412 DOTTINGS ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chap. XXIV.— B. P. 
mahogany, would, when afloat, displace nearly one 
hundred tons less than if built of either of those 
woods; a most important consideration in the con¬ 
struction of our ironclads, and a fact which ought not 
to he overlooked by our naval authorities. One word 
more; the non-corrosion of metals is a very valuable 
property in this wood, as ascertained by the celebrated 
chemist Dr. Ure, who, having tested samples of Cen¬ 
tral American mahogany submitted to him for analysis, 
reported that “a decoction of the chips or shavings 
had hardly any chemical reaction, and scarcely affected 
iron and copper.” And, as a case in point, it is known 
that when the old Spanish frigate £ Prinoesa, ’ built of 
mahogany, was taken to pieces, so sound and tenacious 
were her iron fastenings that the men were paid double 
wages for extracting the holts. 
Before taking leave of Kisilala, I must say a few 
words about the Indians I met there, now the last rem¬ 
nant of a tribe once very numerous on the Blewfields 
river. Their total extinction is not far distant; indeed, 
their numbers at present, including men, women, and 
children, do not reach two hundred, and the birth 
of a child is quite an event. 
One very curious custom of these Indians I must 
mention, as another instance showing the craving for 
stimulants natural to the genus homo. They drink 
their cocoa boiling hot, and very highly seasoned with 
chili pepper freshly plucked from the shrub. One 
spoonful would he quite enough to scald the mouth 
and burn out the palate of any European, but the 
Indian swallows with impunity the contents of a large 
