TRAVELS IN 
70 
ver white flowers, each refembling a tulip or lily, 
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 fhining, 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 tw r o or three items, which feem of 
equal height and thicknefs, and indeed nearly of the 
fame thicknefs with the main ftem ; 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 loon 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 predeceifors, 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 
fometimes 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 
