TRAVELS IN 
70 
ver white flowers, each refembling a tulip or illy* 
Thefe flowers are fucceeded by a large fruit, nearly 
of the form and fize of a {lender cucumber, which 
when ripe, is of a deep purple colour, the fkin 
fmooth and ihining, its pulp foft, very juicy, and 
of an agreeable aromatic flavour, but rather bitter 
to the tafte; it is, however, frequently eaten, but 
if eaten to excefs, proves violently purgative. The 
feeds are numerous, flat, and lunated. 
The plant, or tree, when grown old, fometimes 
divides into two or three Items, which feem of 
equal height and thicknefs, and indeed nearly of the 
fame thicknefs with the main Item ; but generally, 
when they arrive to this age and magnitude, their 
own weight brings them to the ground, where they 
foon decay, the heart or pith firft, leaving a hol- 
low fibrous reticulated trunk or fleeve, which like- 
wife foon after decays, and in fine, all is again re- 
duced to its original earth, and replaces the vege- 
tative mould. But the deceafed are foon replaced 
by others, as there are younger ones of all ages and 
ftature, ready to fucceed their predeceffors, and 
flourifh for a time, with the fame regal pomp and 
fplendor. Thefe plants are fo multitudinous, where- 
ever they get a footing, that the earth is completely 
occupied by them, and fcarcely any other vege- 
table is to be feen, where they are ; yet they are 
fcmetimes fcattered amongft other trees and vege- 
tables. 
In three days after leaving Amelia, we arrived 
at the Cow-ford, a public ferry, over St. John's, 
about thirty miles above the bar or capes, the river 
here being above a mile wide. 
> - 
Mr. Egan, after procuring a neat little fail-boat 
for 
