KORTH AMERICA, 
477 
towards the tops or extremities of the branches 
they became trifid, haftated, and laftly lanceolate : 
it is a delicate plant, of a yellowifh lively green, 
and would be an ornament in a garden. 
Sat off again to Cambelton, continuing yet up 
the North Weft about fixty miles ; crofTed over 
this branch, and foon after croffed the Roanoke, 
and then refted a few days at Mr. Lucas's, a wor, 
thy old gentleman, a planter on Meherren riven 
Obferved drolling over his fences and (tables, a 
very fmgular and ufeful fpecies of the Gourd 
(Cucurbita lagenaria) ; its neck or handle is above 
two feet in length, and not above an inch in diame- 
ter • its belly round, which would contain about a 
pint ; it makes excellent ladles, funnels, &'c. At 
a little diftance from Mr. Lucas's, at the head of a 
fwamp near the high road, I obferved a very curious 
fpecies of Prinos, which grows feven or eight feet 
high, the leaves broad, lanceolate, fharply ferrated, 
nervous, and of a deep green colour ; but its fink- 
ing beauty confifts in profufe clufters of fruit, col- 
lected about the cafes or origin of the laft fpring's 
moots ; thefe berries are nearly round, about the 
fize of middling grapes, of a fine clear fcarlet co- 
lour, covered or inverted with an incarnate mift.or 
nebulae. 
Being now arrived on the South border of Vir- 
ginia, and. the hoary frigid feafon far advanced, I 
fhall pafs as fpeedily as pofiible from hence to Penn- 
fylvania, my native country ; fmce thofe cultivated 
regions of Virginia and Maryland, through which 
I defign to travel, have been over and over ex- 
plored, and defcribed by very able men in ever v. 
branch of natural hiliory. 
After leaving Meherren, I foon arrived at 
.Alexaadjk 
