too HISTORY OF THE [book v 
INDIGO, 
THE plant which yields the valuable commo¬ 
dity called Indigo, (probably so named from India, 
where it was first known to be manufactured),* 
grows spontaneously in all the West Indies. In 
the British Sugar Islands, they reckon three dis¬ 
tinct species: the Wild, Guatimala, and French. 
The first is said to be the hardiest, and the dye 
extracted from it is supposed to be of the best 
quality both in colour and closeness of grain; but 
one of the other two species is commonly preferred 
by the planter as yielding a greater return 5 and 
of those, the French surpasses the Guatimala in 
quantity ; but yields to it in fineness of grain and 
beauty of colour.f 
* L’Abbe Raynal by a grass mistake asserts, that the plant itself 
was originally carried tothe West Indies from the East. It was found 
growing spontaneously in all parts of St. Domingo, by Columbus 
himself, on the first discovery of the West Indies} and was indige¬ 
nous also in Mexico, and other parts of the continent, as appears 
from the testimony of Pet. Martyr and all the early Spanish writers, 
not one of whom does it seem that L’Abbe Raynal ever read. 
•j- The wild indigo ( indigofera argentea ) has short crooked pods and 
black seeds : the Guatimala is distinguished by the redness of th§ 
stalk, and the colour of the seeds, which are green. This is the indigo¬ 
fera dispermea of Linnaeus. The French is a short bushy plant, with 
roundish leaves. It has long crooked pods, and its seeds are yellow. 
The French call it Indigo Franc. It is the indigojera timtoria of Lin 
nseus. 
