr. 

 d^Ahlberg, formerly mentioned ; and the Swedifh natura- 

 lift has fince written a treatife upon it. By this drug 

 alone Quacy might have amafTed riches, were he not 

 entirely abandoned to indolence and difhpation ; the con- 

 fequence of which is, a complication of loathfome dif- 



Y'y 2 tempers. 



