177 



Dr. Robinfbn to Mr. Ray. 



S IRi London^ March 10.-84. 



I Have enclofed fome Sugar of the firft Boiling got 

 out of the Juice of the wounded Maple. Mr. sjJIo- 

 fon (our Secretary) gave it me for you , 'twas feat 

 him from Canada^ where the Savages prepare it out 

 of the afore-mentioned Liquor, 8 Pints whereof af- 

 fords a Pound of Sugar. If yqu have any of thefe 

 Trees near you, or the Birchy or any other weeping 

 Trees, I wifh you would make a Trial, proceeding as 

 in the Juice of the Sugar-Cane. The Indians of Q'dy 

 nada. have pra&ifed this Time out of Mind : The 

 French begin now to refine it, and to make great Ad- 

 vantages. 



Mr. Ray in Anfiver to Dr. RoLinfon* 



YOurs of the 10 th Inftant I received laft Poft, and 

 therein an enclofed Specimen of the Canada- Sit - 

 gar^ &c. a thing to me itrange and unheard-of before. 

 It were, as you iuggefr, well worth the experiment- 

 ing whether the like might be gotten by boiling up 

 the Juices of any of our weeping Trees 5 tho' I con- 

 feis I doubt much of the Succefs. For, firft, there 

 are fo few Trees common to the new and old World, 

 that it is likely this may be a Sort of Maple fpecifi- 

 cally diftin£t from any of ours. But, fecondly, fup- 

 pofe it be not, it may yield a Saccharine Juk$ in Amu- 

 rica 7 and yet not in England; as we (ee the JjJj-tree 



A a yields 



