EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 357 



*< Do6lor Harvey ufed it often. Voltaire lived almoft en- CHAP. 



XXIX 



tirely on it ; and the learned and fedentary of every ^_ _ J ' 

 country have recourfe to it to refrelh the brain, op- 

 " prefled by ftudy and contemplation." 



With the above defcription I muft conclude the obfer- 

 Vations which I have been able to make on fuch of the 

 Tegetable prodai6tions of this colony, as have offered 

 themfelves to my examination. But fo abnndant is the 

 variety, and fo extraordinary the properties, of the trees, 

 plants, roots, &c. of this country, that by far the greater 

 number are as yet perfectly unknown to the oldeft inha- 

 bitants of this fettlement, and to all the world befides. 



A few years ago a Count Gentelly, an ingenious noble- 

 man, travelled through the defarts of Guiana with fome 

 Indians, and had acquired confiderable knowledge in this 

 his favourite ftudy. But alas ! his labours, which pro- 

 mifed fair to be of material benefit to the Botanic So- 

 ciety, and to mankind in general, were interrupted by a 

 fever, which, owing to his exceffive fatigue, he caught at 

 the River Correntine, and cut him off in the midft of his 

 iifeful and entertaining refearches. 



Having now concluded my account of the different 

 producStions of the colony, particularly cotton, fugar, ca- 

 cao, indigo, and coffee, to which it is indebted for its 

 riches; and having once more repeated that the different 

 trees, fhrubs, plants, roots, gums, and perfumes, are 

 equally as innumerable as they are excellent ; I cannot 



have 7L fairer opportunity of fulfilling my promife of 



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fubmitting 



