purpose; they are then put into cold water, and scraped and peeled gradually: this operation may laft three or four days, during which time the roots are conftantly kept in water, but is frequently shifted, both for cleanlinefs and to take off more of their native acrimony. After they are well prepared in this manner; they are put into jars, and covered over with a thin fyrup, which, after two or three days, is shifted and a richer put on; and this is fometimes again removed, and a fourth put on ; but it seldom requires more than three fyrups to be well preferved: the fhifted fyrups are not, however, useless, for in thefe countries they are diluted and fer⚫mented into a small pleasant liquor, commonly called Cool • Drink. ८ As the botanic characters of this plant have been but imperfectly defcribed hitherto, and generally laid down from imperfect specimens, I have been induced to give them here at large, as they appear in the perfect ftate of the plant. Periantium. Spatha duplex uniflora, exterior membranacea co nica florem laxè cingens, interior membranacea tenuior et minor tubo floris adnata, et limbum cum genitalibus ftrictè involvens, in conum acuminatum leniterque compreffum producta. Corolla, et Monopetala, infernè angufta tubulata, germini inNectarium. cidens; limbus tripartitus, laciniis oblongo-ovatis medio majori: è finu huic oppofito emergit Nectarium craffum oblongo-ovatum, in acumen finuatum definens. Stamina. Piftillum. Filamenta duo tubo floris adnata; antheræ craffæ nectario adnata: rudimenta vero totidem fupernè libera per longitudinem tubi porrecta, nullifque antheris donata, lacinia majori floris fuppofita funt. Germen fubrotundum flori fuppofitum ; ftylus rectus fimplex longitudine floris, et inter antheras porrectus: ftigma craffius tubulatum et ciliatum. Pericarpium. Capfula fubrotunda unilocularis, obtusè-triloba, tribus lineis longitudinalibus internè notata. Plura, c. fed plerumque abortiunt. Semina. The root of this plant is a warm, pungent aromatic, and anfwers in all weakneffes of the ftomach and vifcera, · proceeding from cold, or inertion: when preserved, it is mild, and generally used as a ftomachic, tho' not less effec'tual in defluxions of the breaft, or weakness of the nerves; < but the other coarfer preparations of it, are ufed more by those who are obliged to bear the inclemency of the weather in colder regions, and require fome warm ftimulants to rarify their chilly juices, as well as to promote the tonic action of the nerves. • CEDRELA 2. Foliis pinnatis, floribus fparfis, ligno gra • viori. Arbor. Foliis pinnatis, &c. Catef. vol. II. t. 81. & Mil ⚫ler in Appen. Mahogany. This tree grew formerly very common in Jamaica; and * while it could be had in the low-lands, and brought to mar*ket at an eafy rate, furnished a very confiderable branch of the exports of that ifland; it thrives in moft foils, and varies both its grain and texture with each: that which grows among the rocks is fmaller, but very hard and weighty, of a ⚫ close grain and beautifully fhaded; while the produce of the low and richer lands is obferved to be more light and porous, ⚫ of a paler colour and open grain; and that of mixed foils to hold a medium between both. The tree grows very tall and ftraight, and generally bears a great number of Capfula in the feafon; the flowers are of a reddifh or faffron colour, and the fruit of an oval form, and about the fize of a turkey's egg, while that of the foregoing fpecies hardly ex'ceeds the fize of a nutmeg. The wood is generally hard, takes a fine polish, and is found to answer better than any other fort in all kinds of cabinet ware; it is now univerfally efteemed, and fells at a good price; but it is pity that it is not cultivated in the more convenient wafte lands of that ifland. It is a very ftrong timber, and answers very well in beams, joifts, plank, boards, and fhingles; and has been frequently put to thofe ufes in Jamaica in former times," Surely the best methods of cultivating a tree more than once recommended, and, indeed, from whence Great Britain has been no less benefitted than ornamented, deserved our Naturalift's enquiry; but of that we have not one word. THEOBROMA 2. Fručtu ovato-acuminato, fubverrucofo, decem fulcis longitudinalibus fubarato. Cachaos. Mart. 369. The Chocolate tree, with long pods. THEOBROMA 3. Fructu fubrotundo, fubverrucofo, decem fulcis fubarato. Theobroma foliis integerrimis. L. Sp. Pl. & H. C. Cacao. Ger. Ema. &c. Slo. Cat. 134. & H. t. 160. * Cacao. Catefb. App. t. 6. & Chocolata Bontii, p. 198. • The Chocolate tree, with round pods. Rev. O&. 1756. Z • Both Both fpecies of the Cacao or Chocolate tree are pretty frequent in Jamaica; and often found wild in the woods, where doubtless they had been cultivated in the time of the Spaniards: but they are feldom planted there in regular walks, as they are on the Main; where hurricanes are neither fo frequent nor fo deftructive. The trees are very delicate, and rarely furvive when once foofened in the ground; which is generally the cafe, when they are not well fhaded, in hurricane times; for the ground is then foft and yielding for the space of many feet under the furface; and the force of the wind often fuch, as to break or bend the most robuft trees. The Spaniards, to prevent fuch inconveniences, used to intermix many of the Coral Bean trees (from whence they have been fince generally called Mader di Cacao) in their walks, which helped greatly to break the force of the wind, and thereby generally preferved their Cacao trees. I have, however, feen numbers of them thrive well, without any fhelter of this kind; and bear the force of many ftorms without damage; but, probably, they were protected while young, and yet too tender to bear any extraordinary fhocks; for I generally obferved them to be planted in a good deep mould, and a warm, well covered fituation. Thefe trees grow naturally to a moderate fize; and feldom exceed fix or feven inches in diameter, or rife above fifteen or fixteen feet in height. They are very beautiful, and, in general, extremely engaging to the fight when charged with fruit; which grows from all parts of the trunk, and larger branches indifcriminately. When the feeds are loofe and rattle in the pods, they are picked off, opened, and the kernels picked out, and expofed daily to the fun, until they are thoroughly cured, and fit for the ftore, or market." Thefe feeds are remarkably nourishing, and agrecable to moft people, which occafions them to be now commonly kept in moft houfes in America, as a neceffary part of the provifions of the family: they are generally ground or pounded very fine, at leifure hours; and made into a paste T, The root cankers génerally on thofe occafions, and decays most commonly afterwards: but I query, whether many of them would not recover, had they been pulled up, and pruned, both at top and bottom, when they begin to wither and then tranfplanted 050 The Erythrina. Our Author must have learned this process for making Chocolate from fome ignorant Negro, or it could not have been to very imperfect. 858 to be the more in in readiness upon occafion. It is naturally pretty much charged with old with oil, but mixes very well with e ther milk or water, the ufual pared for immediate ufe. Je me 27506 berthe ufual vehicles, with which it is It is much is much efteemed in all the fouthern colonies of America, and well known to make up the principal part of the nourishment of moft of the old people in thofe parts, as well as of a great number of Jews. The plant is propagated by the feed; but requires great a deal of care to raile it with fuccefs. It is generally planted and cultivated in the following manner, viz. You take a grown pod, that has lain by fome days, and cut off the batu top at the pointed extremity, fo that the feeds may be fully expofed to view; you then bury it two thirds, or deeper, in mould, in fome moift and fhady place. In a few days the feeds begin to germinate, and then they ought to be taken out, one by one, and tranfplanted into proper beds: but the mould to which they are transferred fhould be rich, well divided, and free; moift, properly fhaded, and difpofed at proper fo as to leave convenient room for the roots diftances and branches of the trees to fpread. In each of thefe beds you plant one or two feeds, with the root part downwards, fcarcely covering them at the top; you then moiften the mould gently about them, and cover the bed with fome large leaves, to protect the young budding plants from the more active rays of the fun; which may be ftill guarded by fome little ambi-. ent bulwark to ward off fuch accidents as may happen from heavy rains, or blowing, windy weather. They feldom require to be watered after the firft day; but if this fhould become neceffary, it must be done with greatt enderness; and is ⚫ beft managed by laying a piece of wet cloth, or fome watered weeds, gently round the young plant; which fhould be left there till the earth foaks a fufficient quantity of the moifture. But great care must be taken not to break off the feed-leaves of the plant on thele occafions; for thefe are only the tender divided lobes of the kernel, and the lofs of them would wholly prevent its further growth. The plantain-walks afford the moft natural and agreeable fhade for thofe plants, while young, but as they rife, they fhould be fupplied with a more fubftantial guard, to protect theth from the inclemencies of the weather; which ought to * be continued until they grow to full perfection, and muft be, removed with caution even then.' candy@sdT T The above may fuffice for famples of our Author's botanical judgment. Let us next take a fhort view of his third book, ' containing containing an account of the feveral forts of Quadrupedes, Birds, Filhes, Reptiles, and Infects, commonly obferved in and about the inland; their properties, mechanifm, and ufes. With refpect to the method, the Doctor profeffes to have followed the diftribution of Linnæus, as much as poffible, in the arrangement of this tribe, as well as the foregoing, but having proceeded from the mineral to the vegetable, and thence to the animal region, he was obliged to inver the order in which Linnæus difpofed them, and to begin with thofe which fhew leaft of animality." Accordingly the first chapter of this book treats of Infects; from which we fhall take the NEREIS I. Tentaculis capitis binis, tripartitis; corporis, plurimis penicilli-formibus, duplici ferie ad latera pofitis. Scolopendra Marina authorum. Pet. Gaz. The Ship-worm of Jamaica. This infect is extremely deftructive to all the fhips that ⚫ anchor for any time in the harbours of Jamaica, or in any • other part within the Tropics: they cut with great facility through the planks, and burrow a confiderable way in the fubftance of them, incruftating the fides of all their holes with a smooth teftaceous fubftance. They cut with equal ⚫ease thro' moft forts of timber, nor do we yet know any, except fome of the palm tribe, that is free from their attacks; but, from late experiments, we have fome reason to hope that Aloes and Indian Pepper mixed up with the other ingredients, with which the bottoms of fhips are commonly daubed, may retard their attacks, if not wholly prevent ⚫ them. It is amazing with what eafe thefe infects run through all forts of timber; but it is remarkable that they burrow moft in the parts that are chiefly expofed to a viciffitude of ele<ments. In the harbour of Kingston, where all the wharfs are made of wood, and sustained by large piles of the strongeft timbers, there are frequent occafions to obferve the ope rations of this infect, which generally destroys the largest pieces of the hardeft and moft refinous woods, in the space of a few years. There is a great variety of thefe infects, and many of the other species are equally deftru&ive.?—Our Author has given the figure of this infect. The fecond chapter is appropriated to Fishes whence, for the fake of throwing in an obfervation, that might not, perhaps, have occurred to the Doctor, we fhall extract the PERCA I. Minor fubargentea. The Sinnet. • PERCA |