Ch. VIII. SOUTH AMERICA. 75 



fent ; but they foon return to the fame exceffes, not re- 

 membring, or rather choofing to forget, the melan- 

 choly coniequences. 



By what we could difcover, it is not the quality of 

 the brandy which proves fo pernicious, but the quan- 

 tity ; fome of our company making the experiment of 

 drinking fparingiy of this liquor after eating the gui- 

 neos, and repeating it feverai times without the lead 

 inconvenience. One method of dreffing them, among 

 feverai others, is to roaft them in their rind, and after- 

 wards flice them, adding a little brandy and fugar to 

 give them a firmnefs. In this manner we had them 

 every day at our table, and the Creoles themfelves ap- 

 proved of them. 



The papayas are from fix to eight inches in length, 

 and refemble a lemon, except that towards the Itaik 

 they are fomewhat lefs than at the other extremity. 

 Their rind is green, the pulp white, very juicy, but 

 ftringy, and the tafte a gentle acid, not pungent. This 

 is the fruit of a tree, and not, like the pine-apple and 

 platano, the produdl of a plant. The guayaba and the 

 following are alfo the fruit of trees. 



The guanabana approaches very near the melon, 

 but its rind is much fmoother, and of a greenifh co- 

 lour. Its pulp is of a yellowifh caft, like that of fome 

 melons, and not very different in tafie. But the 

 greateft diftindlion between thefe tvv^o fruits is a nau- 

 feous fmell in the guanabana. The feed is round, of 

 a fhining dark colour, and about two lines in diameter. 

 It confifls of a very fine tranfparent pellicle, and a 

 kernel folid and juicy. The fmell of this little feed is 

 much flronger and more naufeous. The natives fay, 

 that, by eating this feed, nothing is to be apprehended 

 from the fruit, which is otherwife accounted heavy 

 and hard of digeftion ; but, though the feed has no ill 

 tafie, the ftomach is offended at its fmell. 



The fapotes are round, about two inches in circum- 

 ference, the rind thin and eafily feparated from the 



, fruit. 



