226 AVOYAGETO Book VII!. 



is a foft rpongy fubilance. This fpiir, or bone, for it 

 refeoibles both, is liich a prefcnt remedy for the tooth- 

 ach, that the point of it being applied to the part 

 affecled, it entirely removes the pain in half an hour. 

 The firfl account I had of this fmgular virtue was from 

 a Frenchman, who was my pilot; but as reafon 

 Vv'ould not permit me to give credit, without expe- 

 rience, to a circumftance leemingly lb void of proba- 

 bility, the aiTeverations of the man increafed my de- 

 fire of putting it to the proof, which I did feveral 

 times, and always with fucctfs I did not fail to 

 commAinicate a difcovery of fuch great benefit ; and 

 accordingly feveral of my acquaintance, who laboured 

 under that excruciatingly pain, made trial of it, and 

 found from it the fame happy effedis ; w^ith this par- 

 ticular circumftance, that foon after the application of 

 the bone to the part aSecled, it became infenfible of 

 pain, a drowfmefs fucceeded, and they awaked free 

 from the torture. I obferved that the fpongy fiibflance 

 at the root, during the operation, became gradually in- 

 flated, and fofter than in its natural (late, wliich 

 could not be effeded folely by the moifture of the 

 mouth, the part put into it being compad, hard, and 

 fmooth as ivory. I am therefore inclined to think that 

 it has an attradive virtue, which extracts the morbific 

 humour, and collects it in the root, llie common 

 length of thefe anodyne fpurs, or bones, is tv/o inches 

 and a half, of which one m.oiety, together with the 

 root, is within the body of the fifh. Each face of the 

 triangle is about four lines in breadth. They are 

 taken in the fame plenty as the others. 



The abundance of fifh about thefe iOands is fuch, 

 that two hours fiHiing in the morning, and as many 

 in the evening, with only fix or eight nets, pro- 

 cured not only a fufficiency for all the Slip's company, 

 but a confiderable quantity remained for faking. 

 The chief kinds are cod, berrugates, tlie fpur fifh, 

 fole, turbet, jureles, and lobfters ; befides an infmite 



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