72 A VOYAGE TO^ Book I. 



it has carried its bounty ftill farther in adding a vaft 

 number of delicious fruits, which evidently difplay 

 the exuberance of the foil. Nothing llrikes a fpec- 

 tator with greater admiration, than to fee fuch a va- 

 riety of pompous trees, in a manner emulating each 

 other, through the whole year, in producing the moft 

 beautiful and delicious fruits. Some refemble thofe 

 of Spain-, others are peculiar to the country. Among 

 the former, fome are indeed cultivated, the latter 

 flourifh fpontaneoufly. 



Those of the fame kind with the SpaniQi fruits are 

 melons, water-melons, called by the natives Blanciac, 

 grapes^ oranges, medlars, and dates. The grapes are 

 not equal to thofe of Spain \ but the medlars as far 

 exceed them with regard to the reft, there is no 

 great difference. 



Among the fruits peculiar to the country, the pre- 

 ference, doubtlefs, belongs to the pine-apple ; and ac- 

 cordingly its beauty, fmell, and tafte, have acquired it 

 the appellation of queen of fruits. The others are the 

 papayas, [guanabanas, guayabas, fapotes, mameis, 

 platanos, cocos, and many others, which it would be te- 

 dious to enumerate, efpecially as thefe are the prin- 

 cipal and therefore it will be fufficient to confine 

 our defcriptions to them. 



The ananas or pine- apple, fo called from its refemb- 

 ling the fruit or the cones of the European pine-tree, 

 is produced by a plant nearly refembling the aloe, ex- 

 cept that the leaves of the pine-apple are longer, but 

 not fo thick, and moft of them ftand near the ground 

 in a horizontal pofition ; but as they approach nearer 

 -the fruit, they diminifh in length, and become lefs ex- 

 panded. This plant feldom grows to above three feet 

 in height, and terminates in a flower refembling a lily, 

 but of fo elegant a crimfon, as even to dazzle the eye. 

 The pine-apple makes its firft appearance in the center 

 of the fiower, about the fize of a nut •, and as this in- 

 ^xreafeSj the luftre of the flower fades, and the leaves 



. expand 



