ROCELLA TINCTORIA. 
IT 
hundred from his parlo'ur-window, most of which were 
whalers. We are told that the only article with which 
ships are ever freighted from Porto Praya is a dye-wood, 
or rather dye-moss, if I may so call it. It is of the lichen 
family, grows upon the rocks and trees in the shape of a 
heavj'', dense moss, and yields a rich purple colour. This 
colour, however, though heautifiil beyond conception in 
its richness, is, unfortunately, not durable. For export it 
is bruised between stones and then combined with lime 
and urine. Its proper name is Rocella tinctoria, and the 
quantity annually exported does not exceed fifty or sixty 
tons a year. 
“Yesterday Captain Collins called away his gig, gave 
out that he was going on shore, and offered a passage to 
any of the mess who might feel like going along. So 
Purser Eitchie and myself took advantage of it, and were 
pulled to the landing. We then indulged in a hot walk 
of twenty minutes along the beach and up the stony road 
of the bluff, and at the end of that time found ourselves 
in the roomy and well-ventilated apartments of the Ame- 
rican Consulate. 
“ There we looked around in vain for Mr. Morse, the 
acting consul, and finally settled down into his large arm- 
chairs and commenced to recover a reasonable amount 
of coolness; after which we partook of his stone-filtered 
water, and, despairing of his speedy return, sallied out 
to accomplish the main object of our visit, — ^to see our 
Avasherwoman, and reimpress it upon her mind that our 
clothes must be on board before the hour of sailing. 
“ The purser and myself were now walking through 
Porto Praya for the first time, while the captain, being an 
2 
