8 4 
TRAVELS IN 
banks of the MifTiflippi ; yet even thefe mufl yield 
to thofe of St Juan, in neatnefs of form, beauty of 
foliage, and, I think, in largenefs and fragrance 
of flower. Their ufual height is about one hun- 
dred feet, and fome greatly exceed that. The 
trunk is perfectly erect, rifmg in the form of a beau- 
tiful column, and fupporting a head like an obtufe 
cone. The Mowers are on the extremities of the 
fubdivifions of the branches, in the centre of a co- 
ronet of dark green, mining, ovate pointed entire 
leaves : they are large, perfectly white, and ex- 
panded like a full blown Rofe. They are polypeta- 
lous, conHMing. of fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five 
petals : thefe are of a thick coriaceous texture, and ' 
deeply concave, their edges being fomewhat reflex, 
when mature. In the center ftands the young cone ; 
which is large, of a fiefh colour, and elegantly flud- 
ded with a gold coloured ftigma, that by the end 
of fummer is greatly enlarged, and in the autumn 
ripens to a large crimfon cone or flrobile, difclofing 
multitudes of large coral red berries, which for a 
time hang down from them, fufpended by a fine, 
white, filky thread, four, fix, or even nine inches 
in length. The flowers of this tree are the larger! 
and moft complete of any yet known : when fully 
expanded, they are of fix, eight, and nine inches 
diameter. The pericarpium and berries polTefs an 
agreeable fpicy fcent, and an aromatic bitter 
taite. The wood when feafoned is of a ftraw co- 
lour, compact , and harder and firmer than that of 
the poplar. 
It is really aflonifliing to behold the Grape- Vines 
in this place. From their bulk and ftrength, one 
would imagine, they were combined to pull down 
thefe mighty trees to the earth ; when, in fact 7 
arnongft 
