NATURAL HISTORY. a 
our currants. The ripe feeds are about the fize ofa 
large currant, which turns, in drying, froma red to 
a black colour. It is faid the common white pepper 
is only the black firipped of g's outward fkin, which 
is effected by fteeping it in fea water, then drying and 
rubbing itin the fand. There is, however, a natural 
white pepper poffeifing all the qualities of the black. 
Three forts of black pepper are brought from the 
Faftindies by the Englifh and Dutch, which only dif- 
fer in the places from whence they are brought: The 
fineft comes from Malabar. ‘The tree or butfh bear- 
ing the Jamaica pepper grows nearly like the Bar- 
berry, except not being fo high, and having no pric- 
kles. The berries refemble thofe of the juniper, 
poffefs an aromatic tafte, which, ‘partaking of thofe 
of all other fpices, has caufed it to be called a// /pice. 
‘This pepper grows plentifully in many of the planta- 
tions in Jamaica. 

Sed NERCREHH$04— 

GINGER PLANT. 
| ‘Vas plant is called the club reed; from the root 
of whichis the ginger, which, at the end of every 
root, isin form like a-foot: ‘The leaves of the plant 
are long, large and of a deep green: And the 
whole flower refembling a club, has caufed it to be 
called by fome the c/ub reed, and by others ginger 
with a elub flower. Ginger confifts of one fort 
which is white and mealy, and another which is black . 
and hard; the firft is the moft efteemed. Both the 
Eaft and Wett Indies produce ginger : In the Antilles 
it is greatly cultivated: But the greateft quantities . 
are imported from the leeward iflands or Barbadoes, 
Nevis, St. Chriftopher and Jamaica. Little is now 
brought from the Eaftindies, except what comes as 
confectionary, and is called green ginger, which they 


