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A 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 F 
 
 N E VIS, 
 
 And the reft of the 
 
 Englijh Leeward Charibee Iflands 
 
 1 N 
 
 A M E R I C A. 
 
 With many other Obfervations on 
 
 NATURE and ARTj 
 
 Particularly, An Introdu£lion to 
 
 %\t ^xi of 2Decppl)ennjff. 
 
 I N 
 
 Eleven Letters from the Rev^ Mr. SMITH, 
 fometime Reftor of St. 'John^ at Nevis, and 
 now Redlor of St.Mzr/s in Bedford ; to the 
 ReV^ Mr. MASON, B.D. Woodivardian 
 Profcflbr, and Fellow of I'rinity - College y m 
 Cambridge^ 
 
 CAMBRIDGE: 
 Printed by j. Bentham, Printer to the University; 
 and fold by W. Thurl bourn in Cambridge -j S. BiRT 
 m Ave- Marl a -Lane ^ C. Bathurst in Fleet-Street^ and 
 J. BeecroFT in Lombard-Street^ LoNDON, 
 
 MDCCXLV. 
 
TO THE 
 
 ORTHY GENTLEMEN 
 
 O F 
 
 NEVIS, 
 
 MOTHER of the 
 
 Englijh Leeward Charibee Iflands 
 in America. 
 
 SIRS, 
 
 I Often refled: with fingular Pleafure, 
 upon the five happy Years that I 
 was Red:or of St. John\ Parifli in your 
 Country, and do with the utmoft Grati- 
 tude acknowledge the Favours I receiv- 
 ed from You all. 
 
 I then kept a Book of Remarks upon 
 what I faw moft obfervable in your 
 Climate, and colleded many beautiful 
 Sea-Shells, which about nine years after 
 
 a 2 my 
 
D ED ICATIO N. 
 
 tny return to England I prefented to 
 Dr. Woodward\ Repofitory of Foffils at 
 Cambridge. Mr. Mafon^ the TVoodwar- 
 dtan Profeflbr defiring me to give him 
 fome account of them, occafioned my 
 writing the firft Letter ; And as I com- 
 pofed the others at leifure hours after- 
 wards, I did not think myfelf necefli- 
 tated to put any Dates to them : Be- 
 fides, I had no thoughts of printing tfiem 
 till of late. 
 
 The principal Subjedl relates pretty'^ 
 much to your Ifland : But as my Book 
 of Remarks might not be free from Er-^ 
 rours ; and as in divers Articles I was 
 forced to truft folely to memory at the 
 time of writing them ; I fliall own myfelf 
 farther indebted to Your generous Tem- 
 per, if any of you will redlify thofe Er- 
 rours ; as well as point out fuch curious 
 things as may have efcaped my memory 
 or notice i and indeed I lay hold of this 
 
 oppor- 
 
D ED IC AriO N. 
 
 opportunity to requeft the fame of all 
 others who difcover faults in them. 
 
 J received the higheft CiviHties too at 
 St. ChriJlopher%^ Antigua^ and Montfer-- 
 rat^ whofe hofpitable Inhabitants I alfb 
 pleafingly remember, by frequent in- 
 ftancing of their Concurrence with You 
 in a true tafte of Humanity and Ho- 
 nour. 
 
 Worthy Gentlemen ! That the Rain 
 and the Dew, with other choice tempo- 
 ral as well as fpiritual Bleffings of Hea- 
 ven, may abundantly defcend upon the 
 Englijh Leeward Charribee IJlands^ is 
 the hearty Prayer of 
 
 Tour moji humble^ and 
 highly obliged Servant^ 
 
 William Smith. 
 
 "^ 
 
LETTERS 
 
 "To the Rev'- Mr. CHARLES MASON, 
 
 Woodwardian Profeflbr /// the Univerfity of 
 Cambridge, and Fellow of 'Trinity College. 
 
 LETTER L 
 
 S I R, 
 
 HA D I been informed either of your Perfon 
 or Courtefy before the other day, you 
 might fooner have heard from me; or had I 
 (when at Nevis) imagined my Shells would ever 
 have been lodged in fo honourable a Place, the 
 CoUeftion Ihould have been larger, if not more 
 curious : Hov^ever, I cannot help giving you the 
 trouble of reading my prefent Thoughts upon 
 them ; which though not methodical, or per- 
 haps free from Miflakes in fome refpedls, yet as I 
 have committed no wilful Miftake, a Gentleman 
 of your known Candour will eafily pardon and 
 pafs fuch over. 
 
 2. Thefe Shells are found upon that part of 
 the Coaft of Nevis where the Sea is moft fubjeft 
 to Rocks on the Weftcrn fide, and with good 
 reafon, viz, becaufe the fmooth fandy Bays arc 
 daily vifited by our Fifhermen's long Net called 
 ;i Seine; or rather becaufe there is a greater quan- 
 
 A tky 
 
2 LETTER I. 
 
 tity of Mofs, Weeds, and other Nourifhment, to 
 fupport them among the lefs difturbed Rocks: 
 They have no Names whh us there ; for we 
 feldom or never eat of them, unlefs it be a large 
 particular fort of Wilk, whofe Shells are finely 
 poliihed, and made into Snuff-boxes (very com- 
 monly) at London'' "y and except alfo the Cockle 
 which we ufe by way of Sauce to Rock-fifh, 
 Welihmen, Old Wives, Cavallies, &c. Their 
 meat for Colour, Shape, and Tafte refembles our 
 Englifh ones, but they are delicious at full of 
 the Moon, increafing and decreafing in bulk as 
 well as goodnefs, juft as that Heavenly Body 
 feems to increafe or decreafe to our fight : You 
 have at ieafl: a dozen of the Shells (no ways 
 fliaped like our Englilh Cockles) that are fmali 
 and of a triangular Form, but not equilaterally 
 fo, two Sides of them being each of them full as 
 long again as the fhort Side ; all the three An- 
 gles are rounded off or blunted ; they are of a 
 white fhining Colour like well polifhed white 
 Marble, and generally fpeaking ftreaked down- 
 wards very regularly with beautiful Red or Blue 
 Veins. They are taken in the following manner, 
 mz, A Negro Man goes in at one of our fandy 
 Bays up to his knees, where fl;ooping down he 
 fills a Balket with Sand from the bottom, which 
 
 ^ Note^ That a Wilk Fiih both looks and eats exadtly like 
 our Englifh PerriwinkJe. 
 
 Baiket 
 
LETTER I. 3 
 
 Baiket he dips fo often in the Water, as till the 
 Sand being walhed clean away leaves, the Cockles 
 behind : And it is worth our obfervation, That 
 this fort of Cockle is not to be found, as far as I 
 could hear of, at any other of the Leeward Cha-^ 
 ribee Iflands ; nay, that they have been carried 
 down to Saint ChriJIophers^ but would not pro- 
 pagate there, though the furtheft part of that 
 Ifland is no more than thirty Miles off, and the 
 neareft end within four or five Miles of Nevis, 
 Antigua has an incomparable kind of Sea Fifli 
 (whofe name I do not remember) that is peculiar 
 to its felf ; for it is not found at any other of our 
 Iflands. We have a good Spring and fliort Stream 
 in our white Ground at Nevis ^ which yield us 
 Mud Fifhes, that are reckoned the richeft Fifh 
 we have : But I always thought the Cavally (a 
 Sea Fifh) the fineft eating of any; it is a deep 
 bodied Fifh, weighs four or five pounds, and 
 taftes not unhke an Englifh Maccarel -, it is a 
 very firm Fifh. 
 
 3. Nevis produces a Tree called Dog- Wood; 
 and when feven or eight Gentlemen have an in- 
 clination to divert themfelves with fifliing (or 
 more properly fpeaking with Fifh-hunting,) they 
 fend each of them a Negro Slave to the Woods, 
 in order to fetch fome of the Bark which grows 
 upon its Roots: this Bark is next morning pound- 
 ed very fmall with Stones, put into old Sacks, 
 
 A 2 Gar- 
 
4 LETTER! 
 
 carried into the rocky part of the Seas, ileepetl 
 till thoroughly Ibaked with the Salt Water, and 
 then well fqueezed by our Negroes to get out 
 the Juice : This Juice immediately colours the 
 Sea, and ftains it with a reddifli hue ; and being 
 of a poiionous nature, will in an hour's time 
 (that is to fay about eleven a clock in the fore- 
 noon ^ ten being the ufual time of beginning of 
 this diveriion) make the Fiflies fuch as Groopers, 
 Rock-fiflij Old Wives, Welchmen, &c. fo drunk 
 or intoxicated, as to fwim on the Surface of 
 the Water quite heedlefs of the danger : the 
 Gentlemen then fend in their Negroes who 
 purfue (both fwimming and diving) the poor 
 Fiflies, till they catch them with their hands ; 
 they themfelves (landing by on high Rocks to 
 fee the Pafcime.^ 
 
 4. The Poifon kills millions of the fmall Fry^ 
 and indeed I can affign no reafon why they fhould 
 not likewife deftroy the Shell-fifhes who lie at 
 the bottom, and of courfe are lefs qualified to 
 efcape its effeds by paffing into the adjacent purer 
 Water ; befides, they mufl: naturally die in con- 
 fiderable numbers every year -, fo that in fhort, 
 it is no wonder at all, if in our Hurricane Months, 
 \iz,yul)\Ai/gi(/l and »S'^/'/^;;//^t'r, their Shells are caft 
 up in confiderable quantities on the rocky Shore, 
 
 ^ Notc^ That Herman AIoll's Brittijh Empire in America^ 
 dcfciihes fcveral ftrange Fifties peculiar to thefe Seas, that I 
 never could Ice or hear of. 
 
 c. That 
 
LETTER I. 5 
 
 5. That they arc fo caft up is certain ^ but 
 then let me tell you, that their Colours are no 
 ways bright and beautiful, till they have lain up- 
 on the Sea-fhore for fome time, to di*y and polifli 
 by the Sun's hot Rays that will foon fcorch off 
 fuch Mofs or Soil as may ftick about them for a 
 while at firft, and hinder the eye from perceiving 
 thofe exquifite (inimitable) ftrokes of Nature's 
 fineft Pencil with which they are all over a- 
 dorned. 
 
 6. The little roimd Holes that feem as it were 
 artfully drilled thorough many of them, I take 
 to be done by either a particular fort of Fifli cal- 
 led by Dr. Woodumrd Purpura, or elfe by Sea- 
 worms (the Shells of fome of which I fent you,) 
 as foon as the Fiflies in them were dead, when 
 the Shells were undoubtedly much fofter than 
 they now ai*e, and of courfe far eafier penetrated : 
 The Scarlet Spots that are fo lively upon two cm: 
 three of them, I fuppofe to be a fort of Minium 
 or red glutinous Earth which they contrad:ed in 
 the Sea, and which by length of time hardened 
 into much the fame mattei: with the Shells : thefe 
 are not the Barnacle fort of Sea- worms. 
 
 7. You will find in my Colledion at leaft a 
 dozen Shells that are brown on the outfide and 
 of a palifli green on the infide, called Patella: 
 they rife gradually from an oval bafe in fhape 
 of a Pyramid, having generally fpeaking a little 
 
 A 3 oblonj 
 
6 LETTER I. 
 
 oblong hole at the top. In the JVeJl Indies they are 
 ufually named Nipple Shells, on account of their 
 being a fovereign Remedy for the fore Nipple of 
 a lying-in Woman's Breaft, being applied thereto. 
 You fay, that they are helpful to the Nipple 
 only by protefting it from external Injury, which 
 its figure is proper for ; but I fee no reafon why 
 they fhould not likewife have a healing Vertue, 
 as the good experienced Ladies there affert 3 for 
 they are full of Salts : No body I believe ever 
 faw a Fifli in them, fo that, ^cere^ How 
 they are formed. Now whether this healing 
 vertue or quality yet remains in them, I vaftly 
 queftion ^ becaufe of the alteration of Climate 
 and length of time fince they were gathered from 
 off the Sea-fhore, Nevis lying in the fixteenth 
 degree of Northern Latitude, and the Shells be^ 
 ing gathered in the year of our Lord 1720. 
 This I know from my own obfervaticwi, that the 
 Cortex Peruv. never fails of curing any Intermit- 
 ting Fever (or even a Remitting one, as the Dodlors 
 term the loweft abatement of that Diftemper) at 
 Nevis y which is fituate in a hot Climate ; where- 
 as it frequently miffes of that happy effed: in plain 
 Intermiflions of an Ague here in EnglanJy a very 
 cold Climate: From, whence I would conclude 
 its Vertue to be ftrongeft, in Countries of much 
 the fame Latitude with Peru ; or at leaft, that 
 Human Bodies there are more eafily worked 
 
 upon 
 
LETTER!. 7 
 
 upon by reafon of the great Heat which opens the 
 Pores, ^c. And indeed were I a Phyfician, I 
 might perhaps infifl on the felf fame Qualities 
 in regard to all other kinds of Medicines, with 
 reafon enough on my fide. 
 
 8. You have there alfo five or fix Shells that 
 are round and milk white as well as of a brit- 
 tle fubfl:ance, in Shape and Size not unlike a 
 Nonpareil Apple, or rather refembling a large 
 Muihroom before it is fully opened at the bot- 
 tom ', and it is all over fet out to the beft ad- 
 vantage, with little round Rifings that feem (if I 
 may be allowed the exprefllon) formed by Nature 
 in the moll exadt and artful fymmetry, and di- 
 flance, from each other -, being in fuch due pro- 
 portions and numbers, as to make them rife gra- 
 dually from bottom to top, I mean allowing for 
 their decreafing both in number and bulk as they 
 come towards the centre in the top. When this 
 Shell is firfl: taken out of the water, each one of 
 thefe little round Rifings is armed withjuft fuch 
 a fharp pointed Dart as we fee ifiliing out of 
 our common Hedge-hogs, both as to colour 
 and length. At Nevis we call them Sea Eggs; 
 but very improperly I think, for they are cer- 
 tainly alive, and do nimbly move thofe fharp- 
 pointed Darts, in order to prick the Feet of 
 fuch Negroes as dive to take them up. When 
 they die in the Sea either naturally or elfe by 
 
 A 4 Poifon 
 
8 LETTER I. 
 
 Poifon, their Shells loofe thofe Darts, and as 
 foon as a Storm comes they arc thrown up on 
 the Shore, where the violent Heat of the Sun 
 bleaches the whole Shell, till it becomes as white 
 as you now have them. Whilft they are alive, 
 they have a foft, black, and round fubftance, 
 not unlike the Nipple of a Woman*s Breaft, 
 which they can raife out of the largeft hole on 
 the flatteft or bottom fide, and a much lefler 
 round fubftance of the fame nature appears out 
 of the much lefler hole on the other flat fide 
 or rather top of the Shell : I imagine the bot- 
 tom round fubftance to be its Head that feeds 
 or grazes on Weeds, &c. which lye or grow at 
 the bottom of the Sea j but then I am entirely 
 at a lofs what to determine about the leflfer round 
 fubftance, unlefs I durft venture boldly to pro- 
 nounce that another Head : In fliort it is all a 
 meer Conjefture. If you examine the Infide of 
 it, you will perceive a prodigious number of 
 little Holes that you may ftick a fmall minikin 
 Pin into, running in due diftances in proportion 
 to their number quite thorough the Shell, in 
 Lines that are exadly parallel, from the bot- 
 tom part quite up to the center in the top of 
 this Shell, and thorough which the Salt Water 
 did I fuppofe enter in order to fcoui; and keep the 
 Fifli in health. The Fifli is both in colour and 
 form juft like Salmon or indeed any other Fifties 
 
 of 
 
LETTER I. 9 
 
 Spawn, and pretty firmly fixed clofe in all the 
 fmooth Partitions between thofe parallel Lines 
 of Holes. We break the Shells till we have got 
 as much of the Fifli as will fill two or three of 
 the largeft, which are each as big as my two 
 Fifls : Then we feafon it pretty highly, as we do 
 Turtle or Tortoife, and fet them with their 
 fharp pointed Darts on (as they came out of the 
 Sea,) over a gentle Wood-coal Fire, half burnt 
 to aflies, where it ftands till it is fufficlently 
 ilewed : But in my opinion, it eats far too 
 luiliioufly. I faw feveral of their broken Shells 
 upon the Coaft oi Lincolnfiire -, and have been 
 inform.ed, that the Fifliermen at Ly7in in Norfolk^ 
 and on moft of our Englijh Coafts, do frequent- 
 ly take them up in their Dragging Nets. I had 
 almoft forgot to mention the Variety of Cockle- 
 shells I fent, that refemble our Ejiglifi ones in 
 Shape, though infinitely furpaffing them in beau- 
 teous Colours, and fome of which are on the 
 outfide far rougher than a Nutmeg-grater, but 
 fliine like the beft polifhed Marble : We do 
 not eat them -, and to Ipeak truth, I never faw 
 one of them alive. You have there too a Fiih's 
 Shell called a Moon : It is round and as broad 
 as my hand, the middle being as thick as two 
 Crown Pieces, and falling down with a gentle 
 Slope quite to the Edges where it is no thicker 
 than Half a Crown : From the Center in the top 
 
 you 
 
lo L E T T E R I. 
 
 you fee four or five fets of Rows that are exxeed- 
 ing fine and narrow Cavities, thorough which 
 the Water defcends into the Body of the Shell 
 where the Fifh refides: Thefe Cavities projeft 
 out from near the Center an Inch or better to- 
 wards the Edges in the form of Peach-tree 
 Leaves : There is a round hole in the Center on 
 the under fide that goes up into the Body of the 
 Shell. As I never found any more of the fort, 
 fo I thought it a pity to break that in pieces 
 purely to examine the infide. 
 
 9. In the Month of July^ ^1^9^ one Mr. 
 Mofcs Ptnheiro a Jew and myfelf, went to an- 
 gle in Black Rock Pond, which is fituate a quar- 
 ter of a mile or better Northwards from Charles 
 Town our Metropolis or Capital, and about thirty 
 yards diftant from the Sea. Mr. Pinheiro'^ Hook 
 catched hold on fomething at the bottom of the 
 Pond, and he ordered my Negro Man Oxford 
 to ftrip, dive, and unloofe it. Oxford went in- 
 deed to the bottom, but came again without ef- 
 feding it ; and faid, that it was entangled in a 
 fmall Bufh that grew in the bottom of the Pond, 
 which was in that place about two yards and a 
 half deep. However, he dived again, and after 
 a few fiurdy pulls, brought up the Bufh, Roots 
 and all. Both its Roots and Branches were vifibly 
 enough alive, but without either Bark or Leaves, 
 it being covered over wnth a foft blackifh fub- 
 
 ftance 
 
LETTER I. ri 
 
 fiance which no doubt ferved in the room of 
 Bark. Upon cutting it in two, I found the Wood 
 of a pale or faded green. 
 
 10. I hereupon began to refledl ferioufly with 
 myfelf, and concluded, that the vaft Atlantick 
 Ocean (which looks of the fined Azure Blue co- 
 lour occafioned by the great depth and exceeding 
 tranfparence of Water) might abound at bottom 
 with large growing Trees, and fmaller Bufhes, 
 as well as with Weeds, or Grafs : And what 
 renders the point not fo chimerical as highly pro- 
 bable is, That the Shore about half a mile to the 
 Southward of Charles Fort, is plentifully flocked 
 with dead dry Buflies, which the Sea in Hurri- 
 canes and flormy Weather throws up : The 
 Roots of thofe Bufhes, (two of which, together 
 with my Shells, I prefented your Univerfity) 
 are fo firmly fixed in a very hard and folid 
 Stone, that they are all of a piece : To be plain, 
 they mufl grow in the Sea, becaufe the Land 
 Soil of that Country produces none fuch, that I 
 can remember at leafl. 
 
 1 1 . And here perhaps a fruitful Fancy would 
 eafily difcover Mountains and Hills, Vallies and 
 Plains, Woods and Copices, thorough which the 
 number lefs Inhabitants of the great Deep were 
 wunding their way (either feparate or in whole 
 flocks, jufl as their occafions led them,) either 
 for Food or Paftime j as alfo. That the Vallies 
 
 and 
 
12 LETTER L 
 
 and Plains, Woods, and Coppices are wondrous 
 fertile, whereas the Summits of Mountains and 
 Hills are generally fpeaking barren enough ; and 
 this laft Article, I would willingly affign for the 
 true Reafon, why nothing bigger than fmall 
 Buihes are caft afliore to the Southward oi Charles 
 Fort (as mentioned in the foregoing paragraph) 
 in Storms and Hurricanes, whofe raging Billows 
 want fufficient force or violence to difturb the 
 lower receffes of the Abyfs of the Ocean. If it 
 be objeded, That Natura 7jil agit frujlra \ and 
 of courfe, what ufe can they be of? The felf 
 fame fruitful Fancy will as readily make anfwer, 
 That the Bark, ^c. on fuch confiderable and 
 lofty Trees, may ferve the greater Leviathans of 
 the Ocean by way of Food ; and moreover, That 
 fuch tall Woods as well as the (horter Coppices 
 and Shrubs may ftop the too violent purfuit of the 
 more ravenous fort of them after the fmaller Fry, 
 who without fuch places of retreat would be 
 fwallowed up in whole Shoals. Befides Provi- 
 dence may appoint other ufes of them which are 
 unknown to us. 
 
 12. I had like to have forgot to acquaint you. 
 That the Bufli in which Mr. 'Pinheiro'^ Line was 
 entangled, grew out of a foftifli Rock (a piece of 
 which about the bignefs of my Fift I fent with 
 my Shells) that is heavy, white, porous, and when 
 
 by 
 
cc 
 
 €< 
 ti 
 
 L E T T E R I. 13 
 
 by any accident loofened from the bottom, does 
 naturally fvvim. 
 
 13. Confultlng my laft Volume of Remarks, 
 I found in them the following PalTage, which I 
 had with fingular pleafure tranfcribed verbatim 
 out of the Saint James's Evenhig Pojl for Sep- 
 t€7nber 25, 1729, viz, " Some days ago Captain 
 Hannibal^ in the Sloop Cornelius, brought over 
 as PafTengers from Koterdain^ the two famous 
 Englijh Divers living at Weymouth, having been 
 three Years in the Dutch Eaji India Compa- 
 ny's Service, and had been fent to fifli upon the 
 Wrecks of fome Ships of theirs in India : They 
 *^ gave a fpecimen of their Skill before the 
 *' Governour and Direftors at Middleburgh in 
 Zealand^ by diving in fix Fathom Water, and 
 flaying at the bottom three quarters of an 
 hour, bringing up fome Gravel in their hands : 
 " The Directors afterward entered into a Con- 
 trad with them, agreeing to. give fix Pounds 
 ' per Cent, for the Treafure they ihould recover, 
 and fo for other Goods in proportion to their 
 Value. The firft trial they made was upon 
 the Wreck of a Dutch Eaji India Ship that 
 " had been loft oft^ Cape Coaft in fix Fathom 
 Sea, in which they fucceeded fo well, that 
 they brought up at feveral times 3600/. in 
 Silver. They dived alfo upon another Wreck 
 '' in eight Fathoms, and brought up fome Bars 
 
 " of 
 
 it. 
 
14 LETTER I. 
 
 of Silver and Gold, and feveral Brafs Great 
 Guns : When one went to the bottom, his 
 Companion ftaid on board to pull him up as 
 occafion offered ; for they would truft no 
 Foreigner. Their diving Engine they contriv* 
 ed in Rngland^ which was made of Wood, fix 
 hundred weight of Lead being affixed to the 
 bottom to fink it, and lefs would not do; 
 The GlaflTes before their Eyes were three 
 Inches thick, and their Hands were at li- 
 berty to grope and faften Hooks to Chefts 
 and fuch other things as they had a mind 
 to get up. Notwithftanding the largenefs of 
 the Engine, which terrified mod of the In-, 
 habitants of the Deep, there was one large 
 Fifh that would often make at them; but 
 to guard againft him, they carried in one 
 hand a little fharp Lance, with which they 
 pricked him, then he fcoured off. They ne- 
 ver dived but in Summer time, and then on 
 calm, ferene, and fun-(hiny Days. They re- 
 late what is very remarkable. That the bot- 
 tom of the Sea where they had been, look- 
 ed like a fine Garden, abundance of things 
 (which they wanted a Name for) growing 
 in it refembling fhort Plants, and branching 
 out from the main Stocks divers ways, be- 
 ing white, hard and rugged, but did not 
 appear to be of the white Coral kind : They 
 
 brought 
 
€C 
 
 sc 
 i< 
 
 €C 
 CC 
 C€ 
 (C 
 CC 
 
 LETTER I. 15 
 
 brought up fome Pieces with them, which 
 after they were expofed to the Sun, but not 
 before, yielded a moft fragrant Smell; one 
 little Branch thereof is now in the pofleilion of 
 the aforefaid Captain Hannibal^ and is looked 
 upon as a very great Curiofity : When the 
 Cheft in which the Pieces were repofited was 
 opened at the Cuftom-houfe Key, a fine Scent 
 was diffufed round about, which pleafed and 
 furprized all that were prefent. 
 14. By way of confirmation of this memorable 
 paffage, I take liberty to obferve. That in the. 
 Year of our Lord 17 18, a Nevis Gentleman of 
 my acquaintance, had fome bufinefs that called 
 him down from thence to the DaniJJo Ifland of 
 Saint T!homaSy upon the Shore of which he found 
 growing clofe to the Sea great numbers of much 
 the fame things (which the St. yames% Eve?iing 
 Poji fays refcmbled fhort Plants,) and which were 
 Jikewife branching out from the main Stock di- 
 vers ways. He brought fome of them up to our 
 Ifland: They were extreamly white, harder than 
 Chalk, and fomewhat rugged j but I do not re- 
 member any fragrant Smell they had, and am 
 abfolutely certain, that they were not of the white 
 Coral kind, becaufe fo brittle that they would 
 not bear any polifhing by way of cheat. N, B. 
 None of our EngliJJ: Leeward Iflands produce 
 them, 
 
 15, You 
 
i6 LETTER L 
 
 15. You will find too in my Colleaion a milk 
 white Stone not quite fo broad as a Half Crown 
 Piece, which in fliape is not much unlike a Car- 
 nation Flower ; The upper or infide part, is en- 
 tirely compofed of exceeding nice Stone Leaves, 
 that are clofe fet together in a wavy form at top, 
 and are full as thin as Carnation Leaves ; and the 
 bottom or outfide part has a little bit of Stem, 
 jetting out as it were on purpofe to dired us, to 
 imagine or fancy the reft of the Stalk, from whence 
 it was by fome unknown accident broke off in 
 its fair Garden the Sea. This is of a Coral kind, 
 many pieces whereof I have fince {qqii in your 
 Chamber at Trhiity College. 
 
 16. We have there Land Crabs which high 
 up in our Mountain Woods, make fmall Bur- 
 roughs in the Ground like Rabbits 5 their Flefli 
 is rich (delicious) eating, but their Shells are no 
 ways curious, though of a deep Blood Red co- 
 lour when boiled 5 they annually travel down to 
 the Sea, in order to wafh and fhed their Shells, 
 at which Seafon we catch them eafily, by help 
 of Torches in the Night, which is the time of 
 their travelling. Their Bodies are much fmaller 
 than the Bodies of our Etircpean Sea Crabs, and 
 Nature has fupplied them with Claws that are 
 both long and ftrong as well as flender, which 
 enables them to lift well up their Bodies and to 
 travel apace. — «- In our Ponds near the Sea we 
 
 catch 
 
LETTER I. 17 
 
 catch Pond Crabs of a moft beautiful Skv Blue^ 
 that are fhaded all around the edges with a brown- 
 ifh Yellow, and much lefs, though far finer iliaped, 
 both in Body and Claws, than our European onest 
 But their Shells were not worth bringing home 
 to England^ becaufe thofe fine Colours vaniflied 
 with their Life. We have no Sea Crabs ; at leaft 
 that are fit to eat : Clams ftick to our Rocks that 
 are near the Shore, but are not eaten by us. 
 
 17. Our Nevis Lobfters do exadly refemble 
 the EngliJId ones, in bulk, colour, and (liape, ex- 
 cept that their two large Claws are not fo big in 
 proportion to their Bodies: but I once found, to 
 the utmoft hazard of my life, this remarkable 
 and ugly circumftance attending them, viz. Such 
 of them as are found on the Weflern or Leeward 
 fide of our Ifland are reckoned very fine eating; 
 whereas they that are taken on the Eaftern or 
 Windward fide are rank Poifon, which we attri- 
 bute to fome unwholefome kind of Food they 
 meet with there ; fome imagine that they meet 
 with veins of Coperas there : This Poifon works 
 ftrongly, both by dreadful Vomits and Stools. 
 We have alfo great numbers of Sea Cray Fifhes, 
 that are almoft as large as our Lobfters, and are 
 juftly reckoned elegant eating. 
 
 18. Before I take leave of the Weft Indies, I 
 fliall make bold to add one Paragraph about that 
 fingularly beautiful Fifh called a Dolphin, that is 
 
 B fo 
 
i8 LETTER I. 
 
 fo odiy drawn out not only upon our common 
 Signs to Inns, but even in Books of credit which 
 feem to carry a fair ihew of Accuracy. 
 
 19. It is faid. He very rarely comes up fo high 
 towards England as the fortieth degree of Nor- 
 thern Latitude in the Atlantick Ocean, though I 
 had the good fortune to fee the contrary in no 
 lefs than five or fix infl:ances, at my return from 
 Ne'^jis to England. He is catched in the follow- 
 ing manner, viz. We faften the Feather-ends (I 
 mean about four Inches of their Tops or Extre- 
 mities) of two Goofe-quilk to a Hook (one on 
 each fide,) which being well fecured to a Line 
 not much thicker than a common thickiih Whip- 
 cord, and drawn after us at the Ships Stern when 
 the Wind does not blow too frefh, makes a fmall 
 ripling in the Sea, not unlike to that of a Flying 
 Fifli, when it arifes out of the Water to avoid the 
 purfuit of the Dolphin ; and the Dolphin being 
 a Fifh of Prey feizes (of courfe) the Hook with 
 the Feathers, and is immediately drawn up into 
 the Ship. He feldom exceeds four feet in length 
 from Nofe end to Tail end : and is a very fl:rait- 
 bodied Fiih. His Head (as to fliape) is exaftly 
 the fame as it is drawn in Pidtures and on Signs i 
 But he being the thickeft at the Gills, and grow- 
 ing taperer in a gradual defcending line quite 
 down to the Tail, his whole fhape may proper- 
 ly enough be compared to a Hand-faw. His 
 
 Head 
 
LETTER I. 19 
 
 Head is entirely of the mofl lively A^ure Blue. 
 From the top or rather back part of his Head 
 all along to his Tail, is one continued Fin of a 
 very light brov^^n colour, which fomewhat re-» 
 fembled Black Crape that was almoft worn out^ 
 marked pretty full of round coal-black fpots like 
 little Patches fet thick on a Lady's Face; and 
 his Tail (if I remember rightly) is the very famd. 
 He has two large Fins below clofe to his Gills^ 
 whofe colour I do not fo well call to mind, thd* 
 I verily think that they refem,ble his Back Fin. 
 I dare not infift upon his other Fins, for both 
 their Colour and Number have flipped out of my 
 memory, and unluckily were not fet down in my 
 book of Remarks. From his Back Fin down to 
 the middle of his Body on each fide, his Skin (tha^ 
 has no Scales) is of the fineft Azure Blue imagina- 
 ble, though fome People infift upon its being a 
 blueifh Green, ftrewed thick all over with bright 
 gliflTening Stars of Gold, Scarlet, (ic. and from 
 the middle of his fide quite down to his Belly and 
 fb up again to the middle of his other fide, is the 
 Colour of the faireft beaten Gold, but if I may 
 be allowed the term (as I do fincerely believe I 
 may,) infinitely furpafling it in beauty, and with- 
 out either Stars or Spots of any Sort : A fight 
 worthy of the greateft Monarchs attention ! He 
 lives in compleat beauty for about the fpace of 
 three minutes, after he is taken out of the Water: 
 
 B 2 His 
 
20 LETTER L 
 
 His glorious Colours and Marks do then grow 
 iaint and fading, for one minute : And during 
 the other two minutes of his life, they vanifh 
 away and return back to their beauty again quick- 
 er than thought itfelf ; I do not mean that they 
 return to Perfedion of beauty ; but to be plain, 
 I want terms adequate to my Ideas, in order to 
 be rightly underftood. In fliort, in five or fix 
 minutes time this gay furprizing Objedt fills the 
 Traveller's Mind, with far more lofty Notions 
 of the great Creator's Wifdom and Magnificence 
 beftowed upon the inferiour part of the Animal 
 World, than ever it was capable of entertaining 
 before. When he is dead he looks juft like a 
 dead Salmon, and his Body eats like a Cod-fifh, 
 but I think it drier confiderably. It is a courfe 
 Fifh. A Maccarel jufl: taken out of the Sea is by 
 far the moft beautiful of Englijh Fifhes in my 
 judgment ; but alas ! its Colours are infinitely 
 fhort of thofe of a Dolphin. 
 
 20. You will find in my Colledlion an Iron, 
 or rather rufty coloured, flat, and round Stone 
 (about the breadth of a Five Shilling Piece but 
 fomewhat thicker) that winds circularly in form 
 of a fpiral Line, feveral of which you have fince 
 fhewed me in Dr. JVoodward's Colledion, known 
 by the name of Snake-ftones or Cornua Ammonis, 
 I picked it up about nine years ago upon the Sea- 
 Coaft of Lincolnjlire i and upon looking round a 
 
 little 
 
LETTER I. 21 
 
 little narrowly on the Sand, I found feveral white 
 thin Shells of the fame breadth, fliape, and fize' 
 filled with Sand, or Gravel, and alfo with ftiffifh 
 Clay of different Colours j the Clay of feveral 
 having, I fuppofe, been lodged there for a little 
 while only, was fomewhat brittle ; in others, the 
 Clay having lain longer was of courfe the firmer 
 and tougher ; and in fome others, where the thin 
 Shell wasalmoft decayed, I found the Clay to 
 be fo ftrongly cemented together, that it was 
 fomewhat difficult to break it with the hand. 
 Pray then why might not that Stone I fent you to 
 Cambridge be one of thofe pieces of Clay thus 
 preferved fo long as till petrified? I know your 
 opinion is. That they were formed in fuch Shells 
 at the time of the Deluge. 
 
 / am^ Sir^ Tour &c. 
 
 w. s. 
 
 B 3 L E T- 
 
22 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 I Well remember our Difcourfe about my Voy- 
 age to St« Chrijiopher^s^ and Journey to Chi^ 
 finne^ Capijierre^ and up the great Mountain; 
 which (as it feems to fuit your tafte) I now 
 take the freedom to remind you of, by way of 
 Letter. 
 
 I. In the cheerful month oi May^ which ge- 
 lierally gives new Life and Vigour to the whole 
 Creation ; I fet forward about ten a Clock in the 
 IVIorning from Charles Town at Nevis^ and with 
 an eafy, gentle Breeze of Wind arrived at th^ 
 Port of Baffe T*erre in the Ifland of St. Chrlftophc7\ 
 before dinner ; being all the way agreably enter- 
 tained, with a moft beautiful Profpedt of both 
 the Iflands, as well as the Dutch Ifles of Etijia-^ 
 fhia and Saba, together with a Sky, that was 
 not top much clouded, and which of courle in fa 
 warm a Clime was variegated into fuch different 
 Shapes and Colours, that my fruitful imagination 
 could difcover in them, Mountains and Forefls, 
 /hady Groves and fertile Plains, Rivers of Ice 
 and Hillocks of Snow, Lakes and Promontories, 
 with Lyons, Bears, Crocodiles, Buffaloes, and 
 <Dthcr llrange Animals ; all of which rtruck my 
 
 Fancy 
 
 •--JSif 
 
LETTER II. 23 
 
 Fancy with fo bright and rapturous a glee as the 
 greateft Philofopher had fcarce ever yet the hap- 
 pinefs to be touch'd with! In fhort, the jfineft 
 Pencil dare not prefume to paint out in Perfeftion 
 fo lovely a Landfkip, if I may be allowed the 
 term. I do not think I ever faw there, one fingle 
 Day, which was entirely free from Clouds ) for 
 there were always fome few to be obferved to- 
 wards the Evening of the very cleareft, if not 
 fooner. 
 
 2. My Friend from Chianne (which is about 
 eight miles diftant from Bajfe Terre) according 
 to promife met and dined with me there, before 
 we fet forwards for his Houfe. At firft we rode 
 thorough many Sugar Plantations, till we came 
 to the thick Woods, where now and then wc 
 paffed by a fmall Cotton Settlement, whofe hum- 
 ble and temperate PofTeflbr (Hermit like) lived 
 by vertue of his own and three or four Slaves 
 Labour, with far truer fatisfadtion in his lonely 
 Retirement, tlian can l^c found in ftately Palaces 
 or in the moft extravagant and luxurious Cities, 
 where (to ufe Milton\ Phrafe, book i, line 496.) 
 
 'The ncife 
 
 OfRjof afcends above their lofticjl Toivers^ 
 And Injury and Outrage : and 'when Night 
 Darh'fis the Streets ^ then "joander forth the Son^ 
 Of Belial foim mth hifok?ice and Wive. 
 
 B 4 Cotton 
 
24 LETTER II. 
 
 Cotton is a Shrub two yards high or better, that 
 bears a fine Yellow Flower fliaped Uke a Bell : 
 When this Flower drops off, it is fucceeded by a 
 darkifh green, round, and tough Pod, of the fize 
 of a common Walnut : The Pod, as foon as 
 ripe, burfts open in ftrait lines that are feamed 
 from top to bottom, in three or four feveral places 
 at an equal diftance, expofing the white Cotton, 
 which is then gathered by Negroes. {N. 5. I 
 fpeak of common Cotton, for in fome kinds of 
 it the Pods are longifh.) 
 
 3. We were delightfully ferenaded all along 
 quite thorough thefe Woods by an infinite num- 
 ber of Turtle Doves, whofe foft notes or cooing 
 joined to the Verdure and Bloom of the Earth, 
 Builies, and Trees, put me in mind of that paf- 
 fage in Canticles, [viz, chap. ii. ver, 11, 12, 13.) 
 Lo the Winter is paji^ the Rain is over and gone: 
 the Flowers appear on the Earth, the time offing" 
 ing of Birds is come, and the voice of the T^urtle is 
 heard in our Land : The Fig-tree piUtcth forth 
 her green Figs, and the Vines with their fender 
 Grape give a good fmelL To add to our pleafure, 
 the Sea, at half a mile's diftance, beat gently 
 againft the Rocks, caufing fuch eafy Murmurs^ 
 as were enough to lull to fleep any one who was 
 fo inclined. Thefe with a fight of the Conorrhee 
 Hills, towards which we drew near apace (and 
 v/hofe vaft Rocks yielded Shrubs, Corritoes, and 
 
 other 
 
LETTER II. 2$ 
 
 Other Plants of the Alloes kind) aflforded us a 
 quite different prolpedt from that of the Morn- 
 ing. 
 
 4. The Sun began now to peep out from under 
 a Cloud ; and indeed it foon fhone fo very warmly, 
 that we made what hafte we could to a deep Gill 
 near to the Conorrhee Hills, that runs upwards 
 from the Sea fhore about two hours travel. This 
 Gill is large, and grows fteeper, the higher we go 
 up from the Sea, being plentifully flocked with 
 Palmetto or Wild Palm, (I never faw above two 
 bearing Palm-trees ; they were bigger than my 
 Body and thirty foot tall, but had bore no Dates 
 then) Piemento, Caffia Fiftula, Gum Alymnae, 
 and other fragrant Trees, and Ever- greens, from 
 top to bottom, which terminated at the Sea-fide 
 with a long Grove of Manchineal Apple-trees. 
 N, B, Our Trees are all Ever-greens ; for as faft 
 as one Leaf drops off another fucceeds it. Pal- 
 metto is much fmaller but refembles nearly the 
 bearing Palm-tree, which is exadlly as we find it 
 drawn out, and defcribed by Authors. Piemento 
 is the Tree that yields Jamaica Pepper, alias 
 AU-fpIcc I its Leaves can fcarce be diftinguifhed 
 from Bay-leaves, though of a much ftronger aro- 
 matick fmell : We there at Chrijimas^ ufually 
 ^dorn our Churches with fmall Boughs of it, the 
 Fruit being then green upon them, juft as your 
 Englijl: Churches here are decked with Holly 
 
 and 
 
26 LETTER IL 
 
 and Ivy at that facred Seafon -, in a rich Soil it 
 will grow to be fixty foot high 3 vide IVoods 
 Rogers's account of Juan Fernandez (an Ifland in 
 the South Sea) whofe Words in page 129, are as 
 follow, viz, Piemento Trees are plenty here, and 
 we fee fome of fixty foot high and about two 
 yards thick ; and Cotton Trees higher, and near 
 four fathom round in the Stock. N, B. That at 
 Nevis we have Cotton Trees of the fame fort, and 
 not much lefs in circumference of Body ; but as 
 they yield little Cotton, and are fo very tall, we 
 content ourfelves with gathering Cotton from the 
 Shrub only, as mentioned in paragraph the fecond 
 of this Letter. Caffia Fiftula is a ftrait-bodied 
 Tree, thirty foot high, w^ith fpreading Branches, 
 from which hang the Pods, that are of a dark 
 brown colour, and about a foot long each ; it is 
 not unlike a Sycamore. Gum Alymnae is a very 
 large-bodied Tree that is at leaft forty foot high, 
 and the Gum oozes or diftills thorough the l^ark 
 like Rofin, for about three or four yards upwards 
 from the bottom of the Tree all around it, a\ hich 
 puts me in mind of Milfon's Defcriptiou of the 
 Trees of Paradife, booklv. line 248. viz. 
 
 Groves whofe rich T'rees ivept odorous Gtims 
 and Bahn. 
 The Manchineal is like our Englijh dwarf Apple- 
 tree 5 its Leaves, in Colour, Shape and Bigncls, 
 are much the fame with EngUfk Pear-tree Leaves^ 
 
 but 
 
LETTER 11. 27 
 
 but with a very thin glutinous matter about both 
 Sides of the Leaf: If a Leaf touches our Cheek, 
 in riding along the Road by them, I know experi- 
 mentally that it will raife an immediate Blifter 
 which ends in a Scab ; break a Bough, and there 
 ifTues out a milk-white Water, that is ftill more 
 poifonous : the Fruit is much ranker Poifon yet. 
 The Fruit is of the fize and fhape and fmell of 
 an EngUJh Crab. 
 
 5. We travelled up the Gill or Gully about 
 two hundred yards, and then fate down in a 
 cool Shade, upon the mofly Banks of a very little 
 but exceedingly tranfparent River, that ran the 
 whole length of it quite down to the Sea, regaling 
 our felves with fonie of the fweeteft Water I ever 
 drank ; where we indulged our Souls with foo th- 
 ing difcourfe upon the Happinefs of a retired ftatc 
 of life, concluding that we wanted nothing juft 
 then to render the place a moft delicious Paradife, 
 but each of us a fair JS^v, and a fmall Cottage. 
 
 6. Upon difcovering from thence thorough the 
 Boughs of the Trees two large Ships pafs by to- 
 wards the Ifland of Eujiachia^ I could not help 
 repeating out q£ Milton ^ book iv. line 159. 
 
 ^ As ivken to them who fail 
 
 Beyond the Cape of Hope^ and now are paji 
 Mozambique^ off at Sea North-Eafi Wifids blow 
 ^abean Odours from the fpicy Shore 
 
 Of 
 
28 L E T T E R 11. 
 
 Of Arable the bleji^ with fuch delay 
 
 Well pleas d they Jlack their courfe^ and many a 
 League 
 
 Pleased with the grateful fmell old Ocean fmiles. 
 
 As none of thefe Odours can be fmelled at a di- 
 ftance, fo they only help the Poet to a quaint Si- 
 mile now and then. Maundrell in his Travels 
 from Aleppo to Jerufalem, (page 85.) does infift, 
 how the fine ftory about the Apples of Sodom^ 
 that are by iVuthors (even of good note) confix 
 dently faid to grow near to the Mare Mortuuni^ 
 is a fiftion of the felf fame nature^ Handing upon 
 record for a beautiful allufion only. However I 
 cannot help taking notice. That Milton^ book 10. 
 line «;6o. makes ufe of this very allufion, in de- 
 fcribing the Punifhment of the fallen Angels, up- 
 on Sataft\ return to Pandemojtium.^ after having 
 feduced our fir ft Parents, viz. 
 
 — — Greedily they pluck'- J 
 The Fruitage fait to fight ^ like that which grew 
 Near that bituminous Lake where Sodom flam* d-, 
 T'his more delufive^ not the touchy but tajlc 
 Deceivd', they fondly thinking to allay 
 
 ' Their Appetite with guji^ inflead of Fruit 
 Chewd bitter AfheSy which th' offended tajie 
 
 .. With [pattering Noife rejetted: 
 
 book 10. page 560. 
 
 \ 7. Wc 
 
L E T T E R 11. 2g 
 
 7. We had not refted there a quarter of an 
 hour, before we heard a mock Trumpet ftrike 
 up a little above us, affording a moft melodious 
 Sound, by help of the ecchoing Woods and Hills -, 
 which was inftantly fucceeded by a Concert of two 
 Violins, a Bafe Viol, and a Haut-boy, with good 
 Voices. To be plain, I was fo charmed with the 
 Mufick, that I almoit believed myfelf to be fud- 
 denly tranfported into enchanted Ground, and 
 afked my Friend (who as well as myfelf had fate 
 mute all the while) the meaning of it. He con- 
 ducted me about an hundred yards up higher, by 
 the fide of the fame Rivulet, where from a fmall 
 Eminence, we had at forty yards diftance the 
 view of a Garden pretty regularly planted (I 
 mean for that part of the World) with confidera- 
 ble Rows of Citron Shrubs, Lemon Shrubs, O- 
 range-trees, Lime-trees, Coco, Shaddock,. Pom- 
 granates, Cailiew-Cherrles, called at Jamaica 
 Apples, Bonanoes and Plantains -, befides. Ana- 
 nas or Pine- Apples, Tannio, India Pepper, Ocra, 
 Indian Kale, Afparagus, Lettuces, and indeed all 
 forts of European Roots and Herbs that will grow 
 in fo warm a Latitude, particularly with Carrots 
 and Turnips. Shaddock Fruit is the fliape of an 
 Orange, and taftes not unlike it, though not with 
 fo rich a Flavour ; it is of a beautiful Lemon co- 
 lour, and as big as my two Fifts. The Lime 
 Fruit is a kind of Crab or Baftard Lemon, and 
 
 grows 
 
30 LETTER ir. 
 
 grows on a Tree of the fize of a Codlin Apple- 
 Tree, being as big as a Golden Pippin but fhaped 
 like a Lemon, Pomgranates are fo common that 
 they want no Defer iption. The Cafl:iew Cherry- 
 tree refembles the EngliJJj Dwarf Apple-tree, but 
 the Leaves are of a much lighter yellowifli Green j 
 the Cherry as to ihape is conical, with the lefler 
 end towards the ftalk on which it grows ; its bulk 
 is like that of a midling Pear ; its Colour is gene- 
 rally fpeaking of a deep Yellow, and fometimes 
 of a palifli Red. At the outfide top of the Cherry 
 (which feems hollowed a Uttle by dame Nature 
 for that purpofe,) grows the Stone called at Ja-- 
 maica a Nut, quite bare, in the exad: {hape of a 
 Sheep's Kidney, and is about an inch long, con- 
 taining in it a large kernel of a fine talle; the 
 Fruit has a harih and very uncommon Flavour, 
 which I never could admire; when our JVeJl India 
 young Ladies fancy themfelves too much tanned 
 with the fcorching Rays of the Sun, they gently 
 fcrape off the thin outfide Skin of the Stone, and 
 then rub their Faces all over with the Stone j 
 their Faces do immediately fwell, grow black, 
 and the Skin being thus poifoned, will in five or 
 fix days time come entirely off the Face in large 
 Fleaks, fo that they cannot appear in publicfc 
 under a full fortnight, by which time their new 
 Skin looks as fair as the Skin of a young Child ; 
 The Shell of the Stone or Nut is porous, wherein 
 
 is 
 
LETTER II. 31 
 
 IS lodged a fharp Aromatick Oyl of a cauftick 
 quality, which if accidentally tafted of, occafions 
 an uneafy fenfation feveral hours -, and this very 
 Oyl is what takes off the Skin of the Face -, now 
 though the thing is actually fa6t, and frequently 
 enough practiced, I do not call to mind above one 
 Lady who owned that flie herfelf had tried it j fhe 
 faid, that the whole operation was painful, but 
 alas ! What will not Pride attempt ? As thefe 
 ftones are not very uncommon at London^ I won- 
 der that fome of our KngliJJo Ladies who ufe all 
 other Jezebel- Arts to fet off their brown Com- 
 plexions to the utmoft advantage, do not try 
 this Experiment. You find an account of Coco- 
 trees in paragraph 23 of this Letter. Bonano is 
 a Fruit of four or five inches long, the lize as 
 well as fliape of a midling Cucumber, of a high 
 and grateful flavour, and you will meet with an 
 account of the Tree itfelf in paragraph 1 8 of this 
 Letter. The Fruit grows in Bunches that weigh 
 a dozen pounds. Plantain is exadVly like the Bo- 
 nano in all refpe6ts, except that its Fruit has an 
 infipid tafte. I had almoft forgot to acquaint you, 
 that we there have plenty of Cabbages, that in my 
 opinion are full as good as Englijh Colly-flowers ; 
 they are not propagated by Seed like our*s, but 
 in rainy weather we flip off the Sprouts from 
 the Cabbage-ft:umps, which being fliuck into the 
 ground which is jtift then dug up for that purpofe, 
 
 d(» 
 
Z2 LETTER 11. 
 
 do immediately grow into Cabbages that have na 
 rank Smell. Ananas or Pine- Apples are fo com- 
 mon at Chelfea and other fine Gardens here in 
 'England^ that they need no defer iption, and I 
 fhall refer you to Laurence^ Miller^ Sir Ham 
 Sloan^ and other books that treat of Gardening. 
 I had like to have forgot to acquaint you, that 
 there was then a large company of Gentlemen 
 and Ladies from Ba[Je 'Terre, diverting themfelves 
 with Dancing, Singing, Cards, \3c, in the Garden, 
 and that we had the pleafure of looking at them 
 thorough the Trees for a confiderable time, with- 
 out being difcovered at all. Dr. George Baglivi 
 afferts, That as mApuglia (in Italy) the manured 
 Fields are plentifully flocked with Olives, Vines, 
 and Wheat ; fo are the unmanured ones with 
 Rofemary, Sage, Penny-royal, and Thyme, the 
 common Pafturage of the Animals of that Coun- 
 try. I fuppofe you know that Peach-trees, Myrtle, 
 &c, grow wild in Firgima and Ma7jla?id; and 
 that there are whole Fields of Parfely growing 
 wild at Bermudas. 
 
 8. But to proceed. The Evening drawing on, 
 It was time to take leave of this fweet delightful 
 Eden^ mount our Horfes, and make the beft of 
 our way for my Friend's Iloufe at Chiamie^ where 
 we fafely arrived about an hour after, coarting it 
 all along thither ; that is to fay, having the At- 
 lantick. Ocean, clofe by on our right hand, and 
 
 the 
 
LETTER II. 33 
 
 the vaft Conorrhee Hills on our left j whofe fpir- 
 ing tops then touched the Clouds, and feemed to 
 rife to that height in an almoft perpendicular 
 Line. 
 
 9. Next Morning we bufied ourfelves with an 
 agreeable Diverfion, viz. catching a good Difh of 
 Cray-fifhes out of Chianne River (or more pro- 
 perly fpeaking Brook, it being not above four or 
 five yards wide, and fhallow, but wondrous clear 
 and limpid,) which we poifoned with green To- 
 bacco pounded, and mixed with unflacked Lime. 
 A^. JS. We have no River Cray-Fifhes at Nevis^ 
 Antigua^ or Montferrat, The Poifon was fo 
 ftrong, that feveral of the Cray-fifhes adlually 
 crept out of the Water to fhun it, which I own 
 furprized me not a little ; but my Friend afHired 
 me, that it was a common thing. We afterwards 
 dined upon them (with feveral other more fub- 
 flantial Difhes) under the fLade of a fpreading 
 Tamarind-tree, enjoying with the highefl gufl 
 the cool Breezes that blew from otF the Sea, 
 which was there, fcarce a mile from us. Clofe 
 by were fome Calabafh-trees, that ferved to make 
 a fmall Grove. The Calabafh-tree is full as big 
 and as fpreading as a large Apple-tree : The Fruit 
 is pretty near the fize of a man's Head, round 
 like a Boy's Marble, and of no ufe but for Punch 
 Bowls, after the infide (which is not eatable^ is 
 carefully fcooped out, when it is almoft as thin 
 
 C and 
 
34 LETTER II. 
 
 and light as the thickeil Brown Paper : I fent 
 your Univerfity one of them along with my 
 Shells. Spoons, Bowls, and other Utenfils for 
 Slaves to eat out of are made of them, as I hear^ 
 at Barbadoeis, 
 
 10. I went the following, Day to the next 
 ParijQi on a Vifit to another Acquaintance who 
 lived about a quarter of a Mile or better from the 
 Sea Shore, on the fide of the great Mountain, 
 which juft there rofe up very gradually; and after 
 a (hort Paufe, I found that it (as well as our Nevis 
 Mountain) did in a good meafure refemble A/'///^;/s 
 Defcription of the lofty Hill which ferved as a 
 mound to Paradife^ vid. bookiv. line 131. 
 
 So on he fares y and to the border comes 
 Of Eden y where delicious Paradife 
 Now nearer y crowns with her Enclofure green 
 As with a rural mound the Champain Head 
 Of a fieep Wildernefs^ whofe hairy fdes 
 With thicket overgrown^ grotefque and wild^ 
 Accefs denfd', and over head upgrew 
 Infuperable. height of loftieji Jkade^ 
 Cedar y and Pine ^ andFirr^ and branching Palm ^ 
 A Silvan Scene ^ and as the Ranks afcend 
 Shade above Shade y a woody Theater 
 Ofjlatelieji view. Tet higher than their fops 
 The verdurous Wall of Paradife up fprung : 
 
 Which 
 
LETTER II. 35 
 
 Which to our general Sire gave profpeB large 
 Into his nether Empire neighbouring round, 
 
 1 1 . Now in order to prove this refemblance, 
 I muft acquaint you, that very early the next 
 Morning w^e mounted our Horfes, and rode up 
 to the Wood Sides, that are above a mile diftant 
 from the Sea Sands; w^here w^e alighted juft as 
 Phcebus in his bright Car fprung forth out of 
 T'hetis'^ Lap to gild the Mountain Sides with his 
 welcome Beams, being ten of us in number, viz. 
 four White Men and fix Negroes, well armed 
 with Piftols and Cutlaffes to defend us in cafe of 
 need, againll run- away Slaves. 
 
 12. Being ftripped to our Waftecoats, our Af- 
 cent thorough the thick Woods (which fwarm 
 with wild Monkies who venture down in the 
 dark Night to fteal Potatoes and other Provifions 
 with fo much cunning or craft as to give rife to 
 feveral ftrange incredible Stories about them;) our 
 Afcent I fay, from being more gradual, foon be- 
 came very fteep indeed, and I took notice that 
 the higher we travelled up, the fteeper it was ^ 
 and not only fo, for the large Trees began to 
 dwindle and grow fhorter. Some time before we 
 had paifed by the laft of thefe Trees, we entered 
 among the Clouds, which felt raw and cold, 
 not unlike to an Englijh Fog in a Winter's 
 Morning, 
 
 c 2 13. From 
 
36 L E T T E R 11. 
 
 13. From thefe Woods quite to the top (that 
 is to fay, the fpace of almoft half a milej were 
 no Trees at all, and very rarely a Bufh, the 
 Ground being fo moift and wondVous floping 
 that it would bear nothing better than wild Pines, 
 and other fuch unprofitable Plants, or Weeds : 
 By the term wild Pines, I mean a fort of Anana 
 alias Pine-Apple-Plants that never bear Fruit. 
 We were now in the thickefl: of the Clouds, and 
 the Wind blowing fomewhat freih, it took ofF 
 my Hat, which was however foon retaken by a 
 nimble and as I thought, venturefome Black Fel- 
 low. Somewhat higher up we difcovered at a 
 little diftance a Hut that undoubtedly belonged to 
 fome run-away Negroes ; there was a fmall Gut 
 or Gully between it and us, but to fpeak truth we 
 were too weary to go out of our way to vifit it. 
 We could plainly difcern a few Foot-fleps of fome 
 cloven-hoofed Beafts, and gueffed them to be 
 young Heifers that had been flolen, and drove 
 thither by the run-away Negroes 5 though by the 
 by let me tell you, I can by no means conceive 
 how Heifers could poffibly clamber up a Preci- 
 pice, where we ourfelves were very hard put to 
 it to afcend for fteepnefs, even by helping up 
 each other : In fliort, there muft be fome other 
 and much eafier way for them to clamber up, 
 though unknown to us. 
 
 14. After 
 
LETTER II. 37 
 
 14. After having refted us about two or three 
 times from the Woodfide where we quitted our 
 horfes, we at laft with fatigue enough arrived at 
 the top. Many clouds were at leall half a mile 
 beneath our feet then, and as foon as they blew 
 away, was opened to us a lovely view of the 
 lower Woods, Plantations, Houfes, and Gardens ^ 
 befides an unbounded Profped: of the Atlantick 
 Ocean, and the EngliJJj Ifland of St. Bartholomew 
 at a great diftance. The top was a fmall Plain 
 not three hundred yards wide, that befides long 
 deadifh coloured Grafs, produced nothing at all 
 but here and there a diminutive Bufh, whofe 
 Boughs we found upon trial to be wondrous 
 brittle and inclining to Rottennefs, and having its 
 Leaves of a dull and faded green -, all of which 
 was no doubt occafioned by the Inclemency of 
 Air, and Coldnefs (and of courfe Badnefs) of Soil 
 in that upper Region. Upon the other fide of 
 this top ( which we could not for a reafon given 
 in Paragraph 17. come at in our journey up that 
 fide of the Mountain) may be diftindly feen in a 
 clear day the Illands of Nevis, Montferraty Eujia^ 
 chia, and Saba, which had almoft made me con- 
 ceit myfelf feated upon that fuppofed Hill oi Ede?i 
 whereon Adafji had a vifionary view of the whole 
 Earth as defcribed book 1 1. line 385. 
 
 His eye might there command where e-vcr Jl 00 d 
 
 Cit)\ of old or inodern fame ; the Seat 
 
 C3 Of 
 
38 LETTER II. 
 
 Of mightiejl Empire y from the dejtind Walk 
 Of Camhalu^ Seat of Cathaian Cam ; 
 And Samarch and by Oxus^ T'emirs T^hrone ; 
 T'o Pequin of Sinean Kings : and thence 
 jTJ? Agra^ and Lahor^ of great Mogul-, 
 Down to the golden Cherfonefe : or where 
 T'he Perfan in Ecbatanfate 3 or f nee 
 In Hifpahan : or where the Ru/Jian-Kfar 
 In Mofcow^ or the Sultan in Biza?2ce^ 
 T^urcheftan born : nor could his eye not ken 
 T'h' Empire of Negus ^ to his iitmofi Fort 
 ErcocOy and the lefs maritim Kings ; 
 Monbaza and ^iloa^ and Melind^ 
 And Sofala (thought Ophir) to the Realm 
 Of Congo ^ and Angola ^ farthejl South : 
 Or thence from Niger Flood to Atlas Mount ^ 
 T'he Kingdoms of Almanzor^ Fez, a?id Sus^ 
 Morocco and Algiers , and l!remifen ^ 
 Or Europe thence , and where Rome was tofway 
 Tthe World : in Spirit perhaps he alfofaw 
 Rich Mexico, the Seat ofMontezume, 
 And Cufco in Feru, the richer Seat 
 Of Atabalipa\ and yet unfpoiV d 
 Guiajta, whofe great City Geryon's Sons 
 Call Er Dorado. 
 I do not fuppofe there was any Sea Profped; from 
 that lofty Hill of Eden whereon Adam had a vifio- 
 nary view, Gfc. fo that I fpeak in relation to height 
 and diflance only : Though upon recoUedion, 
 I think he might, 
 
LETTER IL 39 
 
 1 5. This Plain ended at the Verge of a vaft 
 and deep Cavity, which I fhall now delcribe in 
 the eafielt and beft method my parts and memory 
 will allow of. This Cavity feems by the eye 
 about a Mile in circumference, is exadly round, 
 and the infide as fteep as could be defcended into, 
 and that not without the help of the Shrubs and 
 Bufhes growing in it, and but in two places only. 
 I looked down into it with Horrour, obferving 
 large and continual Clouds of Steam to arife up 
 from the hot Veins of Sulphur, Brimflone, &c^ 
 with which the bottom of it every where abound- 
 ed. The infide of this prodigious Cavity ( for at 
 leaft half way downwards ) was folid rock over- 
 run with very fhort blackifli Mofs 5 and the Rim 
 at Top, except in that part of it which joyned to 
 and indeed made part of the plain, was not above 
 twenty, or perhaps in one or two places fcarce 
 ten yards wide. 
 
 16. A furlong or better off on our left hand 
 towards the South Eaft upon this Rim, is a large 
 rocky Mount called Mount Mifery from a rafli 
 fool-hardy Perfon, who in attempting to get up 
 fo fteep a Precipice fell backwards, and met with 
 Phaeton's^ deftiny of courfe. It is the higheft 
 point of Land on St. Chrijhpher^^ and by the in- 
 habitants is computed to meafure from the Sea 
 fide a perpendicular mile and a half : however, 
 I cannot think it fo high by a full quarter of a 
 
 c 4 mile. 
 
LETTER He 
 
 mile. This huge Mountain is in the midft of a 
 long chain of iefler and lower ones that run in the 
 middle of the Ifland from the moft Wefterly part 
 of it almofl as far as the Salt-pond Hills, juft as 
 the backbone in a Fiih reaches from the tail to 
 the Head. 
 
 17. But to proceed : we travelled upon this 
 narrow Rim, with a frightful Precipice on each 
 fide of us, for the Ipace of three hundred yards 
 (as near as I can recoiled: at this diftance of time) 
 South Weft, till we came to a very large fingle 
 Rock, that took up the entire Breadth of the Rim, 
 and of courfe obftrudted our farther paiTage there- 
 on. It was as equilateral, and almoft as fmooth 
 a triangular Pyramid, as if it had been cut out 
 by the Chizel of a fkilful Workman > and from 
 Angle to Angle, I believe it might meafure at 
 leaft {even or eight yards : it was fomewhat 
 blunted, or rather broken off at top, and about 
 one third part downwards from the top, it was 
 feemingly cracked quite thorough iideways : The 
 Rock was of a reddifh colour, refembling the red 
 part of Oriental Granite, and like Granite too fo 
 cxtreamly hard, that the Steel point of a fharp 
 Cutlafs would ( by help of the ftrongeft Arm ) 
 fcarce make a vifible impreffion on it. To be 
 rightly underftood, I muft inform you. That 
 Mount Mifery taking up ( on the Eaftern Side ) 
 the whole breadth of the Rim adjoyning to its 
 
 foot 
 
LETTER II. 41 
 
 foot, and that this triangular Pyramid doing the 
 fame on the Weftern Side, we could walk but 
 half way round it on the North Side which we 
 went up on, and confequently that ( befides the 
 lower Woods, Plantations, Houfes and Gardens) 
 we could from thence fee nothing but the Atlan- 
 tick Ocean and the Ifland of St. Bartholomew : 
 whereas, if a man goes up on the South Side of 
 this Mountain, in a bright and clear Day, he has 
 a diflindl view of the Illands of Nevis ^ Mcntferraf^ 
 Eujiachia and Saba that are two Dutch Settle- 
 ments, befides the lower Woods, Plantations, 
 Houfes and Gardens in that Quarter of the Ifland, 
 becaufe he may walk in a Semicircle from Mount 
 Mifery quite to the triangular Pyramid on his fide 
 of the Top, as we did on ours. 
 
 18. At the Bafe Angle adjoyning to the vafl: 
 Cavity grew a large and thick fpreading bufh, 
 through which we ventured to defcend one after 
 another, laying all along upon our Bellies, and to 
 carefully Aiding down fourteen or fifteen yards 
 lower ftill by the help of fome wild China Roots 
 which we clung faft to, till we got fafe to more 
 Bulhes, that lafl:ed for twenty or thirty yards 
 farther : By which time, we found ourfelves 
 fecurely landed in a Wood of wild Bonanoes, 
 that opportunely to our thirft, were ready to 
 gratify our Palate with moft clear and excellent 
 Water, which ran out from them, upon fl:icking 
 
 in 
 
42 LETTER IL 
 
 in a Penknife juft where the Leaves ( that are 
 about two yards long and a full foot broad in 
 the middle ) do joyn to the top of the Body of 
 the Tree, 'and fo make a fmall hollow between 
 them, as it were on purpofe to receive the BleiT- 
 ings of Heaven, viz. the Rain and the Dew. 
 Thefe wild Bonanoes bear neither Boughs nor 
 fruit, and have this remarkable Angularity attend- 
 ing them, viz. That they are Annuals, dying 
 quite to the Ground every Autumn, and {hooting 
 up again from the Roots in the Spring, till 
 they are bigger than a man's Thigh. The bearing 
 fort are Annuals too, as well as without boughs ^ 
 an account of their Fruit you have in Paragraph 
 7 of this Letter. And as for the Trees them- 
 felves, you may fee fome of them, as alfo fome 
 Sugar Canes, growing in Dr. Walkers Garden 
 at your College, in the Phyfick Garden at Chelfea, 
 and in that of Oxford. The Body of them both 
 is fo ftrangely porous that we do not give it the 
 name of Wood -, nor indeed does it merit the 
 Name, for a Man with a good fharp Hatchet, 
 may cut it eafily thorough at a fingle ftroak ; 
 it is ufually between two and three yards long^ 
 and grows at a diftance from the Sea-fide. 
 
 19. This Wood (befides many other kinds 
 that are peculiar to fo warm a Latitude) was 
 plentifully flocked with Mountain Cabbage-trees, 
 which as moft Authors do odly mifreprefent, 
 
 I 
 
L E T T E R IL 43 
 
 I fhall now defcrlbe as they really are. They are 
 called Mountain Cabbages at Nevis, becaufe they 
 always are found pretty high in our Mountain 
 there ; and if any of them did formerly grow in 
 our lower Grounds, they are now entirely de- 
 stroyed . JVoods Rogers, page 131. tells us, that at 
 Juan Fernandez (an Ifland in the South Sea, in 
 Latitude 34. 10. South ) The Cabbage - trees 
 abound about three miles in the Woods, and the 
 Cabbage is very good ; moft of them are on the 
 tops of the neareft and loweft Mountains. 
 
 20. People here in England run away with 
 the following notions, viz -, That they grow to 
 fixty feet in height ; That they bear a Cabbage 
 exactly refembling our's in Colour, Shape and 
 Tafte, though vaftly exceeding them in bulk as 
 being larger than a JVi?2cheJier Bufliel ; and that 
 their Bodies ferve for Pofts in our Sugar-Mills. 
 One of my Parilhioners in the Weji Indies affured 
 me, that in the SpaniJJj Ifland of Porto Rico 
 (whither he and fome more Rafkals went, in 
 order to plunder a Church and Convent during 
 Queen Ami^ Wars with France and Spain, but 
 were well beaten, and moft of them who ven- 
 tured to land killed) he faw them fixty foot high 
 at leaft : However he owned them to be the felf 
 fame in all other refped:s with thofe growing at 
 Nevis and Saint Chrijlopher^, and added that the 
 Soil there was infinitely preferable to our's, which 
 
 be- 
 
44 LETTER IL 
 
 beyond queftion occafioned the difference in their 
 height. As for my part, I faw none that ex- 
 ceeded thirty feet in height ^ However, they 
 grow to fixty in Jamaica^ as well as at Porto Rico. 
 21. It is I think, very improperly termed by 
 us Cabbage -, it being about three Feet in length, 
 no thicker than my wrift, of a palifli green 
 colour, a little piked jujft at the end, and grows 
 out of the top of the body of the Tree among 
 the Boughs. It is cut in two in the middle, and 
 fix of the pieces being tyed together refemble a 
 fhort green Faggot, and it is fold in our Market, 
 which by unavoidable neceffity is kept every Sun- 
 day Morning, from Sunrifing till nine a clock. 
 The hard outfide of this Stick (as I would term 
 it) is taken off ^ and then the fofter infide or Pith, 
 which may be above an inch in Diameter, is 
 boy led, and fo ferves infiead of Turnips (or if you 
 pleafe to call it fo. Cabbage) to boyled Mutton, 
 Pork &c. It is of a whitifh Colour, and taftes 
 Ibniething like the bottom of an Artichoke, 
 though with a much finer Flavour. 
 
 22. I do not deny their Bodies to be almofl 
 thick enough for Mill-Pofls ; but I infift, that 
 the Wood is far too porous : and befides, the 
 Gentlemen of Nevis and Saint Cbrijiophers would 
 never have purchafed at a dear rate ( to ferve as 
 Pofls to their Houfes and Sugar-Mills) Iron Wood 
 and Lignum Vitae, which were brought from far 
 
 di« 
 
LETTER II. 45 
 
 diftant Iflands ( viz. DefeaJa, St. Bartholomew^ 
 Santa Cruz &c. ) for that purpofe, provided Cab- 
 bage-trees, which they might have had for cut- 
 ting up and carrying a few miles home, would 
 have done for fuch an ufe. To be fmcere and 
 plain, I take Cabbage-trees to be wild Coco's 
 which do not bear Nuts, for they exa6tly refem- 
 ble them in all other refpedts : Salmofi in his 
 Eaftern Hiftory fays the fame. 
 
 23. The very higheft of the Coco's which do 
 bear Nuts that I ever faw, might ( both in Body 
 and the Boughs that always fprout upwards and 
 fpreading from the top of the Body ) amount to 
 forty Feet in height, that is to fay, the Body to 
 thirty, and the Boughs to ten. The Body is the 
 exadl Ihape of an Apothecary's large Iron Peftle, 
 viz. of an equal thicknefs at top and bottom, but 
 fomewhat fmaller in the middle -, its colour is of 
 a pale Brown, and the Bark fmooth. The Boughs 
 are of a mod lively Yellow, ftrait, and tapering 
 like an Angle Rod} having two rows of green 
 leaves that are very narrow though a foot long 
 apiece, ( except for a little way towards the fmal- 
 ler end ) and clofe fet together the whole length 
 of the Boughs. The Nuts hang at the top of the 
 Body in about a dozen in a Clufter, and may I 
 believe weigh fifteen pounds, or better -, The 
 ftringy fubftance which holds them being wond- 
 rous tough, and thicker than my middle Finger, 
 
 One 
 
46 LETTER II. 
 
 One lingularity of this Tree is, that it is full as 
 big when it firfl arifes out of the Earth, as when 
 it is thirty years old : I have feen them thicker 
 than my Body, when they were but three foot 
 high ; and you will eafily fuppofe, that the Boughs 
 are then proportionally fhort, and of courfe muft 
 naturally lengthen, juft as the Tree advances in 
 age; N.B, common Afparagus fhoots out of the 
 ground in the felf fame manner, their Roots are 
 but tough Fibres refembling the Roots of our 
 EnglifliMulbery-trees. Their Boughs are fecured 
 together at bottom by brown ftringy Threads, 
 (about the fize of ordinary Packthread) that grov^ 
 out of them -, and indeed for about a foot fpace 
 from the top of the Body of the Tree upwards, 
 thefe ftringy Threads are fo interwove, that they 
 lay full as regularly up and down, and crofs each 
 other, as any coarfe Linnen Cloth poffibly can. 
 You have doubtlefs feen many of the Shells of 
 thefe Nuts, tipped with Silver, for drinking out 
 of. The common Pidure of the Tree is very 
 like it ; And if I do not greatly miftake, there 
 was one of them in 1728. growing at Chelfea 
 Garden, in the Hot-houfe cAXtA Barbadoes, 
 
 24. Cocoa-tree is the Chocolate Nut-tree, 
 and in my time was fcarce enough in our 'Englijh 
 Iflands, but grew in whole Groves on the Spanijh 
 Main land, efpecially on the Coait of Carraccas, 
 as alfo upon the Ifland of Porto Rico, It nearly 
 
 re- 
 
LETTER II. 47 
 
 refembles our Englijh dwarf Apple-tree, both in 
 Body and Boughs -, but the Leaf which is of a 
 deep Green, is confiderably larger and longer 
 than our Apple-tree Leaves. The Nuts, which 
 are the colour (and about the bulk) of an Almond 
 Kernel, do hang fifteen or fixteen together, by a 
 fmall ftringy film inclofed in a Pod, that is the 
 fize and fhape of a large Cucumber, and is peeked 
 at the upper end. This Pod when thoroughly 
 ripe is of a beautiful yellow Colour, and ftreaked 
 in feveral places with blood-red long Spots : when 
 dried, it flirivels up, and turns to a deep brown 
 colour ; I think I gave one of them to Dr. JVood- 
 ward's CoUedlion, along with my Shells. Dr. Bar- 
 clay ( in his Univerfal T'raveller ) tells us that the 
 Bloflbms of this Fruit are yellow ; but I do not 
 remember, that I ever faw the tree in bloom ; 
 and indeed the tree is fo fcarce, that I believe we 
 had not above a fcore of them growing at Nevis, 
 
 25. But let us proceed on our Journey. We 
 kept on in a very fteep defcent down thorough 
 this Wood of Cabbage-trees &c^ quite to the bot- 
 tom of the aforementioned huge Cavity, which 
 led us into an uneven fpot of ground, confifting 
 of thirty Acres and upwards. At our entrance 
 ( clofe by on our right hand ) was an exceeding 
 large Rock that weighed many tuns, jetting out 
 of the fide of the Hill ; and at the bottom part 
 of this Rock, were three or four round holes in 
 
 the 
 
48 L E T T E R 11. 
 
 the Earth, full as wide as my Hat crov/n, out 
 of which ifTued faft very hot Steams (like the 
 Smoak out of Chimnies,) that tinged the holes 
 all about their Edges with feemingly very fair 
 Brimftone : And to fpeak our thoughts inge- 
 nuoufly, we did not care to come nearer them 
 than fix or feven yards, leaft the ground fhould 
 prove fo hollow, as to fink in and bury us before 
 we were dead. 
 
 26. Our firft entrance upon this uneven fpot, 
 was by crofling a little plain which was fo ful- 
 phureous that it would bear nothing but deadifh 
 coloured long Grafs or rather Weeds, with a few 
 fliort, and brittle, or rottenifh Bufhes : At laft 
 we arrived at what is vulgarly called the Devil's 
 Coppers on a hill fide ; there were two or three 
 of them, two yards afunder from each other in 
 an almoft dired line, and they were each three 
 foot in diameter 5 we had no convenience for 
 plumming them ; however they feemed not to 
 be very deep, and had but a fmall fl:ream running 
 from them, which loofes itfelf among the long 
 Grafs : the Water in them was of a mud colour, 
 and rofe to within a foot of the furface of the 
 ground, boiling fiercer than ever I faw a Sugar 
 Copper, and fending up very ftrong Clouds of 
 Steam into the Air ^ no kind of Grafs would 
 grow within twelve yards of them, the SoH 
 being wholly Sulphur, and fo exceflive hot, that 
 
 we 
 
L E T T E R II. 49 
 
 we immediately perceived it to be warm, tho- 
 rough thick Shoes that we had bought on purpofe 
 for this expedition. A Negro-man was ftrangely 
 frighted, and altered his black colour to yellow- 
 ifh at firft fight of them ^ we could not difluade 
 him from believing that Jumbee (that is to fay 
 the Devil) had his refidence underneath them. 
 We ftood above two yards off from them. 
 
 27. Some of our company went confiderably 
 farther up the Hill, where they difcovered no- 
 thing new, but only found a continuation of this 
 fulphurous Earth, with large quantities here and 
 there of pure Brimflone, fome of which they 
 brought away, not only as a fpecimen to (how 
 their Neighbours (very few of whom were at 
 fo much pains to undergo for Curiofity's fake 
 this fatiguing Journey,) but hkewife for real ufe. 
 The reft of us defcended back to the Plain, oa 
 the fouth fide whereof was a Pond about forty 
 yards over, and knee deep, that had no Springs, 
 but is plentifully fupplied by the Rains, which 
 in that warm Latitude fall fo heavily that no 
 body ftirs out of doors in them, unlefs compelled 
 to it by unavoidable neceflity. As I was dirty all 
 over from head to foot by fcramblingupanddown 
 fo many Precipices, I walked into and fate down 
 in it, on purpofe to wa(h myfelf clean, which I 
 foon did : Upon cutting up a piece of Clay from 
 the bottom that confifted entirely of it, I found 
 
 D it 
 
50 LETTER II. 
 
 it to my great furprize as beautifully veined as 
 the fineft hard Caftile Soap ; and indeed I fhould 
 not be found guilty of an Hyperbole, in affert- 
 ing it to look as fair as the niceft polilhed blue 
 veined Marble. 
 
 28. Near to this Pond grew a convenient bed 
 of common Rufhes, upon which we fpread our 
 Table-cloth, and then fitting down around it 
 each Gentleman on his Cloak crofs-legged, (that 
 is to fay Turkifh or Taylor failiion,) we made 
 a hearty Dinner upon a quarter of cold roafted 
 Lamb with a good Sallad, wilhing a health to 
 all our Friends round this great Mountain in a 
 glafs of rich Madeira Wine : And after dinner we 
 fate two hours at leaft to refrefli Nature which 
 was a little fatigued, making what Obfervations 
 we could upon fo lonefome, and if I may be in- 
 dulged in the term, beauteoufly difmal fitu- 
 ation. 
 
 29. At firft the Sky was perfeftly clear and 
 ferene, and we perceived feveral Mountain Kites 
 (not unlike the Englifli ones as near as we could 
 guefs, at fifty or fixty yards diflance) hovering 
 over our heads ; but in a quarter of an hour or 
 lefs, the Clouds fell down the vaft cavity apace 
 almoil clofe to us, rendering the Air on a fudden 
 raw and cold : After a hafty and heavy fhower 
 of rain that once more wafhed me clean , they 
 mounted up again out of the top or rim of the 
 
 Cavity, 
 
LETTER II. 51 
 
 Cavity, and fo vaniflied till the Sky was as clear 
 as before. I faw very few fmall Birds there (not 
 above twenty I believe,) and none of the Engliih 
 kind. N. B. That at Nevis and St. Chrijiophers^ 
 we have a few Birds called Mountain-Thrufhes, 
 that are wondrous fat, and refemble the Englifh 
 ones; and at the Sun's declenfion towards the 
 Tropick of Capricorn from the Equator, we are 
 vifited by a few Swallows. Our other Birds are 
 a fmall kind of Screech Ov/ls, Noddies, Spoon- 
 Bills, Pelicans, Boobies, common Pidgeons, two 
 or three forts of wild Pidgeons, Ground-Doves a 
 beautiful fort of bird, and Humming-Birds : In 
 the duik of the Evening we have fome Batts fly- 
 ing about ; but it was never my fortune to knock 
 down one, though I employed a fharp-fighted 
 and nimble Negro feve^al times for that purpofe. 
 We every quarter of a minute heard an odd tho* 
 regular and periodical noife (which founded ex- 
 actly like the creaking of a Sugar-mill, or Cart 
 when it wants greaiing) from two or three diffe- 
 rent places that were not very far from us, tho' 
 we could not poffibly find out the caufe of it ; and 
 I took notice that we could not hear this noife 
 near fo diftindtly at the bottom where we dined 
 as we did about forty or fifty yards before we 
 came down to it, though it feemed to proceed 
 wholly from the bottom. We beheld continual 
 Clouds of Steam arifing out of the Veins of Sul- 
 
 D 2 phur. 
 
5 2 LETTER II. 
 
 phur, Brimftone, and hot breathing holes, upon 
 which (as I faid before) I looked down with hor- 
 rour from the Rim or Verge at the top of this Ca- 
 vity. Many of the Rocks on all fides round us 
 were of fuch ftrange uncouth fhapes, as would I 
 am apt to think, have puzzled an expert Geometri- 
 cian to delineate: And beneath thefe monftrous 
 Rocks, were thick Woods quite down to the 
 aforementioned uneven Plain. In fhort^ a Man 
 who would make farther Difcoveries, and give 
 a more accurate defcription of this Place, fliould 
 carry along with him a Tent to fleep in, and fo 
 fpend two or three days there. What alas! fig- 
 nifies a two hours vifit to fuch a Place ? 
 
 30. This Cavity from top to bottom (upon a fe- 
 rious review of it after dinner) could not exceed 
 three hundred yards in perpendicular depth in my 
 own opinion, though the reft of my Companions 
 contended ftrenuoully for more -, and indeed it was 
 meerly to comply with them that I allowed fo 
 much, for it certainly could not pofTibly exceed 
 two hundred and twenty yards : It chagrines me 
 to think that a Traveller muft either forego Truth 
 in fome cafes, or elfe differ with his Company. 
 However, upon maturely weighing the whole 
 ftate of this Mountain, we unanimouily agreed^ 
 that it muft be on fire underneath us, and that 
 this Cavity where we then fate was formerly 
 (perhaps ages ago) occafioned by fome furious 
 
 and 
 
L E T T E R II. 53 
 
 and dreadful Eruption, when it might be a Vul- 
 cano for a while, like Mtna^ Vefuviiis^ or Strom- 
 bolo. Before thefe Illands were inhabited by Eu^ 
 ropeans^ the Charibees their ancient Natives were 
 entire ftrangers to all forts of Literature, and of 
 courfe muft want Annals to tranfmit down to 
 Pofterity fo memorable an Occurrence. And here, 
 a difficult Quaery does naturally arife, viz. What 
 Right had we to difpoifefs the honeil: Charibees 
 of it, who are now almoft extindl in race, and con- 
 fined to the forry Ifland of Domirtico ; nay, I late- 
 ly heard from a Surgeon aboard a Ship of Sir 
 Chaloner OgW% Squadron who touched there. That 
 the French have lately made a Settlement at Do- 
 minico \ fo that I fuppofe the poor Remains of 
 the Charibees^ muft foon pack up their alls, and 
 be gone to fome one of the uninhabited Iflands. 
 To deal plainly with you, I do not remember 
 any Chriftian rule that does in the loweft degree 
 countenance fuch cruel acSs, nor did I ever yet 
 meet with a Cafuift, who durfl: take up the Cud- 
 gels to defend them; and our Anceftors who dif- 
 poffeffed them are not juftifiable : Nay, to per- 
 petrate fuch Actions under the fpecious title or 
 pretence of civilizing them, does in my mind 
 valUy enhaunce the horrid Crime. But enough 
 upon that Topick for the prefent, becaufe I de- 
 fign to make it the bufinefs of my next Letter to 
 demoiiflrate, that we of this Century do tread in 
 
 D 3 the 
 
54 LETTER 11. 
 
 the Foot-fteps of our Anceftors who difpoffelTed 
 the honeft Charibees, 
 
 31. We returned back again the fame way, 
 and after a long day's fatigue, reached my Friend's 
 Houfe juft as it grew dufkilli 5 where I flayed 
 three or four days, and then travelled home to 
 Nevis^ where I fafely arrived without any thing 
 extraordinary happening to me. Father Ovalle 
 fays, that on the top of the Cordillera or Moun- 
 tains of Andes ^ they cannot fee the Country be- 
 low for Clouds, though the Sky over their heads 
 is clear and bright, and the Sun fhines with admi- 
 rable beauty. It was the fame cafe with us on the 
 top now at our return from the Cavity, for about 
 the fpace of four or five minutes ; and had our 
 Mountain been as high as the Cordillera^ it might 
 have continued fo for as many Days, or perhaps 
 Weeks together. Not but that the Clouds blow 
 quite over the fummits of the highefl Mountains, 
 fuch as the Cordillera^ Alps^ Pyretiees^ ApemtineSy 
 &c. Woods Rogers^ page 21, infifls, That they 
 faw the Fico 'feneriff plain but once whilfl they 
 continued at the Port of Oratava^ it being gene- 
 rally clouded ; you may (adds he) often fee the 
 top above the Clouds, when the reft is all cover- 
 ed with them. 
 
 32. N,B. In my Parifh of St, John in the 
 I (land of Nevis, there is a confiderable fpot of 
 fulphurous ground on the fouth fide, at the up- 
 per 
 
LETTER II. 55 
 
 per end of a deep rupture in the earth vulgarly- 
 called Sulphur Gut, which is fo exceffive hot 
 (like that near the Devil's Coppers in St. Chrijio- 
 pher^) as to make us immediately feel it thorough 
 our Shoe Soals. And I muft farther aiTure you, 
 That two Do6lors (my particular acquaintance) 
 were fo curious as to bury fome Eggs about an 
 inch deep in that fpot for the fpace of three or four 
 minutes, in which fmall time they were full as 
 hard quite thorough, as boyling or roafting could 
 make them. 
 
 33. At the foot of a declivity adjoining to the 
 fouth fide of Charles Town our Metropolis, we 
 have a little hot River called the Bath (fuppofed 
 to flow from the aforementioned Sulphur-ground, 
 which is not above three quarters of a mile high- 
 er up in the Country) that runs half a mile or 
 better before it loofes itfelf in the Sea-fands, I 
 knew a Negro Boy who was fent down from 
 Barbadoes to Nevis for that very purpofe (after 
 being twice falivated in vain) cured of a very bad 
 Leprofy by ufing it ; and indeed all dillempered 
 People both Whites and Blacks find great benefit 
 by it : The Salivations had caufed the Boy to 
 break out in running Sores or Ulcers all over from 
 head to foot, and they being added to the Leprofy, 
 made him a fad (rueful) fpedtacle; however, by- 
 drinking and wafhing three or four times a day, 
 for an hour at leaft each time, in the water of this 
 
 o 4 River, 
 
56 LETTER IT. 
 
 River, he went back to his Mafter found and clean 
 at two months end. This is a confirmation of what 
 Sir Hans Sloan fays, in page 45, of his Voyage to 
 "Jamaica^ viz. The Bath is here taken notice of by 
 fome Travellers, as Harcourt and Smith. The 
 firft fays it cures the Leprofy, and is good in 
 Coughs, it curing the Author, who drank and 
 bathed. It alfo remedies burning with Gunpow- 
 der, and fwelled Legs, Harcourt^ Purchas^ 44, 
 The fecond tells us. That it cured Men in two 
 or three days, who were tormented with a burn- 
 ing fwelling, as fcalding from the Dew of Trees, 
 Smith's Obf. pag. 57. I guefs, that Smith means 
 here Manchineal Trees, under whofe fhade fome 
 of his Men had inconfiderately lain down for re- 
 pofe, or flood to efcape a fhower of Rain, or per- 
 haps cut down Wood for firing. 
 
 34. I myfelf bathed in it once a fortnight, and 
 own that it contributed not a little to my Health 
 and Vivacity. I ufually went in at nine a Clock 
 at night -, and obferved, That in two minutes 
 time the fweat was ready to blind me, and that 
 in about three minutes more I was obliged to quit 
 it through faintnefs of fpirit. Upon flepping out 
 of it unto the green bank, the wind blew fb ex- 
 ceeding cold that I fhould almoft have fancied my- 
 felf inflantaneoufly tranfported to Nova Zembla^ 
 or Greenland'^ that is to fay, we have a perpetual 
 breeze of the Trade- wind that runs from Eaft to 
 
 Weft, 
 
LETTER II. 57 
 
 Weft, which refrefhes us in the Day, but is cool 
 enough in the Night, and of courfe mull prove in- 
 tenfely cold when we juft come out of fo hot a 
 Bath. I do not mean that it blows diredly from 
 the Eaft Point j for it varies from North- Eaft to 
 South-Eaft, according to the place and pofition of 
 the Sun, and in OBober it generally blows diredlly 
 from the North ; we have no Land and Sea Breezes, 
 as is ufual at "Jamaica, However, half a pint of 
 ftrong Madeira Wine enabled me to cloath, put on 
 my Riding Coat, and go brifkly home ; the next 
 Morning I was almoft as nimble as c Mounte- 
 bank's Tumbler. When I lived at Charles Town, 
 which I did for the laft nine Months of my ftay in 
 that Country, it was my cuftom to walk to this 
 River every Morning at Sun-rifing, to drink a pint 
 of its water, which I found operated both by Stoo^ 
 and Urine. Some of my Acquaintance would 
 drink of it till they puked , and fay they found 
 great benefit by fo doing ; but as I have an aver- 
 lion to puking, I never cared to ufe it in that 
 way. 
 
 35. Towards the Sea-fide is a particular ipot of 
 ground in this River, where a Man may fet one 
 foot upon a Spring fo wondrous cold that it is ready 
 to peirce him to the very heart, and at the fame 
 moment fix his other foot upon another Spring fo 
 furprifingly hot, that it will quickly force him to 
 take it off again: But the Water there being full 
 
 my 
 
58 LETTER IL 
 
 my Chin deep, and I no fwimmer, I durll not ven- 
 ture fo far in, as to feel the Springs by way of 
 Experiment -, however feveral of my Friends, 
 whofe Veracity might be depended on, aflured 
 me of its truth. 
 
 36. At another place about two miles and a 
 half to the Southward of Charles Town, is a ve- 
 ry iharp point of Land that jets out a confidera- 
 ble way into the Sea, leaving a fmall fandy Bay 
 on each hand ; upon the rocky extremity where- 
 of I flood, whilft a tall Negro Man flipped down 
 off it into the Water, which was rather above his 
 Chin deep there -, he then ftooped down, and 
 took up fome Sand that was very warm when he 
 gave it into my hand, affirming the Spring at the 
 bottom of the Sea under him, to be fo wondrous 
 hot, that he could fcarce venture to fet his foot 
 upon it : And give me leave to acquaint you. that 
 the Negro's Feet are grown fo callous by con- 
 ftantly travelling over hard Rocks, that they can 
 have little feeling in them ; in fhort, that Spring 
 muft be hot indeed. 
 
 37. A new hot Spring was in 171 8, difcover- 
 ed in Windward Parifh, upon clearing of a Wood 
 in order to plant the ground with Sugar-Canes, 
 juft above Camp-ground -, but I was never at the 
 trouble of paying it a vifit, hearing that it was 
 nothing extraordinary. It was no doubt always 
 before known to the Negroes who frequented 
 
 thofe 
 
LETTER 11. 59 
 
 thofe Woods. Black-Rock Pond is about a quar- 
 ter of a mile diftant Northwards from Charles 
 Town ; the Water whereof is milk warm, occa- 
 iioned no doubt, by a mixture of thefe hot with 
 cold Springs, and yet it yields excellent Fiflies 
 in their kind, ^viz, Silver-Fiflies, Slimguts, and 
 the beft Eeles in the world perhaps : Silver-Fifli 
 has a bright deep body of about eight inches long, 
 which taftes like an EngliOi Whiting: Slimgut 
 has a large Head, in too great a fize to its Body, 
 which may be from ten to two-and- twenty inches 
 long ; it eats like our Gudgeons, and is not un- 
 like them in colour : Their Eeles have no rank 
 tafte at all, which makes them fo much admired. 
 For a farther account of this Pond, fee paragraph 
 9, 10, II, and 12, of my firft Letter. 
 
 38. We are diflurbed not a little by frequent 
 Earthquakes, which we look upon to be caufed 
 by thefe Veins of Sulphur, Brimftone, (^c, that 
 being over-heated, either blow up on a fudden like 
 a Granade or Bomb-Shell, at lead fhake the ground 
 till it gets vent out into the open Air, or elfe burn 
 gradually away, leaving the ground about them 
 fo hollow till it at laft drops in : The former of 
 which cafes was (in my opinion) the fate of the 
 great Mountain at St. ChriJIophers, when the pro- 
 digious Cavity was made ; for it feems to have 
 undergone fome fuch terrible Convulfion. Earth- 
 quakes are obferved there to be moil frequent in 
 
 hot 
 
6o L E T T E R II. 
 
 hot and dry years; and when I Hved at our 
 Mountain Plantation pretty near the Woods fide, 
 I obferved that the moment we felt an Earth- 
 quake, or rather in the preceeding moment, was 
 an odd kind of foft ruftling noife, which I attri- 
 buted to the fudden motion caufed thereby a- 
 mong the leaves of the Trees and Shrubs grow- 
 ing juft up above us, and which could never be 
 heard in our Bath Plain Plantation, as not being 
 loud enough for that end. 
 
 39. And indeed the felf-fame thing happened 
 when I was in the Wejl Indies, For in the year 
 1 7 1 8 (or thereabout) one Mr. Boyd a Merchant 
 going from Saint Chrijlophers in a Sloop towards 
 Barbadoes^ and being out of fight of all Land, on 
 a fuddain, in the forenoon (if I miilake not) the 
 Sky gi*ew fo dark, and fuch a horrible Noife (far 
 furpaffing the loudeft Thunder) was the fame 
 moment heard, infomuch that they all believed 
 the final DifiTolution of Nature's Frame to be juft 
 then commencing -, there falling likewife inftan- 
 taneoufly fo thick a Shower of Aflies, that the 
 Sloop's Deck was covered two or three inches 
 deep with them. They in fright enough turned 
 back homewards ; and Mr. Boyd iliewed me fome 
 of the Aflies, which exactly refembled Hobnans 
 Ink Powder. It was foon after found out, That 
 a large Mountain in the Ifland of Saint Vincent 
 (that in my time was wholly inhabited by Ne^ 
 
 grocs 
 
L E T T E R II. 6i 
 
 groes who efcaped out of a Guinea Ship that was 
 caft away unfortunately there many years ago) 
 abounding in Veins of Sulphur and Brimftone 
 blew up at once, viz. Woods, Rocks, &c, all to- 
 gether, which muft be allowed to caufe a moft 
 dreadful Explofion, As I was always curious in 
 things of a rare nature, I took notice that very 
 day (as I was riding in Gingerland Parifli,) That 
 I heard fix or feven dull bounces of noife refemb- 
 ling thofe of Cannon at a great diflance pretty 
 quickly following each other at the exad: time 
 of this Explofion : as the Sky was quite clear in 
 the eye of the Wind, and as none of my ac- 
 quaintance there took the fame notice of the 
 thing, I durfl: not venture to infift much upon 
 hearing thofe dull bounces till I had feen Mr. 
 Boyd, I fuppofe the Weather to be fomewhat 
 thick and hazy, which might be the true reafon 
 why Mr. Boyd and the Sloop's Crew did not fee 
 Land ; for they muft certainly be nearer to Saint 
 Vincenf% than they reckoned themfelves to be. A 
 Narrative of this uncommon affair (with more 
 circumftances attending it) was fhortly after tranf- 
 mitted home to England and printed, perhaps a- 
 mong the Philojbphical I'ranja^fions, 
 
 40. During my ftay at Nevis (where I re- 
 ceived the higheft ads of Generofity and Friend- 
 fliip from every body) which was upwards of five 
 years, I felt feveral (at leaft a dozen) Earthquakes, 
 
 but 
 
62 LETTER II. 
 
 but none of* them did us any farther harm, than 
 frighting us, and cracking the Walls of a few 
 Boiling-houfes and Cifterns. The longeft and 
 iierceft of them happened about one a clock in 
 the morning fometime in the year of our Lord 
 17 17. It bounced me up in bed, and of courfe 
 v/akened me, lliook the whole houfe (which was 
 built all of Wood except the underpinning) fo as 
 to make it crack loudly, and lafted about two 
 minutes and a half, as was judged by every one 
 in the Illand. In fliort 3 our Fear then was inex- 
 preiiible ; and perhaps that very Paffion of Fear 
 might caufe the minutes to feem lono;er than 
 they really were : Surely it could not have af- 
 fected me more, to have marched Soldier-like up 
 to the mouth of an Enemy's Cannon ; and yet 
 (which I own is not to be accounted for) the ve- 
 ry moment it flopped, we were no more con- 
 cerned than if it had never happened at all. 
 
 41. One Mrs.^u^kers of Nevis was a Native of 
 Port Royal in Jamaica, and lived there in the 
 year of our Lord 1692, when the great Earth- 
 quake made fuch a difmal havock and deftrudli- 
 on, as will hardly ever be forgotten by the Inha- 
 bitants of that Ifland. She told me,That the earth 
 opened wide, fwallowed her with many others^ 
 and then immediately clofed up again -, fhe laid, flie 
 was in a ftate of infenlibility during her fhort flay 
 there. It could not exceed the tenth part of a 
 
 mi- 
 
L E T T E R II. 63 
 
 minute, before it opened once more to vomit 
 fome of them up again. I afked her what might 
 be her thoughts of the matter juft the moment 
 before the Earth fwallowed her down ; and fhe 
 anfwered, that imagining herfelf upon the brink 
 of a boundlefs Eternity, (he put up a fliort ejacu- 
 lation to Almighty God, begging him to pardon 
 her Sins, and to receive her Soul. The Hiatus fhe 
 fell into was all Water, fo that being very wet 
 jfhe received no other harm, excepting in one of 
 her Cheeks, which grated a little againft fome- 
 thing that did but juft draw blood. This watery 
 Hiatus clofed again the next moment, catching 
 hold of fome people by a Leg, of others by the 
 middle of the Body, and of others fome by the 
 Arm, &Cy detaining them in difmal torture, but 
 immovably fixed in the ground, till they, with 
 almoft the whole Town befides, funk under Wa- 
 ter ; which happened within three minutes after 
 file had got fafe on board a Ship then riding at 
 anchor in the Harbour. She told me too, how 
 that great Earthquake fplit one of the vaft Blue 
 Mountains, rendering a Road that lay over it un- 
 pafTable. But you will meet with a better and 
 more particular Narrative of this affair among the 
 Philojbphical T'rajifaBtons of the Royal Society. 
 
 42. Let us return to Nevis, About twenty 
 years before my arrival, there was fo violent a 
 fhock, that the Sea retired a good Furlong from 
 
 Charles 
 
64 LETTER IL 
 
 Charles Town, and in two minutes, or a little 
 more, came back again to its ufual bounds,which 
 are within twenty yards of it j the Foundation 
 Rock in the lower part of the Town, burfting at 
 the fame inftant, and cafting out a confiderable 
 quantity of Water 3 and indeed fome of the 
 marks of this burfting were vifible enough in my 
 time. This Convulfion was on a Simday in the 
 Afternoon, whilft fome of my Parifliioners were 
 drinking a bowl of Rum Punch, which one of 
 them had then in his hand, in order to fet it down 
 upon the table ; and fo dear a lover of the good 
 creature was he, that he aflured me, he did not 
 fpill a fingle drop, though the Bowl was twa 
 thirds full. A huge piece of our Nevis Moun- 
 tain, which in my judgment is confiderably high- 
 er than the Mountain at Saint Chrijlopher^y fell 
 down, and left a monftrous rocky fpot of it quite 
 naked and bare, which continues in that ftate to 
 this very day. Our Nevis Mountain has been 
 meafured with a Quadrant from the Bay at Charles 
 Town, and is faid to be exadtly a mile and a half 
 in perpendicular height, though to tell truth I do 
 not think it fo high ; it is far his/her than the 
 Black Mountain called Coal in Norway however, 
 and that too called Skiddaw in Cumberland^ both 
 of which I have i^tw. Not long after this violent 
 Shock, a Workman who with many others were 
 building a Houfe upon the lower part of Charles 
 
 Town, 
 
LETTER 11. 
 
 Town, flruck an Iron Crow (in a hole of about 
 a foot deep) againft the Foundation Rock, in or- 
 der to dig the hole deeper : The Rock it is true 
 broke, but the Iron Crow funk far too deep ; for 
 a Lignum-vitaj Poft of a foot diameter and fif- 
 teen foot long was no fooner tried to be fixed 
 there, than it followed the Crow, and neither of 
 them were ever after feen above ground : How- 
 ever, they covered over the Hole which was fill- 
 ed with water immediately upon the breaking up 
 of the Foundation Rock, not daring to build 
 There -, but like thoughtlefs and incurious Folks, 
 did not with a long Line and Plummet, try how 
 deep the Water in the Hole was. My own opi- 
 nion of the matter is^ That though no one has loft 
 his life by this Earthquake, yet hereafter. That 
 all that part of Charles Town will one time or 
 other fink down into the Sea (by the Shock of a 
 more violent one) as Port Royal in Jamaica did. 
 
 43. Mariners pretend that the long run of 
 Charibee Iflands that reach from Florida down a 
 great way into ^onth America, were formerly 
 joyned all together, being changed from Maiii 
 Land into Iflands by fuch Earthquakes and E- 
 ruptions : And the Reafons afligned for this very 
 odd Conjedlure are as follow, ^'jiz. That moft of 
 the larger ones, fuch as Nevis^ Saint Chrijlophers^ 
 Montferraty Giiardaloupe^ Saint Vi?2cent'?> &c, are 
 full freighted with veins of Sulphur and Brim- 
 
 E flone^ 
 
66 LETTER II. 
 
 ftone, which being overheated are the certain 
 Caufes of thefe Earthquakes and Eruptions ; and 
 likewife. That they very rarely meet with above 
 fixty fathoms of Water between any of them : 
 But to be plain and ferious,This is a meer whim- 
 lical Chimaera -, and they may as well affert they 
 are perfeftly acquainted with the ftate of I'erra 
 Aujiralis incognita which no one ever yet law. 
 Mr. T'yrrel and other Authors of good note, have 
 fuggefted, that £;/g-Z^;;^ was once joyned to France^ 
 and of courfe made part of the Continent : But 
 alafs ! I cannot credit their Conjecture ; for I 
 fancy, that the Straits between Calais and Dover 
 were juft as wide in ^Julius Cafar'^ days as they 
 are now y and as for their ftate before that fa- 
 mous Epocha, I prefume it may not be thorough- 
 ly known. Mr. Ho^vel (who wrote before Mr. 
 T'yrreT) in his Familiar Letters, pag. 364, is of 
 that opinion. 
 
 44. Asthelfland oi Nevis lies in the lixteenth 
 Degree of Nothern Latitude, fo you muft of 
 courfe conclude, that twice in the year our Body 
 ca^ caft no Shadow at Noon, viz, when the Sun 
 is right over our heads, either in going North- 
 wards for the Tropick of Cancer ^ or in travelling 
 down back again Southwards towards the Equi-^ 
 nodial Line. 
 
 45. The heat of the Country makes us per- 
 fpire mightily^ we are rarely coftive; Water 
 
 Melons 
 
L E T T E R ir. 67 
 
 Melons and other Fruits do contribute to a 
 plentiful diicharge of Urine : and thefe ar^ 
 certainly the true reafons why we are fel- 
 dom troubled with any other Diftemper but a 
 Fever j whicli I confefs is bad enough 3 for it of- 
 ten fweeps away great numbers of People, efpe- 
 cially in the Month of O^lober, v/hen the Trade 
 Wind which is the natural Wind for that Cli- 
 mate veers from Eafl to North. Jamaica is a 
 fickly Ifland, occafioned by an excefiive faint 
 Heat, and the People's Intemperance ; they have 
 many Diftempers there. Water Melons are of 
 five or fix ditferent forts, and fome of them full 
 as big as my Head; They melt in our mouth like 
 a Peach, and are in my opinion far the finell 
 Fruit I ever tafted; We eat vaft numbers of them. 
 Our other Fruits are Mufk Melons, Bonanoes, 
 Pine-apples, Oranges, Shaddocks, Penguins, 
 Black Cherries, Sea-fide Grapes, Belle-Apples, 
 and Guavuas. Muflc-melons are the fame with 
 our Englijh ones. Bonanoes and Shaddocks are 
 already defcribed in paragraph 7^^ of this Letter. 
 Oranges there, are in great perfection. Penguins 
 are of two forts 3 the fmall and long fort are too 
 tart for my palate, and are ufed for Gargling the 
 Mouth in Fevers ; and the larger and round fort 
 (of the fize of an Apple) were liked by every 
 body y they have a thick Hulk which covers the 
 Fruit that is of a milk white colour, and full of 
 
 E 2 wondrous 
 
68 LETTER 11. 
 
 wondrous fmall coal-black Seeds ; they tafle not 
 unlike a Strawberry, and are among many called 
 by that name. Black Cherries grov/ wild in our 
 Woods, and have fomewhat of the flavour of 
 EngliJJj Black Cherries. They have little round 
 rifings Hke Blackberries or Mulberries, tho' much 
 lefs. Sea-iide Grapes grow in large bunches near 
 the Sea-fliore, upon Trees about the fize of En- 
 ^/{/Z> Apple-trees J their Colour is red but their 
 Tafle is far too fweet. Bell- Apples are the fize 
 of a fmallifh Golden Pippin, of a deep yellow 
 colour, and tafle very like a Goofeberry, having 
 fmall Seeds in them jufl like Englifli Goofeberry 
 Seeds. Guavuas are a flrong Aflringent, of the 
 bignefs of a Crab, exad:ly round, yellow, and have 
 a flavour like Englifli Black Currans, but much 
 higher and tarter. I had almofl forgot to tell you, 
 that at Antigua I eat a Fruit called by the Spa- 
 niards Sappadillo \ it was larger than our Burga- 
 my Pears, but of their exadl fhape and colour ; 
 they are efleemed to be the richefl Fruit in the 
 World; but after all, I thought their Flavour far 
 too high and muflcy ; They did not, I believe, 
 grow at any other of our Englifh Leeward Charibbee 
 Iflands; but I hear, that the Dutch at Curraccoa 
 have plenty of them. 
 
 46. I once remember a dropfical Cafe, which 
 being very Angular, and different from what I 
 have ever before or fince heard of, I ihall con- 
 clude 
 
LETTER II. 69 
 
 elude my Letter with it. An IriJJo Gentleman 
 there, with whom I was very intimate, and who 
 was unfortunately married to a moll grievous 
 Shrew, did (in order to drive forrow and care 
 away) drink himfelf into fo deep a Dropfy, that 
 the Dodtor durft not venture to tap him, as ex- 
 pecting his Death every day : but Providence ex- 
 erted itfelf moil fignally, in behalf of fo rare a 
 Blefling as an honefl Lawyer, and honeft Law- 
 yers I have known j for in one Night's Time, 
 his Belly (from the fize of a Barrel) fell quite 
 down to its ufual bulk, by means of a violent 
 Sweat, and a vaft difcharge of Urine. The Docflor- 
 and all the Gentleman's Friends begged of him 
 to take warning, and to refrain from hard-drink- 
 ing for the future, but to no purpofe, for he 
 would not follow the advice; the Dropfy of courfe 
 feized him a fecond time, and (to the great fur- 
 prize of us all) went away again by virtue of ano- 
 ther violent Sweat, and another vaft difcharge of 
 Urine. This is matter of fa6l, to which I was 
 an eye-witnefs, though fcarce to be credited in a 
 cold Climate, where moft People will unchari- 
 tably infift, that I make far too free with the 
 Privilege of a Traveller. He afterwards (by the 
 perfuafion of us all) to be rid of this grievous 
 Shrew, went away to Bermudas or the Siumner 
 IJlands, that are fo beautifully defcTibed in Waller ^ 
 Poems, perfedlly recovered his Health there, and 
 
 E 3 being 
 
70 L E T T E R 11. 
 
 being admirably well verfed in his Profeffion, fell 
 into great Bufinefs immediately. 
 
 47. Among the dit'ferent forts of Fruit I might 
 have fet down thefe following ones, inz. Ta- 
 marinds, Pomgranates, Plums, Mamma- Apples, 
 Mamma-Supports, and Prickle Pears. Tama- 
 rinds are ufed by our Dodlors in Fevers, as 
 well as in Punch, when Oranges and Lemons 
 are hard to be come at. Pomgranates are to my 
 Taile a very infipid Fruit, and fold commonly 
 enough at London. Plums grow upon Trees that 
 are as big as Engliili Oaks, are of a deep yellow 
 colour, have a fcrong fmell, are tart in the mouth, 
 and at the fame time have fomething of the fla- 
 vour of an Engliili Black Curran. Mamma- Ap- 
 ples and Mamma -Supports^ were fir too fweet 
 and lufliious for my Palate. Prickle Pear (both 
 with the red and yellow Flower) is feldom fo 
 much as tailed of by us, and is called by our 
 Englifli Gardiners Ftcus Jndica^ but for what 
 reafon is a mydery to me ; for in the Wejl Indies 
 we have the fame kind of Figs with thofe which 
 grow in Spain and England^ though with this 
 material difference, viz. That the European Figs 
 have far too lufhious a Tafle, wliereas the Wejl 
 Indian have a very iine picquant Flavour. Prickle 
 Pear needs no defcription, fince it grows at Chel- 
 
 ^ Sir Hans Sloan calls them Manunce d.vi(i Mamma Sapotas, 
 
 fca^ 
 
LETTER II. 71 
 
 fea^ my Lord T'revor's at Bromham^ Dr. JValker'^ 
 of your College, and I believe at all other fuch 
 Gardens. We have alfo an ordinary Fruit called 
 Papas, that are pretty large, and as yellow as 
 Gold, but not regarded by White Men : the Ne- 
 groes I think boil them. 
 
 Good Sir, 
 Your Patience is I fear by this time quite wea- 
 ried out : However as you may perhaps imagine, 
 my Journey to St. Chrijiopher's^ and indeed my 
 whole five years ftay in the JVeJi Indies^ to be 
 more pleafant than it really was, I make fo free 
 as to acquaint you, that the afore-mentioned 
 Earthquakes, Hurricanes, exceffive Heat, Muf- 
 kitoes, &c, do vaftly over-balance this Pleafure. 
 
 I am, SIR, 
 
 Tour ajjiircd Friend, 
 
 w. s. 
 
 E 4. L E T- 
 
LETTER III. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 IN Paragraph the thirtieth of my laft Letter to 
 you, I ftarted the following ^icere 5 namely 
 What Right had we to difpoffefs the ancient Cba- 
 ribees of their Inheritance many years ago, and 
 to confine them to the forry Ifland of Dominico^ 
 after having almoft extirpated their race ? I there 
 blame our Anceflors for unjuftly entering upon 
 their Lands : but we of this Generation are no 
 better inclined, as evidently appears from the Ar- 
 ticles of Friendfhip and Commerce that were 
 propofed by the Lords Commiffioners for Trade 
 and Plantations to the Deputies of the Cherrokee 
 Nation on the Borders of South-Carolina^ by his 
 Majefty^s Order, on Monday the feventh day of 
 September in the year of our Lord 1730. 
 
 " Whereas You Scayagtijla Oukah^ Chief of 
 the Town of T'ajfetfa^ You T'ethtowe^ You Clo- 
 ^' goittah. You Skalikojken Ketagujla^ You CoU 
 lannacl\ You Oucounacoii^ have been deputed 
 by Mo\toy of T'eUiqiio^ with the Confent and 
 Approbation of the whole Nation of the Cher-^ 
 rokee Indians^ at a general Meeting at Nikof- 
 '^ Jen, the third day of j'lpril A. D. 1730, to 
 *-V attend Sir Alexander Cummin. Bart, to Great 
 '^ Brittain^ where you have feen the Great King 
 
 George 
 
LETTER III. 73 
 
 George^ at whofe feet the faid Alexander 
 Cummin^ by exprefs Order for that purpofe 
 from the laid Moyto)\ and all the Cherrokee 
 People, has laid the Crown of your Nation, 
 '^ with the Scalps of your Enemies, and Feathers 
 ^' of Glory in token of your Obedience : Now 
 the K ing of Great Brittain bearing love in his 
 heart to the powerful and great Nation of the 
 Cherrokee Indians^ his good Childrc^n and Sub- 
 jeds, his Majefty has empowered us to treat 
 with you here, and accordingly we now fpeak 
 ^' to you, as if the whole Nation of the Cherro- 
 " kees^ their Old Men, Young Men, Wives and 
 Children, were all prefent ; and you are to 
 underftand the Words we fpeak, as the Words 
 of the Great King our Mafter whom you have 
 feen, and we fhall underftand the Words you 
 fpeak to us, as the Words of all your People 
 with open and true Hearts to the Great King: 
 and thereupon we give four Pieces of Striped 
 '' Dufles. 
 
 " Hear then the Words of the Great King 
 ^' whom you have feen, and who has command- 
 ed us to tell you, that the Englifh every where 
 on all fides of the great Mountains and Lakes, 
 are his People and Children ; that their Friends 
 are his Friends, and their Enemies are his E- 
 ^' nemies : that he takes it kindly that the great 
 '* Niition of the Cherrokees have fent you hither a 
 
 (C 
 
 cc 
 <c 
 <c 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 '' great 
 
74 LETTER III. 
 
 " great way to brighten the Chain of Friendfliip 
 '* between him and them, and between his Peo- 
 ** pie and your People: that the Chain of Friend- 
 " ihip between him and the Cherrokee Indians is 
 ** like the Sun, which both fhines here and alfo 
 " upon the great Mountains, and equally warms 
 the Hearts of the Indians and of the EngliJJj : 
 That as there are no Spots or Blacknefs in the 
 Sun, fo there is not any Ruft or Foulnefs in this 
 Chain ; and as the Great King has faflened one 
 end of it to his own Breaft, he defires you will 
 carry the other end of the Chain, and fallen 
 it well to the Breaft oi Moytoy oi'feUiquo^ and 
 to the Breafts of your old Wife Men, your 
 Captains, and all your People, never more to 
 be broken or made loofe; and hereupon we 
 *' give two Pieces of Blue Cloth. 
 
 ** The Great King and the Cherrokee Indians 
 being thus faftened together by the Chain of 
 Friendrtiip, he has ordered his People and 
 Children the EngliJJo in Carolina^ to trade with 
 '• the Indians^ and to furnifh them with all man- 
 *' ner of Goods that they want, and to make hafte 
 " to build Houfes, and to plant Corn from Charles 
 *' Town towards the Town of the Cherrokees be- 
 *' hind the Great Mountains ; for he defires that 
 '' the Indians and EngUJh may live together as the 
 '* Children of one Family, whereof the Great 
 '' King is a kind^ and loving Father, And as the 
 
 " Great 
 
 &c 
 
 <c 
 <c 
 cc 
 <c 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 €C 
 
 <c 
 
 i.i 
 
 cc 
 
LETTER III. 75 
 
 ^^ Great King has given his Land on both fides 
 *^ of the great Mountains to his own Children the 
 " Englijhy fo he now gives to the Cherrokee In- 
 " diam the Priviledge of living where they 
 " pleafe; and hereupon we give one Piece of Red 
 '' Cloth. 
 
 " The Great Nation of the Cherrokees being 
 *' now the Children of the Great King of Great 
 " Brittain^ and he their Father, the Cherrokees 
 " muft treat the Englijh as brethren of the fame 
 " Family, and muft be always ready at the Go- 
 " vernours command to fight againft any Nation, 
 *^ whether they be white men or Indiafis^ who 
 " (hall dare to hurt the Englijh-^ and hereupon 
 " we give Twenty Guns. 
 
 " The Nation of the Cherrokees fliall on their 
 " part take care to keep the trading Path clean, 
 ** and that there be no Blood in the Path where 
 " the EngliJ};) White Men tread, even though 
 " they fhould be accompanied by any other Peo- 
 " pie with whom the Cherrokees are at war; 
 " whereupon we give Four hundred weight of 
 " Gunpowder. 
 
 " That the Cherrokees fhall not fuffer their 
 " People to trade with the White Men of any 
 " other Nation but the Englijl:^ nor permit the 
 " White Men of any other Nation to build any 
 " Forts, Cabbins, or plant Corn among them, or 
 " near to any of the Itid'um Towns, or upon the 
 
 " Lands 
 
76 LETTER III. 
 
 " Lands which belong to the Great King ; and 
 *' if any fuch attempt fliall be made, you mufl: 
 *' acquaint the Ejiglijh Governour therewith, and 
 *' do whatever he diredls, in order to maintain 
 *' and defend the Great King's Right to the 
 ** Country of Carolina \ whereupon we give 
 *' Five Hundred weight of Swan Shot and Five 
 " Hundredweight of Bullets." 
 
 *' That if any Negro Slaves fliall run awayin- 
 *' to the Woods from their EngliJJ:) Matters, the 
 *' Cherrokee Indians fliall endeavour to apprehend 
 *' them, and either bring them back to the Plan- 
 '* tation from whence they run away, or to the 
 '^ Governour ; And for every Negro fo appre- 
 *' hended and brought back, the Indian wha 
 " brings him fliall receive a Gun and a Watch 
 " Coat; whereupon we give a Box ofVermili- 
 " on, Ten thoufand Gun-flints, and Six dozen 
 '' of Hatchets." 
 
 '* That if by accidental Misfortune it fliould 
 '^ happen, that an EngVijJdman fliould kill an In- 
 *' dian^ the King or Great Man of the Cherrokees 
 *' fliould firfl: complain to the EngliJId Govern- 
 *' our, and the Man who did it fliall be puniflied 
 •' by the Efiglifi Laws, as if he had killed an 
 *' Englijhnan , and in like manner, if an I?:- 
 *' dian kills an Englipvian^ the Indian who did 
 '' it fliall be delivered up to the Governour, and 
 " be puniflied by the fame Englijl: Law, as if he 
 
 " were 
 
LETTER III. 77 
 
 " were an 'EngliJJjman ; whereupon we give 
 
 *' Twelve dozen of Spring Knives, Four dozen 
 
 " of Kettles, and Ten dozen of Belts. 
 
 " You are to underfland all we have faid to be 
 
 " the Words of the Great King whom you have 
 
 " feen, and as a Token that his Heart is open 
 
 " and true to his Children and Friends the Cher- 
 
 *^ rokees^ he gives his hand in this Belt, which he 
 
 " defires may be kept and fhewn to all your Peo- 
 
 " pie, and to their Children, and Children's 
 
 " Children, to confirm what is now fpoken, and 
 
 " to bind this Agreement of Peace and Friend- 
 
 " fliip betwixt the Englifi and Cherrokees^ as long 
 
 " as the Mountains and Rivers fhall laft, or the 
 
 " Sun fhall fliine ; whereupon we give this Belt 
 
 ^^ of Wampum. 
 
 " By command of their Lordfliips, 
 
 White-hall, Sept. 9, ^^Alured Popple. 
 
 1730. 
 
 " OK Oukan Vlah 
 
 " K Skallojken Ketagiijla 
 
 " T! T^athtO'we 
 
 " C Clogoittah 
 
 '' K Kollanna 
 
 *' O Oucounacoic. 
 
 " Thefe are to certify Moytoy o^l'elliquo, that 
 *^ I have feen, perufed, and do approve of all the 
 ^^ Articles contained in the above Agreement ; to 
 
 " which 
 
78 LETTER III. 
 
 ** which the Lidiam abovementioned have, by my 
 " advice, given their confent. 
 
 " Alexander Cummin, 
 
 Now follows the anfwer of the hidian Chiefs 
 to the foregoing Articles as delivered hy Ketagujia^ 
 September 9. 1730. 
 
 " We are come hither from a dark mountain- 
 " ous place, where nothing but darknefs is to be 
 " found ; but are now in a Place where there is 
 " Light. 
 
 " There was a Perfon in our Country with us; 
 ** he gave us a yellow Token of warlike Honour 
 " that is left with Moytoy of ^elliquo 5 and as 
 *^ Warriours we received it: He came to us like 
 ^^ a Warriour from you ; a Man he is -, his Talk 
 " was upright ; and the Token he left prefer ves 
 *^ his memory among us. 
 
 " We look upon you as if the Great King 
 " George was prefent ; and we love you as repre- 
 " fenting the Great King, and fhall die in the fame 
 *' way of thinking. 
 
 " The Crown of our Nation is diiferent from 
 ** that which the Great King George wears, and 
 " from that which we law in the Tower, but to 
 " us it is all one ^ and the Chain of Friendlhip 
 " fliall be carried to our People. 
 
 " We look upon the Great King George as the 
 " Sun, and as our Father, and upon ourfelves as 
 
 •' his 
 
LETTER III. 79 
 
 " his Children ; For though we are Red, and you 
 " are White, yet our Hearts and Hands are join- 
 " ed together. 
 
 " When we fliall have acquainted our People 
 " with what we have feen, our Children from 
 " generation to generation will remember it. 
 
 " In War we fhall be as one with you ; The 
 " Great King George'^ Enemies fhall be our E- 
 " nemies ; his People and our's fhall be one, and 
 " fliall die together. 
 
 *' We came hither naked and poor as the 
 <« Worm of the Earth ; but you have every thing ; 
 " and we that have nothing muft love you, and 
 " can never break the Chain of Friendfliip which 
 " is between us. 
 
 " Here flands the Governour of Caroli?ia 
 ** whom we know. 
 
 " This fmall Rope which we fliew you is all 
 ** we have to bind our Slaves with, and may be 
 '^ broken ; but you have Iron Chains for your*s : 
 " However, if we catch your Slaves, we fhall 
 " bind them as well as we can, and deliver them 
 " to our Friends, and have no pay for it. 
 
 " We have looked for the Perfon that was 
 ^' in our Country -, He is not here ; however we 
 " muft fay. He talked uprightly, and we fhall 
 " never forget him. 
 
 " Your White People may very fafely build 
 " Houfes near us^ we (hall hurt nothing that be- 
 
 ** longs 
 
8o LETTER III. 
 
 " longs to them, for we are the Children of one 
 *' Father the Great King, and fhall live and die 
 " together. 
 
 Then laying down his Feathers upon the 
 Table, he added 5 "This is our way of talking, 
 " which is the fame thing to us, as your Letters 
 "in the Book are to you ; and to You, Beloved 
 " Men, we deliver thefe Feathers in confirmation 
 'J of all that we have faid." 
 
 Sir ! As you are, (I believe) In the fame way 
 of reafoning with my felf, I recommend the fol- 
 lowing glares to a ferious confideration at your 
 leafure hours, viz. 
 
 Whether thefe open-hearted Indians who could 
 nei^er read nor write, have not {hewn as great 
 ftrehgth of Natural Parts, as even the Lords Com- 
 miffioners have done with all their Learning and 
 Experience in fuch Affairs ? 
 
 Whether it is not an Ad: of extraordinary 
 grace and favour in us. To grant them the Pri- 
 vilege of living where they pleafe upon their 
 own Lands ? 
 
 Whether Machiavel and Hobbs are better Ca~ 
 fuifts, than Scripture and PuffeJidorf? and 
 
 Whether the powerful and great Nation of the 
 Cherrokees, by thus parting with their Indepen- 
 dency, have not fubmitted to a foreign Yoak, 
 without fo much as a Gold Chain and Collar 
 
 neatly 
 
LETTER III. 8x 
 
 neatly lined with foft Velvet in order to make it 
 lit ealy upon their necks ? 
 
 That the Indians are both honourable and 
 grateful is evident from the two following in-* 
 fiances, viz. The Carolina People who trade 
 with the neighbouring Indians^ had run pretty far 
 in debt to them. The Indians upon non-payment 
 complained to our Governour there ; and were 
 anfwered, That they had no other remedy than 
 .^ to fue our Merchants according to Englifi Com- 
 mon Laws. They not liking fuch ill treatment, 
 flew to arms and drove all our Countrymen to 
 take fhelter under the Cannon of Charles Town 
 their Metropolis, where they were obliged to 
 make Satisfaction, and fo come to an amicable a-* 
 greement with the poor Indians. Surely Moytoy 
 of Telliquo had forgot this, when he fent Deputies 
 to England", or elfe there might be fome private 
 reafon that was not proper to be fet in a pub- 
 lick light. 
 
 One of our North American Governours hav- 
 ing with fuccefs affifted a petty Indian Prince up- 
 on fome emergent occafion, he afterwards vifited 
 the Governour, defiring him to fend his beft Ac„ 
 knowledgments to good Queen Ann^ and to affure 
 her. That he would have perfonally waited on 
 her, if his affairs would have given him leave, 
 butjThat however, he hoped when they were both 
 dead, they fliould joyfully meet together above in 
 
 F the 
 
82 LETTER III. 
 
 the great Room of the Gods, where they would 
 be fure to eat Bear Bacon and fmoak Tobacco e- 
 ternally. Pray what European with his fineft Parts 
 improved by Books could have faid more to the 
 purpofe ? His Complements indeed might have 
 been couched in politer terms ? 
 
 To conclude : I have read moft of the Hifto- 
 ries that have been wrote about the New World, 
 viz. America^ and do highly blame our Fore- 
 fathers (be they EngUjlj^ French^ Spaniards^ Dutch ^ -^^ 
 or Portugucze) for fetling Colonies there, contra- 
 ry to the inclinations of the Natives : In fhort ^ 
 King Fowhatan^ King Oppeca?2canoughy and other 
 Princes who lived near James Town in Virginia^ 
 behaved gallantly enough in attempting to pre- 
 vent our Countrymen from getting footing there : 
 and though they did not fucceed in fo laudable an 
 Enterprize 5 yet they have immortalized their 
 Names with more real luftre than did Alexander 
 the Macedonian^ and other fuch Tyrants. The 
 lame Encomium may juftly be given of all other 
 America?! Chiefs who bravely oppofed us Euro^ 
 pean Invaders. But then, Dear Friend, it muft 
 be owned, that we Chriftians, who ought to imi- 
 tate the meek and humble JefuSy do in this re- 
 fped:, behave full as badly if not worfe than Pa- 
 gans who have no Gofpel Light to walk by : For 
 enlarging their Power and Territories (at all ad- 
 ventures) feems to be the principal concern of 
 
 moft 
 
LETTER III. 8^2 
 
 nioft if not all Chriftian Princes, except our own 
 moil gracious Sovereign. 
 
 And farther ; I think that our blind Poet M7- 
 ton has admirably well drawn their Charader in 
 the following Lines. See Book 1 1. verfe 689. 
 
 In thofe days Might only Jl^all be admird. 
 And Valour and Heroic Virtue call'd ; 
 2l? overcome i7i battle and fuhdiie 
 Nations^ and bring home Jpoil with infinite 
 Manjlaiighter^ fhall be held the highefi pitch 
 Of humane glory ^ aftdfor Glory done 
 Of triumph^ to be fill' d great ConqueronrSy 
 Patrons of Mankind^ Gods^ and Sons of Gods -^ 
 Defiroyers rightlier caWd^ a?id Plagues of Men ^ 
 
 This is a fair Comment upon the 4^^ Verfe of the" 
 6^^ Chapter of Genefis^ viz. Inhere were Giants 
 in the Earth in thofe days 5 and alfo after that^ 
 when the Sons of God came in unto the Daugh-^ 
 ters of Men^ a?2d they bare Children to the?n > 
 the fame became Mighfy Men^ which were of 
 old^ Men of Re?20wn, And indeed they are pro- 
 perly enough applied to thefe ordinary Colony- 
 fetlers, as well as to more exalted Tyrants. Nay, 
 I am fully perfuaded, That Cctfar Borgia^ or Oli- 
 'varetto de Per mo ^ would have been proper Princes 
 over them ; efpecially, if they had been blefled 
 with Machiavel and Hobbs^ to ferve as Secretaries 
 of State, and Prime Minifters under them. Ccefar 
 
 F 2 Borgia 
 
84 LETTER IIL 
 
 Borgia was Pope Alexander the fixth*s Natural 
 Son y and Olivaretto de Fermo one of the Urjijii 
 Family ; Ufurpers and Tyrants both ; but for a 
 more ample account of them, fee Machiaver^ 
 Prince^ chapters 7^^ and 8^^. 
 
 In a Word. Ever fince the contagious Exam- 
 ple of Nmrod (the ambitious Founder of the 
 Ajyrian Empire ) the World has been pretty 
 well flocked with Tyrants and Ufurpers of all 
 forts, who were fent by divine Providence as a 
 Scourge for the Irreligion and Vices of depraved 
 Mankind, and of courfe are my abhorrence. Be- 
 fides a multitude of other inconveniences, De- 
 ipotick Power is predominant in all Republicks^ 
 which create in my heart a kind of natural 
 averlion to their Government. So that our own 
 mixed Monarchy is by far the moft eligible State 
 in Europe , and that it may be preferved as free 
 as poffible from all Filth of Corruption^ till 
 Timers latefl period^ is the fincere wifh of, 
 
 T'otir affured Friend^ 
 
 W. 8. 
 
 :l e t- 
 
85 
 
 LETTER IV, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 T Hough I am confcioiis to myfelf, that my 
 former Letters have fufiiciently trefpaffed 
 upon your patience, and good nature ; yet as a 
 few frefli thoughts are come into my head, I 
 cannot help acquainting you with them, becaufe 
 they tend to promote in fome me^fure the fame 
 honeft defign. 
 
 I . Know then, That as foon as the Evening 
 has ihut out Day-light in that part of our Nor- 
 thern Hemifphere, there immediately begins a 
 very foft and agreeable noife all over the Iflands 
 of NeviSy St. Chriftopher's^ &c. which we fup- 
 pofe to be the united Voices of Snakes, Lizards, 
 Grafhoppers, Guanas, &c. Snakes and Grafliop- 
 pers there, are much the fame with our Englifli 
 ones in all refpcdts. Lizards are from fo fmall a 
 fize as three inches, to upwards of a foot long : 
 Moft of them in the lower-ground Plantations 
 near the Sea-fide, are large and of a browniih co- 
 lour, like thofe which I have feen brought from 
 Gner7ifey and Jerfey: But higher up in the great 
 Mountain, they dwindle in bulk, though they 
 advance furprizingly in Beauty ; fome there, are 
 green, others yellow (I mean of a greenifh yel-t 
 
 f 3 low) 
 
86 LETTER IV. 
 
 low) fome other blackifli, and moll if not all of 
 them adorned with little round fpots of all forts 
 of a mofl lively variegated hue ; I have feen the 
 coal-black {kin all along upon the Neck and Back 
 of fome of them, rife up into a fliarp edge, and 
 to be jagged like the teeth of a Hand-faw : and 
 I have alfo with a nngular pleafure viewed others 
 of the fmall brown kind, whofe Backs feemed as 
 if they were wrought with the Needle, like an 
 embroidered Waiilcoat; their Shape refembles 
 that of a Newt, but they run very nimbly over 
 rocks o • dry ground ; their Eye is much finer 
 than the Eye of a Toad, which they caft v/iftful- 
 ly upon any Perfon who is near them ^ and in- 
 deed upon my whiftling foftly to one at any time, 
 I obferved it to ftop fhort though in the midft of 
 a run, to view me wondrous attentively, with its 
 Head held (as it were purpofely) on one lide, and 
 to dop down and raife it up again with a vaft fcem- 
 ing fatisfadtion as being naturally inclined to Mu- 
 fick, and thruiling out of its fa:iooth Throat (at the 
 fame inftant) an empty Skin refembling a tranfpa- 
 rent yellow Bag, or Purfe : They are exceeding 
 numerous, great xA^dmirers of Mankind, very in- 
 ofFenfive upon all accounts, not eatable, and of 
 courfe molefted or hurt by no body. As for 
 Guanas, I never faw above three or four during 
 my whole five years ftay at Nevis, they being 
 rarely met with j and this Rarity may in fome 
 
 meafure 
 
L E T T E R IV. 87 
 
 meafure be occafioned by their Flefli making ex- 
 cellent Broth, and tailing delicioufly, as I have 
 been credily informed (for I never tailed of any 
 myfelf ) by feveral Perfons of unqueftioned vera- 
 city : from Nofe-end to Tail-end, they were 
 about three foot long -, they are of the exa(ft (hape 
 of a Lizard, but walk far more uprightly upon 
 their Legs, and their Eye (if pofTible) tranfcends 
 the Lizard's in beauty; they are alfo harmlefs 
 to a PFoverb, thofe I faw being tied with a foft 
 ftring round the middle like Monkies, and de- 
 figned as prefents to Sir Hems Sloan, or fome other 
 fuch curious Perfons in England, I had almoft 
 forgot to tell you. That they are all over cover- 
 ed with fcaly fpots, each of which is as wide as 
 a Silver Penny (chequer-wife) fome of the deep- 
 eft blacky and others of the moft perfed: yellow 
 imaginable. An Acquaintance told me, That they 
 were common enough at Bermudas, or the Sum- 
 7ner IJlands, and particularly that he tafted of one 
 at the Governour's Table when he dined with 
 him. Thefe I believe are what the iiril Voyagers 
 called Anolis, 
 
 2. I had not continued above three months up- 
 on the liland of Nevis, before I went to live at 
 Bath Plain Plantation. Oar Houfe there, fliood 
 clofe to the brow of a fmall, though very fteep, 
 Hill, on the fouth-fide of the Plain ; from whence 
 we had a moil charming profpeft of that delight- 
 
 F 4 ful 
 
SB LETTER IV. 
 
 ful quarter of our Lland, with Charles Fort and 
 Town, which was fcarce a mile beneath us to 
 the North-ward -, and our own great Mountain 
 covered from above our Sugar Plantations almoft 
 to the top by Woods, whofe Leaves never drop^ 
 ped off without being immediately fucceeded by 
 frefli ones, whofe Top we fometimes could not fee 
 for thick Clouds a week together ^ the whole South- 
 fide of St. ChriJiopherSy together with the Eaftern, 
 or Salt-pond Hills, the Dutch Iflands o? Eiijlachia 
 and Saba, the Ships riding at anchor in Charles 
 Town Road, as well as at Bajj'e 'Terre in Saint 
 Chrijiophers^ and all the Veffels from Europe and 
 North America that are bound to Saint Chrijlo- 
 fher'^j 'Jamaica^ Saint T'homas and other Iflands 
 that lay to the Leeward o( Nevis, befides our own 
 Trading Sloops. Nay I well remember, that when 
 Captain Woods Rogers went to take poffelTion of 
 our prefent Settlement 2XProvidence, and the other 
 Bahama Iflands (about the year 1 71 8,) we obferv- 
 ed his little Fleet pafs by, and go (in order to wood 
 and water) into Old Road, a Port in Saint Chrijlof 
 phers^ where Sir Chaloner OgW^ Squadron lately 
 rendevouzed, in their way to join Admiral Ver- 
 non upon the "Jamaica Station. The Salt-pond at 
 Saint Chrijlophers contains, J believe, upwards of 
 fourfcore Acres : The Sun in exceiTive hot wea^ 
 ther exhales away all the Particles of Frefh Water, 
 (if I may be allowed the term,) and leaves behind 
 
 at 
 
L E T T E R IV. 89 
 
 at the bottom of the Pond an incruftated Cake of 
 Salt, exadly refembling pieces of Rock-cry- 
 ftal. I have once or twice known Sloops that 
 were loaded from thence with it ; but alas ! we 
 had much rather be obliged to fetch it from the 
 Ifle oiMa)\ at the expence of a Crown /^r Bufliel, 
 becaufe of the want of Rain to bring on our Sugar 
 Canes in fo dry a Seafon. 
 
 3. There was not quite two hours difference 
 there, between our longell: and fhorteft Day : 
 and I found our Evening from a httle before Sun- 
 fet till quite dark, to be confiderably Ihorter than 
 in Ejtglaiid dwrm^ the Summer Seafon, which was 
 (no doubt) owing to their different Latitudes, or 
 unequal diftances of Nevis and England from the 
 Equator. However, Imuftownthetruth, bycon- 
 feffing their Evening to be extreamly pleafant, be- 
 caufe of its Coolnefs ; and the beauty of the Clouds 
 which do then appear far more lovely to our eye, 
 than in any other part of the Day. I frequently 
 admire our Sky here in an Evening. 
 
 4. As foon as the Day-light was well fliut in, 
 the aforementioned very foft and agreeable noife 
 of Snakes, Lizards, Grailioppers, Guanas, &c. 
 begun 3 but in a few minutes was moft fjrpriz- 
 ingly loud above that w^hich I heard at any other 
 place whatever; as abounding, I fuppofe, with 
 a proportional number of thofe Creatures. And 
 nqw I begin to find^ th;U I want Words or Terms 
 
 to 
 
90 LETTER IV. 
 
 to exprefs my Ideas, in order to give a full and true 
 defcription of this Noife : However, I fhall en- 
 deavour to exhibit as jufl and candid a notion of it, 
 as a thing that cannot be expreffed will admit of. 
 Imagine then, that in a mild and ftill Summer's 
 Night, infteadof the croaking of Frogs and Toads, 
 you hear millions of the fofteft melodious Notes, 
 ftrike up almoll at once, into fo high and amazing 
 a key, as Mufick can poffibly rife to. Thefe to my 
 ear were all treble, though their feveral kinds 
 were ealily diftingulfhed from each other ; and 
 though they feemed to have no particular tune, 
 yet they were beyond all compare, fweet and 
 foothing. I thought they fung in Concert 3 for 
 when they were up at the higheft key, they would 
 all of a fudden ftop together, once every minute, 
 (perhaps to take breath) ^nd in a moment's fpace 
 fwell their Notes, and refume their wonted har- 
 mony as loud as before. At other times they 
 would gradually rife and fall their Notes, in a 
 moil: enchanting manner 5 and they would conti- 
 nue in this round of fmging all night long, till day- 
 break. When I firft heard them, they fo ravilh- 
 ed my elated Soul, that I flood motionlefs in our 
 Yard for fome minutes > and afterwards I left 
 the Company, and went out fix or feven times, 
 on purpofe to liflen to their bewitching Mufick. 
 Nay, I could not fall afleep for it, till fome hours 
 after my getting into bed : In iliort, among 
 
 many 
 
LETTER IV. 91 
 
 many other Refledions of that kind, it brought to 
 memory, Ada?7i's Anfwer to Eve^ when (lie en- 
 quired a Reafon, why the Moon and glittering 
 Stars fliould fhine all Night long, and exhibit fo 
 glorious a fight to the Earth, when a welcome 
 fieep had fhut up all Eyes. Book 4. line 661. 
 
 I'hofe have their Coiirfe to fintjlj round the Earthy 
 By morrow Evenings and from land to land 
 In order ^ though to Natmis yet unborn^ 
 MiJiijlring Light ^ prepard they Jet and rife ; 
 Lejl total Darknejl JJjould by Night regain 
 Her old pojfejjionj and extinguijh Life 
 In Nature and all things^ which thefe foft Fires 
 Not only enlighten^ but with kindly Heat 
 Of various influence foment ajidwarm^ 
 1'emper or ?20uriJ}:^ or i?i part JJjed down 
 I'heir Stellar Vertue on all kinds that grow 
 On Earthy inade hereby apter to receive 
 P erf eBion from the Sun's 7nore potent Ray, 
 I'hefe then^ though unbeheld in deep of Nighty 
 
 Shine not in vain ^ 7ior think though Men were 
 none^ 
 
 T^hat Heaven would want SpeBators^ God want 
 Praife j 
 
 Millions of fpiritual Creatures walk the Earth 
 
 Unfeen^ both when we wake^ and when wefleep: 
 
 All thefe with ceafelefs Praife his works behold 
 
 Both day and night : How often from thefleep 
 
 Of 
 
92 LETTER IV. 
 
 Of ecchoing Hill or thicket have we heard 
 
 Celejlial Voices to the Midnight air^ 
 
 Sole^ or refponjive to each others NotCy 
 
 Singing their great Creator : Oft in bands 
 
 While they keep watch ^ or nightly 7'ounding walk^ 
 
 With heavenly touch of Injlrumental founds 
 
 In full harmonic k numbers joyn d^ their Songs 
 
 Divide the Nighty and lift our Thoughts to 
 Heaven, 
 
 Surely thefe fuppofed heavenly Bands of Milton 
 could not afford much finer Mufick than did 
 thefe little Creatures. To be plain, my raviflied 
 Soul joyned molt cheerfully with them every 
 Night in ardent and repeated Allelujas to the 
 divine, omnipotent Source of Harmony and Love, 
 Our bleffed Saviour ( huke 12.27. ) in addrefling 
 a vafl ( innumerable ) multitude of People, who 
 had thronged about him, to behold his flupend- 
 ous Miracles, and to harken to his truly fublime 
 Sermons, does aver. That even Solomon the Mag- 
 nificent in all his Glory was not fo richly arrayed 
 as a common Lilly of the Eaftern Fields. An 
 indelible Truth ; for the niceft Art is but a very 
 faint tranfcript or imitation of Nature. Now in 
 my opinion, that wife and mighty Monarch was 
 in his highefl: elevation of Glory, when he dedi- 
 cated his beautiful Temple upon Mount Moriah 
 to the great God fehovah : Nay, and I do farther^ 
 
 fin« 
 
LETTER IV. 93 
 
 fincerely and from the bottom of my heart, be- 
 lieve, that when the Trumpeters and Singers on 
 that folemn occafion were as one, to make one 
 Sound to be heard in praifing and thanking the 
 Lord ; and when they lifted up their Voices with 
 the Trumpets, Cymbals, Harps, Pfalteries, 
 Sackbuts, and other mufical Inftruments, in that 
 holy exercife ; They even Then could not excell 
 the Harmony of thefe little Creatures, with 
 which I was ferenaded every night. It is a laying 
 true in a good meafure, that Familiarity begets 
 Contempt of moft things -, But this I affirm upon 
 the word of a Chriftian, whofe Religion teaches 
 him open-heartednefs, that my Ardour and Zeal 
 to join Voices with them in Allelujas to honour 
 the Divine Effence, was not one fingle jot fallen 
 or abated to the laft moment of my flay at Nevis ; 
 though perhaps feveral Perfons by being their 
 whole life time ufed to hear it, as well as for 
 want of a right Education, were far enough from 
 thinking it fo very fine ; and perhaps too, multi- 
 tudes of thofe who never had the opportunity of 
 hearing it, will not credit me ; But that I do 
 not regard -, For I ever look upon a Multitude as 
 a many-headed Monfter that is determined to 
 believe juft as it has an inclination to do: Multi- 
 tudes of Scholars help to compofe this Monfter. 
 In fhort, a Hautboy, with a Bafs Viol, and two 
 Violins, would certainly have given them much 
 
 more 
 
94 LETTER IV. 
 
 more fatisfadlion ; efpecially if they had been 
 bleffed with a fet of gay Ladies to fing and dance 
 to the Mufick, I mean a fet of fuch Ladies as 
 Milton hints at in Book 1 1. line 614. 
 
 For that fair Female 'troop thoufawefl^ thatjeenid 
 
 Of GoddeffeSy fo blith^ fo fmooth^ fo ga)\ 
 
 Yet empty of all Good^ wherein cojifjls 
 
 Woman's domejlick Honour and chief Praife ; 
 
 Bred only and compleated to the tajte 
 
 Of lujlful Appetence y ^^f^g-i ^^ dance ^ 
 
 T'o drefs^ and troule the lL07igue^ and role the eye. 
 
 However, I do not much wonder at it ^ for fome 
 Souls are fo very low and groveling, that they 
 have fcarce any reliih at all for fuch refined en- 
 joyments. My worthy Friend, you fliould have 
 been entertained with a clearer and far more 
 accurate defcription of this extraordinary and un- 
 common fort of Mufick, if providence had 
 favoured me with Milio?is fublime Genius and 
 flowing Eloquence -, but alas ! it cannot be. I have 
 heard from Perfons who frequented the Coafts 
 of Malabar and Corromandel in the Fafl-Indies^ 
 that there is much the fame Noife in the Night- 
 time there : And I conjedlure it may be the fame 
 too in the delightful Vales of Arabia Felix, whofe 
 fweet and charming Solitudes might probably 
 enough furnifh Milton with good hints in his 
 defcription of Paradife. 
 
LETTER IV. 95 
 
 5 I have fo great a veneration for Mihon's 
 Paradije Lojiy that I then got by heart Adam and 
 Eve'^ Morning Oraifon before they fet out for 
 work, and accuftomed myfelf to repeat it with 
 the higheft rapture every Morning as a conclu- 
 fion to my private Devotion. Book 5. line 152. 
 I'hefe are thy glorious Works, Pare?it of good ^ 
 Almighty, thine this iiniverfal Frame, 
 'Thus wondrous fair ; thyfelfhow wondrous then ! 
 XJnfpeakable , who fit f ft above thefe Heavens 
 To us invifible, or diffily Jeen 
 In thefe thy loweft Works, yet thefe declare 
 Thy goodnefs heyoitd thought, and power divine. 
 Speak ye, who beft can tell, ye Sons of Light, 
 Angels, for ye behold him, and with So?2gs 
 And choral Symphonies, day without night. 
 Circle his Throne rejoycing. Ye in Heaven, 
 On Earth joy n all ye Creatures to extol 
 Himfirft, Him lafl. Him midft, and without end. 
 Fair eft offtars, laft in the train of Night, 
 If better thou belong not to the dawn. 
 Sure Pledge of Day that crownft thefmiling Morn 
 With thy bright circlet, praife him in thy fphere 
 While day arifes, that fweet hour of prime. 
 Thou Sun, of this great World both eye and foul ^ 
 Acknowledge him thy Creator, found his praife 
 In thy eternal courfe, both when thou climbft. 
 And when high Noon haft gain d, and when thou 
 
 fallft. 
 
 Moon^ 
 
^6 L E T T E R IV, 
 
 Moon^ that now nmfjl the Orient Sun^ ?20wflfjl 
 With the fix t Stars, fix t in their Orb that flies ^ 
 And ye Five other wandring Fires that move 
 In myflick dance not without Songy re found 
 His Praife^ who out of Darknefs calVdup Light I 
 Air^ and ye Elements the eldefi birth 
 Of Nature's Womb, that in quaternion run 
 Perpetual circle, multifonn ; and mix 
 And nourifh all things, let your ceafelefs change 
 Vary to our great Maker fl ill new praife. 
 Ye Mifls and Exhalations that now rife 
 From hill orfieaining lake, dujky or grey^ 
 T'ill the Sun paint your fleecy fkirts with goU^ 
 In honour to the World's great Author rife^ 
 Whether to deck with Clouds the uncolourd Skie 
 Or wet the thirfly Earth with falling Showers ^ 
 Rifing or falling, flill advance his praife, 
 Hispraifeye Winds that from four quarters bkw^ 
 Breathfoft or loud-. And wave your tops,yePines^ 
 With every Plant, infign ofWorfhip wave. 
 Fountains, and ye that warble, as ye flow ^ 
 Melodious Murmurs, warbling tune his praife, 
 foyn voices all ye living Souls, ye Birds ^ 
 I'hatfmgiiig up to Heaven'^ Gate afcend^ 
 Bear on your Wings and in your Notes his Praife e 
 Te that in Waters Glide, and ye that walk 
 ^he Earth, and flat ely tread, or lowly creeps 
 Witnefs iflbefllent, Morn or Eve, , 
 
 T'o hi II J or valley, fountain^ or frefl^ fhade 
 
 Madi 
 
LETTER IV. 97 
 
 Made vocal by my Songy and taught his praife. 
 Hail, univerfal Lord, be bounteous Jiill 
 ^0 give us only good-, and if the Night 
 Have gather d ought of Evil, or conceal' d, 
 Difperfe it, as now Light difpells the dark. 
 
 Milton, though a moft begotted Diffenter, yet 
 did not fcruple to take this fine Oraifon out of 
 the Benedicite, or Second Canticle in our Com- 
 mon Prayer Book, which was an ancient Hymn 
 in the Jewijh Church, and adopted into the 
 Chrijiian Worfhip, in publick Devotion, from 
 the moft early time. Indeed the eftablifhed Church 
 here in England does not accept of it for Cano- 
 nical Scripture, becaufe it is not to be found in 
 the Hebrew, nor was allowed in the fewifi 
 Canon, as has been obferved long ago by %\,!Jerom^ 
 in his Preface before his Comment upon the book 
 of Daniel. Vide Dr. Nichols. 
 
 6. We have no kinds of venomous Creatures 
 to difturb us upon the Iflands of Nevis, &c, ex- 
 cept two, viz. Centipees, and Scorpions. The 
 former are fo called from their many feet : they 
 are of a brightifh hazel Colour, about as long as 
 my little finger, flat bellied, and their back is 
 fhaped like an Arch ; they move pretty nimbly, 
 and their bite is not much worfe than the fling- 
 ing of a common Bee : towards the Mountain 
 I have obferved them to be longer and thicker 
 
 G than 
 
98 LETTER IV. 
 
 than in the lower Grounds : The latter, viz, the 
 Scorpion is the exact fhape, and indeed of the 
 felf-fame colour with a Crayfifh before it is boyled j 
 it bites according to the common opinion there, 
 with its two large Claws that grow next to its 
 Head, and the bite has not a more malisnant ef- 
 fedt than that of the Centipee -, they are I believe 
 always found pretty high up in the Mountain | 
 for my own part, I never faw above one of them, 
 which was fcarce the length of my little Finger, 
 wondrous flow in motion, and its Body as well 
 as Claws very flender. ^^ere^ Whether they 
 refemble our European ones whofe Sting is much 
 worfe and lies in their Tails ? The Sting of a 
 Scorpion in Apuglia produces much the fame 
 Eifedts, as the Bite of a Tarantula^ But the Bite 
 of a Nevis Scorpion does not. 
 
 7. As Phyfick is none of my peculiar Pro- 
 vince, 1 defign to leave this, and the following 
 paragraph to be accounted for by the Phyficians, 
 and Surgeons. My Negro-man Oxford^ had (twice 
 I think) a flender whitifli Worm that came gra^ 
 datim ( i.e, an inch or more every day) out of his 
 Leg not far from the Shin bone, about half way 
 from knee to foot. This Worm was not knotted; 
 for I take the knotted Worm to be a concatena- 
 tion of many Worms joyned together, as it were 
 in a link. As it came out he woui:id it round a 
 very fmall piece of Stick, that part of it immedi- 
 ately 
 
LETTER IV. 99 
 
 ately dying as foon as tyed fall with a piece of 
 Silk to it. It would continue fo coming out, for 
 a yard and a half in length. His Leg fwelled, 
 and was painful enough, before the Worm had 
 made it break out into a Sore by forcing its way 
 thorough the Skin, but it then grew fomewhat 
 eafier ; however, if by rubbing his Leg againfl 
 any thing, the Worm happened to break, his Leg 
 would fwell again till the remainder of the Worm 
 appeared to come out in the felf-fame gradual 
 manner quite to the end ; after which the Sore 
 foon healed up without plaiftering. This is a cafe 
 common enough among Negroes, though not 
 White-men. 
 
 8. We Whites are fubjeft to have a very fmall 
 fort of Worms called Chiggoes breed infenfibly in 
 our Toes, and in the Bottoms of our Feet. In two 
 days time or lefs, we perceive that they make us 
 go a little lame, and that place looks blueifli : 
 But they are eafily, and with fcarce any pain, 
 taken out of the fkin by one of our fkilful Negroes, 
 by help of a Pin or Needle ; and a little Tobacco 
 Afhes put into the hole from whence they are 
 taken, finifhes a Cure. I could obferve, by a care- 
 full furvey, Hairs growing upon them, here and 
 there, when they were gotten out whole, which 
 rarely happens : Their body is contained in a thin 
 white bag, and both together were the fize of the 
 
 G 2 filial- 
 
loo L E T T E R IV. 
 
 fmalleft Pea ; and after all, they are much more 
 like a Maggot than a Worm. 
 
 9. The Centipee, and Scorpion, put me in mind 
 of what paffed in difcourfe between Captain Dag-- 
 get and myfelf, fometime in the year 17 18, upon 
 his arrival at Nevis^ from Bojlon in New-Englandy 
 after a fatiguing Voyage to the Dutch Colony of 
 Siwmam, Among other Articles, my curiofity 
 tempted me to inquire particularly after the Na- 
 ture of the Cold Eel, found in their Rivers, and 
 which is mentioned in all the accounts of that 
 Country, efpecially by Mrs. Ann Behn^ in her 
 Novel of Oronooko^ which is founded upon cer- 
 tain truth, though adorned and embelliihed with 
 ftrange fabulous circumftances, as indeed moft, 
 if not all, rare matters of fadl are. He afTured 
 me, (as others Perfons of known veracity have 
 alfo done) That a Cold Eel being drawn out of 
 the River, and iliook out of the Net upon a 
 plot of Grafs, the Natives and other Perfons pre- 
 fent refufed to touch it, till at laft a fool-hardy 
 European Sailor, who it feems, was an infidel in 
 that refped, refolved to venture taking it up, in 
 defiance of all perfuafions to the contrary. But 
 alas ! he paid dear for his want of faith ^ for no 
 fooner had he grafped it in his hand, than he in- 
 ftantly dropped down in a fwooning fit, his eyes 
 were fixed in his head, his face turned pale, and 
 even livid, and it was with difficulty enough 
 
 that 
 
LETTER IV. loi 
 
 that they brought him to his fenfes again : the beft 
 account he could give of the matter was, that the 
 very moment wherein he grafped hold of it, the 
 cold from it ran fwiftly up his arm into his body, 
 and pierced him to the heart, fo as to deprive 
 him of all fenfe. I forgot to enquire, whether 
 this Eel is ever eaten : but perhaps it may ; for 
 the cold quality of the Eel may depart with its 
 Life ; an inftance not much unlike it, falling un- 
 der my cognizance every day in the Weji Indies. 
 Our Wheaten Bread there, is made of Flower 
 brought to us from the fine Province of New 
 Tork^ in North America, and is worked up with 
 Eggs inftead of Yeaft or Barm. But we have 
 another fort of Bread that is made of Caflada 
 Root. Caflada is a Shrub of four foot high and 
 better, grows up in a fl:raight, tough, and brown- 
 ifli flalk, that is very knobby, juft like an Englifli 
 Crab-tree bough, and clofe at the top, is fet all 
 around with long narrow Leaves of a deepifli 
 Green colour. The Root of it is carefully fcrap- 
 ed till the white part appears, and then it is rub- 
 bed hard againft a large Tin Grater, in fhape of 
 a Nutmeg-grater, nailed faft to a piece of Wood, 
 that is about two foot long ; and being wondrous 
 juicy, is foon rubbed to a foft matter that refem- 
 bles Children's Pap. This pappy fublknce is then 
 put into a hair Bag, and prefled hard between 
 two Stones, until there comes from it a mUk 
 
 G 3 white 
 
I02 LETTER IV. 
 
 white Water of a raw unfavory fmell, and which 
 is rank Poifon ; for if a Turky, Hen, or Duck, 
 gets to the Prefs and tafles the Water, it inftant- 
 ly dies. We afterwards lay the CafTada out a- 
 broad in the open air, on purpofe that the hot 
 Sun-beams may exhale what poifonous particles 
 the Prefs could not fqueeze out : We then fift it 
 thorough a Seive, and make it into thin Cakes, 
 baking it upon a broad Iron kept purely for that 
 ufe. I was an admirer of this Bread, and do far- 
 ther allure you, that it made excellent Puddings. 
 V/oGiis Rogers in his Voyage round the World, 
 page 52. f\ys, That at Grande^ an Ifland upon the 
 Coaft of Brazi/e, in South Latitude 20 or 21, 
 the Poriugueze who inhabit it, have no Bread 
 except Caffada, which they call Farana depau^ 
 that is to fay, Bread of Wood. 
 
 10. Though this account of the Cold Eel at 
 Surinam is fo fingular, as to make fome People 
 w^iolly to difbelieve it ; yet it is not (as you well 
 know) by far fo wonderful as the bite of a Ta- 
 rantula or Spider at Otranto in Ital)\ which has 
 been fo accurately treated of by Baglivi^ and other 
 learned Phyficians. Maximiliaii Mtffon^ (vol. 4. 
 page 59^0 gives a fine Italian Letter about it from 
 Di:.Dojninico Sangenito to Mr. Bulifon at Naples ; 
 which Letter I have prevailed upon a Friend to 
 tranflate into Englifh ; and as it contains a com- 
 pendious Relation of the Affair ; and was never 
 
 yet 
 
LETTER IV. 103 
 
 yet publifhed in Englifli -, I here prefent you 
 with it. ^ " Some time ago, Dear Mr. Bull/on, 
 you defired me to give you a little account of 
 the Tarantula, and of the Eflfefts it produces 
 in Perfons bit by it : and becaufe I am indebt- 
 ed to your merit, I will endeavour to fatisfy 
 you by the obfervations which I made with 
 my own Eyes. The Tarantulas are found not 
 only in the Provinces of Bari^ Lucca and O- 
 trantOy but alfo in that of Capitinata^ near to 
 whofe Metropolis Liicera I was bred and 
 born; it is a hot Climate, dry, and aim oft 
 " quite deftitute of /Trees. In the hot Summer 
 days, or about that feafon, they are found in 
 holes in the Earth; and to catch them, one 
 muft run a fupple Wand or Stick into the 
 holes, which being Hirred gently makes them 
 run out by the top. They are fnaped much 
 Hke a Spider, with eight Legs in two rows, 
 that is, four on each fide; and their Body 
 (which confifts of two parts joined together by 
 a little knot or ligament very vifibly) is of the 
 bignefs of a middle-fized Acorn. At one end 
 of it their Mouth jets out, and out of it they 
 " caft their Poifon in the fame manner as Adders 
 " and Vipers do, marking the place where they 
 " bite, and not by flinging as fome would have it. 
 
 =* I am told that we have a Tarantula preferved in Spirits, 
 ^t the Mufanm AJhmokanum in Oxford. 
 
 04 *' They 
 
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 104 LETTER IV. 
 
 They are of divers Colours, for I have feen 
 fome of an Afli colour, others of a dark Brown 
 like Fleas, and Ipeckled as it were with little 
 Stars ) there are fome in the Mountains on 
 the Borders of Apuglia^ but their Bite is not 
 dangerous, A few hours after People are bit- 
 ten by them, they make inarticulate Cries, 
 and when any of the by-ftanders afk them 
 what ails them, many return no anfwer, but 
 only ftare at you with a ftern look ; and others 
 make figns with their hands laid on their heart: 
 *' for which reafon the Inhabitants of thofe Coun- 
 " tries, as experienced Perfons, prefently difco- 
 ver their ail, and without lofs of time imme- 
 diately fend for Muficians with feveral forts 
 of Inftruments. Then fome fall a dancing at 
 the found of the Gittar; others at that of the 
 Lute or Cittern \ and others at that of the 
 Violin : when firft they hear the Mufick, they 
 begin to dance foftly; they afk for Swords^ 
 and although they be not ikilled in fencing, 
 yet they behave themfelves as Mailers. Others 
 defire Looking-glafTes, and whilft they behold 
 themfelves in them, they vent a great many 
 bitter Sighs. They want Ribbands and Neck- 
 laces, and fine Cloaths, which they receive 
 with inexpreffible joy, making bows, and re- 
 turning hearty thanks to thofe that beftow 
 ^^ them on them, Thefe things they lay in a fine 
 
 *^ order 
 
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 LETTER IV. 105 
 
 " order about the place where they dance, making 
 *^ ufe from time to time of one or other of them, 
 *' according to the impulfe they receive from their 
 *' Diftemper. They begin their dancing an hour 
 " after Sun-rifing, and end about an hour before 
 noon-day, without ever taking any reft, un- 
 lefs the Inftruments grow out of tune -, and 
 then they are very uneafy till they are in tune 
 again : It being wonderful how fo rough and 
 unpolifhed Perfons as Hufbandmen, Keepers 
 of Cattle, and fuch Rufticks fliould become 
 fo accurate and nice in the knowledge of the 
 Harmony or Difcord of Mufical Inftruments; 
 and carry their enquiry fo far as to alk how 
 " much each of them coft. An hour after Noon- 
 " day they begin again to dance, and continue 
 fo doing till Sun-fetting; and this they do for 
 three days following, and in the fame order 
 without ever being tired, as I have fccn many 
 of them, nay, more than three days undergo- 
 ing that fatigue, if they obtain no remedy by 
 it any fooner -, and fome are faid to have been 
 obliged to do it eight, and others ten days fuc- 
 ceffively. Whilft they dance they are not in 
 their right fenfes, nor do they make any di- 
 ftindlion between their Friends, Relations, or 
 others, but all are alike to them -, though it is 
 true that they fometimes invite fome comely 
 or pretty Youth to dance with them. The 
 
 " Cloaths 
 
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io6 LETTER IV. 
 
 " Cloaths they generally wear, are of the mofl: 
 " ufual colours, as flefli coloured, red, blue, and 
 " the like: but whenever they fee any black, 
 they fall in fuch a paffion, that they run with 
 Swords after thofe that wear that colour 3 one 
 Perfon only, I have known among many, 
 who was not difpleafed at the fight of black 
 Cloaths, but then he did not fkip about with 
 fo much vigour as the others. And now that 
 I have given you a general defcription of the 
 Tarantula, and the effedls of its biting ; give 
 me leave. Dear Friend, to enlarge a little, and 
 to relate two particular Cafes, that I, with fe- 
 veral others, have actually feen in my own 
 Country, and its Neighbourhood. One ^ohi 
 James 'Teforo^ (whom I have feen dance about 
 lix times) happened one day to be in a Wood 
 where he had bufinefs, and I believe that he 
 was fenfible that the time of his fufFering for 
 *' the bite of a Tarantula drew near : For he 
 " made towards his Habitation ; but he dropped 
 down by the way, and was found ftretched 
 out upon the bare ground, which being known 
 in the Country about us, many ran thither, 
 and I among the reft ; and we found the poor 
 Countryman cppreffed with a difficulty of 
 breathing ; and we farther obferved that his 
 " face and hands began to turn black. But as we 
 ^' all knew his Diftemper, a Gittar was brought, 
 
 " ancj 
 
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LETTER IV. 107 
 
 and as foon as he heard it played on, he firft 
 began to move his Feet, then his Legs, and 
 afterwards he rofe on his Knees : From thence 
 a little after, he got up on his Legs and v^alk- 
 ed : And laiily, in about the fpace of a quarter 
 of an hour after, he jumped fo that he raifed 
 himfelf a matter of three fpans high from 
 the ground: He fighed, but with fo much 
 violence that it frightned thofe that flood by ; 
 and in lefs than an hour the blacknefs went 
 off from his Hands, and his Face recovered 
 its native colour. In the Caftle of La Motta 
 of Mo7itecorvi?io^ I had an opportunity to fee 
 five Perfons, that had been bit by a Tarantula 
 dance at the fame time, and in the fame place : 
 Four of them were Ploughmen, and the other 
 a very pretty Country Girl : In this company 
 I obferved fomething new, which was that each 
 of them had taken a ftrange Name, and the 
 proper Name of fome ancient King; and a- 
 mong them they thought they were related, 
 and fo treated each other with reciprocal Af- 
 fedion, and fuch Complements as caufed ad- 
 miration in the beholders. They performed 
 happily their ufual courfe of dancing in three 
 days; on the lafi: Evening of which, before 
 they parted, they heartily defired a band of 
 Soldiers ; upon which they had ten Mufquet- 
 teers granted them, which being divided into 
 
 '' two 
 
io8 LETTER IV. 
 
 two Bands ftood ready to give a Volley. Then 
 they afked afterwards for a Glafs of Water 
 and a little powdered Salt, which were both 
 foon brought to them. Their Chief, I mean 
 the imaginary King of Kings (whofe Name 
 was Peter Boccomazza) made a fign in the Cup 
 where the Salt and Water were, like that of 
 the Crofs, and each of them took a little of the 
 faid water, and made figns to the Soldiers to 
 fire. Then making a moft profound Bow to 
 the Company, they faid, We fhall meet here 
 again next year : Thefe poor Creatures after 
 fo great a fatigue remembered nothing of what 
 had pafled, but only begged of fome of the 
 croud which furrounded them, for pity's fake 
 to lead them home* 
 
 ''SIR, 
 
 I am well plea fed with the fatisfaftlon of 
 having obeyed your orders, in giving you this 
 *' fhort account of Particulars as well as I could, 
 " though perhaps not altogether as you defired ; 
 " If you will honour me with your Commands 
 " in any thing elfe, you fhall always find me 
 '' ready to ferve you, and to approve myfelf, 
 
 *' Tours ^ &€. 
 
 The learned Maximilian Mijfon^ advifes thofe that 
 are curious to be fully informed of this aflfair, to 
 
 confult 
 
 cc 
 
LETTER IV. 109 
 
 cx)nfult chiefly Mr. George Baglivi, Doctor of 
 Phyfick, and Anatomy ProfefTor, in the great 
 College at Naples^ who ingenuoufly owns, like 
 a truly able Man, that he is not capable to pene- 
 trate into thefe Myfteries of Nature: Humi jacet^ 
 faith he. But to make us amends, he gives a very 
 agreeable relation of all the wonderful particulars 
 of this Phenomenon (which he has often obferv- 
 ed, even in Apuglia^ with a perfed: exa^lnefs) in 
 his Dijfertatio de Nomine ^Natur a ^ Morfu^ & Effec- 
 tibus I'arafitulce : He there confirms every thing 
 that is related by Dr. SangenitOy in his Letter to 
 Mr. BulifoHy and adds fome other Particulars to it; 
 one of the moft fingular whereof is, that thefe 
 Infedts kill and eat one another when they meet. 
 When you come to Bedford^ I can help you to 
 a fight of Baglivi's Treatife, if you defire it. He 
 infills farther, viz, page 361, That not only their 
 Bites, but even the Liquors in which they arc 
 ftifled, are capable to produce pernicious efFedls, 
 as is manifeft from the experience of the In- 
 habitants of Apuglia. Nay, in chapter the firiT:, 
 that treats of this Infe(5l, he avers. How thofe 
 who are once bit by it, are never quite cured of the 
 Venom ; for it revives every year, and occafions 
 a long feries of Evils, which would be very annoy- 
 ing to the Patients, if they did not take due care of 
 their health by Dancing and Balls. They are a 
 hairy Animal, with two little Horns : and are fo 
 
 hortile 
 
110 LETTER IV. 
 
 hoftile one to another, that if you put ten of them 
 in one Veffel, (adds he) they will kill one another, 
 till only one furvives the reft; nay, if you fnut 
 but two up in any one Veffel, the one kills and eats 
 the other foon, though they can live above a 
 month without Food. 
 
 11. But let us diverfify the fubjedl. You know 
 that fome of the Ancient Heathen Roman Prin- 
 ces were wont to burn their deceafed Friends, and 
 to prefervethe facred Allies in fmall Urns, which 
 were carefully placed in Vaults under ground. 
 Now in order to this, they were obliged to 
 weave large Sheets out of the Stone called Ami- 
 anthos^ that is undoubtedly the Ajhejlos fo famous 
 among Naturalifls. They put the Body into one 
 of thefe Sheets, which will fland the Fire with 
 very little hurt or diminution 3 and when it was 
 thoroughly reduced to aflies, they then let the 
 Sheet cool, and fo put the Afhes into Urns : (this 
 ufage is obferved at this day by fome Families 
 oi Tartar Princes.) yi,MiJ]o7i faw in Count Mof-^ 
 car do's Cabinet at Verona in Italy^ many Peices of 
 Workmanfliip that had been framed out of this 
 Stone, which though hard and weighty, is not- 
 withftanding eafily divided into Fibres or Threads, 
 which are fo ftrong and flexible, that they may 
 be Ipun hke Cotton or Silk. Vide Vol.i. pag.196. 
 
 12. Several Gentlemen of known probity and 
 credit, after having taken the tour of Holland^ 
 
 Germany 
 
LETTER IV. in 
 
 Germany and Italy ^ have defcribed the affair to 
 my entire fatisfadion, and one of them w^ith this 
 additional and curious circumftance, viz. That 
 there being a v^hole Sheet of this kind in one of 
 the Pope's Palaces at Rome (either in that of 
 Monte Cavallo, or the Vatican,) he With fome o- 
 ther Travellers, had with difficulty procured the 
 favour of feeing the Sheet tried ; and accordingly 
 a large pan of red-hot Charcoal was got ready, 
 and one corner of the Sheet put into it -, the Sheet 
 foon looked like red-hot Iron, and continued in 
 fo fierce a Fire for a confiderable fpace. It was 
 then taken out, and laid to cool ; and he aflured 
 me, that in half an hour's time or lefs, it return- 
 ed to the felf fame colour, and felt exadtly as it 
 did juft: before it was put in. If I miffake not, 
 there are divers pieces of this ffrange cloth in the 
 repofitory of GreJJjam : 
 
 13. However, this I know to be faft. An in- 
 timate Acquaintance of mine at Nevis ^ one Mr. 
 Archibald Hamilton, w^ent for his health's fake to 
 Bojlon the Metropolis of New Engla7id, and at his 
 return back gave me a very particular account of 
 that flou riffling BrittiJJo Province. Among other 
 curious obfervations which he made, he told me, 
 That at the bottom of one or more Rivers there, 
 were confiderable quantities of the Stone called ^- 
 mianthos. He brought away five or fix pieces of it, 
 one of which about five ounces in weight he gave 
 
 to 
 
112 LETTER IV. 
 
 to me, but which I have unluckily loft fome 
 yccars ago. It was heavy in proportion to its bulk, 
 extreamly hard, very flat, and of a lightifh Cho- 
 colate colour. The Fibres or Threads (agreeable 
 to Mifon) were eafily enough drawn or pulled out 
 from the narrow fides of the Stone, were almoft 
 as foft as Silk, of a whitifh or rather grey colour 
 when drawn out, and might beyond queflion be 
 fpun and wove into Handkercheifs, or Cloth, ef- 
 pecially if there was a fmall matter of Silk or very 
 fine Flax mixed with it, which Silk or Flax, 
 might be eafily got out again, by putting it into 
 a Fire for a minute fpace. My Amianthos Stone 
 flood the Ordeal or Fiery Trial more than once, 
 without the leaft hurt or diminution, that I could 
 perceive. Baily fays it waftes a fixteenth part. I 
 had almoft forgot to acquaint you, that the New 
 England AJbeJlos is the entire Stone itfelf, whereas 
 the Ajhejlos you fliewed me in Dr. Woodwards 
 Colleftion, is a matter (Bailey ftiles it a Mineral) 
 that grows, as a Vein, in an extreamly hard Stone. 
 It is now above thirty years ago fince I looked 
 into Pancirollus de Rebus MemorabilibuSy &c. fo 
 that I do not remember whether he mentions this 
 Article, which however does moft certainly merit 
 a learned attention. The Wick of Lamps, that are 
 falfely faid to burn for Ages in Antique Roman 
 Vaults, is fuppofed to be made oi AJbeJlos y and the 
 Oyl that fupplies them is affirmed to be a prepara- 
 tion 
 
LETTER IV. 113 
 
 from Gold : An abfolute impoffibility ! For the 
 foftell Fire would by its continuation foon de- 
 ftroy the hardeft Stone, and the pureft Metal. It 
 is well known, that the ancient Romans did fu- 
 perflitioufly put into their Urns and Tombs, not 
 only little Metallick Veffels and Glafs Vials 
 which were termed Lachrymatories, but alfo Se- 
 pulchral Lamps that were lighted and left there : 
 Now, whatever ftrange notions vulgar Heads 
 might conceive about them ; furely the wifer Pa- 
 gans could not fuppofe. That either the Wick or 
 Oyl would laft for ever, becaufe every thing that 
 burns muft of courfe wafte. 
 
 I ihall conclude my long Letter with telling 
 you, That when Mr. Hamilton was in New 
 England^ (i.e. in 17 17. or thereabouts) it was 
 currently reported, and univerfally believed, that 
 the Perfon who cut off King Charles the Firft's 
 Head, died there then, he owning it upon his 
 Death-bed, but not before, 
 
 / amy dear Sir^ Tour's, 
 
 w. s. 
 
 p. S. If any one doubts the Truth of Dr. San- 
 gemfo's Letter, and cannot believe that Mufick 
 can fo raife and move the Spirits of Man -, let 
 him confider i Samuel xvi. 23, viz. When the 
 
 H Evil 
 
114 LETTER IV. 
 
 Evil Spirit from God was upon Saul^ David took 
 his Harp and played^ fo that Saul was refrejhed^ 
 and was welly and the Evil Spirit departed from 
 him. Let him confult alfo, chap. 8, of Came-- 
 rarius's Hijiorical Meditations^ and the aforefaid 
 Maximilian Mijfon^ voL 4. page 396. where he 
 may meet with many inftances of the Power of 
 Mufick. My own Belief in all fuch cafes, is go- 
 verned by found Reafon, not at all by Prejudice: 
 I judge of no Man's Words, before I have tho- 
 roughly tried them by the Touch-ftone of this 
 Reafon. It is monftrous, in fhort, to imagine 
 before-hand, that a Man is going to impofe a 
 Falfhood upon me for Truth, on account of what 
 his Neighbours may malicioufly infinuate, to the 
 impeachment of his Veracity : but alas ! fome 
 people*s Faith can bend like a twig % Min^^ 
 thanks to kind Heaven ! never could* 
 
 LET 
 
"5 
 
 E T T E R V. 
 
 Good Siry 
 
 THE following Letter was wrote from Na- 
 plesy to my Lord Lovely by Mr. George 
 Shelvocky jun^ who was travelling Tutor to his 
 Son 'y And the principal Reafon for my fending it 
 is, left it fhould never be made publick, or come 
 to your perufal by fome other hand : Though I 
 hope that one time or other, that curious Gen- 
 tleman will oblige the World with a full account 
 of his Travels, 
 
 " My Lord, 
 
 1. " By the only Book I have had, to confult 
 " about what Place it may have formerly been, 
 *' which is OrteUus'^ ThefauruSy I find it was for- 
 " merly called Herculeanumy which is faid to have 
 *' flood, juft where this Subterraneous Town (as 
 " they call it) now is; that is, either on the ve- 
 " ry Spot where the Town called T'orre di Greco 
 " is now, or very near it, at the Foot of Mount 
 " Vefuvius, 
 
 2. " What is now feen of it, is not above half 
 " an Englifh Mile from hence, as I take it, and as 
 " it was in all likelihood a large place, it may up- 
 *' on farther difcovery be found, to extend itfelf to 
 
 H 2 *' Ti'orre 
 
ii6 LETTER V. 
 
 '\torre di Greco^ and even beyond it. Before I 
 give fuch a defcription of thefe Remains as I 
 am able, it may firfl: be neceffary to acquaint 
 you, that for fear of Accidents, the Paflages 
 they have dug out, which have been quite at 
 a venture, are feldom higher or broader than 
 is neceffary for a Man of my fize to pafs along 
 conveniently. This is the caufe that you have 
 but an imperfed: View of things in general ; 
 and as thefe narrow PalTages are quite a Laby- 
 rinth, there is no gueffing at whereabouts you 
 are, after two or three turnings. 
 3. "At the further end of Fortieth towards 
 T^orre di Greco ^ you defcend by above fifty 
 Stone Steps, which convey you over the Wall 
 of a Theater, lined with white Marble, which 
 if the Earth and Rubbifli were cleared over it, 
 would, I believe, be found to be very entire : 
 By what is feen of it, I do not imagine it to 
 have been much bigger than one of our ordi- 
 nary Theaters in London^ and that it was a 
 Theater, and not an Amphitheater, appears 
 by a part of the Scene which is plainly to be 
 '' diilinguifhed ; it is, I think, of Stucco, and 
 adorned with Compartments of Grotefque 
 Work, of which, and Grotefque Paintings, 
 there is a great deal fcattered up and down, in 
 the feveral parts of the Town, 
 
 4. -"When 
 
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LETTER V. iiy 
 
 4. " When you have left the Theater, you 
 *^ enter into narrow Paflages, where on one hand 
 " of you, (for you feldom or ever fee any particular 
 ** Objed to be diftinguifhed on each hand of you 
 " at once, becaufe of the narrownefs of the Paf- 
 fages) you have Walls crufted over, or lined 
 with Marble fometimes, and fometimes with 
 Stucco, and fometimes you have Walls of bare 
 Brick, but almoft throughout, you fee above, 
 and about you. Pillars of Marble or Stucco 
 crufted or broken, or lying in all forts of di- 
 redions ; fometimes you have plainly the out- 
 fides of Walls of Buildings, that have apparent- 
 ly fallen inwards, and fometimes the infides of 
 Buildings, that have apparently fallen outwards; 
 and fometimes you have apparently, both the 
 infides and outfides of Buildings, that ftand up- 
 right, and many of them would, I dare fay, 
 be found to be entire, as feveral have in part 
 been. To make an end of this general defcrip- 
 tion, you have all the way, fiich a confufion 
 of Brick and Tiles, and Mortar, and Marble, in 
 Corniflies and Friefes, and other Members and 
 Ornaments, together with Stucco, and Beams, 
 and Rafters, and even what feem to have been 
 Trees, that flood in the Town, and Blocks and 
 " Billets for Fewel, together with the Earth, and 
 " Matter, that feems to have over- whelmed the 
 ^^ Town, all fo blended and cruflied, and as it were 
 
 H 3 '' mixe4 
 
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ii8 LETTER V. 
 
 mixed together, that it is far eafier to conceive, 
 than to defcribe it : The Ruin in general is not 
 to be exprefibd. 
 
 5. " Having given your Lordfliip this general 
 account, I w^ill now^ run over the moft remark- 
 able particulars, I fav^, juft as they feem to 
 me, without pretending to order -, for, as I have 
 hinted already, it was impoffibleformetoknow 
 in what order they ftand, in refpect to each 
 other. I faw the Infide of a Rotund, which 
 may have been a Temple 5 it is crowned with 
 a Dome, it may be about thirty foot in 
 diameter, but I forbear to fay any thing it 
 meafures, for they will allow of none to be 
 taken near it: I faw the lower part of a Corin- 
 thian Column, upon the loftieft proportioned 
 Brick Pedeftal I ever obferved 3 and thereabouts 
 fdme very folid Brick Buildings. 
 
 6. *' I foon afterwards pafled over, what by 
 the length we faw of it, appears to have been 
 a very vaft Mofaic Pavement : We foon after- 
 wards perceived ourfelves to be got into the 
 infide of a Dwelling-houfe : The Rooms ap- 
 pear to have been but fmall ; they are lined 
 with Stucco, and painted with a Ground of a 
 deep Red, adorned with Compartments, either 
 of a white or light Yellow, and of fome other 
 Colours, our Lights were not good enough to 
 make us diftinguifh : In thefe Compartments 
 
 *^ were 
 
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LETTER V. 119 
 
 were Grotefque Paintings, of Birds, Bealls, 
 Maflcs, Feftoons and the like : Soon afterwards, 
 with fome difficulty, and by creeping up a ve- 
 ry narrow Hole of loofe Earth, we got into 
 an upper Apartment of another Houfe : The 
 Floor was of Stucco, and the Earth and Rub- 
 bilh was cleared away from under a great part 
 of it : we ventured upon it, and found a Room 
 lined and adorned in a manner I have defcribed 
 the laft, only it was rather richer ; the Ceiling 
 is painted juft in the fame manner and in the 
 fame Colours, and with the fame Ground of 
 deep red as the fides. This Room may have 
 been about ten or eleven foot high ; but the 
 danger of our fituation, would not permit us 
 to do other wife, than get out of it as foon as 
 we could. 
 
 7. " Shortly afterwards, we were carried, ra- 
 ther afcending as we went, into what feems to 
 ' have been a principal Room in fome great 
 
 • Houfe; at the end of it, which is to be feen, 
 ' there are three large Buffets in the Wall, all 
 
 • three moft admirably painted, partly in Gro- 
 ' tefque, and partly in Perfpedive, reprefenting 
 ^ Temples, Houfes, Gardens, and the like, exe- 
 ' cuted with the greateft freedom, judgment, and 
 ^ variety, and very much enlivened with the 
 ' higheft and moft airy Ornaments ; as is the 
 
 • whole of the Room as far as can be feen, not 
 
 H 4^ " except- 
 
i€ 
 <C 
 fC 
 
 I20 LETTER V. 
 
 excepting the Roof which feems to have been 
 a Hoping one ; and all the Lines of the Com- 
 partments of the Painting of it, feem to tend 
 ** to fome Ornaments, that mufl have been in the 
 " middle, or Centre of the top: What the heigth 
 of this Room may have been, is hard to fay, 
 for by the Buffets it appears, that there is a good 
 depth to be dug out to get on the Floor. I 
 muft not omit, that betv^een the painted Com- 
 partments of this Room, there is continually 
 
 *' a Palm-tree in fo very pifturefque a manner, 
 that I think it one of the moft pleafing Orna- 
 ments I ever fav7 : What may be the length 
 and breadth of this Room is not to be gueffed 
 at, for they have not cleared av^ay above, I 
 think, five foot of the end of it, that I have 
 given an account of. We afterwards paffed 
 thorough ordinary Rooms of the fame Houfe, 
 and through the Infide of fome other Houfes, 
 feemingly of lefs note, of thefe Infides in gene- 
 ral, I {hall only fay, that they are almoft al- 
 ways painted of a deep Red, fometimes plain, 
 and fometimes adorned with Figures, and it 
 feemed to me, twice or thrice as wc paffed 
 
 *^ along, that we turned the Corners of Streets ; 
 
 ■** twice I thought we paffed the Fronts of Houfes, 
 and once particularly we paffed by the Frqnt as 
 it feemed of fome publick Edifice, very large, 
 with very broad fluted Pilafters of Stucco, 
 
 8. '' But 
 
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 LETTER V. i2r 
 
 8. " But nothing is more extraordinary than 
 what is demonftratively evident to have been 
 the Cataftrophe of it. That it was partly de- 
 ftroyed by an Eruption of the Mountain can 
 " never be doubted, and in the following man- 
 *^ ner j Firft it was fet on fire by burning matter 
 " from the Mountain, and by the time it was 
 " well in Flames it was overwhelmed^ and the 
 fire was fmothered: Your Lordfhip will be 
 convinced of this by what I am going to ob- 
 ferve^ I have taken notice that there is every 
 where great quantities of Beams, and Rafters, 
 and Trees, and Billets of Wood, fcattered up 
 ^' and down -, all thefe are burnt to as fine and 
 " perfedl a Charcoal as ever I faw, or as any body 
 " ever made ufe of; the very largeft of the 
 Beams are burnt to the Heart, though they 
 have perfedly preferved their Form, infomuch 
 that in all of them I examined, I could per- 
 ceive every ftroak of the Ax or Tool they 
 were hewn and fhaped with ; that the Town 
 was burnt, is as plain as that it was overwhelm- 
 ed. Now if it had continued to burn for any 
 time, all the Beams and Rafters would have 
 been reduced to Afhes, or have been quite de- 
 faced, whereas by the Fire being fuddenly 
 fmothered, they became true and perfecfl Char- 
 coal as they are ; This feems to be the cafe of 
 that part of it that is hitherto difcovered. 
 
 Q " That 
 
 
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122 LETTER V. 
 
 9. " That this deflrudtion was effedled by two 
 fuch violent Accidents fuddenly upon the back 
 of each other, may be the more natural to fup- 
 pofe, than that it was burnt by the fame mat- 
 ter that overwhelmed it, for if that was the 
 cafe, I do not fee how the Paintings could have 
 been preferved fo frefh as they are, or indeed 
 at all, nor can it be conceived that there fhould 
 not appear fome marks of the burning in the 
 Bricks, the Marble, the Stucco, and the reft: 
 now there is as yet no fuch thing to be ob- 
 ferved, nor does there appear to be any fort of 
 combuflible fubftance mixed with the Earth 
 or Rubbifli • both above and below it feems 
 to have been buried in common Earth, which 
 could naturally have no fhare in burning the 
 Town ', This may make it to be believed, it 
 was rather buried by fome extraordinary ef- 
 fects of an Earthquake which happened at the 
 fame time, than by burning matter thrown out 
 of the Mountain : That it was fet on fire by 
 burning Matter thrown out of the Mountain, 
 cannot well be doubted ; but that it was bu- 
 ried by burning matter from the Mountain, 
 appears not at all to be the cafe. In what- 
 foever manner the Fate of the Town was 
 brought upon it, it feems to have been as 
 dreadful an one as could have been inflicted in 
 Nature. I will trouble you with but one other 
 obfcrvation about it, which is, that the Inha- 
 
 " bitants 
 
(C 
 
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 cc 
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 LETTER V. 123 
 
 " bitants feem to have had fome difmal warn- 
 ing to forfake it, for in the digging of above 
 a mile and a half which they compute the fe- 
 veral Windings and Turnings are, they have as 
 yet found but one dead Body. In my next I 
 will give you an account of the Paintings and 
 Statues they have taken for the King's ufe, 
 *' and add what may have flipped out of my me- 
 " mory at prefent. In the mean time, &cJ' 
 
 10. None of my acquaintance who have taken 
 the polite Tour of Hollaiid^ Germany^ and Italy ^ 
 ever fo much as named this fubterraneous Town 
 to me : I have alfo confulted Maxi?7nlia?i MiJJm-y 
 and as he makes not the leaft mention of it, fo I 
 muft prefume it was not difcovered till after he 
 had publifhed his Travels in four Odavo Vo- 
 lumes in the Year of our Lord 1714 : However 
 he quotes Dio7t Caffius^ and tells us from him ; 
 That the thundering Noife of an Eruption was 
 heard as far as Rome^ and Egypt ; That the Towns 
 of Pompeia and Hercidmia were fwallowed up • 
 That moft of the Inhabitants, who at that unhap- 
 py minute were affifting at the publick Spedla- 
 cles were buried in their Ruins ; and that it was 
 alfo then, that the ancient Plinius and Ceffius 
 BaJJius^ whofe rafli Curiofity emboldened them 
 to advance too near the Mouth of Fefuvius^ fuf- 
 fered the like fate. He is of opinion moreover. 
 That Herculana flood formerly where Tinr di 
 Otta^jo is now fituate, which I fuppofe has not fo 
 
 very 
 
124 LETTER V, 
 
 very lately as fince the publication of his Travels, 
 changed its name to 'T'orre di Greco : And indeed 
 as moft of the Inhabitants w^ere buried in its 
 ruins, I do not fee how this fubterraneous Town 
 can be either Pompeia or Herciilana^ fince ac- 
 cording to Mr. Shehock's laft obfervation, there 
 has been but one fingle dead Body dug up in it : 
 Nay, give me leave to take notice yet farther^ 
 That as all the adjacent People of the Country 
 reforted to thefe Spedacles, Herculana mult then 
 be crowded in a moft extraordinary manner, 
 
 1 1 . That curious and learned Traveller does 
 alfo remark. That in the Night, between the 
 nineteenth and twentieth oi September in the Year 
 of our Lord 1538, the Earth there was brought 
 to bed of a Mountain, which has ever fmce been 
 called Monte Niiovo, or Di Cinere. The Birth 
 was attended with terrible circumftances : for the 
 Earth quaked ; the Sea recoiled ; the Lucrin 
 Lake was almoft filled up ; great numbers of Men 
 and Beafts periflied; and there was a general and 
 dreadful conflernation through all the neighbour- 
 ing Country. 
 
 12. In another place, fpeaking of the Via Fla- 
 minia^ he fays : In fome places, and particularly 
 towards Cajlel Niwvo, fifteen miles from Rome^ 
 this ancient Pavement may be ftill obferved, 
 which fometimes mounts on Afcents that are 
 now inacceffible, in other places it loofes itfelf in 
 
 deep 
 
LETTER V. 125 
 
 deep Vallies, which cannot be defcended into, and 
 afterwards appears again fomc miles farther. It 
 is very certain, that by Winds, Rains, great 
 Floods, Earthquakes and other Accidents, Plains 
 are fwelled to Hills, and Hills funk to Vallies^ 
 The Land gains from the Sea in fome places, and 
 lofes in others ; The Sea furnifhes the Land 
 with Lakes, and the Land renders it Ifbnds; Ri- 
 vers dry, and change their courfe^ Mountains be- 
 come level 'y and the figure of the Globe is in 
 perpetual variation. 
 
 1 3 . My dear Friend : All this I allow to be 
 indelible truth ; and particularly fo in regard to 
 Ifaly and Sicily y both of which Countries muft 
 be in a good meafure undermined, and of courfe 
 have their furface flrangely altered by Earth- 
 quakes, fince Vefuvius and MtJia have (in order 
 to effed: it) been burning out their Bowels for fo 
 many Ages together. This we are fure of ^ that 
 both thefe Mountains have fallen into a raging 
 Fit at the fame time, which have induced many 
 Perfons of found judgment and learning, to infer 
 that they have a fubterraneous communication 
 with each other. 
 
 14. Nor is this confined folely to that part of 
 the World -, for about the year of our Lord 
 1 71 8, whilft I lived at Nevis ^ the Sea did among 
 the AzoreSy or Weftern Iflands, gradually throw 
 up Stones and Earth fo long as till it had formed 
 
 a 
 
126 LETTER V. 
 
 a new Ifland, which was fome miles in circum- 
 ference. The Portngueze from Tercera took pof- 
 feffion of it (as foon as they durft venture on fo 
 hazardous an attempt) by fetting up a Crofs there- 
 on ', but alas ! it very Ihortly after funk down a- 
 gain as gradually into the Sea, and fo vanifhede 
 There is a Vulcano upon one of the Azores 
 which is for that reafon called Fuego ; and if I 
 am not much miftaken, there ifliied Smoak out 
 of a confiderable hole in the fmall Ifland, that 
 thus arofe out of, and funk into the Sea agaiuo 
 
 15. I muft draw to a conclufion with this re- 
 markable inftancein behalf of fo indelible a truth^ 
 viz^ That about feven or eight years ago, there 
 was fuch a dreadful Earthquake in Chili or Peru 
 (or in both, ) as deftroyed the fine City of St. 
 yago in Chili y upon the River of St. y^^d?, which 
 waters a Province of that name (and fome others,) 
 befides many Villages for fome hundreds of 
 miles together : This horrid Ruin was doubtlefs 
 occafioned by the Vulcanoes with which all parts 
 of the Coafts in the South Sea abound, as well as 
 the Cordillera^ or Mountains of Aiides^ that part 
 the rich Kingdom of Chili from the vaft and ftill 
 more fertile Plains of Ciiio, Father Ovalle a Na- 
 tive of Chili and Procurator for it at Rome^ fays^ 
 That in thefe Mountains there are fixteen Vul- 
 canoes, which fometimes break out with dire 
 efFefts, cleave the Rocks, and iffue great quanti- 
 ties 
 
L E T TER V. 127 
 
 ties of Fire, with a noife refembling Thunder ; 
 He accounts thefe Mountains the higheft in the 
 World. JVoods Rogers owns much the fame in 
 the following ftrong terms ; inz^ " Some parts 
 " of them I believe are full as high, if not higher 
 " than the Pico T'eneriff] with Snow on the top j" 
 He was then cruifmg in South Latitude 17. 03, 
 but does not tell what diftance he might be from 
 them ; and in another place he fays, that he faw 
 Pico ^eneriff very plain when he was at lead 
 thirty-fix Leagues from it, 
 
 16. There is a noted Vulcano near the City of 
 Mexico called Popacatepec^ whofe mouth (at the 
 top of an exceeding high Mountain) is pretty near 
 a Mile in circumference. Vide Dt, Bare/ay's Uni- 
 verfal TCraveller, 
 
 I fuppofe you are by this time weary enough 
 of reading this Epiftle of 
 
 Tours W. S. 
 
 P. 5. There are Vulcanoes in many parts of 
 the Rafi Indies^ which frequently occafion Earth- 
 quakes and their fatal confequences, in much the 
 fame manner with Mtna^ Vefuviusyzndi Strombolo, 
 
 LET- 
 
128 
 
 LETTER Vt 
 
 Good Sir, 
 
 I Would not have any one infer from my pre- 
 ceeding Letters, and particularly from the 
 laft, that Vulcandes are confined folely to ex- 
 tream hot Latitudes : no ; let us remember, that 
 in the wonderous cold Climate of Icelafid we 
 have an account of a Burning Mountain called 
 Mount Hecldy v^hich (if we may give credit to 
 the teflimony of Mariners) rages moft horribly 
 as well as almoft inceffantly, fending forth amaz- 
 ing quantities of Smoke, Flame, and combufti- 
 ble matter. But our great misfortune is, that ve- 
 ry few (if any) Perfons of Learning and Judg- 
 ment competent enough have travelled thither, 
 to bring us an accurate defcription of it : And as 
 for the poor Natives of fuch a difmal Country, 
 they are fo unpoliihed (or rather wild and fa- 
 vage) that they want all forts of Literature, and 
 confequently can relate nothing certain about its 
 EfFeds beyond their own Times \ nay it is with 
 me a queftion, whether any other European un- 
 derftands a fingle word of their Language, or 
 whether the boldeft of fuch ignorant Creatures 
 durft venture to approach within a mile of its 
 mouth. Bi(hop Nicholjan in page 51. of his 
 
 Englijh 
 
LETTER VI. 129 
 
 'EngVifiilliJlorical Library (I own) aflerts their Li- 
 terature in the following words ; " Afamal or the 
 *' AJian Tongue was fuppofed to be brought out 
 *' of Afia by Woden or Odiriy the firft great Ge- 
 " neral that led a Colony into thefe Parts. The 
 " beft Remains of this are now amongft the In- 
 " habitants of Iceland ; who have preferved their 
 " ancient Language in the greateft purity j both 
 *' by being leaft acquainted with Foreign Com- 
 " merce, and by taking care to regifter in it the 
 *' publick Tranfadlions of their own and the 
 " neighbouring Nations/' Read alfo the two fol- 
 lowing pages of his, where you will find an ac- 
 count of the Treatifes I never faw. His whole 
 Book is very curious and entertaining to a found 
 Scholar. However, we may in time hear further 
 of it, becaufe about twelve or thirteen years ago 
 the King of Denmark who pretends to its Sove- 
 reignty, fent off thither fifty or fixty Families, 
 in order to try if it was not prafticable to fettle 
 a Colony, that might traffick with them for Deer- 
 fkins, Bear-fkins, Ermins, Martins, Beavers, and 
 other Furrs : But I doubt whether the Profit an- 
 fwered the Expence of the Projedl: ; for I cannot 
 fay, that we ever after had fo much as mention 
 made of them. N.B. There is now at this junc- 
 ture of time, a warm difpute between that Prince 
 and the States General of the United Provinces of 
 
 I HqU 
 
I30 LETTER VI. 
 
 Holland, in regard to the Right of Filhery upon 
 its Coafls. 
 
 2. This Article of the Fifhery upon the Coails 
 of Icelajid puts me in mind, that when I was at 
 Ki?2gston Jup7^a Hull^ in the year 1724, I vifited 
 for curiofity (among other Places) "Trinity Houfcy 
 in the Hall whereof, hung^up a very fmall wooden 
 Canoe, that was (both at top and bottom) ex- 
 ceeding well clofed, and tight. Out of a hole in 
 themidft of the top, appeared a fmall man's Effi- 
 gies as far almollas its middle (or waift) with a 
 ihort Paddle in one hand, which Paddle was 
 broad and flat at each end, not unlike the broad 
 end of a well fliaped Boat*s Oar ; only it was 
 much fnarper at each extremity and made round 
 m the middle on purpofe for him to hold it by 
 in the miiddle, and to paddle with it the more 
 commodioufiy. They fliled the Effigies the bonny 
 Boatman, and in wondrous grave terms told me 
 the following Story about him. ^ix, A Greenland 
 Veffel belonging to that Port, did on her return 
 home, about four or {\\t days after her depar- 
 ture from thence, and confcquently far enough 
 from it, efpy a fliort and little Man of that fize 
 padling in great haile away from them ^ but tliey 
 purfued, and foon came up with him ; however 
 he was fo expert at padling, and fliifted about 
 fo very dexteroufly, that it was with great diffi- 
 culty they catched him. He feemed very uneafy 
 
 at 
 
LETTER VI. 1 d I 
 
 O 
 
 at his misfortune of being thus made a Piifoner, 
 fore enough againfl his will ; for he fhed many- 
 Tears crying aloud, made llrange inarticulate 
 noifes, fomctimes uttering what they thought 
 might be a guttural unintelligible Language, ab- 
 folutely refufed all manner of fultenance both as 
 to Meats and Drinks, which they offered him^ 
 lived two or three days, and then died in much 
 feeming grief : His body they threw into the Sea, 
 but brought away home with them the Canoe 
 and the Paddle, as well as his Garment which 
 covered all the upper part of his Body except his 
 Hands and Face, and was of a black colour that 
 fliined like black Oyl-fkin ; and caufing this Effi- 
 gies to be made in refemblance of the bonny Boat- 
 man, put up the whole, as a moft fingular Rari- 
 ty, in the Hall of T'nnity Houfe^ where I faw it % 
 I had almofl forgot to acquaint you. That the 
 Effigies had a pretty large Bag hanging at its 
 right Side which was taken fo on the bonny 
 Boatman, and in which he kept a Liquor (faid 
 the Sailors) that would give him fufficient light 
 whenever he dived, which he frequently did. 
 Canoe and all together : But this I want faith to 
 believe. In fliort ^ my own ferious opinion of the 
 matter is, That the Gj-eenhnd Ship might be 
 pretty near fome part of the Weftern Goafl of 
 Iceland^ though not able to fee it for Fogs or 
 Hazinefs of Weather, and that the bonny Boat- 
 
 I 2 man 
 
132 LETTER VL 
 
 man might be a Native of that Country ,who per- 
 haps, was drove farther than ordinary from the 
 fliore by blov^ing weather. The People of Hull 
 are firmly perfuaded that he was a Native of 
 Greenland : But if I rightly remember the State 
 of that forlorn Land, it has no other Inhabitants 
 than White Bears, with a few Deer, and fome 
 few Fowles : I have fince read M. Egedes ac* 
 count which fays, it is tolerably peopled in the 
 Parts towards the South. 
 
 3. But let us travel away to the Coaft of A^br- 
 *wa)\ where we meet with a moil remarkable 
 place called by their Writers Mael-Stroo?n^ which 
 has ever very much puzzled the Learned World 
 to account for. It is a huge (monflrous) Hole or 
 Hiatus in the Sea, that is fcituate among fome 
 poor Illands ; and I fhall now endeavour to de- 
 fcribe it according to my befl information and 
 judgment. 
 
 4. This Hiatus may be a Mile in Diameter, 
 and is very vifible when the Tide is at ebb. As 
 foon as the Water begins to flow again, the Tide 
 drives it into the Hiatus, with an incredible im« 
 petuofity and noife, together with the Fifhes and 
 every thing elfe that gets into its Stream along 
 with them, and continues to do fo till it is quite 
 full, which happens a little before the Water is 
 rifen to high Flood. It is well worth our ob- 
 fervation j That a little before, and a little after^ 
 
 as 
 
LETTER VI. 133 
 
 as well as at high Flood, Veflels do ufually fail 
 over it, with as much fafety as they can over any 
 other part of the Sea thereabouts. But no fooner 
 is the Flood a quarter fallen, than the Hiatus 
 which is then full of Water, begins to difgorge 
 it up again in a moft violent manner, together 
 with the Fi(hes and whatfoever elfe it had fo vo- 
 racioufly fwallowed down along with them. 
 The Fifhermen from the adjacent Iflands are al- 
 ways, in feafonable weather, ready upon thefe 
 Difgorgings to catch the Fiflies, which they do 
 in confiderable numbers, retiring home with them 
 before the Tide gets too near an Ebb, and of 
 courfe before there can be leaft dano;er of its hur- 
 rying them away into the Hiatus. Gordon In his 
 Geographical Grammar ftiles this Hiatus, the 
 Navel of the World, and makes it more than a 
 Mile in diameter, allowing Fiflies to be caught at 
 its difgorging, and affirms, that it fwallows down 
 every thing at hi^h Flood, and difgorges when the 
 Tide is at an ebb. My own account I had from 
 perfons,who pretended to have actually feen, and 
 failed over it. 
 
 5. Now that this Hiatus called Macl-Sfrooju 
 (were it fo) fliould be always a filling, could raife 
 no fuch mighty wonder in us ; but the Reafons 
 or Grounds which caufe it to difgorge thus, do 
 certainly lay much deeper than my fhort line of 
 underftanding can fathom : and indeed if this 
 
 I 3 knotty 
 
134 LETTER VI. 
 
 knotty Point is propofed to be unravelled, and 
 difcovered by the help of a fubterraneous either 
 Fire or Air, I think a man of penetration, and fo- 
 lid judgment, might eafily raife fuch flrong Ob- 
 jedions againll both, as would render it difficult 
 to get over them. 
 
 6. This brings to my mind,That in the Spring 
 of the year 1 700, 1 fet fail from Yarmouth in Nor- 
 folk towards Narva in Livonia^ one of the fineft 
 Provinces then, on the South- fide of the Balticky 
 which belonged to the Crown of Siveeden 5 and 
 the firfl place we touched at was Elfmore upon 
 the Ifle of Zeeland in De?iJjiark^ where I faw no- 
 thing remarkable, in our two days flay, befides a 
 In.rge Caftle which they aflured us, commanded 
 the entrance into the Baltick Sea, and had in it 
 one particular peice of Cannon fo long and well 
 made, that it would throw a Ball acrofs the Sound 
 into Sckonm on the SweediJIo Side : The latter af- 
 fertion may poffibly be true 5 but about a month 
 after we left it, a Squadron of only eighteen E?2g- 
 iijlj Men of War demonftrated the former to be 
 falfe, by firing each a Broad-lide at it as they 
 paffed along by, to the great terrour and aftoniih- 
 ment of its Garrifon, as well as the Inhabitants qf 
 Elfmore, I faw a Regiment of Foot drawn up, 
 and reviewed there ; they were tall and large-bo- 
 died, and red-headed to a man, as mofl People of 
 North Germany are, eipecially in tlie lail point. 
 
 7. The 
 
LETTER VI. 135 
 
 7. The next Sea Port we called in at, was Co- 
 penhagen their Metropolis, which notwithftand- 
 ing was chiefly built with Wood. The King*s 
 Palace itfelf made no great figure : And to fpeak 
 the truth, we faw nothing extraordinary there ex- 
 cept its Harbour, which is the fineft and moft 
 commodious in the whole World. Its Mouth is 
 id narrow, that but one Ship can pafs in at a time^ 
 And there is a foot-path made of Wood diredly 
 crofs over it, which is fo artfully contrived, as to 
 be eafily flipped on one fide v/hen a Veffel is to 
 enter; Boats can row under it. When you arc 
 got in, you find the Harbour as fmooth and ftill 
 as a Mill-Pond, and withal capacious enough to 
 receive the largefl Navy in 'Europe \ The Royal 
 Docks, both dry and wet, are clofe at hand on 
 the left at your entrance. In order to aggrandize 
 their Country, we were told that the whole Har- 
 bour was dug by the hand of Man ; but that I 
 can fcarce believe : However, this I am willing to 
 allow them, viz. That it might by fuch labour 
 be vaflly improved. Art frequently affifling Na- 
 ture in moft cafes of that kind, if hot in all. 
 
 8. After a Week's ftay, we proceeded on our 
 Voyage for Nar'va in Lrco?iia, near the Bay oiln- 
 gria^ where we fafely arrived in a few days, aiid 
 with pleafant moderate Weather, confidering the 
 Seafon of the Year. It was a fortified and well 
 Garrifoned Town, but not very kirge ; being a- 
 
 I 4. bout 
 
J36 LETTER VI. 
 
 bout eighteen or twenty Miles from the fcituation 
 of the prefent famous City of Peterjburgh, Its 
 Buildings confifted principally of Free-ftone ; the 
 Streets were pretty regular, and wide enough ; 
 and on one fide of the publick Square jftood a new 
 built Burfe or Exchange, that had a very hand- 
 fome Front. It is upon an eminence on the South- 
 fide of a navigable River that bears the fame name^ 
 having a large Caftle or Citadel on the northern 
 or oppofite bank, to defend the Town in a part 
 where the Fortifications were old and irregular ; 
 the reft of its Works were modern, and of courfe 
 good. It had three Churches, viz, a Sweedijh^ a 
 High Dutch^ and an Ejiglijh one, befides another 
 for the FinlanderSy between the inward wall that 
 covered the houfes and one of the large Baftions 
 near a Draw-bridge on the Wefi:ern fide of the 
 Town : None of them were fine Buildings ^ but 
 that belonging to the EngliJhyV/2.s made out of a 
 Stable or Wood-houfe, and confequently by far 
 the meanefi:. It had confiderable Suburbs at a 
 little difi:ance on each fide of the River ; that on 
 the South-fide confifi:ing chiefly of Sweeds y and 
 that on the North-fide of trading MufcoviteSyVfho 
 had built a Church there for People of their 
 Communion, which they pretend to be the true 
 ancient Greek one : And as there was a Bridge 
 between the Town and Cafl:le, you may fuppofe 
 there was an eafy communication between them 
 
 all 
 
LETTER VI. 137 
 
 all. The Town was fix Miles from the River's 
 Mouth, and as it ftands upon rifing, or rather 
 pretty high ground, it makes a lovely fl:iow from 
 the Bay of Ingria at the River's Mouth, where 
 Ships ride at anchor, whilft they take in their 
 Loading. I obferved, that they had an odd kind 
 of VeflTel called Loddy (between a Ship and a 
 Boat) which inftead of being faftened with Iron 
 Spikes and Wooden Trunnels (as our Ships and 
 larger Sailing Craft are) is adtually fewed, or ra- 
 ther tacked together with Hempen Strings ; yet 
 it Coafts along from Port to Port with fafety e- 
 nough. If we may credit Salmons Prefent State of 
 yapan^ page 180. The People oijejfo frequently 
 come over to the North part of yapan to trade 
 in Veffels fewed together with Cordage, without 
 any Iron- work about them : This is eafily prac- 
 ticable, it being but ten Leagues between the two 
 Countries. There are fome Villages all around it, 
 that would look pleafantly were not the Houfes 
 made of Firr-trees badly fquared, and laid upon 
 each other (by way of a Wall) and fo joynted 
 together at the ends : I thought them at firfl 
 fight ftrange and ugly forts of Buildings; but 
 they are very warm in Winter, by the help of 
 good Stoves. They had exceeding fine Wheat, 
 Rye, and other Grain, though the Peafant's (and 
 common People*s even in Towns) Bread is as 
 black as my hat ; but the only Fruits I remem- 
 ber 
 
138 LETTER VL 
 
 ber te have leen among them, were common 
 Cherries and ordinary Apples. They boafted that 
 the Steeple of the High Dutch Church was co- 
 vered with Sheets of Silver, inilead of Lead ; but 
 that could not be true, as Money was not fo very 
 plentiful among them : However it was crufted 
 over with thin Sheets of a mixed fort of Metal, 
 that caft a dazling lufire when the Sun fhone out 
 full upon it, which puts me in mind of MI kon^ 
 book 3. line 543. 
 
 . — j4s when a Scout 
 
 through dark and defer t "ways with peril gone 
 All night ; at laji by break of chearful dawn 
 Obtains the Brow offome high-clijnbing Hill^ 
 Which to his eye di /covers unaware 
 The goodly profpeB of fojne foreign Land 
 Firfi feen^ or feme renown d Metropolis 
 With glifering Spij-es and Pi?inacles adorn' d^ 
 Which 710W the rifing Sun gilds with his Beams, 
 
 The People were generally fpeaking poor and 
 good-natured, though hot-headed and cholerick 
 like our Welchmen, The Country every where 
 (except Corn-fields and a few Failure Grounds) 
 was overrun with thick Woods of Pine, Firr, 
 Juniper, ^c , but their green hue looked melan- 
 choUy at beft, and no ways, to be compared with 
 the lively Colour of our Rnglifh Tree Leaves. 
 They had fome fev/ Oaks^ here and there, of 
 
 the 
 
LETTER VL 139 
 
 the Norway kind ; but their Ships were all built 
 (as well as their Houfes) of Firr or Pine. To 
 their credit, I never heard of a Law-fuit, or a 
 Thief among them, during the whole Summer I 
 lived there -, and it was very rare for any of them 
 to be feen difguifed with Spirituous Liquors, ex- 
 cept on Sundayi^ and then it was chiefly with 
 mean Peafants, who had no other Holiday in the 
 Week. Their beft Drink is Ale, which is reck- 
 oned pretty good. Their Weddings were always 
 folemnized on the Sundays whofe whole xA.fcer- 
 noon was fpent in Mirth and Jollity. And it was 
 cuftomary with the poorer fort, to invite ma- 
 ny to their Weddings ; which Cuftom I much 
 approve of, for none ever went to them empty 
 handed. At Nevi^ it is cuflomary among the 
 richer fort of Jews^ for the neareft Relations to 
 to make very handfome Prefents to the Bride. 
 Bawdy-houfes were publick enough among them, 
 but were chiefly reforted to by our Engllfh Sailors. 
 Their Men and Women both were homelv in 
 Perfon, if compared with us Englifli. 
 
 9. I was credibly informed by our Country- 
 men, who lived there ; That in Winter-time their 
 Rivers and Lakes are immediately (that is to fay, 
 in a fmgle night) froze over, to a great thicknefs ; 
 and the Snow ufually falling in valt quantities up- 
 on the Ice, and in a good meafare freezing as it 
 falls, it will in two or three days time become fo 
 
 extream 
 
I40 L E T T E R VI. 
 
 extream hard, as to bear any weight whatever. 
 Their way of travelling from Town to Town is, 
 in Sledges, that are well lined with Bear-fkin, 
 and other Furrs. They wear Furr Waiftcoats, 
 and wrap themfelves up in other warm Garments^ 
 having thick Furr Gloves, and a Woollen Cap^ 
 which covers their whole Head and Neck, leav- 
 ing only peep-holes for their Eyes, a Cafe for 
 the Nofe, and a breathing-hole for their Mouths. 
 Thus equipped, they get into the Sledges, each 
 perfon carrying a Gun, ready charged, in order 
 to keep off Bears and Wolves, with which their 
 Forefts abound : And then a light-heeled Finlan- 
 der runs on foot, and leads the Horfe, who draws 
 the Sledge, at a fwift rate; they for the mofl part 
 travelling upon Rivers, becaufe the Snow or Ice 
 is there, much the levelleft and moft even. The 
 Bears and Wolves do not care to attack Men, un- 
 lefs Hunger drives them to it, in exceffive cold 
 and fevere Weather : And as there go five or fix 
 Sledges together in company, fo they apprehend 
 little or no danger, becaufe the difcharge of a 
 Fire- Arm or two, will quickly oblige thofe rave« 
 nous Creatures to fcour back again to the Woods. 
 I faw feveral Storks there, which refutes the vul- 
 gar notion, mz. That they are no where to be 
 found but in a Republick : In Holland^ they are 
 vaftly numerous, I fuppofe, becaufe they there 
 meet with moil: plenty of Food, and greateft en- 
 
 2 courage- 
 
LETTER VI. 141 
 
 couragement. It is reckoned there lucky for thofe 
 whofe Chimnies they build Nefts on. In Sweden 
 they build Nefts on Pine-trees, which put me in 
 mind of the Ffalmijl^ Pfalmciv. 17. viz. As for 
 the Stork^ the Firr-trees are her Houfe. Storks 
 
 are of the Heron kind, and Heron^ Efq. of 
 
 CreJ]y\ in Lincolnfiire^ kept fome years ago a He- 
 ronry, as many Gentlemen do Rookeries. 
 
 10. The People in general, are ftridlly reli- 
 gious in their way, as appears by the following 
 inftance, to which I was a weekly Eye-witnefs. 
 Such of them as dwell in a fmall Town or two at 
 the River's Mouth, go very early every Monday 
 Morning, during the Summer-feafon, to a re- 
 markable place, called by them the Fall^ where 
 they work all the week till Saturday Evening ; 
 at which time they walk back home, to their 
 Habitations, every now and then finging moft 
 devoutly a Pfalm or Hymn, in honour to the 
 World's great Author and Supporter. They fung 
 flowly, and I thought their Voices fweet and har- 
 monious. I have, with fingular pleafure ic^n two 
 or three hundred Men, Women, and fuch chil- 
 dren as were able to work there, all marching 
 together in this folemn manner, by the River's 
 fide. 
 
 1 1. I fhall now defcrlbe this Fall or Cataradl, 
 (which very few Authors who mention the Coun- 
 try, take much notice of) in the plaineft and 
 
 eafiell 
 
142 LETTER VI. 
 
 eafieft method my memory, and poor genius will 
 admit of. The River of Narva iffues out of a 
 very large Lake, called Peiptis^ and about three 
 miles before it reaches the Town, throws itfeif 
 moft furioufly down a vaft rocky Precipice, that 
 is at leaft an hundred foot high. For fome di- 
 ftance before it arrives at the Precipice, the Ground 
 has a fmall flope or gradual defcent, which adds 
 a conliderable Velocity to the natural and level 
 Stream of it, and of courfe, caufes it to rufh down 
 with incredible violence ; the Noife it makes be- 
 ing loudly heard at Narva^ when the Wind fits 
 fair, to carry it thitherwards. The Rock does not 
 rife diredlly in a perpendicular line, but it rather 
 hangs over at the top, which gives the Water a 
 call: of thirty yards diftance, at the leaft, from 
 the place where we can walk under it. When I 
 firft paid a vifit to this noble Sheet of Water, it 
 made fuch a ft range unaccountable din (like the 
 fuppofed Catadiipc^ of Nile) that I thought it 
 would have broke the Tympanum of my Ear : 
 And you will readily believe it muft do fo, when 
 it alights from above, among a heap of Rocks, 
 that fplits it as fmall as duft, and caufes it to 
 mount up into the Air again. As the Sun then 
 Ihone out brightly, I thought it one of the fineft 
 fhows in Nature : And furely it was fo ; for the 
 Refledion of its gay and glorious Beams, upon 
 this noble Sheet and Duft of Water, darted all 
 
 around 
 
L E T T E R VI. 143 
 
 around fuch beautiful Lights, and Colours, and 
 Rainbows, as are much eafier imagined than ex- 
 prefTed by my poor Pen. Purchas^ in his Rela- 
 tion of the two Holjiein Embaflador's Travels in- 
 to Perfia^ by way of Narva^ gives much the 
 fame account of it. And perhaps you may judge 
 that it does, in a good meafure, refemble the fa- 
 mous Cafcade of T'erni in Italy ^ though it does 
 not fall from fo high a Precipice ^ vid. MiJJbfi^ 
 vol. 2. pag. 363. whofe words are as follow, ijiz, 
 *^ The River Velino throw^s itfelf down from a 
 ^^ fteep Rock, three hundred foot high, and falls 
 *^ into the Cavity of another Rock, againft which 
 " the Water daflies with fuch violence, that it 
 *^ rifes like a Cloud of Water-duft, perhaps double 
 " the heigth of the Fall 3 and caufes a perpetual 
 " Rain in all the adjacent Parts. This pulverized 
 " Water forms, with the Sun, an infinite num- 
 " ber of Rain-bows, which encreafe and diminifh, 
 *' crofs one another, and dance about according 
 " to the various rebounding and Ipurting up of 
 " the Water; and as this watry Smoak is tliicker 
 *^ or thinner. While they are Hill in the Air, they 
 " break, foam, dafh againft, encounter, and ihock 
 " each other, and feem to be entangled together/ ' 
 The Author here, you fay, muft be miftaken^^ 
 for it contradicts Sir Ifaac Nevjton\ Theory of 
 Colours: Sir Jfaac Newton is not infallible. The 
 Reafon why the Water-duft at Narva is lefs, and 
 
 rifes 
 
144- LETTER VI. 
 
 rifes not fo high as jts own Precipice is ; That its 
 Precipice is not much above one third fo high as 
 that of T'ernty and that inftead of falling upon a 
 fingle Rock, it alights among a multitude of them, 
 which all help to break its force. 
 
 12. But alas! What are thefe paltry Catarads, 
 if we compare them with that amazing one upon 
 the broad River of Niagara^ which waters the 
 French Town of ^eiec, in North America -, a 
 Place attempted to be taken, both by King William 
 and Queen Ann^ in their Wars with France^ but 
 in vain. The Fall there, meafures fix hundred 
 foot J and the monftrous Sheet of Water, has 
 made at the bottom Canal, (which receives it in- 
 to its bofom) fo deep a Cavity, and runs for fix 
 or feven Miles together, with fuch a fierce impe- 
 tuofity, as mufl furprize with horror, all Spec- 
 tators, who have courage enough to look down 
 into it. But I cannot term it fuch a great won- 
 der, confidering the largenefs of that Body of 
 Water, and the great heigth a Man is at above 
 the Canal, v/hich the River throws itfelf into, 
 when he views it near the top of the Hill, from 
 whence the Water falls. I remember, that Father 
 Hennepin^ (a French Miflionary, among the Ca^ 
 nada Indians^ bordering upon its Banks) gives us 
 a fingular defcription of this famous Cafcade^ and 
 Dr. Barclay mentions it in his JJniverJal T'ra^ 
 veller, 
 
 13. Let 
 
L E T T E R VL 145 
 
 13. Let us now return, in order to take leave 
 of Narva y which at prefent, (with all the reft of 
 Livonia^ that was then looked upon by all E//- 
 rope^ as one of the faireft Jewels belonging to the 
 SwediJJ: Crown) is in a6lual pofl'effion of the Em- 
 prefs of Rnjjia^ being conquered by the Czar 
 Peter the Great, quickly after his fuccefs at the 
 memorable Battle oi Pultowa, I continued there 
 Vv'ith pleafure the whole Summer, till the near 
 approach of his Army, which being within a 
 Day's March of us, obliged all Rnglijhnen to 
 haften down the River on board our Ships, that 
 rode in the open Bay oi higria^ where we found 
 every thing in a readinefs for our departure. Next 
 Morning about Sun-rifing we weighed Anchor, 
 and had not been under fail an hour, before we 
 obferved the Suburbs at Narva to fend up a pro- 
 digious Smoak, which was occalioned by fetting 
 them on fire, the Governour having previoufly 
 determined fo to do, as foon as their Enemies 
 came in fight. The Town of Gam^ a day's di- 
 ftance from Narva^ was taken by Storm, and the 
 Miifcovites put all to the Sword, viz. Men, 
 Women, and Children. The Corn and Cattle in 
 the adjacent Country, were either brought into 
 the Town, or fent off towards Revel, after which 
 the remainder was pillaged and burnt by the 
 Swedijh Maroders, in order to diftrefs the Muf- 
 covites, for want of Forage and Provifions. In 
 
 K fhort. 
 
146 L E T T E R VI. 
 
 iliort, the Villages all around were in a flame, 
 and the Streets oi Narva were filled with Country- 
 women, who fate under the Eves of Houfes 
 crying, with their Children and Houiliold Goods 
 by them, their Hu {bands and Brothers being all 
 in Arms, purfuant to the King's Placart, which 
 was fixed up in the Market-place. Our Ship 
 carried off about an hundred of thefe Women and 
 Children, with their Beds, Pots, Spits, &c. land- 
 ing them at Revel : And one of our Sailors mar- 
 ried one of thefe Women there, though he had 
 never feen her before ihe came on board us, and 
 was to flay but two or three days with her after 
 Marriage ; he was either a 'Dutchman or Liibecker, 
 I never reflect upon this difmal (horrid) fcene, 
 without calling to mind Milton^ Book ii. line 
 638. 
 
 He look'd^ and faiv ivide T'erritory /pre ad 
 Before him^ T'o\vns and 'Rural Works between. 
 Cities of Men uith lofty Gates and I'ow'rSy 
 Concourfe in Ar?ns, fierce Faces threat' ning War^ 
 Giants of mighty Bone and hold Emprize ; 
 Part 'weild their Arms^ part curb the foaming 
 
 Steed 
 Single or iji Array of Battle ra?7g'd^ 
 Both liorfe and Foot^ nor idly ??niji' ring food -y 
 One "way a Band Jeletl from Forage drives 
 A herd of Beeves^ fair Oxen and fair Kine 
 
 From 
 
L E T T E R VI. 147 
 
 From a fat Meadow ground-, or feecy Flock, 
 ■Ewes and their bleating Lambs, over the plain 
 'Their booty, fcarce with life the Shepherds Jly, 
 But call in aid, which makes a bloody fray. 
 With cruel tournament the Squadrons joyn ; 
 Where Cattle pafturd late, now fcatter'd lyes 
 With Carcafes a?id Arms the enfanguind Field 
 Defer t ed : Others to a City Jlrong 
 Layfiege, encamfd-, by Battery, Scale, and Mine, 
 Afaulting -, others from the Wall defend 
 With T>art and favlin. Stones, and fulph' roiis 
 
 Fire ; 
 On each hand faughter and gigantick deeds. 
 In other part the fcepter d Heralds call 
 To council in the City Gates : Anon 
 Grey-headed Men and grave, with Warriours 
 
 mix'd, 
 AJfemble, and Harangues are heard, but foon 
 In factious oppofition, till at laji 
 Of middle age o?ie rifing, eminent 
 In wife deport, [pake much of Bight and Wrong, 
 Of yuftice, of Religion, Truth and Peace, 
 And Judgment fro?n above: Him eld and young 
 Exploded, ajid had feiz'd with violent hands 
 Had not a Cloud defending fnatch'd him thence 
 Lhifeen amid the throng -, fo violence 
 Proceeded, and Opprefion, and Sword Law 
 Through all the Plain, and refuge none was 
 
 found, 
 
 K 2 i4,We 
 
148 LETTER VI. 
 
 14. We got fafe the next day to Revel ^ (for- 
 merly a Ha?ife 'Toitm^) another Port on the fame 
 fide of the Baltick Sea, and found it confiderably 
 larger than Narva. It was then full of Soldiers, 
 and the young King of Sweden's Royal Standard 
 was moll pompoufly difplayed in the Market- 
 place ; they being in weekly expedation of his 
 Perfon, and General Officers, with Forces nu- 
 merous enough to raife the Siege oi Narva: And 
 indeed the event did foon after make it appear, 
 that their Hopes, though very fanguine, were 
 yet well grounded 5 For the Vant- guard of his 
 Army alone, beat the whole Mufcovite one, kill- 
 ing and taking Prifoners, moft of the Generals, 
 inferior Officers, and common Soldiers too. 
 
 15. Revel Yon was very little better than an 
 ordinary open Bay then : But I have been in- 
 formed, that after it fell into the hands of the 
 Czar Peter the Great, he fixed a Wooden Pier 
 upon a Sand-bank in the Sea, that would render 
 the Harbour fafe by breaking the Waves. This 
 Pier confifted of the longeil: and largeft Pine-trees 
 joined together in the ftrongeft manner, and was 
 fo contrived, that if any part of the Work failed, 
 the defecl: might be amended without much da- 
 mage to the rell. The Sea there freezes violent- 
 ly a good way from the Shore; and as foon as the 
 Ice was thick enough (i. e. ^vhen it was fi'oze to 
 the bottom) it was fet up and joined well toge- 
 ther 
 
LETTER VI. 149 
 
 ther upon the Ice, where it flood ered all Win- 
 ter ^ and there coming on a gradual thaw next 
 Spring, the whole Fabrick funk as gradually down, 
 with little or no detriment. The Sea is there frozen 
 as far as Eye can reach. 
 
 16. I confulted the Author of the Life o^ Peter 
 the Great, about this Pier, who does not fo much 
 as once mention it ; neither does Captain Perry ^ 
 though he was fo long Engineer to him, and of 
 courfe muft have a hand in his great Projedls of 
 this kind: However, the latter gives us an ac- 
 count of the Building of Cronjlot Callle, near 
 Peterjburgh, which was founded in much the 
 fame manner, viz. It flands on a Sand-bank in 
 the midft of the Sea, about a Cannon-fhot from 
 the Ifland of Retufari^ and a mile from the Coaft 
 of Ingria-y The Foundation of it was laid in 
 Winter, upon the Ice, with Boxes made of ftrong 
 Timber, and filled with Stone, on v^hich the reft 
 was afterwards built with Timber filled up wuth 
 Earth. This Caftle is round, with three Galle- 
 ries about it, above each other, and well furnifli'^ 
 ed with Cannon. 
 
 17. We did not ftay above two or three days 
 at Revel y before we fet fail on our return to Cope?2^ 
 hagen^ where we faw an Eftglijl:) Man of War rid-^ 
 ing at Anchor before the Mouth of the fine Har- 
 bour, on purpofe to fee the Da7iifi Fleet unrig- 
 ged and laid up for the year : She was one of the 
 
 K 3 eighteen 
 
150 LETTER VI. 
 
 eighteen mentioned in paragraph the fixth, and 
 who were commiffioned by King William^ to 
 prevent the Danes from attacking Swedtm at fo fa- 
 vourable a juncture, as when Livofiia was invaded 
 by the Miifcovite, I could wifh heartily, that the 
 fame care had been taken iince, to llop the Pro- 
 grefs of the Ruffian Arms : For though their pre- 
 fent Emprefs is in ftricfl Alliance with us> yet I 
 dread the confequences of their future Power. We 
 did not touch again at Elfinore^ but continued our 
 Voyage without Hopping, till we caft Anchor in 
 Yarmouth Road. 
 
 1 8, A^. B, The Straits between Schonen and 
 Denmark are froze over every Winter, and a great 
 fingularity of the Baltick Sea, as well as of the 
 Mediteranean, is, That there is very little if any 
 Tide at all in it : And as the Water is not difturb- 
 ed and muddied thereby, fo you may diftindlly fee 
 a Stone which is no bigger than my Head lay at 
 the bottom, in fix or feven fathom of Water. 
 Give me leave to add. That there is the felf fame 
 transparency in the Sea, between Nevis and the 
 Salt-pond Hills in Saint Chrijlophers, where the 
 Tides are fcarce perceptible ; and farther ftill, that 
 it is matter of wonder to me, that the Adriatick 
 Sea fliould have very regular Tides, when the 
 Mediteranean has none, according to the common 
 opinion, which opinion I think juftly queftion- 
 able. 
 
 Good 
 
LETTER VL 151 
 
 Good Sir^ 
 19. As I was very young in 1700, lb the whole 
 Voyage made fuch a ftrong impreflion upon my 
 Mind, as time never can erafe^ and I very well 
 remember too, that after I was at Oxford^ I ufed 
 (as often as I had opportunity) with the higheft 
 gratification to myfelf, to talk over the affair with 
 my Father, Captain Kirkman and others, who 
 were at Narnja both then and fince. It was my 
 cuftom always to keep Books of Remarks ^ the 
 two firfl: Volumes whereof containing, Gibfon*^ 
 Notes upon Drwjimond'^ Poem, entituled, Polemo-^ 
 Middinia^ Mr. Andrew Bruce % upon the fame, 
 which were never printed ; my own Traft 
 upon Government, that was chiefly levelled at 
 Machiavel^ Hobbsy and Milton^ &c. &c. I burnt 
 many years ago \ and as for the third Volume, \\\ 
 which were my Notes or Explanation of Falco- 
 7ier\ Cryptojnenifis PatefaBa^ that is to fay, his 
 Treatife upon the Art of Decypheringj j\necdotes 
 upon the Weji Indies^ and Obfervations on the 
 Reigns of King William ^ Queen Afin^ and King 
 George the Firft 3 that too was laft week com- 
 mitted to the flames, ia order to prevent the itch 
 of writing fuch Letters as thefe, from fiirther 
 ipreading upon the mind of 
 
 Tour Friend^ W. S» 
 K4 Pojl. 
 
152 LETTER VI. 
 
 Fojlfcript. I once iliw a Sea-Horfe, that an ac- 
 quaintance of mine pick'd up on the Shore, not 
 far from Naples : It was about fix inches long, 
 and exaiflly anfwcred Maxh?ii/ian MiJ]o?is defcrip- 
 tion, viz, " It foon grows dry, and is eafily pre- 
 '' ferved without farther trouble ; it is certain, it 
 ** hath fomething of the Plead and Neck of a 
 *' Horfe ; it is faid, the Female hath no Hair on 
 " it's Neck ; this Hair falls off as the Animal 
 ** dries." I obferved that it had nothing which 
 refembled Legs, but in all other refpeds was the 
 felf-fame with other Fiilies, being, however, as 
 k were jointed in the middle, and hinder parts 
 efpecially, in fuch a manner as I am not able to 
 defcribe. 
 
 LET- 
 
r* 
 
 15 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 Good Sir, 
 
 I Often refled: with the highefl ilulsfadion, up- 
 on our agreeable entertainment over Dr. Wood- 
 ward's Colledllon of Foffils, at your Univerfity, 
 laft Summer, and fhall be ready at all times, not 
 only to acknowledge myfelf very much indebted 
 to you for it, but like wife to contribute, as far 
 as I am able, towards enlarging the Collection, 
 as well as to give you now and then a few ferious 
 Thoughts upon the fubjedl. 
 
 2, And having fome leifure time, which would 
 be worfe fpent this week, I fhall, purfuant to my 
 defign, take leave to acquaint you 3 that as I was 
 walking the other day in our Garden, I happen- 
 ed to pick up a fmall common Stone of an odd 
 fhape, which immediately put me upon confider- 
 ing, the Nature of Stones in general 3 and this 
 confideration led me to the following conclufive 
 Points, 17*2;. I. That Stones naturally grow. 2. 
 That it is often a difficult tafk to affign reafons 
 for their feveral Kinds, Colours, itrange Shapes, 
 and beautiful Impreffions. 3. That there may be 
 fuch things as Petrifadions. and 4. That it is 
 even poffible for us to invent artificial Stones, 
 which will be very durable. 
 
 3. That 
 
154 LETTER VII. 
 
 3. That Stones naturally grow, is, I think, 
 evident enough, becaufe divers things have been 
 found in the middle of them, that w^ithout fuch 
 a growth, could never have come there. Many- 
 Authors of undoubted Credit might be brought 
 to prove the affertion : But I ihall content my- 
 felf with mentioning Maximilian Mijjbn only ; 
 whofe teftimony I propofe to back, with a few 
 Inftances and Obfervations, that have fallen un-- 
 der my own cognizance. 
 
 4. That judicious Huguenot^ in volume the 
 third and page 67 of his book, entituled, A New 
 Voyage to Italy ^ quotes T!aj]oni^ and tells us from 
 him. That fome Labourers being employed to 
 dig Stone at T^ivoli^ near to Rorne^ and having 
 cleft a great Mafs, found in the middle of it an 
 empty fpace, in which there was a living Cray- 
 fifh, that weighed four Pounds, which they boil- 
 ed and eat. Other Authors aiTure us; That a 
 wrought Diamond was taken out of the heart of 
 a great piece of Marble 5 that a confiderable quan» 
 tity of Sweet Oyl was found in another like piece 
 of Marble ; and that a living Worm came out of 
 the middle of a Flint : But, fays he, before I em- 
 ployed my time in reafoning upon fuch fort of 
 Fadts, I would be fure of the Truth of them, by 
 undoubted Proof. 
 
 5. Without making any other Remarks on 
 this paffage of M. Mijfon^ w^ho feems ftrongiy 
 
 to 
 
LETTER VII. 155 
 
 to fufped; their Truth; I muft inform you, That 
 befides that in Dr. Woodward's Colledion, I have 
 feen divers Pieces of Grey Marble, which were 
 brought from America, wherein were flender and 
 fhort Veins, as well as little Drops, of pure Gold, 
 about the fize of a large Pin's Head, which I am 
 fatisfied could never have been hid there, except 
 the Marble had adually grown round about them. 
 Nay, I make no manner of queftion, but that 
 Gold, Silver, and other Metals, and Minerals too, 
 .of all forts, do naturally grow, though we ihort- 
 lighted Mortals have no certain Criterion, where- 
 by we may difcover, how faft, or flow, fuch 
 growth is. Bifhop Burnet, in his Letters, (page 
 114.) fays, that he faw in the Cabinet of the Ca- 
 nione Settala, which was then in his Brother's 
 hands, a lump of Ore, in which there is both 
 Gold and Silver, and Emeralds and Diamonds : 
 It was brought from Peru, in South America. 
 
 6. But to come clofer yet to the fubjedt in hand, 
 I went in the year 1722 from Burgh, in Lifzcohi- 
 Jhire, to Tar mouth, in Norfolk, the place of my 
 birth, on purpofe to vifit what was worthy of 
 Obfervation there, and particularly the large 
 Church, Chapel, Market-place, Hofpitals, Draw- 
 bridge, Haven, and Key; upon the laft of which, 
 and not far from the fine Draw-bridge, the Cor- 
 poration had, a few years before, built a very 
 handfome and commodious Houfe of Entertain- 
 ment. 
 
156 LETTER VII. 
 
 ment, to rejoice in upon all occafions of publick 
 Feftivity. Now, as two Men were at work, 
 fawlng through a Portland Stone, of three foot 
 in diameter, to ufe it in fome part of the Build- 
 ing, they found in the center of it a great live 
 Toad, which died within five or fix minutes af- 
 ter it became expofed to the open Air 5 and what 
 caufed the greateft wonder of all was. That 
 in the Cavity of the Stone, where it was lodged, 
 it had very little more room, than would barely 
 ferve it to turn round in. 
 
 7. People flocked thither, from all cjuarters of 
 the Town, out of an uncommon curiofity, to be 
 Eye-witnelTes of fo fingular and rare a fpedacle, 
 both before and after its death ; admiring how it 
 could poflibly get into the Heart of fuch a fplid 
 Stone, or how it could live there, without either 
 Meat, or Drink, or even open Air to breath in. 
 And indeed I mud fairly own. That I perceive 
 but two ways to folve their fcruples -, viz, firil:, 
 by Toad-fpawn, or elfe by fome very fmall young 
 Toads being dropped into a Hole, that went 
 down a foot and a half deep into the Earthy 
 which Soil being of a quick petrifying nature, 
 turned almoft immediately into Stone, and fo 
 fhut up the Toad a clofe prifoner; or elfe, fe^ 
 condly. That the Spawn, or very fmall young 
 Toad was accidentally dropped (or wafhed by 
 Rain) into a Cleft, between two Stones, that were 
 
 almoft 
 
LETTER VII. 157 
 
 almofl clofe together, at the furfiice of the ground, 
 and that foon, by the wafliing in of Sand or 
 Gravel, grew till they met and made but one An- 
 gle Stone, leaving the Toad a fcanty cavity to in- 
 habit. I am not inclinable to give in to the for- 
 mer method of Solution, becaufe I cannot believe 
 that Stones do ordinarily grow fail enough, to 
 anfwer the End propofed. And if I allow the 
 latter to be true, I forefee a fturdy Objedion, 
 that may be raifed againft my opinion, viz. How 
 did it fubfift with life there, in want of Food, 
 Drink, and open Air ? Now the befl anfwer, at 
 prefent, occurring to me is ^ That dropping in 
 between the two Stones, fo wondrous fmall and 
 young, or perchance in Spawn, even before it had 
 life, a very little frefh Air might, and doubtlefs 
 did at firft, fuffice for it j and as that Air became 
 lefs and lefs, by flow degrees, fo it likewife be- 
 came by fuch degrees habitual to the nature of 
 the Creature, to breath well enough in fuch a 
 pent-up place. And I may moreover rationally 
 fuppofe, that it could there, very well preferve 
 life, by fucking of the moill Stone itfelf, which 
 alfo became full as ufefal Food as Grafs, Fruits, 
 (^c, are to Toads, in our common open Air. A^. B. 
 That thefe Creatures bury themfelves pretty deep 
 in the Earth, all Winter long. 
 
 8. At my return into the South-Marifn of 
 Lincolnjlnre, the Place of my refidence then, I 
 
 talked 
 
158 LETTER VlL 
 
 talked over this affair with a neighbouring Cler- 
 gyman, who had Hved many years upon the 
 JVoidds : He readily affented to the latter Solu- 
 tion, and affured me, that he himfelf, had now 
 and then met with live Toads in the Sand-ftone, 
 which grows on thofe Woulds : But indeed I did 
 not look upon that as fo itrange a thing ; for their 
 Sand-Hone is fome of it fo foft and porous, that 
 it fcaree deferves the name of Stone. 
 
 9. But farther ; Though I might quote Na- 
 turalifts, who allow, that Stone grows a-pace 
 about Oxfoi-d^ yet I fhall reft myfelf con- 
 tented with exhibiting one clear Inftance, that 
 fell under my own cognizance, in regard to it y 
 viz. That when ^.eejis-College^ in Oxford, (of 
 which I was a Member) was about raifing that 
 Wing, which reaches from the Library to High- 
 Street y the Labourers in digging down, met with 
 a fpringy place, of five or fix yards long in one 
 fpot, where the Foundation was to be laid, about 
 three or four yards below the furface of the 
 ground ; upon which Mr. T'onuiifend^ the Archi- 
 tedl, ordered, Heart-of-Oak Piles, as thick as 
 one*s thigh, to be rammed down, and fet clofe 
 together, (as they do Elm Piles at Amjlerdam^ 
 and indeed all other parts almoft in Holland^ on 
 fuch occafions) on purpofe to fecure the Founda- 
 tion there. I afked him, whether it would not 
 have anfwered his end better, to have arched 
 
 thofe 
 
LETTER VII. 159 
 
 thofe springs over ? And he replyed, That thofe 
 Oak Piles, would not decay under a hundred 
 years, long before which period of time, all the 
 Foundation- wall, would be grown into one con- 
 tinued Stone, juil like our Provoft's Garden- wall, 
 that adjoined to the Library, which had juft then 
 been dug up, to make room for that new Build- 
 ing : Nay I muft own, how all that part of the 
 Garden-wall, which was under Ground, was 
 turned into one fingle Stone, of at leaft twenty 
 yards in length, and was much harder to be broke, 
 than any Free-ftone ufed in the Building. I do 
 not trouble myfelf to enquire, whether this growth 
 was efFeded by Effluviae, or Heats, or Colds, or 
 Spar or Salts, CSc, Upon all the Sea-ihores I have 
 been at, I found feveral fmall Stones cemented 
 together, or grown into one large one : and I muft 
 farther obferve, that in the Kingdom of Chili^ a 
 River called Mendoca^ has a natural Bridge of 
 Rock over it, from the Vault of which hang fe- 
 veral pieces of Stone, refembling Salt, that con- 
 geal like Ificles, (as the Water drops from the 
 Rock) and are formed into feveral Shapes and 
 Colours. Befides ; we know too well, that Stones 
 grow pretty faft in the Kidney and Bladder of 
 Human Bodies, not excepting thofe of young 
 Children : They are many fmall ones, as it were, 
 cemented together in one Mafs. Befides, you 
 
 find 
 
i6o LETTER VII. 
 
 find fuch Maffes of Stone, in moll:, if not all 
 Stony Counties in E?tgla?id, 
 
 10. I fliall conclude this firfl; Article, by re- 
 minding you ; That in Paragraph the tenth, of 
 my firfl Letter, I make mention of the bottom 
 or root end, of two fmall Bufhes, which I fent 
 along with my Shells, to Dr. Woodward'^ Col- 
 lection ; That the Roots of them are fo firmly 
 fixed, in hard folid Stone, as to feem all of a 
 piece with them -, and that they muft have grown 
 in the Sea, becaufe the Land Soil there, produces 
 none fuch. My own Conjecture of them is ; 
 That either the Stone muft have been much fofter, 
 when the Plant firft took root in it^ or elfe, that 
 the Gravel, Slime, C^c, muft not long after gather 
 about the tender Roots, till it grew into Stone. 
 
 11. But Secondly J Though the World might 
 be ever fo fufiiciently convinced, that Stones na- 
 turally grow ; yet it is often a difficult tafk, to 
 afllgn Reafons for their feveral Kinds, Colours, 
 ftrange Shapes, and beautiful Impreffions. Maxi- 
 milian Mijjon^ vol. i. page 170. faw in the Em- 
 peror's Cabinet, at Amras^ in the County of T/'- 
 Tc/, Stones reprefenting Trees, Fruits, Shells, and 
 Animals, all which were the pure Work of Na- 
 ture. And again, vol. 3. page 292. he takes par- 
 ticular notice of Stones, that are found on the 
 Mountains, about twelve miles diftant from Flo- 
 rence^ at LimagO'y which being fawed through 
 
 the 
 
LETTER Vir. r6i 
 
 the middle, and afterwards poliihed, fome of 
 them reprefent feveral forts of Trees, and others 
 are marked with the Figures of ruined Caftles 
 and Towns : Kircher^ adds he, calls the former 
 Defidrites^ from the Images of Trees, that ap- 
 pear on them. They are a fort of Agate, but 
 how they come to have a full grown Tree, mark- 
 ed in Miniature upon them, is not fo eafily ac- 
 counted for. JV. B. We have m.any of thefe 
 Stones termed Dendrites^ ready poliflied, to be 
 fold at Wildefs^ and fome other Toy-fliops in 
 London, 
 
 12. In a Room at one end of St. Jokns-CGlkge^ 
 in Oxford^ I was fhewed, (among Skeletons, Birds 
 of Paradife, Pidlures, in a wonderous fmall Hand 
 Writing, of Giijiavus Adolphus^ of Sweden^ and 
 our King Charles the Firft, and other curiofities) 
 at leaft, forty Stones that were confiderably large, 
 of a greenifh brown colour, and which were taken 
 out of the paunch of an Ox, which was killed at 
 that City. Two or three of them were almoft 
 as big as a Goofe Egg, and I could perceive the 
 plain (undoubted) Marks of Piles, or Leaves of 
 Grafs, upon them, each Mark being about two 
 inches long : An evident proof, I thought, not 
 only for their growing whilft in the Ox's Belly, 
 butlikewife for their great foftncfs then, without 
 which quality^ I could not conceive them capa- 
 ble of receiving thofe impreffions. 
 
 L 13. Befides, 
 
i62 LETTER VII. 
 
 13. Befides, a S^one with a reprefentation of 
 a fmall headlefs Snake upon it, which I do not 
 pretend to account for, though I think you call 
 it Cornu Ammonis^ together with a piece of pe- 
 trified Mofs, both given me by a Torkjhire Gen^ 
 tleman ; I fent to Dr. WQod%vard\ Collection fome 
 other Stones, that are in fhape of the hollow Shells 
 of Oyfters, (It is fomewhat remarkable that I ne- 
 ver met with above one like the flat fide of an 
 Oyfter) and indeed do fo very nearly refemble 
 them, that you will perhaps infill upon their 
 being Petrifications, and that about ten days be- 
 fore Noah's, Flood, they contained excellent Fifh 
 in them; but that very unfortunately, in that 
 great jumble and blending of Rocks, Earth, Sea, 
 Rivers, Sand, S^c. all in confufion together, the 
 poor Oyfters periflied, and their Shell (in com- 
 pany with an innumerable Heap of other Mat- 
 ters) petrified, and remained in that very ftate 
 till I (walking out to take the Air,) picked them 
 up in a Gravel-pit, near Bedford. I cannot give 
 in to that opinion, and could enlarge copioufly 
 upon fo fertile a Topick ; but as M, Mijfon Ipeaks 
 my fincere thoughts, in better terms than I am 
 mafter of, vol. 3. page 251. I fliall refer you to 
 that paflage, as follows. 
 
 14. "I obferved, near CerfaldOy {in Italy) ac- 
 *' cording to the advertifement you gave me, fe- 
 " veral Hills of Sand, fluffed with divers forts of 
 
 " Shells. 
 
LETTER VIL i6^ 
 
 Shells* Monte Mario ^ a mile from Rome^ is 
 alfb full of fuch things; bcfides, I have found 
 fbme of them on the Alps^ at Lijfy in France^ 
 and elfewhere. Olearius^ StenOy Cambdeit^ Speedy 
 and many other Authors, both ancient and mo- 
 
 cr 
 
 <c 
 
 <C 
 CC 
 
 cc 
 
 " dern, have taken notice of this Phaenomenon; 
 " and I read with pleafure, the Diflertation you 
 
 cc 
 <c 
 
 (C 
 (C 
 
 fent me on this Subject : Yet fince you defire 
 me to deal plainly with you, I muft tell 
 you, that I am not of your opinion, as to the 
 main. 
 
 15. " If thefe Shells were the produdt and re- 
 *^ mainder of the Deluge, I would willingly be 
 informed, why it did not rather leave them, in 
 deep Bottoms and Vallies, than throw up whole 
 Mountains of them ; and alfo, why they are 
 fb rarely found ; for, it feems more agreable to 
 reafon, that they Ihould have been fcattered 
 more univerfally upon the face of the Earth, and 
 not gathered into Heaps, as the few that are left 
 are always found. It is not impoffible, that 
 thefe Shells might be prefer ved ever fince the 
 Deluge, and therefore I will not infift on that 
 difficulty; but give me leave to tell you, that 
 you fecm to have a falfe notion of the Waters of 
 the Deluge: For, to give a reafon why thofe 
 ** Shells, which you imagine to be Sea- fhells, are 
 ** found in the middle of the Land, you fuppofe' 
 " that the Deluge was a Sea^ But as for me, I' 
 
 <c 
 
 (C 
 
 <c 
 
 Li 
 «C 
 (C 
 
 <c 
 <c 
 <c 
 <c 
 <c 
 « 
 
 (C 
 
 L 2 " con- 
 
i64 LETTER VIL 
 
 conceive that the Water of that Inundation, 
 which fell from Heaven, and was confequent- 
 \y fweeter and lighter than Salt Water^ was 
 not fo thoroughly mixed and confounded, with 
 " the Waters of the Sea, but that the one ftill 
 preferved its Frefhnefs, and the other its Salt- 
 nefs, or Bitternefs, and each of them their 
 particular QuaUties^ which being granted, this 
 " confideration alone, will furnifh us with Infe- 
 rences (which I leave you to deduce,) that are 
 fufficient to deflroy all your Conjedtures. 
 1 6. '' Nor is it lefs vain, to have recourfe to 
 Winds, Storms, and Inundations, for a Solu- 
 tion of this Mydery. The way of Eruption, 
 by which the New Fejiivius^ or little Moun- 
 tain, that had been caft up upon the top, 
 *' from the Bowels of the Old Mount, and the 
 ** MG?ite Nuovo wxre formed, is not, I confefs, 
 '* to be altogether rejefted, as being in itfelf im- 
 *^ probable; for, fuch Hills that fhould be com- 
 " pofed of Mud, or Slime, and of Sandy Earth, 
 " mixed with Shells, and other marine Bodies, 
 " efpecially in Countries fubjedt to Earthquakes, 
 ^' could well enough admit of fuch an Explana- 
 " tion. But after all, I fee no reafon that fliould 
 " oblige us to take fo wide a compafs, for a fa- 
 " tisfaftory folution of this Pha^nomenon ; for to 
 *^ give you my thoughts of it in few Words, I 
 " think it may be eafily comprehended, that the 
 
 '' fame 
 
 (C 
 
 cc 
 
 It 
 
€C 
 CC 
 
 LETTER VII. 165 
 
 ^^ fame vertue and properties, by which Shells, 
 are generated in the Sea, may alfo form them 
 in the Land, provided there is parity of fub- 
 ftance, and it be equally fit for the produdtion 
 " of both, and all the Circumftances and Means 
 *^ required for their formation, may be found 
 in one, as well as in the other. I will not enter 
 into a nice Enquiry, whether they are formed 
 by Vegetation, or by Intus-fufception, as Plants 
 grow and are nourifhed ; or by Juxta-pofition 
 and Incruftation, as Bezoar (whether Foflile or 
 otherwife generated) is produced, or Stones grow 
 in the Kidneys. But choofe which Hypothefis 
 you will, and after you have diligently examined 
 the Formation of Shells, in thofe places which 
 you call natural Beds, it will appear, that the 
 fame account may be given of the Shells, on 
 the Hills of certaldo^ as of thofe that are found 
 on the Shore at Leghorn , excepting only, thofe 
 ^* that are faid to be generated with the Animals, 
 by the Seed in the Eggs. 
 17. "I forefee one Objedlion, which you will 
 infallibly urge againft me, if you be not pre- 
 vented by a timely Anfwer. You will tell me, 
 ^' that Shells are infeparable from Fifhes, Snails, 
 " or other fuch like Animals, for whofe ufe alone 
 *^ nature produces them, according to the com- 
 *' mon Axiom, That Natures does nothing in 
 l^ vain. 
 
 L3 18. ^^Tq 
 
 CC 
 
 <c 
 <c 
 « 
 <c 
 
 CC 
 CC 
 CC 
 CC 
 CC 
 CC 
 
 CC 
 
 /c 
 
i66 LETTER VIL 
 
 1 8. "To dlfpatch this pretended difficulty, 
 without wandering from the fubject of our 
 prefent Controverfy, I fliall only put you in 
 mind of thofe Shells, that are fometimes found 
 in the Kidneys, Impofthumes, and Stomach, of 
 which we have fuch cxaft and late accounts, 
 that the matter of fad: is undoubtedly certain; 
 (fee the Nouvelles de la Republique^ for Decern^ 
 6er i686y fee alfo Ambrofe Parens^ and other 
 Anatomical Writers :) For if I ihould afk you, 
 for what Creatures thefe things are generated, 
 you muft be forced to have recourfe to a di- 
 ftindtion of your Aphorifm, which may be 
 eafily accommodated to my Hypothefis. 
 
 19. " If you think to elude the force of thefe 
 Inftances, by faying, That the Shell in an Im- 
 pofthume, is a fort of Monfter, from which 
 we muft not draw a general conclufion j I an- 
 fwer, that I will not diipute about words, nor 
 make too general Conclufions. If Shells in the 
 Kidneys, or in Impofthumes, be called Mon- 
 fters in yourDidtionary, you may, if you pleafe, 
 beftow the fame Title on thofe of Certaldo. 
 Neither muft you ftart new Difficulties, by 
 comparing the multitude of thefe, with the 
 fmall Number of the others : for if the Kidney 
 were as big as a Mountain, and contained as 
 great a quantity of Matter, fit for the Forma- 
 tion of Shells, as the Hill oiCertaldo^ wefhould 
 
 ** doubtlefs. 
 
<c 
 
 cc 
 
 €C 
 €( 
 €C 
 
 <c 
 
 LETTER VII. 167 
 
 " doubtlefs, find ten thoufand Monfters^of the 
 *' fame nature, formed at the fame time, in the 
 " fame place, and by the fame Accident, oughr 
 " not to be reckoned more than one. 
 
 20. I could eafily anfwer to all your Ob- 
 jeftions, but, for a farther illuflration of my 
 Hypothefis, I fhall confider more particularly, 
 the word in vain. Nature does nothing in vain, 
 ** it is true ; but that Shells without Fiflies, are 
 ufelefs Produdlions of Nature, I deny. The 
 Variety of the Works of God, in all his Crea- 
 tures, is univerfally acknowledged, and the 
 Reafon of it is plain. Thus thofe Foffil Shells, 
 *' that are found in the Heart of Stones and Mar- 
 ** ble, were not made in vain, though they ne- 
 " ver enclofed a Fifh, nor any other living 
 " Creature. The Stones, called Ammons, Horns, 
 were not formed in vain, though they never 
 graced the Forehead of a Ram. The Tongue- 
 like Stones, or Gloffopetras^ of Malta^ were 
 not produced in vain, though they never wag- 
 " ged in the Mouth of an Animal. The fame 
 " may be alfo faid of the Stones, called AJiroides^ 
 Belemnites^ DaByli^ Judcei^ and an infinite 
 number of other varioufly fhaped FofTils, re- 
 fembling Plants, Fruits, Flowers, Animals, 
 Human Faces. And why then fhould nature 
 be confined from fporting herfelf, in the Pro- 
 duftion of Shells, and at the fame time fuffer- 
 
 L 4 *' ed 
 
 <c 
 cc 
 tc 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 ti 
 
i68 LETTER VII. 
 
 " ed to aft on all other occafions, with an un- 
 " controuled liberty, or, to fpeak more proper- 
 " ly, with a perpetual and admirable variety? 
 '' The German Journal, for the year 1 66 1, makes 
 '' mention of a Turnep, that exactly refembled 
 " a hand 3 and of a Mufhrome, from which fix 
 " half-bodied Human Figures iffued out. 
 
 21. But, Thirdly, Though it is often a dif- 
 ficult tafk to affign Reafons for their feveral 
 Kinds, Colours, ftrange Shapes, and beautiful 
 Impreffions ; yet I allow that there may be 
 fuch things as Petrifications, in the common fenfe 
 of the word, "oiz. The Adlion of convert- 
 ing Fluids, Woods, and other Matters into Stone. 
 Stones, by growing at all, do in a good meafure 
 prove their Exiftence ; however, I fhall purfue 
 the method I firft propofed ^ 
 
 22. And fhall inftance in the Petrifications, 
 that are izzx). upon the Ruins of an ancient Aque- 
 dufl:, that formerly conveyed water from the 
 Cifterns, commonly called Solomon's, to the fa- 
 mous City of I'yre, mentioned in Henry Maun- 
 drel's Travels from Aleppo to 'Jerujalem^ page 52. 
 as follows. As we paffed by the Aquedudl, we 
 obferved in feveral Places on its Sides, and under 
 its Arches, rugged Heaps of Matter, refembling 
 Rocks. Thefe were produced by the leakage of 
 the Water, which petrified as it diftilled from 
 above ; and by the continual adherence of new 
 
 Matter^ 
 
LETTER VII. 169 
 
 Matter, were grown to a large Bulk. That which 
 was moft remarkable in them, was the Frame 
 and Configuration of their Parts. They were 
 cpmpofed of innumerable Tubes of Stone, of dif- 
 ferent fizes, cleaving to one another like Icicles. 
 Each Tube, had a fmall Cavity in its Center, 
 from which its Parts were projedled, in form of 
 Rays, to the circumference, after the manner of 
 the Stones, vulgarly called Thunder-ftones. And 
 Sir Hans Sloan alTures us. That at Jamaica^ fe- 
 veral Rivers do petrify their own Channels, by 
 w^hich they fometimes flop their own Courfes, 
 by a Sediment, and Cement uniting the Gravel 
 and Sand in their Bottoms. 
 
 23.1 fent you a piece of Mofs, that my Friend 
 affured me, did adlually petrify at Knarejboroughy 
 in Torkjlnre, That Tree-Leaves in TorkJJnre^ 
 Derbyjhire^ and other Places, may have water 
 drop upon them, (as well as upon Mofs) and pe- 
 trify all around them, and of courfe mix with 
 their fubflance, till they are fo far of their Shape 
 and Marks, as to gain the name of petrified Leaves, 
 I willingly enough admit : But alas ! I want Faith 
 to believe, that fuch (liort-lived and tender things 
 as Flowers, and Mufhroms, can petrify. 
 
 24. We have, at Afpley\ a Village about feven 
 miles from hence, a Water, which is boldly faid, 
 (and almoft univcrfally credited too) to convert 
 Wood into Stone, a piece or two whereof I have 
 
 feen \ 
 
170 LETTER VII. 
 
 feen ; but 1 take them to be no other than natu-» 
 ral Stone, with Veins that refemble fome forts of 
 Wood. I fend by the Bearer, a piece of another 
 fort of Stone, that nearly refembles old Oaken 
 Wood ', an Acquaintane of mine picked it up in 
 a Field, in Warwickjhirey where they are not un^ 
 common, though pretty much wondered at by 
 the Country People, as well as Gentry. I have 
 heard indeed of a whole Ladder, both Sides and 
 Rounds, that was turned into Stone by it : But 
 to my great mortification, could never learn the 
 name of the Perfon, who had the Ladder in pof- 
 feffion ; in (hort, I would have travelled an hun- 
 dred miles, without grudging either labour or 
 coft, in paying fuch profound refpedt to fo rare 
 a Curiofity. If we may credit Naturalifts of un^ 
 tainted veracity on all other Accounts, there are 
 Waters in many places that will foon cruft over 
 a piece of Wood, with a thin Cafe of Stone; and 
 if fo, perhaps this was the Ladder's Cafe, I mean 
 if any fuch Ladder there ever was. About twelve 
 years ago Sir Roger Burgoine^ Bart, of Suttmy in 
 this County, had a Tenant who loft a Horfe 
 by Sicknefs, and upon opening him in order to 
 find out the caufe of his Death, one of his Kid- 
 neys was entirely petrified, though it ftill preferv- 
 ed its true natural Shape : It was enclofed with 
 Blood and vifcous matter, in a tough Skin, or 
 Bag : Laft week I vifited Sir Roger and faw it. 
 
 When 
 
LETTER VIL 171 
 
 When it was firft taken out of the Horfe, the 
 rough Side of it was foft, and was twelve months 
 in hardening, whereas the fmooth fide was as hard 
 as it is now, when taken out. It weighs (in A- 
 verdupoife Weight) two Pounds and a half, and 
 two Ounces, being of the fize, as well as fhape, 
 of a Horfe's Kidney, and of a very deep BufF- 
 colour. In Chili^ upon the Confines of Peru^ 
 about South Latitude 25, is a River called the 
 River of Salt, becaufe it is fo fait, that it cannot 
 be drank, and petrifies what is thrown into it. 
 
 25. Let us now advance to our Fourth con- 
 clufive Point, viz. That it is even poffible for us to 
 invent Artificial Stones, which will be very dura- 
 ble. And by Artificial Stones, I mean pulverized 
 Stone, or Gravel, or Sand, well tempered and 
 mixed with Putty, or any other ftrong Cement^ 
 like that which joins together the feveral parts 
 of a French Mill-ftone, and does really become as 
 hard as the Stone itfelf, moulded into what fhape or 
 bulk we pleafe, and afterwards dried, either by the 
 natural heat of the Sun, or by Air in the Shade 
 only, or elfe by the artificial Heat of Fire in Fur- 
 naces, that may be contrived for that ufe. 
 
 26. Such are thofe Stones, in the Lids of fome 
 SnutF-Boxes, that are fold pretty commonly at 
 pur London Toy-fliops. Several of my Acquain- 
 tance, at their return from Italy ^ fhewed me fome 
 pf the t>eft fprj: pf thepii and for farther autho- 
 rity. 
 
172 LETTER VII. 
 
 rity; I refer you to the judicious Mijjon Vol. 3*^, 
 p. 320. as follows. The fhining Stones fo generally 
 known under the Name of the Bomnian Stones, 
 are found on the Hill of Paderno^ three miles from 
 the City. Bartkol. Zanicheli is the only Perfon 
 w^ho knows how to prepare them. Thofe who 
 have written, that thefe Stones are fhining with- 
 out being prepared, have not been well informed. 
 They prepare this Phofphorus, if they have a mind 
 in pretty big pieces 3 and they alfo prepare it, 
 after they have pulverized them. I took fome of 
 both ; but this fhining quality wafted by degrees, 
 and fix years afterwards there was none of it left. 
 27. Such alfo is the Mofaic Work with which 
 ^^.J^ark's Church at Venice is fo richly adorned^ and 
 in particular, all the Arched Dome is lined with 
 it, fays M. MiJJo'n^ vol. i. page 240. For want of 
 natural Stones, which woud have been hard to find 
 for fo vaft a work, and would have required an im- 
 menfe time to polifh and prepare ; they v^ere 
 forced to ufePaftes,and Compofitions of Glafs and 
 Enamel melted, and made in a Crucible j this takes 
 a lively and fliining Colour, which never wears, 
 nor ftains. Every piece of the Mofaic work in 
 this Church is a little Cube, which is not above 
 three lines thick, or fometimes four at the moft. 
 All the Field is of mofaic gilded with very bright 
 gold, and incorporated in the Fire, upon the fur- 
 face of one of the Faces of the Square or Cube ; 
 
 and 
 
LETTER VIL 173 
 
 and the Figures, with their Draperies, and other 
 Ornaments, are coloured according to Nature, by 
 the due laying together of all the Pieces of the 
 Work. AH thefe little bits are difpofed according 
 to the defign which the Workman has before his 
 eyes, and are joined clofe together in the Cement 
 that was prepared to receive them -, which prefent- 
 ly after becomes hard. The beft quality of this 
 Work is its Sohdity. It has lafted more than fix 
 hundred years, without the leaft diminution of its 
 beauty. 
 
 28. I remember that when I was at Althorp 
 Houfe, about three miles from* Northampton^ fome 
 years ago, among fine Pidlures, Bufts, and other 
 Curiofities of Art, I was fliown a Table, faid, and 
 believed by them to be a beautiful black Marble 
 one, with a pack of fcattered Cards and Counters 
 moft exquilitely well painted thereon, as appeared 
 by one of our Company, who in the dusk of 
 the Evening miftaking them for real Cards, went 
 to take them up. But they were deceived, for I had 
 fome months before, feen at Burleigh Houfe near 
 Stamford mLincolnpire, (a ftately Seat of the Earl 
 of Exeter ) a Table of the fame fort, which was 
 broke into two or three pieces, and upon examina- 
 tion found it to be nothing more than artificial 
 Stone, or Parte as fome term it. At Bromham a 
 Seat of my Lord T'revor^ about three miles from 
 )^^nce is a Table of rV»^ a^ - 1-:. ^ . \^^ black ground 
 
 is 
 
174 LETTER VII. 
 
 is full as fine as the beft poHflied Black Marble, 
 The Face of the Table is ornamented with a 
 Gold-Finch, and another Bird in extreamly natu* 
 ral Colours, with Butterflies, Tulips, and feveral 
 other Flowers in their natural Colours, and with 
 Wreaths of white Foliages running along through 
 all parts of it. In fhort, the whole face of the 
 Table is fo well done, that it looks juft like one 
 fingle piece of poliflied Marble ; and indeed at one 
 Corner which was a little broken, I found it, 
 upon trial with the point of a fharp Pen-knife, to 
 be as hard as Marble. It feems a fort of Glafly 
 Compofition. 
 
 29. The general opinion is; That the little 
 Pillars or Pilafters on the infide of Gothick 
 Cathedrals, and other fuch like Churches, are arti- 
 ficial, and the reafons affigned for this opinion, are 
 as follow; viz; Firft, They are all of one blewifh 
 Colour, which could hardly be fuppofed, if they 
 were not all hewn out of one particular fort of 
 Stone 'y and this is hardly poflible, becaufe as moft 
 Englijh Stones differ in Colour, as well as other 
 qualities, it muft have been an infinite expence 
 to have conveyed them from one or two Quar- 
 ries, to all thofe diftindl Buildings in moft (if not all) 
 Counties in England. Secondly, They all confift 
 of one fingle Stone apiece. Thirdly, That Stone 
 is not of the fame kind with the reft of the Church, 
 and Fourthly, That thofe Pilafters being ftruck 
 
 with 
 
LETTER VII. 175 
 
 with a fmall Key give a quick found, but of dif- 
 ferent forts or tones, which could not be, were 
 they all of the fame kind of natural Stone. 
 
 30. At prefent I fee but one objection ariiing 
 againft this general opinion -, viz. That fuch a Pil- 
 lar could bear no great Weight, nor be of any 
 confidetable duration. To this may eafily be an- 
 fwered 5 That there is certainly no great Weight 
 laid upon thefe fmall Pillars, they being chiefly 
 defigned for Ornaments, and that if a reafonable 
 weight was laid upon them, they might notwith- 
 ftanding be of vaft duration. Witnefs the famous 
 Wall which feparates China from Tartary^ and is 
 the eighth as well as far the greateft Wonder of 
 the World, being fifteen hundred miles in length, 
 almoft wholly built with Brick (which with Glafs, 
 Rock work, and Potters ware of all kinds, I reck- 
 on among the number of Artificial Stones) and 
 has flood above Eighteen hundred years without 
 much decay. Again, China Ware is made of a very 
 ftiff Clay, or rather foft white Stone, which is 
 pounded, made into pafte, and afterwards brought 
 to perfeftion, partly by the Sun, partly by air in 
 the fliade, and partly by baking them in furna- 
 ces: However, the fine Porcellane Tower at 
 Nankin in China is faced with it, and though it is 
 now above three hundred years old, does ftill ap- 
 pear wondrous beautiful. 
 
176 LETTER VIL 
 
 31. In plain, Vv^e fee the Morter in fome old 
 ruined Buildings, (particularly about Norwich m 
 Norfolk y2.nA St. Edmond's Bury in Suffolk) to be 
 grown harder than mofl if not all forts of Stone, 
 as it were in defiance to the deftroying Scythe of 
 old Father Time. And it is my fincere belief. 
 That if Stone Jugs or white Fulham Ware, were 
 made into the fhape and fize of Bricks, and then 
 well fet together with fuch good ftrong Morter 
 or Cement, a Building raifed up wholly of them 
 would be more durable than one made of the beft 
 Portland Stone y It might laft for more ages than 
 will the great Wall of China^ or the Pyramids of 
 Egypt, But further, if Crucibles (or Bremen Pots,, 
 fo called as being imported from that Hanfe Town) 
 were framed in the fliape and fize of large Brick, 
 and fo put into a maffy Building, I fee no manner 
 of reafo;^ why they fliould not laft as long as 
 Granite, or Porphyry, the two hardeft forts of 
 Marble : Nay they would not only ftand the wea- 
 ther for ages, but even of a very fharp affault 
 from that deftru6tive Element the Fire : I need 
 not take much pains to prove them Artificial 
 Stone, becaufe every body knows that they are 
 VelTels made of Earth, and fo well tempered and 
 baked as to endure the fierceft Fire, for melting. 
 Oars, Metals, Minerals, &c. 
 
 32 The Porcelane Tower at Nankin obliges 
 me toaccquaint you, that I have always entertain- 
 ed 
 
LETTER VII. 177 
 
 a high veneration for Oriental Art, and Inge- 
 nuity ; and the Indian Pagod made from a prepa- 
 ration of Rice, which Dr. Baylor fhowed us in 
 your Univerfity Library, is one of the greateft 
 Proofs of their Art I ever faw, and an exquifite 
 Mafter-piece in its kind. I have frequently met 
 with fmaller Pagods, Tea- Pots, Bowls, and other 
 fine things of various forts, made of Rice fo prepa- 
 red; and (for ought I know) if we Europeam 
 were let into the Secret of preparing it, we might 
 allow it to be as durable as Brick ; I have no notion 
 of our being capable to improve upon their Art, 
 becaufe we ufually go backward in that reipedt. 
 For inftance, what ordinary Morter do we now- 
 a-days make m comparifon of that which we 
 meet with in old ruinous Buildings in moft parts 
 oi England^ particularly at Norwich^ and St, Ed- 
 jnund's Bury, 
 
 33. My own ferious judgement upon this 
 Fourth and laft article is (asl faid before) in the 25 
 paragraph of this Letter, that it is even polTible for 
 us to invent Artificial Stones, which will be very 
 durable. Dear Sir, I am very fenfible that I have 
 entered too far into your peculiar Province, without 
 fagacity enough to keep me from wandering out 
 of the right Path : However, if you pleafe to cor- 
 redt any errors, you may fpy, either in this or a- 
 ny of my preceding Letters, they fhall as foon as 
 loiown to mCj be thankfully acknowledged, and 
 
 M amended : 
 
178 LETTER VII. 
 
 amended : In the mean while I deiign to conclude 
 this long Letter with the following Paragraph. 
 
 - 34. In the month oi June in the year of our 
 Lord 1724, I went from Bu?^gh in the South 
 Marfio of LhicolnJJnre^ to pay a vifit to a Friend at 
 Louth a more confiderable Market Town in the 
 fame County ; and after we had taken a view of 
 their fpacious Church, and lofty Spire, which they 
 infift upon to be exaftly of the fame height with 
 Grantham Spire, as well as with the beautiful 
 Tower of Bof.on , my Friend walked along with 
 me to a Spring of clear and excellent Water, that 
 might be three yards wide and ankle deep, and 
 that iffued out at the foot of the Woulds there : 
 not far below which place, they made it into an 
 admirable Cold Bath. It was then a pretty quick 
 Stream, and would continue fuch all the Summer 
 feaforl. He told me, that the Townfmen won- 
 dered very much, to fee it dry in Winter^ and to 
 run fo fait in Summer ; But then they never once 
 confidered, what he and I agreed in, mz^ That 
 underground in thofe Would Hills, there muft be 
 large Cavities or Refervoirs of Water, which the 
 Winter Rains would ( fufficiently to anfwer that 
 end) fill before Summer came on, at which time 
 thofe fubterraneous Waters began to defcend, and 
 vent themfelves at the mouth of this Spring, juft 
 fo long as till the Refervoirs were emptied, and 
 that was at the approach of Winter. There is a 
 
 fmall 
 
LETTER Vir. 179 
 
 fmall Spring of the fame Nature which I have 
 not yet (ten at Pavenham in this County of 
 Bedford : It runs well all Summer, but is dry Iq 
 Winter -, and undoubtedly for the felf fame reafon, 
 it being fituate at the foot of the Hills near the 
 river Oufe. This I prefume to be the cafe in ge- 
 neral of Springs that are ufualy very low about 
 Michaelmas, i\nd give me leave farther to obferve, 
 (from feveral of my Acquaintance who were eye 
 witnefles of it in their Travels mlo Italy) That 
 the Rivulets of many fuch Villages as border upon 
 the Alps, do always fwell, and frequently over- 
 flow their common Boundaries, when the Sun is 
 got up fo far Northwards towards the Tropick 
 of Cancer, as to melt the Snow upon thofe high 
 Mountains, andofcourfe to fend down the Snow- 
 water in Torrents. In (hort, all fprings I believe 
 do owe their original, to Vapours, to Snow, or 
 to Rain. 
 
 35. I thought I had finiflied my Letter; but 
 upon reading this day's London Evening Pojt, Ifind 
 I have not, there being in it the following re- 
 markable Paragraph taken out of the Paris Ala- 
 main for November 21. 1742. " The third Me- 
 *' morial which Mr. Reaufnur read the ij""^ 
 " inftant, at the Royal Academy of Sciences, re- 
 " lates to a very curious difcovery that has been 
 " made at the Hague by Mr. T'remblay. It is an 
 ^^ Aquatick Infed, called a Polypus, which ha$ 
 
 M 2 ** this 
 
i8o LETTER VII. 
 
 " this peculiarity in it, that when it Is cut into 
 *' feveral Parts, each of thofe Parts produces of 
 *' itfelf, in the fpaceof twenty-four hours, what it 
 " wants to compleat a Body. So that this Infeft 
 *' being cut tranfverfly in three Parts, the Part be- 
 " longing to the Head will produce a Tail: fome 
 *' of thofe Infeds have been cut even tranfverfly 
 ** into forty Parts, which each produced what was 
 *' wanting in it, to make a perfect Infeft; fo 
 *' that of one Polypus forty were made. If 
 *' they be cut down through the middle from 
 ** head to Tail, each half will produce another. 
 *' On this occafion Mr. de Reaumur made feveral 
 *' learned and judicious Obfervations, particularly 
 •' that as it is an Axiom that Nature is not fingu- 
 '' lar in its Produdions, fo there muft be other 
 *' Infefts fufceptible of the like wonderful produc- 
 *^ tion: He reports, that by Experiments already 
 " made by him, he has difcovered certain Earth- 
 '* worms that have the fame Properties -, but that 
 " Nature operates in them, in a much larger Ipace 
 *' of time. 
 
 36. Thefe Experiments put me in mind that 
 in the defcription of Lizards^ in paragraph the fe= 
 cond of my fourth Letter, I ought to have men- 
 tioned one property or quality belonging to them, 
 which could never before I went to the Wejl Indies^ 
 fall under my own cognizance j viz ; That if one 
 of them had the misfortune to have half of its 
 
 Tail 
 
LETTER VII. i8t 
 
 Tail bit, or cut off, it would foon grow again to 
 its ufual length, but when it had grown about 
 two inches or lefs of the length, I could per- 
 ceive plainly a thin Skin or Film (of the colour of 
 a Spider's Web and almoft as thin) coming all o- 
 ver out of that hinder part -, and as that Skin or 
 Film was no where elfe about its Body, I 'looked 
 upon it as if Nature defigned it for a firft Coat to 
 cover the other Skin whilft it was young and ten- 
 der, but which was to drop off, as foon as that 
 became hardened enough to do its office with- 
 out fuch affiftance. I never met with this obfer- 
 vation in any Author j but I frequently took par- 
 ticular notice of it, and told my thoughts to fome 
 of my Acquaintance, who did not feem to won- 
 der much at it. It is impofible for me to guefs 
 how long this new part of the Tail might be in 
 growing to its ufual length, becaufe we there have 
 no Lizards kept tame. 
 
 37. Sir Hans SIoa?i in his Natural Hiflory of 
 Jamaicay tells us how ravenous a Creature the 
 Shark Fifli is, but that it is forced to turn upon 
 its Back before it can feize its prey, which gives 
 opportunity to other Fiihes to efcape its fury. 
 And I muft take leave to affure you (as an obfer- 
 vation of my own) That as foon as he feizes it, 
 in turning himfelf upon his Belly to fwim away he 
 gives his whole Body fuch a violent twift as would 
 wrench off the Limb of a Giant^ and that with- 
 
 M 3 out 
 
i§2 LETTER VII. 
 
 out this Twift he could not bite off a Man's Limb, 
 for his Teeth (though indented like a Hand-faw, 
 as well as fharp) are fo very (hort, that they are 
 utterly unqualify'd for fo quick an Execution, as 
 you w^ill readily ov^n if you examine his Mouth. 
 I never knew but one fuch ill Accident to hap- 
 pen in my time, and that was at Bajfe T^erre in the 
 Ifland of St. Chrijlopher^ in the following manner. 
 A Sailor in going aboard a Ship in the Road, fell 
 backwards out of the Boat into the Sea, and the 
 Water being exceeding clear, one of his Comrades 
 faw a Shark feize him. Hooks baited with Salt 
 Beef or Pork were immediately thrown out from 
 all the Ships and Sloops, with one of which a Shark 
 was catched, played about till quite weary with 
 plunging, and then (by the affiftance of a rope put 
 about its middle) was drawn up into the Sloop 
 and killed. The poor Man's Head, with one Leg 
 and Thigh were found in its Maw, but fomewhat 
 mangled by the young Sharks that go in and out 
 living upon what Prey the old one catches ; 
 Eighteen of whom were found in his Maw, and 
 fome of them three foot long ; This old Shark 
 was twenty-two foot long. I have often wondered 
 that the like never happened to our Negroes in 
 Fiih-hunting, as mentioned in Paragraph 3*^ of 
 of my firft Letter. 
 
 38. In difcuffing my fecond conclufive Point, 
 ^72^, That it is a difficult tally to aiTign Reafons 
 
 for 
 
LETTER VIL 183 
 
 for the feveral. Kinds, Colours, llrange Shapes, 
 and beautiful Impreflions of Stones 5 I ought to 
 have acquainted you. That at Antigua^ there are 
 fome large white and roundifli Stones, whofe iii- 
 fide is hollow, and all over this fpace, is, as it 
 were, one continued heap of fair Cryftal, (but 
 all of a piece with the Face, or outward part) 
 which fometimes does In a tolerable degree repre- 
 fent wrought Diamonds, clofe together. I had a 
 Ring ornamented with one of them, cut Brilliant- 
 fafhion, which looked like a Brijlol Stone : And 
 if I miftake not, I fent along with my Shells, a 
 piece of one of them that weighed about an 
 Ounce. I mufi: tell you too. That I have, near 
 Wallingford^ in Berkpi?^e^ difcovered fome Flints 
 of the fame nature, but do not pretend to account 
 for their Shapes, any more than I would for their 
 Infides, being fo much more tranfparent than th©^ 
 Outfide Face of the Stone : Brijiol Stones grow 
 in the fame manner. 
 
 39. If you make a queilion, at Paragrah 36, 
 about the Lizard's Tail growing out again to its 
 ufual length, after being bit or cut off, by a/king 
 me, whether that new part of the Tail was of 
 the fame ufe with the former, or exadly of the 
 felf-fame fubftance ; I anfwer, That I never dif- 
 fered a Lizard ; that its Tail drags upon the 
 Ground after it, without any great apparent ufe 
 that I could perceive ; and that if its Tail was 
 
 M 4 jointed 
 
i84 LETTER VII. 
 
 jointed in the middle, with ihort Bones quite to 
 the end, that bony fubftance would (in my opi- 
 nion) fcarce grow again, though perhaps the 
 flefhy part might be fupplied, with a griftly fub- 
 ftance inftead of Bone : But as I underftand very 
 little, if any thing, of Phyfick and Anatomy, I 
 give up that knotty point to be unravelled by 
 Phyficians and Surgeons., 
 
 Tour's, W. S, 
 
 Fojlfcrtpt, Upon recoUedlon, I am of opinion^ 
 That the Vertebrce of the Lizard, might go little 
 or no farther backwards, than does the Anus, but 
 be changed to a griftly fubftance^ from thence tq 
 the end of its Tail. 
 
 LET- 
 
i85 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 Good Sir^ 
 
 I Find it much eafier, in affairs of this nature, 
 to begin than to finifh -, To be plain, the tick- 
 ling itch of Writing has entirely got the better, 
 of what I hoped had been a fixed, unmoveable 
 refolution, to take up my Pen no more ; as is 
 evident enough, by giving you the trouble to read 
 the foUov^ing Paragraphs. 
 
 I, I very well remember. That in our Voyage 
 towards the Leeward Charibbee Iflands, we were 
 more than once purfued by Millions of PorpuiTes, 
 who fwam along by us like an Arrow fent out of 
 a well-drawn Bow, though we were then under a 
 brifk Gale of Wind : They were at leaft two 
 hours in paffing us fo, and the Sea (as far as ever 
 our Eye could difcern) was covered wondrous 
 thick with them : They fhewed their whole 
 Bodies almoft when they jumped, which was 
 every moment. Their Head was fhaped pretty 
 much like a Hog's 3 they feemed to be between 
 five or fix feet in length, and fomething of the 
 Colour of the commpa Minnows in our Englijly 
 Rivers, A day or two after^ I obferved fome of 
 
 them 
 
i86 LETTER VIIL 
 
 them with Nofes in the exad: form, and full as 
 big as Quart Glafs-bottles, on which account they 
 have juftly acquired the name of Bottle-nofes. 
 N, B, They are much larger than the others. 
 They differ ftrangely from thofe found upon our 
 BrittiJJo Coafts; but that is no great matter of 
 wonder, fince they are of fuch various kinds. A- 
 bout Cape Horn, they are black on their Back 
 and Fins, and white underneath, with fharp white 
 Nofes : They often leap a good height out of the 
 Water, turning their white Bellies uppermoft, 
 fays Woods Rogers^ page 103. We ftruck at fe- 
 veral with a Fiz-gig, but had not the good for- 
 tune to hit and catch one. 
 
 2. As foon as we entered Into the Trade- Wind^ 
 which does there generally blow from Ball to 
 Weft, we were entertained with a fort of Fiih 
 that proved entirely new, and of courfe highly 
 pleafing to me, viz, Flying-Fifhes, which. Sir 
 Hans Sloan fays, are of the Herring kind. They 
 are fomewhat longer than a Herring, though 
 they are rather thicker and rounder in Body : 
 They have a Fin on each fide, clofe to the Gills, 
 of about four inches long, being broadeft, as well 
 as a little rounded at the extremity, juft like 
 thofe blue and fpeckled Flies, with thick Heads, 
 fhort Bodies, and long fnake-coloured Tails, call- 
 ed by fome, T'aylors, and others, the Devil's Nee- 
 dles^ and by fome, May-Jiies, If they are chafed 
 
 by 
 
LETTER VIII. 187 
 
 by a Dolphin, or any other Fifh of Prey, they 
 evade the piirfuit, by flying out of the Water, 
 and by continuing that flight, whilft their Fins 
 will keep v^et enough for that purpofe, w^hich 
 may be as far as thirty or forty yards end w^ays; 
 for they ufually fly in a ftrait line, though they 
 make fome fmall Wavings. They moved their 
 Fins full as nimbly as Engh'Jh Bees, or the fore^ 
 mentioned Flies^ called '\taylorSy or Devil's Nee^ 
 dies, fo that vs^e could fcarce perceive them 3 and 
 as they are of a very bright fhining colour, they 
 looked exadlly like fo many pieces of polidied 
 Silver, darting it along. Their fight whilft in 
 the Air, is not extraordinary good, I fuppofe, be^ 
 caufe two or three of them alighted upon our 
 Ship, in which cafe they are utterly difabled from 
 rifing again. They fly fingly, or in whole Flocks 
 like Birds, and far oftener I believe, out of wan- 
 tonnefs, more than fear -, for if they did not, we 
 muft imagine that part of the Sea to be full of 
 Dolphins, and other Fifhes of Prey. 
 
 3. In our Paflage, we met with abundance 
 of Gulph-Weed -, it was of a reddifh yellow co- 
 lour, refembling the peeled Skins of Onions, and 
 is called Gulph-Weed, becaufe it is hurried away 
 out of the great Gulph of Florida, where the 
 Current runs fo extreamly rapid northwards al- 
 ways, as to drive along a deep-loaded VeiTel, at 
 the fwift rate of fix miles an hour, without the 
 
 leaft 
 
i88 LETTER VIIL 
 
 leaft breath of Wind to fill the Sails, and fo add 
 to its velocity. 
 
 4. Having heard fo often of a Calenture, I ex- 
 pe(5led to meet v^ith fome inftances of it, even 
 before I arrived in the Wejl-Jndies ; but they are 
 now grown very fcarce, for I never faw above 
 one Perfon labouring under it : He was continu- 
 ally laughing, and if I may be indulged in the 
 term, merrily mad : One day in the height of his 
 frenzy, he jumped over-board in Charks-l'own 
 Bay, but was luckily faved from drowning, by 
 one of his Sailors, or from being devoured by 
 fome ravenous Shark : and then confined in our 
 Prifon, till the Ship, which he was Mafter of^ 
 was ready to fail, when he went on board, and 
 did perfeclly recover his fenfes, before they reach- 
 ed LiverpGoL Two Officers of my Acquaintance^ 
 belonging to the Regiment ftationed there, af- 
 fured me, that nine or ten years before, they 
 fell into the fame Diforder, immediately upon 
 their landing at Antigua ; and as an unanfwerable 
 proof of it, told me. That they frolicked it 
 laughing up and down the Streets of the Town 
 of St. 'John^ with a large Lanthorn and Candle 
 at Noon-day ; but their fit did not laft above a 
 week. It is now cullomary, when we pafs the 
 Tropick of Caitcer^ both to let blood and to purge, 
 (and, as I have heard, to vomit too, if they think 
 their Bodies require fo much cleanfing,) which 
 
 pre- 
 
LETTER VIII. 189 
 
 precaution perhaps was, formerly, (when Calen- 
 tures were faid to be frequent) not fo conftantly 
 ufed. 
 
 5. During my five years refidence at Nevis^ I 
 obferved from Gingeidand^ or the Eaftern Side of 
 ourlfland, great numbers of Water-Spouts. They 
 feemed to fall from the Clouds like Water, that 
 in many fmall Streams, almoft clofely joined to- 
 gether, defcends from a Pump, or rather Cata- 
 ract : I never faw any drop down on the Land '* 
 and on the Weft-fide, in the Sea, they are not 
 io eafily difcernable, becaufe going from us, as 
 they are when the Eaft, which is our Trade- 
 wind, drives them towards us. But indeed, it is 
 impoflible for them to fall upon Land ; For they 
 confift of a large Body of Water, that is exhaled 
 or drawn up, (perhaps by fome Whirl-wind, as 
 in the following Paragraph) in order to fill a 
 Cloud, which as foon as done, the refidue drops 
 down again at once into the Sea, and this is what 
 Mariners term the breaking of the Water- 
 fpout. As I was never within lefs than two 
 miles of one, I cannot be a compleat judge of 
 them. 
 
 6. I took notice of abundance of what I would 
 call Tornadoes, /. e, a Whirl-wind fuddenly feizes 
 upon a Trad: of ground, about twenty or thirty 
 yards in Diameter, where Sugar-Canes had been 
 cut down, and takes up the light trafh w^hich was 
 
 feparated 
 
I90 LETTER VIII. 
 
 feparated from about them, and whirls it K)und 
 and round, to a confiderable height in the Air, 
 where it fcatters more widely about, and then 
 falls gently down again to the Earth. I do not 
 pretend to account for this Phenomenon. 
 
 7. We had, now and then, in the Wane of 
 the Moon, exceffive great Lightnings, that wxre 
 unattended either by Thunder or Rain, and one 
 efpecially, in the year of our Lord 171 8, when 
 I was fent for to vifit a fick Perfon, about twelve 
 a Clock, in a very dark Night. The Lightning 
 begun juft as I fet out from his Houfe, on my 
 return homewards, and was terrible indeed -, for 
 it fell as if it had been liquid, in mofl monftrous 
 Flafhes, feveral times in every minute. It illu- 
 minated the Air all around, and flione fo bright- 
 ly, that I could fee the Ships in Charles 'T^owji 
 Road, as difl:ind:ly as if it had been broad day, 
 though I was then two miles off from them ; and 
 I could alfo plainly perceive, the whole Southern 
 fide of St. Chrijlopker^ Ifland, though fome part 
 of it was many miles off. Nay, I was once not 
 a little furprized, as thinking my Horfe had been 
 ilruck dead under me; for he hanged his Ears, 
 llraddled widely w4th all his four Legs, and flood 
 flock ftill, motionlefs: Flowever, at laft he gave 
 a groan, moved flowly on, and carried me fafe 
 home : He feemed now and then to ftagger at a 
 large Flafli 5 but I encouraged him what I could, 
 
 by 
 
LETTER VIII. 191 
 
 by caufing my Negroe-man to walk on before 
 him. There was not a breath of Wind ftirring, 
 and it was wondrous dark between the intervals 
 of the Lightning ; But I know not how long it 
 continued, for I went diredly to bed, and foon 
 fell afleep. A^. B. That the Powder Magazine, 
 upon the top oi Brirnjlone-hilly in the Ifland of St. 
 Chrijlopher^ has been twice within the memory 
 of Man, blown up by common Lightning ; but 
 indeed, that is no fuch mighty wonder, it being 
 iituate half a mile in perpendicular height from 
 the Sea Shore. 
 
 8. V/e have no Bees that are hived, and ftill 
 we meet with excellent Honey, made by the 
 Wild Bees in the Woods, about the Salt- Ponds 
 in St. Chri/lophers^ &c. But it will not make to- 
 lerable Mead, on account of the Climate's being 
 too warm, as I was aflured by my Lady Staple- 
 ton^ who tried it. You need not wonder at the 
 term Wild-Bees, for I fuppofe they are moftly, 
 if not always, wild in hot Climates. We read 
 in Matthew iii. 4. how St. "John the Baptijl^ whilft 
 in the Wildernefs, lived upon Loculls and Wild 
 Honey. And our Countryman, Hejiry Maimdrell^ 
 in page 86. allures us. That in many Places of 
 the defolate Plain, adjoining to the Mare Mortti- 
 nm^ he perceived a ftrong fcent of Honey and 
 Wax^ (the Sun being very hot;) and the Bees 
 
 were 
 
192 LETTER VIII. 
 
 were very induftrious about the Bloflbms of that 
 Salt-weed, which the Plain produces. 
 
 9. Another fingularity I remarked was, That 
 in the Mountain Plantations^ where only Afpa- 
 ragus can grow, I have known it fit to cut with- 
 in the fmall fpace of three Calendar Months, reck- 
 oning from the time of its being fown in Seeds, 
 that came from London: For there, we never 
 tranfplant the Roots. We are obliged to let it run 
 up to Wood, in order to fhade the Bed, from the 
 fcorching Rays of the Sun, and the Young ones 
 that grow up under that Wood, we cut to boil : 
 But this foon eats out the Heart of the Compoft 
 and Soil ^ fo that a Bed will not hold good, much 
 above two years, and the Afparagus never grows 
 big. Afparagus grows wild in Spain, 
 
 10. In our Paftures, we meet with a Bufh 
 about two yards high, called Sage-Bufh. Its 
 Bark is of a fliining, though dufkifli hue, and 
 its Leaves cannot poffibly be diftinguifhed, from 
 broad green Sage Leaves, either by fight or fmell. 
 Out of pure curiofity , I dried a parcel in the Shade, 
 and made Tea of them. This Tea was of a moft 
 beautiful Yellow Colour, but furely bitterer than 
 Gall itfelf ; in fhort, fo extream bitter, that the 
 beft of refined Sugar could not render it palatable. 
 I confulted about the Nature of it, with a Dodor 
 of my Acquaintance, who was born at either 
 Wifmar^ or Straljimd, in SwedifJj Pomera?iia^ and 
 
 reck- 
 
LETTER VIII. 193 
 
 reckoned the moft {kilful Botaniil: of his Profef- 
 lion, in our Ifland : He told me, that it was ve- 
 ry medicinal, and that he gave it, with good fuc- 
 cefs, to any of his Patients whofe cafe he thought 
 required it, as he did alfo feveral other Nevis 
 Plants, that were entirely negledled by his Bre- 
 thren. 
 
 1 1 . We have there likewife a Tree called Did- 
 dle Doo^ which is of the fize and make of a Cod- 
 iin Apple-tree, but with narrow thin Leaves : It 
 bears a moft lovely Flower, of the fineft yellow^ 
 and livelieft Scarlet Colours, fomewhat refemb- 
 ling Nafturtian Flowers. It is efteemed as a So- 
 vereign Remedy in the Green Sicknefs, a very 
 rare Diftemper, in fo warm a Chmate, where the 
 Blood and other Juices of the Body, do ufually 
 keep on in pretty regular courfes, efpecially fmce 
 the warm Climate is fo ftrondv alTifted in the 
 Affair, by the frequent Dancing of thofe young 
 Ladies, as well as their riding fingly on Horfe- 
 back ', for the whole force of that fkipping and 
 jogging Motion, (fays BagUvi) terminates down- 
 wards, where it raifes a Fermentation, by which 
 the ftagnating Matter recovers its loft Circulation. 
 At Antigua, I faw a whole Hedge of it. 
 
 12. After a fevere Fever there, I was once 
 troubled with an ugly tickhng Cough, and the 
 Dodor ordered me to eat plentifully, of what I 
 
 N would 
 
194 LETTER VIIL 
 
 would willingly call a Liquorifh Bufh, becaufe 
 it tafles like Liquorifli, and to either chew, or 
 make Tea of its Roots : I complyed with the Pre- 
 fcription, which almoft inftantaneoufly caufed 
 me to expectorate, and indeed foon cleared my 
 Lungs of the Cough : This bufh runs along, (not 
 unlike a Vine) upon common Field Stone Walls, 
 wild, bearing Seeds of a lively Scarlet, and Coal- 
 black Colours, that are as round as Peas^ both 
 thefe Colours are on them all. 
 
 13. In Paragraph the Ninth, of my fecond 
 Letter, I ought to have defcribed the Tamarind- 
 tree, 172;. as follows. It is a very fpreading Tree, 
 and will grow to be thirty foot high, and better : 
 Its main Body is fhort and thick, and the Boughs 
 long and flcnder, at the extremity whereof, it is 
 ufual with Humming-birds to build their fmall 
 Nefts. The Fruit grows in long brown Pods, like 
 an Englijh Bean, and is commonly fold at A- 
 pothecaries Shops, here in Efigland. Its Leaves 
 are fmall, but fo thick fet together, as to afford us 
 {in excellent Shade in the Heat of the day. The 
 fmalleft fort of Humming-birds, is confiderably 
 lefs than a Wren, and of the Colour of a Peacock's 
 Neck, in that part, where the black Ground is 
 finely ornamented, with a gliflening greenifh blue. 
 They feed upon Prickle- pear Flowers, as Rjiglijh 
 Bees do, upon EngHJJj Flowers, and (like Bees) 
 move their Wings fo nimbly, as to be fcarce dif- 
 
 cerned 
 
LETTER VIIL 195 
 
 terned, which makes a humming Noife, that I 
 fuppofe, fir ft gave them the Name. They can fly 
 fwiftly, and I have known one of them give chafe 
 to a Hawk, but his diminutive Size and Agility 
 were, I imagine, his only Protedlion : I have 
 ftQH four or five forts of them, and at leaft nine 
 or ten of the Parrot kind. 
 
 14. In Paragraph twenty-nine, of my fecond 
 Letter, I might have informed you, That the Pe- 
 lican is a large brownifh Dun coloured Bird, (I 
 never was clofe to one) that delights to be about 
 the Water. Its Craw holds above a Quart, and 
 in it the Female puts Provilion for her Young 
 ones, which fhe can difgorge at pleafure to them; 
 and that, perhaps, gave rife to the old alluiion, 
 of a Pelican^s tearing open her Breaft with her 
 Bill, in order to feed her Young with her own 
 Bowels, rather than fuffer them to ftarve, when 
 we would typify a Perfon*s kind and benevolent 
 difpofition. 
 
 1 5« We have a large, long, and ftinking fly, 
 of a Chocolate hue, (met with chiefly, in our 
 Lower-ground Plantations, for I do not remem-^ 
 ber that I ever faw one, in our Mountain Plan- 
 tation,) that lays a long round Egg, of a brown 
 dufkifh colour, quite flat at each end, and fhaped 
 like a bit of fmall Stick, half an inch long. This 
 Egg is glutinous, and will ftick to any thing, 
 remaining there till the warm Weather hatches 
 
 N 2 its 
 
196 LETTER Vm. 
 
 its young : And the great lingularity of it lies In its 
 numerous Brood, one fingle Egg affording above 
 twenty Flies, which, I fancy, no other Egg in 
 the World does. My Friend, Dr. Sinclair^ put 
 one into a tranfparent Glafs Vial, and kept it fo 
 enclofed, till it had produced thirty, that when 
 Young, were of a whitiili colour. It does not 
 bite like a Mofkito or Gnat, but in the Evening 
 it flies about, and is troublefome to us, by light- 
 ing upon any part of us. iThis nafty Infed: is 
 called a Cock Roach, and as I faid flinks 5 be- 
 ing above an inch long. 
 
 16. Our Sprats there are covered with Scales, 
 and are a fort of Fifli, defervedly admired by 
 every body. They are of two forts, viz. Black 
 Bills, and Yellow" Bills. The Black Bills, (fo 
 termed, from the Colour of their Mouth) are in ' 
 my opinion, very fine eating. But the Yellow 
 Bills (fo called from a yellov.^i(h Stroak near their 
 Gills) are of a poifonous Nature, and of courfe 
 very feldom, if ever, eaten by White Perfons. 
 That is to fay, they make a Man both puke and 
 purge. They are generally taken near the Wind- 
 ward Side, where it is fuppofed, they meet with 
 Veins of Coperas, or fome other unw'holefome 
 Food. 
 
 17. There are feven or eight kinds of Turtle, 
 alias Tortoife, though but one of them eatable, 
 which is called Green Turtle, becaufe its fat is of 
 
 a 
 
LETTER VIII. 197 
 
 a green colour, and that not of the fort, whofe 
 Shell ferves for Snuff-Boxes. They are fo com- 
 mon that they need no defcription ; and the man- 
 ner of catching them at Nevis, is as follows. 
 When a Perfon fees any of their Tracks in the 
 Sea Sands, he next Night fits up to watch, and 
 turn them upon their Backs, and then they arc 
 quite helplefs. Their Blood is cold^ and upon 
 opening one of them, I have feen, at leaft, two 
 hundred Eggs that are exadlly round, (like a 
 School-boy's Marble) taken out of it, about forty 
 of which, were enclofed in whitifh tough Skins, 
 with a water-coloured, or jellyifh fubftance round 
 the Yolk, and were ready to be laid at one time. 
 M^oods Rogers y page 276, faw at the Iflands, called 
 Tres Manas, in the Soutb Sea, a Turtle that had 
 at leaft eight hundred Eggs in its Belly, a hun- 
 dred and fifty of which were fkinned, and ready 
 for laying at once. The Turtle lays them clofe 
 to the Sea, which has there, very fmall Ebbings 
 and Flowings, and covering them lightly with 
 Sand, leaves them to be hatched by the Sun's 
 warm Beams : And this is effeded in eight and 
 forty hour's time, as I was informed by thofe 
 who made it their bufinefs to fetch them from 
 Maroon uninhabited Iflands, where they are vaft- 
 ly plentiful, and where they fee almoft every day, 
 great numbers of young ones, not broader than a 
 ^hilling, newly hatched, haftening down into the 
 
 N 3 Sea^ 
 
198 LETTER VIIL 
 
 Sea. Woods Rogers aflerts the fame. As they are di^ 
 difturbed fo much at Nevis^ and other inhabit- 
 ' ed Iflands, they feldom care to come a fhore 
 there. 
 
 18. We have fometimes an odd fort of Fowl, 
 bred there, between an Englifld Drake, and a 
 Mufcovian Duck ; the fore part of it, as far as 
 to the middle of its Body, exadly refembling an 
 Englijh Drake, and the hinder part, that of a 
 Mufcovian Duck. It is very near as large as a 
 Mufcovian Duck, and reckoned fine eating : But 
 as it is of the Male kind, it never propagates its 
 Species. 
 
 19. I have itoxi frequent Fights between the 
 Sword -Fiih and Thraiher as Allies, and the 
 Grampus, their common Enemy, who as natu- 
 rally encounter each other, when they meet in 
 the Sea, as do the Elephant and Rhinoceros at 
 Land. The Sword-Fifh gets underneath the 
 Grampus, and pricks him in the Belly, till he 
 fwims on the furface of the Water, and then the 
 Thrafher mounts upon his Back, and beats him 
 fharply with his Tail : In fliort, they are in a 
 ftate of perpetual War, I was once (in my paf- 
 fage from Nevis to Antigua) within lefs than an 
 hundred yards of a Fight, and do afTure you, 
 they caufed the Spray of the Sea to fly up very 
 violently all around them, and to the beft of 
 my difcernment, the Thrailier feemed to fight 
 
 with 
 
LETTER VIII. 199 
 
 with fomething about three yards long, and like 
 a monftrous broad Sword, iffuing from his Nofe, 
 and not with his Tail, as is commonly reported. 
 In coming Northward, home for Kngland^ we 
 faw four or five of thefe Leviathans, fvvimming 
 all together, (a thing not very com.mon) not above 
 ten yards off from our Ship : They were of a 
 brownifh colour, about twelve yards in length, 
 and two yards in diameter, at the middle, or bet- 
 ter. I cannot find any reafon, why a Grampus 
 fliould not be deemed of the Whale-kind, though 
 he has no blowing Hole, to make the Water 
 fpout up, out of his Head like a Fountain : Pray 
 why fhould a blowing Hole be fo effential to 
 Whales ? A Friend of mine has fince allured me, 
 that a Grampus has a Blowing Hole, and that he 
 has frequently feen him fpout up the Water like a 
 Fountain, about three yards high ; a fight I had 
 never the fortune to behold. Sir Ham Sloan fays. 
 They have two Spouting-holes, vid. his Natural 
 Hiftory of, and Voyage to 'Jamaica^ page 5. 
 
 20. However, it puts me in mind, That fe- 
 venteen or eighteen years ago, a dead Whale was 
 caft up on fhore, at High Water Mark, four 
 miles from Burgh ^ in Uncolnjlnre^ which I (with 
 thoufands of others) went down to vifit, out of 
 pure curiofity. It was a Male Fifli, having a fair 
 Fizzle, or Penis, not unlike a Man's. It was 
 thirty-five foot from Nofe-end to Tail-end, and 
 
 N 4. as- 
 
200 LETTER VIII. 
 
 as near as I could guefs, (it being partly buried in 
 the Sands) twenty-four foot round, in the thick- 
 eft place of its Belly 3 fo that I thought it odly 
 enough fhaped. The Perfon who cut it up, had 
 been one Sealbn in Greenland^ and called it a 
 Whelp, or Half- Whale. It had no fort of Scales; 
 its Skin being Coal-black as it cut along, as foft 
 as Human Flefli^ and not exceeding the fourth 
 part of an inch in thicknefs. It cut better than a 
 foot thick, in the middle, of Fat (that was full 
 as white as the Fat of Bacon) 3 and I took parti- 
 cular notice, that fair Train Oil followed the 
 Knife as it paffed along. The Pieces were the 
 fizc of my two Fifts, being put into Barrels in 
 order to melt down into Oil, and what would 
 not fo melt, was afterwards to be boiled. His 
 Eyes were very little bigger, than thofe of an 
 Ox ; his Head was long in proportion to his 
 Body; and his Mouth was about five yards wide 
 from fide to fide, meafuring round by his Nofe- 
 End, His Teeth were fine Whale Bone, very 
 thin and flat, and fet moft regularly, almoft clofe 
 together on the flat Side, 4k\t Edge Parts being 
 fixed, one outwards, the other inwards: They 
 might, at the extremity of each fide, be three 
 inches in fight, out of the Gums, but they grew 
 longer and longer, the nearer they approached 
 towards the Nofe-end, where perhaps, they even 
 c:xceeded a foot in length : Juft at the Point 
 
 wher^ 
 
LETTER VIII. 201 
 
 where both Rows {viz, upper and under) met, 
 they refembled a Hair Brufh, fo that he can be 
 no Fifli of Prey, as not being able to maflicate 
 any thing tougher than Sea Weeds, and indeed 
 nothing was found in his Maw, but a little Sea- 
 Weed. To finifli my Defcription, his throat was 
 fo narrow, that fuch kinds of Food only, were 
 capacitated to pafs down thorough it. His Fins 
 were too young to be good Whale- Bone. 
 
 21. The glorious Colours of the Dolphin, 
 (mentioned in Letter i. paragraph 19.) occa- 
 fioned my looking lately, into Salmons Modern 
 Hijiory of all Nations^ in order to fee how his 
 account of the Golden-fiih of China, tallys with 
 the real Fiihes, fome whereof, the curious Mr. 
 Margas^ of London^ keeps now alive in a Chma 
 Bafon, that has a hollow piece of Rock-work in its 
 middle, with feveral Holes in it, thorough which 
 they delight to pafs and repafs. But I find Mr. Sal- 
 mons Account to be imperfedl -, that of the real 
 Fifhes being as follows, viz. They are from two to 
 fourteen inches long, and no one could ever dillin- 
 guifh ths Male from the Female : They are of 
 almoft all Colon rs, inter fperfed in fmall fpots, viz» 
 fome Red, fome Red and Gold, fome White and 
 Purple, fome Silver and Red, fome Yellow and 
 Redj and fome gilded all over : There are never 
 two of the fame fort : Their Tails are either quite 
 fiat or elfe triangular : Some are of various Co- 
 lours 
 
202 LETTER VIII. 
 
 lours on the Back and a clear filver white on the 
 Belly. Their heads are of different Colours, fome 
 being all over filver. Their Fins are generally red, 
 and fometimes the Colour of their Heads. In fliort 
 they are extreamly beautiful. Mr. Margas fent 
 for a dozen of them by an Eaji-India Captain, 
 In China they were all red, except two ; But 
 when they came hither they changed into all 
 manner of Colours. They live in Thames Water y 
 and if the Bafon be filled with muddy Water, 
 they will purify and render it full as clear as 
 the fineft Pump Water in a quarter of an hour 
 or lefs. Sometimes he gives them a little piece 
 of Bread ; but he thinks they are better without 
 it, as having feveral die when he fed them, and 
 none when he did not. I am apt to imagine, that 
 they may eafily enough preferve Life, by fwal- 
 lowing the Mud, and fuch Animacula as are found 
 in all Waters, even in the very pureft. 
 
 22. The word Tornado (or Tiirnado) in the 
 Marine Dialect, fignifies a fudden and moft violent 
 Storm of Wind (accompanied with dreadful Light- 
 nings) which ufually lafts for an hour, and is fuc- 
 ceeded by as fudden and ftill a Calm: Thefe 
 Storms are very common in hot fultry Climates 
 as far as the feventeenth Degree of Latitude on 
 both fides of the Equinodlials efpecially when the 
 Sun is at or near their Zenith. 
 
LETTER Vm. 203 
 
 23. We have at Nevis Jeflamine bufhes (not 
 nailed to the walls as here in England) that yeild 
 us Flowers full as large as Primrofes -, Thefe 
 Flowers are as white as Snow, and indeed 
 fo thick fet together, that the whole Bufh (at a 
 very fmall diftance) looks as if it was covered 
 with a large white Holland Sheet : Their fcent is 
 proportionably rich and high. 
 
 24. The white Cedar there, is a tall Tree which 
 bears a white Flower in ihape like a Bell, it's 
 Leaves refembling thofe of an Englijh Pear-Tree. 
 We have alfo an odd fort of Vegetable (the Name 
 of which I cannot recoiled:) which I confefs to be 
 lingular enough : It has neither Leaves, Branches,, 
 nor Flowers, nor Roots, and is about as thick and 
 round as a common Whip-cord, ufually running 
 along through the tops of Bufhes all manner of 
 ways, till it exceeds an hundred yards in length: 
 It is furely one of the moft beautiful of all yel- 
 low Colours -y and what is reckoned yet ftranger 
 there, no part of it approaches within three foot 
 of the ground, and it is moreover entirely different 
 from the Bufh which breeds and cherifhes it. 
 ^cere^ whether this Vegetable is not of the 
 Mifsletoe kind, though I never faw it growing 
 upon bulky Trees. 
 
 25. IVoods Roger Sy'pzgt 32, fays, that at Saint 
 Vince7it\ (one of the Cape de Verd Iflands) there 
 ^re large Spiders that weave their Webs fo flrongly 
 
 be- 
 
204 LETTER VIIL 
 
 ly between the Trees, that it is difficult to get 
 through them ; which puts me in mind, that in 
 paffing fome fhort Bufhes that were feldom fre- 
 quented on the eaft fide of the Salt Ponds at 
 Saint ChriJlopherSy I obferved monftrous great 
 Spiders, and as ftrong Webs that reached from 
 Bufh to Bufh, though not fo ftrong as thofe which 
 Woods Rogers faw at Saint Vincenf^x However it 
 was fome what troublefom walking among them. 
 But indeed the common Spiders in our Houfes 
 there, have exceeding big Bodies, and thick, as 
 well as long Legs; Underneath their belly doth 
 breed and hang a white fiat and round Bag, which 
 when at maturity comes off, and flicks to any 
 part of our Houfe the Spider pleafes. And the 
 young Brood of Spiders are enclofed in this Bag^ 
 which when ripe enough for that purpofe, burfts 
 (or perhaps is eaten open) to let out confiderable 
 numbers of them. We have fome Fleas ^ but no 
 Bugs that ever I heard of, though the Ships in 
 our Bay are often pretty well ftocked with them. 
 Our common Ants are troublefome, as well as 
 very numerous ; for they oblige us to keep our 
 refined Sugar in large Glafs Bottles, that have 
 wide mouths 3 and after all, thefe little Animals 
 will eat their way thorough by the fide of the 
 Cork : So that inftead of Corks, I have known 
 Wooden Stopples made ufe of for that purpofe. 
 
 26* 
 
LETTER vm. 205 
 
 26. In paragraph 37^^ of my feventh Letter, 
 I ought to have informed you, That a Shark Fi(h 
 never fpawns, but breeds its Young in a regular 
 Matrix, fituate in the lower part of its Belly. For 
 inftance, A Surgeon of my acquaintance faw in the 
 Weft Indies a Female one cut open ; She had eleven 
 Young ones of about fourteen Inches apiece long 
 in her, and each of them had a fair Navel-ftring, 
 (at leaftof the thicknefs of his little Finger) that 
 was faftened to the Matrix, which he cut in two 
 with a Knife, and then immediately put the Young 
 ones which were alive into a Bucket of Water, 
 where they fwam about a little. Sir Hans Sloan in 
 his Voyage to Jamaica^ Page 23, fays: I once 
 on opening one of the Female Sharks found the 
 Eggs in the Ovary perfeftly round, as big as the 
 top of one's Thumb; and at another time the 
 F^tus or Young ones in their Coats, lodged 
 in the Uterus^ after the manner of our Viviparous 
 Creatures ; for upon cutting the Coats the fmall 
 live Fiihes came out, being able to frifk and 
 fwim up and down the Salt Water. I fancy that 
 Whales, Grampuffes, and indeed all other Levia- 
 thans of the Ocean, propagate in the felf fame 
 manner. And if you objeft againft the young 
 Sharks going into the old one's Maw for Food, (as 
 afferted iii that Paragraph) I only beg you to 
 remember, that common Vipers here in England 
 do the fame} efpecially when they are under a 
 
 fright ; 
 
2o6 LETTER Vllt 
 
 fright 3 they then haften in at the old one's Mouthy 
 in order to fecure themfeives from harm. 
 
 27. Ginger, is a Root that fends up a ftraight 
 and knobbed Stock better than a foot high, the 
 top whereof is ornamented with a round of long 
 and narrow Leaves, not unlike to our EngliJIj 
 Peach-tree Leaves. The planting of it was neg- 
 lected in my time. And indeed the Indico Works 
 wxre then wholly laid afide. However, I faw fome 
 few of the Indico Plants grow wild, that were 
 about three foot high, branching out from the 
 main Stock divers ways ; their roundifh Leaves 
 (as broad as a Six-pence) as well as the Stock and 
 Boughs, were of a dull, but deep Green Colour^ 
 inclining to Brown : The Bufh is cut up, then 
 bruifed, boiled, and put into aCiflern of water, &c^ 
 in order to extradt from it the pure Indico, which 
 will fettle at Bottom. But for a right account of 
 Indico- making, you muft confult Sir Hans Sloan 
 in Volume 2. Page 35. As for a defcription of 
 Sugar-making, I refer you to Herman Moll's 
 Britifi Empire in America^ about it. Purflain, 
 at our Bath-Plain Plantation was reckoned one 
 of the woril Weeds we had belonging to us. Our 
 Allocs there are entirely neglecfled. 
 
 28. In paragraph 25^^ of this Letter, I forgot 
 to bid you recoUedt, That St. Vincenf^ and the 
 other Cape deFerdIi['a.nds (which have this modern 
 Name from Cape Verd on the Ccaft oi Africa) 
 
 were 
 
LETTER Vlir. 207 
 
 were anciently called Hefper^ides^ from Hefperides 
 Daughters to He/per us ^ who had Orchards that 
 bore Golden Fruit. And indeed we may pronounce 
 it in a good meafure true of the Cape de Verd 
 Iflands as well as oi Nevis ^ and the other Charibee 
 Illands even at this day; for they yield the In- 
 habitants plenty both of Mullc and Water Melons, 
 Pine-Apples, Belle-Apples, Bonanoes, Plantains, 
 Pappas, ShaddockSjGuavas, Pomgranates, Oranges, 
 Lemons, Limes, G?r. which put me in mind of 
 Milton (book 4. line 249,) where in his defcrip- 
 tion of Paradife, he gives us the following Golden 
 Verfes : 
 
 Threes whofe rich Fruit burfiijh'd with Golden 
 Rinde^ 
 
 Hung afniable^ Hefperian Fables true^ 
 
 If true^ here only and of delicious tajle. 
 
 There are, you know, various opinions about the 
 Situation of Paradife; However (without deter- 
 mining in favour of any of them, and which all 
 of them mull be trifling and infignificant) if 
 Dr. Woodward' % Notions of the Deluge, and the 
 great Changes thereby wrought in the fuperfi- 
 cial Parts of the Earth, be admitted as true ; it 
 could not furely be placed in quite lb fultry a La- 
 titude as Nevis and the Cape de Verd Iflands are ; 
 upon account of the Unhealthinefs, Muflcitocs, 
 Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Eruptions, 
 and exceflive Heat, all of which I believe to be 
 
2o8 LETTER VlII. 
 
 infeparable from that Latitude in all parts of the 
 Globe. In fliort it is eafy enough for us to make 
 a Paradife of any Country, that is not too near 
 one of the Poles, by defcribing it's Excellencies, 
 without mentioning the inconvenient qualities of 
 it. 
 
 29. We have at Nevis great plenty of a fmall 
 and prickly fort of Cucumber, that growls wild, 
 and is ihaped like a Lemon : we ufually boil, 
 though we fometimes (rarely) pickle them. In the 
 year of our Lord 1706, was fo violent a Drowth 
 as confumed almofl all the Fruits of the Earth ; 
 however, Providence was fo wondrous kind in 
 that fcorch'd-up Seafon, as to fupply the Inha- 
 bitants with infinite numbers of themj with 
 near as many as would fuffxe to preferve life 
 very well without any other Food. The Ifland 
 had the year before been taken and plundered by 
 the French^ fo that they had two grievous Plagues 
 upon the back of one another, viz. War and 
 Famine. They have fome EngUjh Peas, and of 
 feveral forts peculiar to that warm Climate, which 
 are unknown to Great Britain, 
 
 30. Our Sheep have no Wool, but are hairy 
 and fmooth-fkinned like an Englijh Spaniel, being 
 white and generally fpeaking all over pretty full 
 of fmall red or black Spots, that refemble thofe 
 of a fine Spaniel. They ufually bring two, three, 
 or four Lambs at a time, that eat as fine as London 
 
 Houfe« 
 
LETTER VIII. 209 
 
 Houle-Lambj fay the good people there, and 
 breed twice if not oftener in a year ; and what is 
 more extraordinary, fuckle them all : they have 
 no Horns. The Rams are of a pale or faint red 
 colour^ and have a thick row of long, ftrait red 
 Hair hanging down, that extends itfelf from their 
 lower Jaw along their Throat quite to their 
 Breaft, as far as their Fore Legs. At Nevis they 
 were efteemed to be as good as the befl Englijh 
 Mutton, but I could not be of that opinion* 
 We have plenty of Goats, and I thought their 
 young Kids as nice eating almoll: as London 
 Houfe-Lamb : they too are wondrous prolifick* 
 Sir i?i^;2x 5/(5^;/ in his IntrodudlioUj p. 20, affirms 
 that at Jamaica^ Rats are fold by the dozen, and 
 when they "have been bred among the Sugar- 
 Canes, are thought by fome difcerning People, 
 very delicious Vidluals. Some Negroes at Nevis 
 do eat them, wrapping them up in Bonano-leaves 
 to bake them as it were under warm Embers. 
 I own they are fat and look well ; two Whites 
 of my Acquaintance eat of them, once out of 
 pure Curiofity, and faid, they did not tafte amifs, 
 though quite different from any other fort of Food. 
 3 1 . Our Porkets feeding upon Indian Corn, 
 Spanijh Potatoes, and Sugar-Cane Juice, during 
 Crop-time, their Fle(h is of courfe exceeding 
 fweet, and white as well as fat. Our Fowls being 
 fed with the fame fort of diet are good, and our 
 
 O Tur- 
 
2IO LETTER VIIL 
 
 Turkies of which we have vaft plenty, are ex- 
 traordinarily fo. Our Veal is fmall, fat, and white, 
 without any more art than once bleeding. But 
 our Beef (the principal fupport of an Efiglijhmafi'^ 
 Life) is both lean and tough : I have heard of 
 fome tolerable fat Beef, but it was never my 
 fortune to meet with any of it. Our Geefe, and 
 Englifi Ducks there eat well, but were fomewbat 
 fcarce, as being chiefly brought to us from New-- 
 EnglanJy and other Northern Colonies. But we 
 have plenty oi Mufcovy Ducks, that eat better 
 there than they do here. We very rarely meet 
 with any Wild Ducks. Our Land Crabs run from 
 place to place ufually in the Night, when (and 
 efpecially after Rain) we catch them by the help 
 of Torch-light -, and this Torch is made up of no- 
 thing elfe, but a bundle of Splinters tyed toge- 
 ther, and confiding of Fir, yellow Saunders, and 
 other Oily Woods, which though green will 
 yield a competent blaze for a confiderable fpace 
 of time. At Antigua they have fmall, but well- 
 tafted Oyfters, that flick to Mangrove-trees that 
 grow clofe to Creeks. 
 
 32. Englifi Beans will bloflbm in our Moun- 
 tain Plantations, though they never pod. Our 
 Carrots there are very good, but our Turnips and 
 Radiflies are ftringy and ftrong. We did not 
 want for Red Rofes, but I never law a White one. 
 Their fmell was not fo high as here in England^ 
 
 nor 
 
LETTER VIII. 31 r 
 
 nor were they very common. EngliJJ:> kinds of 
 Grapes were wondrous fcarce, and we had no 
 Peaches, Nedtarins, Plumbs, Apricots, Pears, Ap- 
 ples, Goole-berries, Currants, or fine Flowers. 
 Samphire at Nevis far exceeds our Rnglijh Sam- 
 phire that I eat in Lincohifiire, and Norfolk-, 
 Colly-flowers would run up to huge Stalks and 
 large Leaves, but for want of Rain, would never 
 flower. A Parifl:iioner of mine fent home for two 
 Mulberry-trees ; they grew indeed, but did not 
 thrive ; they bore but once, and then but one 
 fingle Berry, which came to perfedion, and 
 had a good flavour. Our Tobacco there is fo 
 ilrong, that few, or no People of Condition 
 fmoak it. In our Mountain Plantations we have 
 many excellent Cucumbers, good common Let- 
 tuces, as well as Nafturtiums, French (or Kidney) 
 Beans, Cellery, Gfr. 
 
 33. Our Ship fell down the River ^hmnes 
 upon the diflTolution of the Hard Frofl:, in the 
 beginning of King George the FiriVs Reign ; fo that 
 as England when I took leave of it, looked dif- 
 mally, you will eafily imagine that in thirty-two 
 days after, I muft be tranfported at the fight of 
 Nevis, which having had plenty of Rains juft be- 
 fore, was when I arrived, in full beauty. Befides, 
 the Good-nature and Generofity of my Parifli- 
 oners charmed me : for when I took poflfeflion of 
 St. John's^ the Veftry in a moft: genteel manner 
 
 o 2 offer- 
 
212 LETTER Vm. 
 
 ofFefed me what prefent Money I had OGcafioTi 
 for, and farther affured me, that they would give 
 me Thirty Pounds per Annum above the Salary 
 due by Law ; which promife they moft honoura- 
 bly kept to the laft hour of my ftay. This Salary 
 is Sixteen thoufand pound weight of Mufcovado, 
 or coarfe Sugar annually, Three Pounds, or Five 
 hundred weight of Sugar for a Funeral Sermon, 
 and Twelve Shillings and Six-pence for every 
 Chriftening, Marriage and Burial. But their 
 generous temper would never fuffer them to give 
 me fo little. N. B, That an Englifh Shilling goes 
 for Eighteen-pence there, and Ffrnch, Spafiijh and 
 Po7'ti(giieze Money bears pretty near the fame 
 proportion in value. The King gives Twenty 
 Pounds to us out of the Exchequer, to defray the 
 Charges of our Voyage thither ; and I have often 
 heard fome of our conliderate Gentlemen declare^ 
 That provided they might have the liberty of 
 choofing their own Reftors, they would freely 
 augment our Salaries ; and further. That if the 
 general run of my Lord Chancellour's Livings, 
 were to be difpofed of to JVeft India Clergymen, 
 after four or five years ilay in that fultry Climate, 
 it would be a moft noble Benefadion, as well as 
 vaft encouragement to us to travel abroad. But 
 alas! That Scheme is altogether impradticable, 
 as Great Perfons Sons, Relations, and Depend- 
 ants mufl firft be obliged. For the encourage- 
 ment 
 
LETTER Vlir. SI-? 
 
 ment of Piety and Learning, a worthy Gentle- 
 man gave two hundred Pounds worth of Books 
 to found a Library at Charles Town, which in 
 my time was under the care of Mr. Robertjbn 
 Redlor of the Parifh 3 I hope it is fince augmen- 
 ted. The Governour General ordered the Secre- 
 tary of A/>i;/V, to draw up an Inftrument which 
 was to ferve both as a Prefentation and Inftituti- 
 on, and for which he generouily refufed to accept 
 of any Fees. And the fliowing that Inftrument to 
 my Parifh Veftry, was looked upon to be a fuffici- 
 ent Indudlion. As that inftrument may prove a 
 Novelty to you, I i^n^ you an exaft Copy of 
 it here. 
 
 o 3 *' By 
 

 214 LETTER VIII. 
 
 " By his Excellency Walter Hamilton^ Efq; 
 
 *' Captain-General, and Chief Govcrnour 
 
 *' in and over all His Majefty's Leeward 
 
 lUeSeai] " Charibbee Iflands in America^ and Or- 
 
 " dinary of the fame, &c. 
 
 Hereas his moil Sacred Majefty hatli 
 given and granted to me, Power and 
 " Authority of Collating Orthodox Minifters to 
 *^ all and every of the Parilhes within my refpe- 
 *' (Stive Government ; and whereas the Parifh of 
 ^- St. John in the Ifland of Nevis is at prefent 
 *' deflitute of a Minijier^ and Mr. William Smith 
 *' being recommended to me by the Right Reve- 
 " rend Father in God, "^ohn Lord Bifhop of 
 *' London^ asaperfon qualified to take on him the 
 " Cure of Souls: By vertue of the faid Powers 
 *^ and Authorities to me granted, I do by thefe 
 *' Prefents, Inftitute the faid William Smithy 
 " Clerk, Minifter of the faid Parifh ^ to perform 
 *^ all the Duties incumbent on him as Minifter of 
 " the fame, and to have and enjoy all fuch SaU 
 " laries Dues and Perquifites as do, or fhall belong 
 *' to him either by Law or Cuflom. 
 
 *^ Given under my Hand and 
 '' Seal the 18^^ day of 
 
 To the Churchnxjar^ens ^^ April 17 1 6, iu the 
 
 and Feftry-nnn of St. ,, r ■% * rxT* 
 
 Johns PariA ^eiis. ' ^^coud year of His 
 
 y Majefty *s Reign. 
 
 Walter Hamilton^ 
 
LETTER VIIL 215 
 
 Here likewife follows an exad: Copy of a 
 Marriage-Licence granted by Daniel Smithy Efq^ 
 our Lieutenant (or particular) Governour. 
 
 Nevis. " By the Honourable Daniel Smith 
 
 *' Lieut. Governour, and Ordinary 
 " of this Ifland. 
 
 *^ y Icence is hereby granted to any Orthodox 
 «' I J Minifter to join together in the holy 
 *' Eftate of Matrimony, John Bajlian^ of this 
 " Ifland and Parifti of St. ihomas^ Butcher, and 
 " Hannah Grijitb of the Parifli aforefaid, Wi- 
 " dow, according to the Canons and Conftitutions 
 " of the Church of England, and the Form pre- 
 " fcribed in the Book of Common Prayer, you 
 *^ knowing no Caufeor Impediment to the con- 
 " trary. 
 
 ** Ordinary's Office, " Given under my 
 
 *' Security taken " Hand OBober the 
 
 " h Jofiah Webb '' 22^ 17 16. 
 «' Clerk of the Or- 
 
 *' dinary, Daniel Smith. 
 
2i6 LETTER VIIL 
 
 34. ^n Acquaintance of mine was a Surgeon 
 in the late unfortunate Expedition to Carthagena^ 
 and he differs from me in his defcription of a 
 Dolphin, which is as follows, i;/^;, " I caught 
 "one that was four foot five inches and a half 
 *' long 5 his Head was fhaped n#uch like a Cod's, 
 " and of a fkie blue colour; his Fins were alfo 
 '' fkie blue, his Body wasftreaked with green and 
 *' yellow intermixed with dark and light- coloured 
 ** blues, as well as beautified with an admirable 
 *' variety of purple, blue, and livid fpots, ©r- 
 ^' which are very curious whilft it is dying, 
 *' but lofe all their fine Colours the moment 
 *' it dies ; The finny part of the Tail from the 
 " two extremities, was Eight inches, and its teeth 
 V' fhaped like thofe of an EngJiJh Jack, though 
 '' much larger/' He alfo fhot feveral Pelicans; 
 which were about the bignefs of our Englijh 
 Geefe. *^ The Pelican's Head and Beak were not 
 *' unlike thofe of an EngUjJj Goofe too, only the 
 " Beak was flatter and longer by about five Inches : 
 " Its Craw when filled does very nearly referri- 
 " ble a fmall Cow's Bladder, and Sailors make 
 " a Tobacco Pouch of it. And he farther puts me 
 " in mind, that the Ground Doves mentioned in 
 " paragraph 29 of my fecond Letter, are about the 
 " bignefs oi zn Enghfih^ixk : They are of a cho- 
 ** colate colour, fpotted with a dark blue; Their 
 " Heads are like that of a Robbin Red-breafl^ 
 
 *' and 
 
LETTER VIII. 217 
 
 *^ and their Eyes and Legs of a moft pure red. 
 *' They are good food, and acxounted very nouri- 
 " fhiag." 
 
 35. I am not infenfible, how it is confidently 
 affirmed here, as an infallible truth. That Game- 
 Cocks, and Bull-Dogs degenerate out oi England-, 
 but do thi;)k it is a vulgar error : for at Nevis^ 
 we breed excellent Game Cocks ; and moll: Plan- 
 tations caB fhow a fierce Bull-Dog, particularly 
 the Gentleman I lived with, had no lefs than 
 three at one time, and one Bull-Bitch had three 
 if not four Puppies at a fingle Litter, none of 
 which feemed to want courage, though there 
 was no Bull-baiting in my time, in order to try 
 fuch Dogs : The warm Cli me makes them grow 
 lazy indeed, but alas ! I found by experience, th^t 
 it had the fame efFeft upon Men. We have 
 alfo there many large Cur-Dogs: However^ 
 as we have no Deer, Foxes, Hares, Pheafants, 
 Partridges, or other Englijh kinds of Game, to di- 
 vert a Sportfman, you will not wonder, that we 
 have no Hounds, Grey-Hounds, Setting-Dogs^ 
 or common Spaniels : A Houfe-Dog, is the only 
 Dog that can be of ufe to us. I have farther made 
 it my obfervation, that fome Negroes will eat 
 Dogs Flefh ; in which Cafe our Dogs(both of the 
 BuJJ, and Cur Breed) do always fly outragioufly 
 at th^m, becaufe the People there imagine they 
 find them out to be Dog-Eaters, by fome particu- 
 lar 
 
2i8 LETTER VIII. 
 
 lar Scent or Fumes iffuing from their Stomach : 
 And I think it very fingular, that I never once 
 heard of a Dog's running mad there, as they 
 too frequently do here in England^ to the ha- 
 zard, and even lofs of Men's Lives. 
 
 36. Sir Hans Sloan in Page 42 of his Voiage to 
 
 yamaicay fays. That they touched 2X Nevis ^ which 
 
 he defcribes thus. It confifts of one Mountain of a- 
 
 " bout four miles to the top, v^hence is an eafy 
 
 *' defcentto all parts of the Ifland^but fteepeftto- 
 
 *^ w^ards the Town, where is the Road. They have 
 
 *^ neither Springs nor Rivers, but have what Water 
 
 *^ they make ufe of from Cifterns, receiving the 
 
 ** Rain- water. The Ground is cleared almoft to 
 
 *^ the Top of the Hill, where yet remains fome 
 
 ** Wood, and where are run-away Negroes, that 
 
 *^ harbour themfelves in it. There are about Two 
 
 ** thoufand Inhabitants here, who being gathered 
 
 " together for the Duke oi Albermarle to review, 
 
 " I found more fwarthy, or of a yellowifli fickly 
 
 " look, than any of the Inhabitants of thefe 
 
 " Iflands. The Town or Road is fortified with 
 
 *' Batteries, and a Fort. They have little Money, 
 
 ** but buy and pay with Sugars which are black. 
 
 " Their Horfes, which are fmall, as well as 
 
 ^' many of their Provifions come from Barbuda ^ 
 
 " anifland not far diftant, where Cattel are bred, 
 
 " I went to the top of the Hill to gather Plants, 
 
 " and though it had, nor did not rain at bottom, 
 
 yet 
 
LETTER VIII. 219 
 
 *^ yet I was taken there, in fo great Showers, that I 
 " was wet unto the fkin. There is here, a hot 
 " Spring affording a conftantly running Rivulet 
 *' of Water, made ufe of for all purpofes as com- 
 *^ mon Water.'* Now as that learned Gentleman 
 flayed no longer than two days at Nevis ^ he could 
 give but a very imperfeA account of it, and of 
 courfe I think myfelf obliged to amend it, viz. 
 The Mountain I own to be about four miles from 
 the top to the Bay at Charks Town^ (and as men- 
 tioned in Paragraph 42 of my fecond Letter, 
 near a mile and a half in perpendicular height ,) 
 But its defcent is very fteep from the top half 
 way down towards Charles Town, and afterwards 
 indeed it may be termed an eafy defcent. We have 
 like wife a Hill called Saddle- Hilly becaufe it ap- 
 pears in the form of a Saddle at the top ; we reck- 
 on it no more than a Hill, but I do affure you 
 that it is higher than the great Mountain, called 
 Skiddaw in Cumberland, The Bath is a fmall Ri- 
 ver, and its Water may very well be drank when 
 cold, for it has not a very fulphurous Tafte j 
 There is another River in Gingerland called. New 
 River y and there is a third River near New-Cajlky 
 jn the Windward Parifli, that is well flocked with 
 the fineft fat Mullets and other good Fi(h. There 
 is befides, a Gully (or Gut) in St. "Thomas's Parifli, 
 named the Dungeon y becaufe its rocky fides are 
 high and perpendicular, which always affords ex- 
 cellent 
 
220 LETTER VIIL 
 
 cellent Water. We ufually drink Ciftern Water, 
 when not near thefe Places. The new flpt Spring, 
 faid, in Letter ^2^, Paragraph 37, to be difco- 
 vered in clearing a Wood, in Windward Parifh, 
 by the Whites, was ever known by the Blacks, 
 though not fooner to us White Men. There is a 
 good Spring, in the White Ground, where all 
 Ships are plentifully fupplied with frefh Water ; 
 and we have feveral Ponds, that yield us Mullets, 
 Slimguts, Mud-fiili, Silver-fiib, Pond-Crabs, and 
 Eels, as well as ferve for Drink to our Cattle. 
 Our Mountain (like the Sulphur Mountain at 
 St. Kitfs) near the top, will bear nothing but 
 Wild-Pines, and fuch unprofitable Weeds ; but a 
 little lower down, are firft Shrubs, and then tall 
 Trees, whither run-away Negroes refort. We 
 had about Eight thoufand Negroes in my time, 
 and Twelve hundred Whites, who were remark- 
 ably the frefheft in colour, and beft favoured 
 People in any of the Iflands. Charles Fort was 
 a fufficient prpteftion to the Ships in the Bay, and 
 to the Town ; but the Batteries were entirely 
 negledled, and even grown over with Bufhes. 
 We have Money enough for a currency, but pay 
 for moft Commodities in Miifcovado (or blackifh) 
 Sugar, becaufe every body rtrives to lay up their 
 Riches in London, Some few of our Horfes are 
 brought from London^ now and then from Rhode 
 Ifland^ but chiefly from New Efigland^ where they 
 
 are 
 
LETTER VIII. 221 
 
 are all natural Pacers, and none at all from Ber^ 
 buda^ which is a fmall and low Illand, clofe to 
 Antigua^ and wholly belongs to Sir JVilliam Cod^ 
 drington : We breed many, but wondrous rarely 
 any fine ones. Except Irijh Beef faked. Hams, Ba- 
 con, pickled Salmon, Sturgeon and Oyfters, (all 
 of which are brought us from Europe^ and the 
 North American Colonies,) we breed all our own 
 Provifions, fuch as Rabbits, Pork, Veal, Mutton, 
 Turkies, (whofe Capons are large fat and fine 
 beyond compare) Geefe, Ducks, and Fowls, ex- 
 cept fuch as are brought from Bojion^ &c. We 
 make a little Butter, which is not extraordinary 
 good, and our New Cheefe is far worfe : We 
 have enough oiCheJkire^ Warwickjhire^ and GloU" 
 cejierjhire Cheefe. It is no wonder at all, that 
 Sir Hans Sloan was wet to the fkin on the Moun- 
 tain, when there was no Rain in the lower 
 Grounds; becaufe Rain often fpreads but a nar- 
 row compafs of Ground, and falls fo heavy, that 
 one fingle minute's continuance of it, would wet 
 through our thin Cloaths. Our ufual Butter is 
 faked, and brought to us from Ireland^ m 
 Firkins: Sometimes we have excellent Butter, 
 from Bermudas j but it is dear. We make no 
 Hay, but our Stable Horfcs, for riding on, are 
 fed with Grafs, plucked up (by way of weeding) 
 from among our Sugar Canes, \\\\h the green 
 Blades of hidian Corn, Guinea Corn, with Scotch 
 
 Grafs 
 
^22 LETTER VIIL 
 
 Grafs, and with New England Oats : As for our 
 Mill Horfes^ Mules^ and AfTes, they feed ordi- 
 narily in Failures, but during Crop-time they live 
 on Sugar-Cane tops, and the fkimming of our 
 Sugar-Coppers, which laft, muft be given them 
 fparingly at firft, for fear of griping, and perhaps 
 killing them. The bottom part of the Sugar- 
 Cane top, is about the thicknefs of one's finger 
 and as it contains a good deal of the natural fweet- 
 nefs, we ufually cut it into pieces of an inch and 
 a half long, to give our Saddle Horfes ; it is won- 
 drous heartning Food, and fattens them a-pace. 
 Our Saddle Horfes are very fubjed to have Ticks 
 (like Sheep-Ticks) breed in their Ears, which if 
 not frequently pulled out, will ftrangely emaciate^ 
 or render them lean. I think it particular enough. 
 That New England has but one fort of Horfes^ 
 inz, Riding-Horfes. 
 
 I aniy Sir, 
 
 Tour mofi obedient Servant^ 
 
 W"^- Smith. 
 
 LET- 
 
223 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 I Ought to have informed you long ago, of the 
 reafon, why Nevis is called the Mother of the 
 'Engltjh Leeward Charibbee IJlands^ as follows, vtz* 
 As England IS governed by King, Lords, and Com- 
 mons, jufl fo are we ruled by Governour, Coun- 
 cil, and Aflembly, who can make any Law that 
 will laft Twelve Months 3 but if we would have 
 it laft longer, we muft have it confirmed by the 
 King's Privy Council ; and in all other Cafes, we 
 are ruled by the common Statute Law oi England. 
 Every one of the four great Iflands, viz, Nevis ^ St. 
 Chrijlopher's, Antigua^ and Montferrat, have a par- 
 ticular or private Governour, fent us by the King, 
 who prefides over the Council and Aflembly both, 
 when any Publick Act of the Country paflTes, 
 though his Seat is, properly fpeaking, in the 
 Council-Room ; and in cafe of his Sicknefs or 
 Death, the oldeft Council-man takes his place, 
 and indeed is ftiled Prefident always, (even before) 
 as being on fuch occafions, his Deputy. But be- 
 fides, we have a Governor-General, who fuper- 
 fedes the private Governors, and is Chief, where - 
 ever he happens to be ; and in cafe of his Death, 
 
 his 
 
224 LETTER IX. 
 
 his Office devolves upon the Governor, (or in cafe 
 of his Death, the Prefident) and Council of Ne- 
 visy till the King fends a new one : This Gover- 
 nour, as Ordinary, has the cognizance of Wills^ 
 and granting Adminiftrations, and Marriage Li- 
 cences. Sometimes (perhaps once in twenty years) 
 all thefe four Councils, and the four Affemblies 
 too, meet together. The Council is nominated 
 by our Governor^General, and reprefents an £;/- 
 gUp Houfe of Lords : And the Affembly ferves 
 for a Houfe of Commons, being chofen by the 
 Free-holders of our five Parifhes, that is to fay^ 
 Two Members for each Parifli, are annually 
 elected, according to the laudible old Cuftom of 
 England. In my time, the Nevijians were a Peo- 
 ple tenacious of their Liberties -y and I charitably 
 hope, that they ftill perfevere in the fame Heroic 
 Difpofition : In fliort, fhould any Member have 
 mentioned a Septennial AiTembly, he would have 
 been thought no Friend to their Conftitution. It 
 was currently reported, that our then Governor- 
 General, gave for his Commiffion (which lafts but 
 for three years) Six thoufand Englijh Pounds, to a 
 favourite Courtier ^ but I hope it was a falfe Story ; 
 for when he bafely tried to perfuade the Govern- 
 ipent here, to take away the Motherfliip from 
 JSfevis, and fettle it upon Jiztigua^ as being the 
 more confiderable Ifland, they abfolutely refufed to 
 hearken to fuch a difhonourable infinuation, and 
 
 forbid 
 
LETTER IX. 225 
 
 forbid him to make further mention of his Pro- 
 jedt. St. BartholQ77iew and Angiiilla^ (two Iflands 
 of much lefs note) have their refpedive Gover- 
 nors appointed them, by our Governor-General, 
 but no Council and Affembly. Pirates are tried 
 at A^mi only, as being deemed the Mother 
 Ifland. 
 
 2. Our Negroes (except what are born at Ne- 
 vis) are brought to us from Guinea j thofe from 
 the Gold Coaft being the moft valuable and 
 hardy, on account of the vaft Heats, and of 
 courfe, fcarcity of Provifions there ; and thofe of 
 Congo and Angola are lefs fet by, becaufe the 
 Plenty of Provifion in their own, more tempe-« 
 rate, and cool Countries, renders them lazy, and 
 confequently, not fo able to endure Work and 
 Fatigue. When they firft arrive, they are well 
 rubbed over with Oil, in order to make them 
 look fleek and handfome^ and as they can, with 
 a fmall Comb, curl one another's Hair into ini- 
 mitable knots, like Rofes, &c, it gives a much 
 farther addition to their Beauty ; in ihort, it ex- 
 ceeds the Skill of the beft Englip Barber. A Boy 
 or Girl about lixteen years old, may be worth 
 Twenty Pounds Sterling, a Woman Twenty- 
 feven, and a Man Thirty. They live in Huts, on 
 the Weftern Side of our Dwelling-houfes, fo that 
 every Plantation refembles a fmall Town ; and 
 he reafon why they are feated on the Weftern 
 
 P fide. 
 
226 LETTER IX. 
 
 fide, IS, becaufe we breath the pure Eaftern Air^ 
 without being oifended with the leaft naufeous 
 fmell : Our Kitchens and Boyling-houfes are on 
 the fame fide, and for the fame Reafon. 
 
 3. Now and then, thefe poor Creatures are, 
 by private Traders, ftole away out of their own 
 Countries, to the eternal fcandal of us Chriftians: 
 But the ufual method of coming by them is, to 
 purchafe them, when taken in their Wars with 
 each other ; and if fome Great Perfons concern- 
 ed in the Trade to Africa^ are not ftrangely be- 
 lied, they frequently fet thefe Black Princes toge- 
 ther by the ears, purely that they may buy the 
 Prifoners for Slaves. In my time, a Captain of 
 a private Trader, went to the Coafts of Guinea^ 
 and after having decoyed two Sons of one of thefe 
 petty Kings, with their Attendants on board his 
 Ship, failed away for the Wejl Indies^ and fold 
 them all there. The Gentleman who bought 
 the Boys, fitted out a Bermudas Sloop, with a 
 proper Cargo, and fent the two Boys back, as a 
 Prefent to their Father, not doubting to make 
 an advantageous Voyage of it ; but the Sloop 
 was not returned, before I came home to Englandy 
 from Nevis. The Captain was a Villain in grain, 
 as well as an utter Enemy to his Country : For 
 if the Black Prince, who was Father to the 
 two Boys, (hould have malfacred all Englijhmen^ 
 
 that 
 
LETTER IX. 227 
 
 that fell in his way for fome time afterwards, 
 pray who could juftly blame him ? 
 
 4. Another abandoned Wretch, of a Captain, 
 did (about three or four years, before my going 
 to Nevis) fteal fome Negroes off the Coaft of 
 Guinea^ and fold a flout Man and his Wife, with 
 a fmall fucking Child, to a Gentleman of my Ac- 
 quaintance, at Nevis ^ who ufed them well. The 
 poor unfortunate Fellow, afTured the Gentleman, 
 That the Captain ftole him, and as he was a con- 
 fiderable Perfon, upon the Coaft of Whiddaw^ 
 he fcorned to work at Nevis, However, in or- 
 der to bring him to relifh a ftate of Slavery, by 
 gentle and eafy degrees, he fet him to look after 
 his Horfes, Mules, and Sheep : But he had not 
 been long in that ftation, before he quarrelled 
 with another of his Mafter*s Negroes, and killed 
 him with a Knife -, upon which, he fled away, 
 with his Wife and Child, to the thick Woods, 
 where he immediately erefted a Hut, refolving 
 to die rather than fubmit : However, he was 
 foon found out, and his Hut furrounded with 
 armed White Men, and Negroes, who were re- 
 folved to apprehend, and make a publick ex- 
 ample of him : He firft of all butchered his Wife 
 and Child, and then came out of the Hut with 
 the bloody (reeking) Knife in his hand, oflfer- 
 ing it to his Matter, and faying, that as he had 
 fairly bought, and paid for him, he had a juft 
 
 p 2 right 
 
228 L E T T E R IX, 
 
 right to take away his life : The Mafter told 
 him, that he muft furrender himfelf, and be tried 
 by the Civil Magiftrate -, whereupon, he ftruck 
 at him with the Knife, but was knocked down 
 and fecured. The next day he was tried by two 
 Juffices of the Peace, who have a difcretionary 
 Power, to inflid: what Death they pleafe upon 
 fuch Negroes : The Juftices adjudged him to be 
 broke upon the Wheel, and then burnt alive, 
 which Sentence was ftri(5tly put in execution : 
 When his Arms, Thighs, and Leg Bones, were 
 broken all to lliivers, with an Iron Crow, he 
 did not fo much as once cry out Oh ! He then 
 defired a Dram of Rum, which was refufed him 
 by his Mailer, who rightly imagined, that he 
 only wanted (if poffible) to die drunk ^ however, 
 a Draught of Water was offered him, which he 
 refufed to accept of 5 they then flung him into a 
 large and fierce Fire, where he expired, with 
 little or no concern. This relation, puts me in 
 m.ind of 0?'go?wM^ tragical Death, at Surinam y 
 told by Mrs. Ann Behn^ in one of her Novels, 
 that bears his Name, and whofe Hiftory is Truth 
 embeiliflied with fome fabulous Circumftances, 
 But pray, what did our Countryman the Captain 
 defer ve? 
 
 5. Some Negroes believe, That when they ^ 
 die, they return back to their own Native Coun|^., 
 try ) for which reafon, they often hang them- . 
 
 felves 
 
LE T T E R IX. 229 
 
 felves at firft coming to us ; of which fort, per- 
 haps, was the Negro, who immediately killed 
 his Wife and Child, and afterwards fuffered fuch 
 a cruel Death undauntedly. Nay, the molT: intel- 
 ligent of them, have no manner of Religious 
 Worfhip, as far as I could ever difcover -, though 
 I am told, that at yamaicay the Negroes have^ 
 what they call, a Hearing, in fome Guinea 
 Tongue, /. e. One of the moft knowing of them, 
 teaches all the reft in a long Speech 3 This Af- 
 fembly, may confift of four or five hundred 
 Blacks. All they owned was, That God is a ve- 
 ry Good Man, who lives above the Sky, and that 
 all Good Men when they die, afcend lip to live 
 with him, but that even then, the good Blacks 
 will be, in fome meafure. Slaves to us Whites : 
 As for Men, both Whites and Blacks, they then 
 go down below into the Earth, to live along with 
 Jumbee, viz. the Devil, whom they infill: upon^ 
 to be of neither White nor Black, but of a red 
 Mullatto Colour, without Horns, Tail, or clo- 
 ven Hoofs : However, they all agree, that he 
 has long Red Hair growing on his Breaft. 
 
 6. I have, fince my return to England^ (feveral 
 times) heard it objeded, by miftaken Zealots, 
 that if the Mafi:ers of our Plantation Negroes, 
 would but have them baptized, and that if we 
 Clergymen, would be at the pains to inftrud: 
 them, they would then do much better in all re- 
 
 p 3 fpedts. 
 
230 LETTER IX. 
 
 fpefts, htC2iu{e the Chrijiian Religion, would teach 
 them far better Principles, than they now have 
 to work upon, under a State of Paganifm. But 
 alas ! thefe People are by no means competent 
 Judges of fo weighty an affair : For a Friend of 
 mine, baptized a Negro Boy, and taught him to 
 read; the Confequence whereof, was. That he 
 might look after his Horfe himfelf, and go on his 
 own Errands for the future, or elfe, that he might 
 find another Negro to do it : In fhort, it is ridi- 
 culous to argue againft repeated Experience ; and 
 the true ftate of the Cafe, ftands thus : When a 
 Slave is once Chriftened, he conceits that he ought 
 to be upon a level with his Mafter, in all other 
 refpedts; in confequence whereof, he prefumes. 
 That if his Mafler correfts him, for ever fo great 
 a Fault, he is at full liberty to fend him out of 
 the World, by a Dofe of Poifon. For inftance^ 
 a Parifhioner of mine, baptized a Black Woman, 
 and had her well inftruded in our Religion here 
 in Engla?jdy but fhe had not been long arrived at 
 Nevis, before fhe poifoned four White Perfons, 
 and was executed for fo doing ; But if even the 
 whole Country was fo mad, as to fet about fuch 
 an odd Converfion, the effect would then be a 
 general Rebellion, and Maflacre, of us Whites s 
 This is Truth. 
 
 7. The Negroes,when at work, in howing Canes, 
 -or digging round Holes to plant them in, (perhaps 
 
 forty 
 
LETTER IX. 231 
 
 forty Perfons in a row) fing very merrily, /. e. 
 two or three Men with large Voices, and a fort of 
 Bafe Tone, fing three or four fliort lines, and then 
 all the reft join at once, in a fort of Chorus, which 
 I have often heard, and feemed to be, La^ Alla^ 
 Lay Luy well enough, and indeed harmonioufly 
 turned, efpecially when I was at a little diftance 
 from them. They fing too at Burials, but get 
 drunk, and have no fign of Devotion, calling out 
 to the Dead Perfon, and afking him, Why he 
 died, when he wanted nothing the World could 
 afl?brd, to fupport Nature ? 
 
 8. I once went to fee, out of pure Curiofity, 
 a Negro Boy, as foon as born ; he looked of a 
 dark Red colour ; and I alfo vifited a Mulatto 
 Child, about half an hour after his Mother was 
 brought to Bed of him, and I do fincerely de- 
 clare, I could not have diftinguifhed him from a 
 White Woman's Child. But I had like to have 
 forgot to tell you, that about ten years before my 
 arrival at Nevis^ a young Negro Woman was 
 delivered of two different forts of Children, at a 
 neighbouring Ifland, viz, 2. Coal Black one, and 
 a Mulatto, which odd kind of Birth, was ac- 
 counted for (right, I fuppofe) thus. Her Hulband 
 had carnal knowledge of her, juft before he went 
 out to his work, and as foon as he was gone, the 
 White Overfeer went to the Hut, and had the 
 like carnal knowledge. At Charles Town, our 
 
 p 4 Metro* 
 
232 LETTER IX. 
 
 Metropolis, we hold a Market every Sunday Morn- 
 ing, which begins at Sun-rifing, and ends about 
 nine o' clock, whither the Negroes bring Fowls, 
 Indian Corn, Yams, Garden-ftuff of all forts, &c. 
 But this is no great matter of wonder, if what I 
 have heard be true, that at Thorne)\ near Peterbo- 
 rough^ the fame is weekly pradlifed. The Negroes 
 are fed, generally fpeaking, upon Salt Herrings, 
 and their Potatoes, which are fweet, and of the 
 SpaniJJj kind 5 they have no thick Stalk, fliooting 
 upwards, perpendicularly into the Air (as here in 
 E?tgla?id) y but their Stalk runs along, clofe to the 
 Ground, and is ornamented with Leaves^ which 
 nearly refemble Vine Leaves : We ufually fatten 
 Cows and Rabbits with them : Befides Indian 
 Corn or Maiz, I have known fome of them to be 
 fond of eating Graihoppers, or Locufls; others will 
 wrap up Cane Rats, in Bonano-Leaves, and roaft 
 them in Wood Embers. During Crop-time, they 
 work night and day almoft inceflantly ; but after 
 all, many a poor Man works harder here in En- 
 gland, My Man Oxford^ had once on a fudden, 
 got a Crebouga, (that is to fay, a Hefhy fubflance, 
 not unlike to a Wart) growing out in the middle 
 of the bottom of his Right Foot, that was about 
 the fize of a common Nutmeg, and quite lamed 
 him : He was cured in the following manner, viz. 
 An old experienced Mulatto Woman, took a good 
 fharp Pen-knife and cut it, till it bled 3 then fh^ 
 
 feared 
 
LETTER IX. 233 
 
 feared It with a red hot Iron, and applied to the 
 Burn, half of a Lime or Baftard Lemon, which 
 in two or three days time, brought out the whole 
 Crebouga, juft like the Core of an Apple : Oxford 
 was not lame for it above fixteen days : But to 
 let you the better into the Cafe, I muft acquaint 
 you, that his Parents had the French Pox, under 
 which circumftances his Blood was tainted, and 
 fhowed its Corruption, by his breaking out with 
 the Yaws or running Sores all over, when he was 
 about lix or i^^^n years old in his own Countrv, 
 viz. Morumbo : and the Crebouga is the laft ill 
 Symptom of that Diftemper among Negroes. 
 The Yaws we ufually cure by a gentle Salivation. 
 9. I had almoft forgot to inform you. That a 
 Negro cannot be Evidence, in any refpedl, againft 
 a White Man: If he llrikes a White Man, the 
 Law condemns him to loofe the Hand he ftrikes 
 with ; and if he {hould happen to draw Blood, he 
 muft die for it. If a White Man kills a Black 
 one, he is not tried for his Life ; however, the 
 Law obliges him to pay Thirty Pounds, Nevis 
 Money, to his Mafter, for the lofs of his Slave. 
 You will fay, that thefe Proceedings are very 
 defpotick : But if you confider, that we have 
 near ten Blacks to one White Perfon, you muft 
 own them to be abfolutely neceffary. I had a 
 Pariftiioner, who in a barbarous manner mur- 
 thered one of his own Negroes > and though the 
 
 Law 
 
234 L E T T E R IX. 
 
 Law would not hang him for it, yet he under- 
 went a grievous Punifhment ; for (excepting his 
 own Relations) not a fingle Gentleman would 
 ever vouchfafe to converfe with, or pay him a 
 Vifit, after he had committed the horrid Fad:, 
 I cannot help relating, that once upon a Sunday^ 
 an ordinary White Perfon got drunk and ftruck a 
 Negro, who being alfo drunk, returned the Blow 
 with a Stick, and caufed the Blood to trickle down 
 his Temples : The Negro immediately ran away 
 to the Woods, but was foon taken : His Mafter^ 
 (who was our chief Judge) to fhow his Honour, 
 fent for the White Man, oifering him, either 
 to deliver up the Negro to be executed, according 
 to Law, or to give him thirty Pounds, Nevis 
 Money, to fpare his Life, obliging him at the 
 fame time to whip him foundly, in order to deter 
 him from the like for the future -, The White 
 Man accepted the Money, and whipped well the 
 Negro. I know little of their Laws, beyond 
 Hearfay ^ becaufe they were never printed; how- 
 ever, any one may examine them at their Secre« 
 tary's Office. 
 
 lo. A Captain of my Acquaintance, who was 
 in the late Expedition to Carthagena^ aiTures me. 
 That whilfl: he was upon the Ifland of Cuba^ he 
 faw many I'arnntulcey but their Bite is not at- 
 tended with fuch bad Confequences, as the Bite 
 of thofe Italian ones, mentioned in the tenth Pa- 
 ragraph 
 
LETTER IX. 235 
 
 ragraph of my fourth Letter. They are chiefly 
 found in Holes and Crevices about Dwellin^y- 
 houfes : They have two Eyes, and two Stumps, 
 like fhort Horns that flick out of their Heads : 
 They have fix or eight Legs : Their Body is 
 about the fize of a Hazel Nut, round, and co- 
 vered with long brown Hair, that lies clofe to it. 
 One of them bit an Officer juft under his Ear, foon 
 after which, he began to talk in a delirious man- 
 ner, (kipping and frifking up and down: But 
 his Friends fecured him immediately, fweated 
 him fufficiently, and kept him as quiet and flill 
 as poffible, for about four hours, when he came 
 perfeftly to himfelf, in all refpeds, and never re- 
 lapfed. It is a great pity they did not try what 
 effedl Mufick would have on him. The fame 
 Gentleman affured me. That at Cuba he faw 
 common Spiders, whofe Body was as broad as 
 his Hand, flat almoft an inch in thicknefs, and 
 whofe Legs were proportionable. He faw alfo 
 vaft numbers of Alligators, and fome of fifteen 
 feet in length : They roared like Bulls, moved 
 their upper Jaw, but had two Eyes proportioned 
 to their Head ; whereas the Crocodile, (Cyclops- 
 like) has no more than one fmall Eye, which is 
 fixed in the middle of its Forehead. 
 
 II. This hairy kind of Tarantula^ puts me 
 in mind. That when I lived at Barton, in Wejl^ 
 morelandy I went with fome other School-Boys 
 
 into 
 
235 LETTER IX. 
 
 into a Wood, were we found, accidentally, a 
 huge over-grown Toad, whofe Back was cover- 
 ed with milk-white Hairs, that were about half 
 an inch long; thefe Hairs being not fet clofe 
 together like thofe of a Dog, but growing a 
 fmall fpace afunder. That they were real Hairs, 
 I do pofitively aver ; for we rubbed them over 
 many times with a Stick, and viewed them very 
 narrowly. 
 
 12. You told me, the other day, at Cambridge^ 
 that the Shell which I then brought from Nor-- 
 wich to you, was called Pinna Marina, It mea- 
 fured twenty inches in length, before I had the 
 ill fortune to break it ; and the Meat of it fuffi- 
 ced my Brother, with two of his Companions, 
 for a good Meal, at Port Mahone^ where it ftuck 
 to a Rock near the Shore. The reafon why Ma- 
 riners ftile it a Mufcle, is, becaufe the Shell of it 
 is more like an Englifi Mufcle-fliell, than any 
 other kind of Shell whatever, and becaufe the 
 Meat, or Fiih, contained in it, looked, fmelled, 
 and tafted, like that of an Englijh one : But as 
 it was ranker, they were obliged to feafon it 
 high. 
 
 13. It never fell in my way, to meet with 
 a Flamenco^ or Flamingo Bird; but I have dif- 
 courfed with many Perfons, who went down to 
 fetch Lignum Vita^ Iron Wood, &c. from the 
 Maroon uninhabited Iflands^ where there is plenty 
 
 of 
 
LETTER IX. 237 
 
 of them : And they all agree, That they are full 
 as big as Turkies, that their Feathers are of a 
 moil beautiful Scarlet mixed with fome few of 
 a White colour, that their Legs are fo long as 
 to enable them to wade thorough fhallow Ponds 
 like our Englijh Herons, that they walk very re- 
 gularly, abreaft of each other, like well trained 
 Soldiers, and that they generally-fpeaking, fly in 
 a Wedge as do our European Wild Geefe j which 
 laft Article puts me in mind of Milton^ Book 7. 
 line 425. 
 
 part more ivifey 
 
 In common^ rangd in figure wedge their way^ 
 Intelligent of Seafons^ and fet forth 
 T'keir aerie Caravan high over Seas 
 Flyingy and over Lands with mutual wing 
 Eafing their fight 'y fo fleers the prudent Crans 
 Her annual Voyage^ born on Winds, 
 
 I had almoft forgot to acquaint you, That at 
 thefe Maroon Iflands, the Sailors eat common 
 Parrots, and fay they tafle well : But as for 
 Macaws, and other fine Birds of that kind, they 
 are to be found every where in warm Climates, 
 upon the Main Land of America : We have no 
 wild Parrots at our principal, and inhabited Iflands. 
 14. Citrons (as do alfo Lemons) grow upon 
 Buflies, are more round like an Orange, though 
 of a Lemon colour, and peeked at the end : They 
 
 are 
 
23S L E T T E R IX. 
 
 are pared fine, and thefe fine thin Parings 
 are thoroughly fteeped in the beft French Brandy: 
 both Brandy and Parings are then put into a Still, 
 and the Liquor diftilled fi*om them, is drawn off 
 into tranfparent Bottles that will hold about a 
 Gallon with fome of the beft Refined Sugar, nice- 
 ly fifted ; It is fhook well four or five times a day 
 for four or five days together, after which it is 
 let ftand ftill and unmoved, in order to fubfide^ 
 and be decanted into Pint or Quart Bottles. I 
 do not fee any reafon why (in imitation of Citron 
 Water) we might not here in England make an 
 excellent Cordial of Lemmon Parings, good 
 Brandy, and refined Sugar fo mixed together, and 
 diftilled. I mean that the Brandy and Parings 
 Ihould be diftilled before the refined Sugar is 
 fifted and put to them. 
 
 15. I cannot help fpeaking a word or two 
 about making of Rum in this Article; viz; when 
 we break up a piece of frefh Ground to plant our 
 Canes in, the Canes for the firft two or three 
 years will yield no Sugar, fo that we find our- 
 felves obliged to diftill their juice for Rum: Ano- 
 ther method is, to diftill Rum from Molaffes ; 
 and a third way is, to diftill it from the 
 Skimmings of our Sugar-Coppers : I have heard 
 all the three ways contended for as the beft by 
 their feveral advocates, though the laft is very 
 feldom tried, becaufe (as I faid before) in Crop- 
 time 
 
LETTER IX. 239 
 
 time we ufually feed our Mill-horfes with Skim- 
 mings. However give me leave to obferve, that 
 though we have plenty of Molaffes brought to 
 Ijondon and other Englijh Ports, yet our moft 
 fkilful Diftillers here cannot turn it into Rum. 
 But indeed Rum cannot be made in England for 
 want of natural Heat of Climate to raife up the 
 Ingredients to a due Fermentation for that pur- 
 pofe. 
 
 16. I readily affent to the Mariners Maxim, 
 viz'y That it is hotter at Nevis than under the 
 Equinoftial Line, and for the fame reafon which 
 they affign; /. e, becaufe when the Sun gets 
 at any confiderable diftance Northward from the 
 Equinox, the Earth under the Equinox begins to 
 cool apace, and continues fo doing till the Sun 
 returns back again to the fame Latitude : Where- 
 as, when the Sun is direftly over head at Nevisy 
 He not only renders the Earth there very hot, 
 but as he travels no farther Northward than to 
 the Tropick of Cancer^ the Earth at Nevis has 
 not time to cool, and of courfe muft grow much 
 hotter, when he is on his Zenith there in retur- 
 ning towards the Equinox, There muft be the fame 
 degree of Heat in the fame Southern Latitude, 
 from the Equinox to the Tropick of Capricorn. 
 
 17. There happened no Hurricane whilft I 
 continued Reftor of St. John's Pariih in that 
 Ifland: But in the Hurricane Months^ viz, July^ 
 
 Auguji 
 
240 LETTER IX. 
 
 Augujl^ and September^ we had feveral oiitragioii9 
 Storms, which would have greatly furprized me, 
 had I not beforehand been well informed of 
 their Symptoms, Fury, and Effeds. Particularly 
 about the middle of September^ 171 8, the Sun 
 upon his Meridian at high Noon, began to hide his 
 bright Face behind a Cloud, and the Skye that 
 was clear and ferene enough before, to lower 
 and blacken apace ; now and then fell fome large 
 Drops of Rain, attended with fudden unexpected 
 Puffs or Blafts of Wind : upon which we ime- 
 diately houfed our Turkies, Geefe, and Ducks, 
 as well as Cocks and Hens, that muft all have 
 periihed, if we had left them expofed to the fe- 
 verities of fuch a Tempeft. Nay, we fecured 
 in Folds with Stone Walls our Sheep, Mill- 
 Horfes and Mules. At three o' clock the Win- 
 dows or Flood-gates of Heaven were opened fb 
 wide, as to pour down great abundance of Rain, 
 which together with the hieh Wind that now 
 fhifted round by degrees to every Point of the 
 Compafs, obliged us, to fecure our Windows 
 and Doors, to drefs what Vid:uals we jQiould 
 have occafion for that day, to turn our Horfes 
 out of the Stable, to fhift as well as they could 
 among the young Sugar Canes in the Bath Plain : 
 nailing up the Door with Boards put acrofs it, 
 and in iliort, to fecure every thing elfe as much 
 as poffible againft its rage. I obferved, that tho" 
 
 it 
 
L E T T E R IX. a^i 
 
 It blew extremely hard at the Ground, fo that 
 we could fcarce keep upon our Legs, yet the 
 Clouds looked like Rags, and hung feeming- 
 ly motionlefs in the Air, and the Heavens 
 towards the Eye of the Wind, /. e, Eaftward, 
 appeared as black and difmal as if the univerfal 
 Frame of Nature was juft going to be diffolved. 
 We then put off our wet Cloaths, and kept in 
 our Dwelling-houfe, expecting the worft ; For 
 the Rain and Wind grew much more vehement 
 till ten o' Clock, when to our joy, it broke into 
 loud Claps of Thunder, and large Flallies of 
 Lightning, which are certain Symptoms of the 
 Storm's being at its height, and of courfe that wc 
 might (as we were inclined) fafely go to Bed. 
 Early the next morning we got up, and found 
 the Wind vaftly abated, though it flill brought 
 in a moft monftrous fwelling Sea into our Road, 
 at Charles Town, fo that the Ship which had put 
 out into the wide Ocean for fear of being drove 
 afhore, durft not return till three days after. 
 N. jB. We had one of thefe Storms every Year, 
 
 1 8. Though the Earth was fufficiently refrefh- 
 ed with the abundance of Rain that fell ; yet give 
 me leave to tell you, that all our fine Trees and 
 Baflies were entirely ftripped of their Leaves, and 
 looked as if a Fire had run thorough and fcorched 
 them to death j according to Milton^ Book i . line 
 612. 
 
242 LETTER IX. 
 
 ■' ; As when Heaven's Fire 
 
 Hath fca&d the Foreji Oaks^ or Mountain 
 
 PineSy 
 With Jinged top their Jiately growth^ tho' bare 
 Stands on the blafted Heath. 
 In fhort, Nevijian Leaves lay then upon the 
 ground, 
 
 ^hick as Autumnal Leaves that Jirow the 
 Brooks 
 
 In Vallombrofa^ where th' Etrurian Jhades 
 
 High over-arch' d embower ; — 
 
 Book I. Line 302. 
 
 However, in a few days, they were new clothed^ 
 and adorned with young freih Leaves, fo that the 
 fteep fides of our Mountain looked full as fmiling 
 and verdant as before, and put me in mind of Af/7- 
 ton\ Paradife, where there was perpetual Spring, 
 Book 4. line 264. 
 
 "^he Birds their ^ire apply ; Aires ^ vernal Aires ^ 
 ■ Breathing thejmell of Field and Grove ^ attune 
 
 T'he trembling Leaves y while univerfal Pan 
 ' Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance 
 Led on the eternal Spring, Not that fair field 
 OfEnnay where Proferpine gatheri?ig fiowers 
 Herfelf a fairer flower by gloomy Dis 
 Was gather dy which coft Ceres all that pain 
 ^ofeek her through the world ^y nor that fweet 
 grove 
 
 Of 
 
L E T T E R IX. 243 
 
 Of Daphne by Ormtes, and tlo infpi7"'d 
 Cajialian Sprmg^ might with this Paradife 
 Of Edeft Jirive -, nor that Nyfeian IJle 
 Girt with the River liriton^ where old Cham^ 
 Whom Gentiles Amnion call and Lybian Jove, 
 Hid Amalthea and her florid Son 
 Young Bacchus^ from his Stepdame Rhea's eye y 
 Nor whef^e AbaJJln Kings their iffue guards 
 Mount Ajnara, though this by fome fupposd 
 T'riie Paradife under the Ethiop line 
 By Nilus head^ ejiclos d with flnimig reck ^ 
 A whole day s journey high. 
 
 In fliort ; at Ne'^ois and the other Leeward Cha* 
 ribee Iflands, we had a kind of perpetual Spring ; 
 for our Orange-trees, Lemmon-fhrubs, Shaddocks, 
 Pepper, ^c. exhibited at one and the fame time 
 fruit that were full grown, half grown, a 
 quarter grown, and even Flowers and Buds ; and 
 as for our other Vegetables of all forts, they were 
 ever frefh and blooming. But after all, let me tell 
 you, we mufi: not look for Paradife, either in the 
 Eaflo^ Weft Indies (as I faid before), on account 
 of Earthquakes, excelHve Heat, Mufkitoes, Hur- 
 ricanes, (^c. We have annually three publick 
 Fafts, viz, in the firft Weeks of July^ ^^^g^fty 
 and September \ to implore God's mercy in averting 
 his Judgement of a Hurricane from us ; and if He 
 is fo gracious as to hearken to our Petitions, we 
 
 Q^ 2 have 
 
244 LETTER IX. 
 
 have in Odlober a piiblick Feaft or Thankfgiving 
 for it. 
 
 19. We have fome Frogs in our Gardens and 
 white fwampey Ground behind them weftward 
 toward the Sea Side at the South end of Charles 
 Town, that ikip about, being not yellow like 
 E?-]gIiJh ones, but rather Brown and more of a 
 Toad-Colour, though I never heard of a Toad be- 
 ing feen there. Our Snakes are quite harmlefs -, but 
 our common Flies are exceedingly troublefome, 
 almoft as bad as our Muflvitoes, which are no 
 other than JV(Ji India Gnats, and perhaps not 
 much more troublefome than our Englijld Fenn 
 Gnats. I was credibly informed the other day, 
 that a Manchineal flick with the Bark peeled off, 
 and brought to London^ will (though dry) if one 
 end of it be put into a pail full of new Milk, and 
 iHrred half a dozen times round, immediately turn 
 the whole into Curds and Whey, fo forcible is 
 the llrength of its Poifon even then at fuch a 
 diltance of time. And laft Evening I was in com- 
 pany with a Sea Surgeon juft arrived from the 
 Wcjl Indies^ who eonlirms me in my opinion 
 about Water Spouts, as mentioned in Letter 8^^' 
 Paragraph 9. He has feen feveral, but more 
 particularly obferved one, that was fo near that 
 it had like to have broke upon their Ship -^ viz -, 
 A Whirlwind feized upon a fmall track of 
 Sea, mounting up a large body of Water round 
 
 and 
 
L E T T E R IX. 245 
 
 and round in a circular winding form, till it reach- 
 ed the Cloud it was to replenifh, and continuing 
 fo to do for the Space of ten or twelve mi- 
 nutes, whilft it lafled making a very great noife ; 
 But they had the good fortune to difperfe it, by 
 firing a great Gun loaded with Shot at it. JVoods 
 Rogers in Page 373 fays, that in their pafTage 
 from Guam to Batavia^ they faw in one day 
 no lefs than three Water-Spouts, one of which 
 was in danger of breaking on the Marquis, had 
 not the Dutchefs, by firing two Shot, broke it 
 before it reached her. 
 
 20. I muft not forget to acquaint you ; that un- 
 der the Tropick of Caficer^ on our pafl!age towards 
 Nevisy we faw at leaft a dozen Tropick Birds, 
 though none of them flew low enough to be fliot 
 at; and indeed they are a high-foaring Bird, about 
 the bignefs of a full-grown Partridge, of a milk 
 white colour, with one fingle white feather (at 
 their Rump) a foot and a half long, which ferves 
 them for a Tail. There was formerly one of 
 them in the Mufceum Afiimolea7inm at Oxford: 
 And that on our return to -England^ we met 
 with many Birds, and particularly with a large 
 one called a Sheerwater, being of a brownifli 
 colour, as large almoft as a Goofe, and fome of 
 them many hundreds of miles from Land ; they are 
 a ftrong-winged kind of Fowl, and do frequently 
 alight on the Ocean. I had certainly come back 
 home to England quite prejudiced in favour of 
 
 <^3 the 
 
246 LETTER IX. 
 
 the vulgar notion, viz. That there is no Tide at 
 all, but in lieu of it, a fmall irregular Current 
 among our Leeward Charibee Wands, had not a 
 Merchant, many years fetled at Nevis ^ (wh^ 
 was brought up a Mariner, and reckoned a very 
 fkilful one) afiured me from his own Obfervations 
 that we had a very regular, though fmall Tide 
 there ; which fmallnefs we attributed to the want 
 of a SinuG, to confine and raife the Water more, 
 N, B, That the River Amazcjis^ in South- Ame- 
 rica^ direflly under the Equator, is twelve hun- 
 dred Leagues long, fifty Leagues wide, at it's 
 mouth, and its Tide rifes five or fix fathoms. 
 Here indeed, is Sinus enough to effe6t it. 
 
 2 I . Since my laft return from Cambridge^ I 
 have infpeded your Patron, Dr. Woodiiuard'^ Na- 
 tural Hitlory of the Earth, publifhed in EngliJJ:^ 
 hy Benjamin HoUoiray^ LL.B, and Fellow of the 
 Royal Society ; and if this natural Hiftory be ad- 
 mitted for truth, it is then certain enough, that my 
 Stones, in the fhape of hollow Oyfter-lhells, are 
 rightly accounted for by him, and not by Maxi^ 
 mllian Mifjbn, I obferve, how he fays, in page 
 50, That Stone in its Strata and under ground, 
 does grow gradually more and more hard, and 
 fo by little and little attains a compleat So- 
 lidity. I never made it my bufinefs to examine 
 narrowly into the affair -, but that many Stones 
 do grow, is evident enough to nie, who fhall not 
 
 trouble 
 
LETTER IX; 247 
 
 trouble myfelf to enquire, Whether this growth 
 is effefted by Effluvia, Heats, Spars, Salts, Gfr, 
 You know I have a longifli Flint-llone now by 
 me, which I picked up upon the Beach, near the 
 Fort at Tarmouth^ in Norfolk^ (where they are 
 not uncommon) in ^une laft, out of one end 
 whereof, iffues a (lender marine Plant that is 
 black, and has a bufhy top of a foot long, and 
 whofe Roots are all of a piece with the hard Flint- 
 ftone : Now I infift, that this Stone and thefe 
 Roots, muil: by v/ay of Petrification, have grown 
 from foft to hard not very long ago, unlefs we 
 fuppofe the Plant to have been rooted in the 
 Stone, ever fince the Deluge : But properly fpeak- 
 ing, it is rooted in a brown fubftance, in the hol- 
 low of the Stone, and is now become all of a 
 piece with it, I fliall jull: hint at one more argu- 
 ment, in behalf of my own opinion, in that re- 
 fpedl, which among others, is inferted at Para- 
 graph 6, of Letter 7, ''oiz. A great liv^ Toad was 
 found at Tarmouth^ in the Heart or Centre of a 
 Portland Stone, that meafured three feet in dia- 
 meter : And I alk, Whether the Stone had late- 
 ly grown as I there imagine ? Or whether the 
 poor Toad had been fliut up in it, ever fince 
 Nmh*% Flood ? The reality of the matter of fad 
 cannot be called in queftion^ becaufe there are 
 multitudes of Eje-witnefles to it, now alive in 
 that Town* 
 
 0^4 22, 
 
248 LETTER IX. 
 
 22. Upon the whole, maturely confidered, I 
 admit that the prefent ftate in general, of moft 
 vifible things, may be difcovered by a due and 
 candid furvey of them : But alas ! to determine 
 the means, how they arrived at this flate, is in 
 moft cafes too difficult a tafk for human Un- 
 derftanding to go thorough with. For my own 
 part, I never look attentively upon this beautiful 
 Frame of Heaven and Earth, without putting 
 up a devout Ejaculation or Hymn, in honour to 
 their glorious Author and Mover, God, Omni.- 
 potent and Gracious, remembring Milton^ Book 5, 
 line SS7' 
 
 ' '■ — — Up he rodcy 
 
 Followed with acclamation and the found 
 Sy?nphonioi(s^ of ten thoufand Harps that twid 
 Angelic Harmonies : T'he Earthy the Air 
 Refotmded^ (thou rememberdf for thou heardjl) 
 T'he Heave?is and all the Conflellatiom rung^ 
 Tfoe Planets in their flation Ufl'ning flood ^ 
 While the bright pomp afc ended jubilant, 
 Open^ ye everlajiing Gates ^ they fung^ 
 Open^ ye Heavens^ your everlajiing Doors ^ let 171 
 T'he great C?^eator from his Work return d 
 Magnificent^ his Six Days Work^ a World, 
 
 And indeed, I may well thus remember him: 
 For (with the learned and ingenious Dr. Brown^ 
 m his Religio Medici^ page 34.) *' I hold, there 
 
 is 
 
(C 
 
 cc 
 <c 
 
 LETTER IX. 249 
 
 Is a general Beauty in the Works of God, and 
 *' therefore no Deformity in any kind or fpecies 
 of Creature whatfoever: I cannot tell by 
 what Logick we call a Toad, a Bear, or an 
 Elephant, ugly, they being created in thofe 
 outward fhapes and figures, which beft exprefs 
 " the Adions of their inward Forms -, and hav- 
 *' ing paffed- that general Vifitation of God, who 
 *^ faw that all that he had made was good, that 
 *' is, conformable to his Will, which abhors 
 Deformity, and is the Rule of Order and Beau- 
 ty ; there is no Deformity but in Monllrofity, 
 wherein notwithftanding there is a kind of 
 Beauty, Nature fo ingenioufly contri^^ing the 
 irregular parts, as they become fometimes 
 more remarkable, than the principal Fabrick. 
 To fpeak yet more narrowly, there never was 
 any thing ugly, or niiihapen, but the Chaos, 
 wherein notwithftanding to fpeak ftridlly, there 
 was no Deformity, becaufe no Form, nor was 
 it yet impregnate by the Voice of God : Now 
 " Nature is not at variance with Art, nor Art 
 *^ with Nature ; they being both the Servants of 
 *' his Providence: Art is the Perfed:ion of Na- 
 ^* ture : Were the World now as it was the fixth 
 " day, there were yet a Chaos: Nature hath 
 " made one World, and Art another. In brief, 
 *' all things are Artificial, for Nature is the Art 
 ^* of God." I fliould have added to the forego- 
 ing 
 
 cc 
 <c 
 
 iC 
 
 <c 
 <( 
 cc 
 
 IC 
 
 u 
 It 
 
250 LETTER IX. 
 
 ing Paragraph, as follows. There is an objec- 
 tion, againrt Dr. Woodward's Diflblution of the 
 whole Earth, at the time of the Deluge, which 
 is not very eafily anfwered, viz. That Mofes^ in 
 his Defcription of the four Branches of the River, 
 running out of Eden^ makes the prefent Earth 
 (allowing for alterations caufed by Earthquakes, 
 &c.) to be identically the fame, with the Anti« 
 diluvianone, in Genefis^ 2"^, lo^^, ii^^, i2^^, 13*^ 
 14^^ Verfes : And a River went out of Eden 
 to water the Garden -, and from thence it w^s 
 
 parted^ aiid became into four Heads. T'he Name 
 of the frft is Pifon : Afid that is it which 
 
 compafj'eth Havilah, where there is Gold^ and 
 the Gold of that Land is good-y there is Bdel- 
 lium, and the Onyx Stone. And the name of the 
 fecond is Gihon, the fame is it which compajjeth 
 the Land of Ethiopia. And the name of the 
 third River is Hiddekel ; that is it which goeth 
 towards the Eajl of AiTy ria. And the fourth Ri- 
 ver is Euphrates. Now, that Mo/es is here de- 
 fcribing the ftate of thofe Branches of the River, 
 juft as they v/ere, during his own life-time, is 
 evident enough, becaufe Scripture (as well as 
 other Oriental Hifiory and Geography) mention 
 their iituation for many hundreds of years, after 
 the deceafe of that great Prophet. Nor do I fo 
 much depend upon the Authority of Commenta- 
 tors, as I do upon the Reafonablenefs of my opi- 
 nion 3 
 
LETTER IX. 251 
 
 nion; for thefe Defcriptions had been entirely 
 ufelefs, and againft the rules of native fimplicity 
 (which the Holy Ghofl always obferves in fuch 
 accounts,) except thofe very identical Branches 
 had not then barely exifted, but been likev/ife 
 well known. Nay the Euphrates is fo called at 
 this day : And though the others may, long fince, 
 have changed their original Names, yet that is of 
 no validity againft my opinion. Pray, did not 
 Solomon build a City in the Wildernefs, calling it 
 ^admcr? Did not the Greeks afterwards call it 
 Palmyra ? Did not the Emperor Adrian , who was 
 defervedly called the Wall Flower, from the ma- 
 ny ftately Edifices which he erecfled, rebuild it 
 out of Ruins, naming it Adrianople? And has it 
 not now recovered its pri(line Title T^admor^ 
 which indeed it never totally loft among the 
 Syrians and Arabs ? 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Though I raife this Objedlion, againft your 
 Patron, Dr. Woodward's Theory of the Earth; 
 yet, if you are able to folve it well, I am always 
 ready to own my miftake ; For no Author can 
 lay claim to Infallibility. And for fuch unchari- 
 table People as believe, when I mention things 
 they are entirely unacquainted with, that I muft 
 of courfe make too free with, what they (with a 
 fqecr) call, a Traveller's Priviledge ; I fmile at 
 
 their 
 
252 L EXETER IX. 
 
 their unjuft Cenfure, and pity their Prejudice. I 
 fhall not imitate that inconfiderate Gentleman, 
 who fent over to the Weft-Indies for a whole 
 Cabbage-tree, on purpofe to prove its exiftence, 
 to fome idle-headed Folks, who difbelieved him. 
 There is not the leaft fliadow of reafon for fo 
 doing : No ; we are to reft very well fatisfied 
 with fuch Proofs, as the nature of the affair will 
 admit of; in fhort, it is impoffible for fo many 
 thoufands who never faw each other, to agree in 
 a fahhood, purely to impofe upon fuch of their 
 Neighbours, as ftrangely imagine, that they 
 muft have feen every thing in the World, tho' 
 perhaps they never travelled above fifty miles 
 from their own Fire-fides : I do not think, that 
 I am bound to find Judgment and Faith, as well 
 as Truth. 
 
 I anty 
 
 Tour fmc ere Friend^ 
 
 w. s. 
 
 Poftfcript, Simple Nature is a fine Study, and 
 unbiafled Reafon, with the afliftance of Humi- 
 lity, is the beft Judge of it : Grant, kind Heaven, 
 that I may experience the latter part. 
 
 LET. 
 
253 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 Dear 5/r, 
 
 WH E N I wrote Notes upon Falconer'^ 
 Cryptome?iifis FatefaBa^ my intent was 
 to republifli that Book, which had many years 
 ago become fo rare, that (excepting in one par- 
 ticular Friend's hand) I could never meet with 
 it, though I confulted with Mr. Daniel Browit^ 
 without 'Temple-Bar ^ for whom it was publiflied, 
 and who believed it was almofi: no where to be 
 met with, but in great Libraries. Though I had 
 long fince laid afide my delign, and deftroyed them; 
 yet I have at the defire of fome Friends here, 
 communicated a fummary and plain Introdudion 
 to common Decyphering, without the leaft in- 
 tention of advancing into difficult cramp Decy- 
 phering, becaufe all my former, and more exten- 
 five Notes, were a long while ago committed to 
 the flames, as intimated at the conclufion of my 
 fixth Letter. In iliort ; this Summary and plain 
 Introdudlion to common Decyphering, contains 
 no other than my firft ofF-hand Thoughts, at 
 prefent, upon the Subjed, and is I hope, eafy 
 enough to be underftood by all Perfons who are 
 willing and fit to be inftrudled in it. 
 
 2. Now, 
 
244 L E T T E R X. 
 
 2. Now, that a Reader of tolerable capacity, 
 may apprehend my fentiments aright, I here pre- 
 fent him with a Catalogue of Words, which Ke 
 lliould have recourfe to, viz. Words confifting 
 of one fingle Letter are, ^, /, o ; the firft of 
 which is difcovered, in a cyphered Writing, by 
 its greater frequency, that is to fay, by its being 
 generally the highefl of them in the Numerical 
 Table, as well as by comparing it with the third 
 Cypher of a Word, which I imagine, ftands for 
 the Word that. All the Words confifting of two 
 Letters, are as follows, viz. ahy ha^ am^ aUy as^ aty 
 in^ isy ity oj\ oh^ hOy oUy no^ cr, do^ go, lo, fo, to, I 
 take notice here, that, to, is the only two- lettered 
 Word which begins with the Letter /; and 
 that the Words, 07t and 7iOy difcover them- 
 felves by confifting of the felf-fame two Letters, 
 differently placed. Three-lettered Words are in 
 number three hundred feventy and three. Four- 
 lettered Words are almoft numberlefs. The Words 
 I pitch upon to begin Decyphering with, are, ofiy 
 nOy tOy aty ity didy they thaty have, and, are, which, 
 they, thefe, their, them, isDhere, all,jhall, with, thofe. 
 Words that afterwards help, by comparing them 
 carefully with cyphered ones in a Writing, viz, 
 goody what, day, telly fell, bell, well, willy indeedy 
 Jky eyey V;y, too, Joon, thought, therefore, people 
 ejlate, iteverthelefs, heaveUy excufe, examijie, exer^ 
 cife, churchy execute, excdlcnty experience, nooriy 
 
 follow^ 
 
LETTER X. 255 
 
 follow^ goodnefsy forrow^ borrow^ morrow^ expa- 
 tiate^ extravagance^ remember^ redeemer^ deJireSy 
 ferve^fenfesy eve?^moreypleafey bleJJ'edy George, 
 
 The Writing to be Decyphered. 
 
 123 4 56 
 
 9i024oq^ 4x5 xn& 079117019 m9qo7& cox 
 
 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 
 
 C9bq zn&6o9b75 qx qo^ b7im 90 nn2n7&b9i 
 
 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 
 
 6on&6o 83 qo7 z&762xnb 8ixx5 xm qo3 
 
 21 22 23 24 25 26 
 
 7579& bxQ 07&62mnii3 1XX3 nzxa qo7 
 
 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 
 b907 905 9q qo2b q207 bx 411257 9D5 
 
 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 
 
 4xn7&n qo7 02D5b xm qog b7&n9nqb qo7 
 
 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 
 82boxzb 9D5 Z9bqx&b xm qo9 mix63 qo9q 
 
 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 5^ 
 
 qo79 099 199 o9n5b bn557ni9 xn nx 09a 
 
 57 58 59 60 61 62 
 
 8nq m92qomnii9 905 C2b7i9 O937 60x267 
 
 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 
 
 xm m2q Z7&bxDb qx b7&n7 20 qo7 b96&75 
 
 71 ^ 72 73 74 75 76 77 
 0.2D2bq&9 xm qo9 6on&6o 9D5 qx qoxb7 
 
 73 
 
256 LETTER X. 
 
 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 
 
 cox bo9ii 87 X&592D75 qx gu^ oxi^ 
 
 85 86 87 88 89 90 • 
 
 mnD6q2xD 42117 qo9 4&967 905 079117015 
 
 91 92 93 94 95 96 
 
 87n7526q2xD qo9q 8xqo 89 qo72& 121117 
 
 gy 98 99 100 loi 102 103 
 
 9D5 5x6q&2D7 qo79 ©93 b7q mx&qo qo^ 
 
 104 105 106 107 108 109 
 
 4ix&:3 9D5 b7q mx&C9&;5 qo7 b9in9q2XD 
 
 no III 112. 
 xm 911 07a. 
 
 I begin 
 
LETTER X. 257 
 
 1 begin with giving my Reader an exa<fl 
 Numerical Table, of the feveral different Cy- 
 phers, as they ftand in order in the above Writ-* 
 ing, viz. 
 
 9. luiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiimmmiii 39. 
 
 1. iiiiiiiiiiiimimiii 22. 
 
 ©. 1111111111 ID. 
 
 2. iiiiiiiimmiiiiiiiimiiii 29. 
 
 4. mini 7 
 
 o. niiiuiiiliiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiili 44: 
 
 q. lllllllllllllllllllllllllillllUllllllllllllll 46, 
 
 3. iiiiiiiiiiminiiiiiiiii 25. 
 
 X. iiiiiiiiimmiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiii 4t. 
 
 5. iiiiiiiiimiumiiiiu 24. 
 n. iiiiiimmiuiiiiiiiii 24. 
 
 6. iiuiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiim 29. 
 
 7. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmiiiiiiiiiii 44J 
 D. mimmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiim 34. 
 
 m. 11111111111 II. 
 
 c. nil 4. 
 
 b. iiiinmmniimiiiimi 27. 
 z. nni 5. 
 6. nimnnimi 15. 
 8. 11111m 8. 
 
 3. u 2. 
 
 In Writings that confift of a Hundred words or 
 upwards, the Letter e is almoft always the high- 
 eft upon the Numerical Tables fo that the 6feft 
 
 R wa)f 
 
2^8 LETTER X. 
 
 way is to try three or four of the higheft of them 
 thus. Though I find the Cypher o up at number 
 forty-four, yet it cannot poffibly ftand for the 
 Letter e^ becaufe there is not one three-lettered 
 Word in the Writing, whofe lafl Cypher is o, 
 whereas the word the muft be found more than 
 once, or even twice, in all Writings of this length. 
 Cypher q is higheft of all upon the Numerical 
 Table, 'viz, at Number forty-fix, but cannot 
 well prove the Letter e, becaufe there are no 
 more than four three-lettered Words in the whole 
 Writing that end with it, whereas the Cypher 7 
 is almoft equal to it in Table number, as well as 
 found at the end of fix three- lettered Words, 
 This being thoroughly confidered, I guefs the 
 Cypher 7 to ftand for the Letter e, and of courfe 
 that the fixteenth cyphered Word qo7 ftands for 
 the word the : But to make ftill farther proof, I 
 look out for a four-cyphered word which will fo 
 far anfwer it as to ftand for the word that ^ and 
 in this fearch I meet with the forty-eighth cypher- 
 ed Word qogq, concluding it to mean the afore« 
 faid Word that. Now to demonftrate both the 
 cyphered Words qo7 and qogq to ftand for the 
 words the and that^ I find the forty-ninth cypher- 
 ed Word thus qoys, fuppofing it to be the Word 
 they^y and which I am confirmed in, becaufe the 
 tenth cyphered Word qos is no lefs than feven 
 times in the Writing : And it is alfo full as cer- 
 tain. 
 
L E T T E R X. 259 
 
 tain, that though the Cypher s follows the Let- 
 ters / and h at thofe feven times, yet it cannot 
 poffibly prove the Letter e^ becaufe in the Nu-^ 
 merical Table it rifes no higher than to twenty- 
 four : And fince it is not an ^, it muft be the 
 Letter y of courfe, which makes me fufpedt it to 
 be taken out of Scripture or fome Prayer- Book ; 
 and indeed whenever I find out two Letters in a 
 three-cyphered Word, I very carefully run over the 
 whole Alphabet to difcover the third unknown 
 Cypher, and infpe6t the Numerical Table, And 
 now the feventy-feventh cyphered Word qox67 
 muft confequently ftand for the Word thofe ^ becaufe 
 the afore-difco vered Words, 'u/^;. the^ that^ they^ do 
 exaftly tally with it. The fifty-fourth and fifty^ 
 fifth cyphered Words xn Dx muft fignify on and 
 no^ becaufe they confift of the fame two Cyphers 
 differently placed: But the moft frequent way to 
 difcover the Letter 0^ is by looking out for a two- 
 cyphered Word that begins with a /, becaufe the 
 other Cypher muft be 0. As the Word and is fo 
 very often in all Writings, it is eafily met with 
 thus, viz, the twenty-eighth cyphered Word 905 
 will neceffarily mean the Word and^ becaufe it 
 is feven times found in the Writing, and alfo 
 becaufe the two firft Cyphers of it agree with 
 the afore-difcovered Words, viz. the^ tbat^ they, 
 thofe ^ on^ no. Remarkable Cyphered Words are the 
 feventy-ninth and the hundredth and fifth, viz. 
 bopii and 911, which plainly fhow themfelves 
 
 R 2 tQ 
 
26o L E T T E R X. 
 
 to be the Words Jhall and all^ efpecially if we 
 compare the s and the h in them, with thofe of 
 the afore-difcovered Words. N. B. That as foon 
 as I can difcover the Word tbe^ I immediately 
 write it down upon a fair Paper, fetting down 
 after it the other decyphered Words, as faft as 
 I can find them out, on purpofe to view them 
 all at once in the following manner, viz. 
 
 qoj, qo9q, qoy^, qoxb7, xD, Dx, 905, bo9i i, 
 they that^ they^thofey on^ ?io^ a?tdy shall, 
 
 911. 
 ulL 
 
 1 very rarely get above five Letters to begin 
 with, but having now beyond expectation gained 
 ten, viz. /, hy ^, ^, ?/, dy Oy y^ j, /, I place them 
 under their feveral Cyphers, juft as they come 
 to hand, in the following Plan, viz, 
 
 I 23 4 ^ , ^ 
 
 9i024oq9 4x5 xn& 079n7ni3 m9qo7& cox 
 a I hty hea enly a the hQ 
 
 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 
 
 O9bqzn&6o9b75 qx qo3b7im 9a nD2n7&b9i 
 hast based 1 thy sel an n e sal 
 
 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 
 
 6on&6o 83 qo7 z&762xnb 81XX5 xrn qo^ 
 b by the e s lood thy 
 
 21 22 23 24 25 26 
 
 ^'79& bxa 07&62tTini 13 1XX3 nzxD qo7 
 dea soft e lly loo on the 
 
 27 
 
LETTER X. 261 
 
 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 
 
 hgQy 905 9q qo2b qaoy bx 411257 905 
 i^ ^ and at th s t e so de and 
 
 35 36 37 • 38 39 4^ 
 
 4xn7&a qo7 02a5b xm qo3 b7&n9nqb 
 
 e n the nds thy se ants 
 
 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 
 
 qo7 82boxzb 905 Z9bqx&b xm qo3 mix6j 
 the sho s and asto s thy lo 
 
 49 50 51 52 53 54 
 
 qo9q qo73 ©99 193 09n5b bn557ni3 xD 
 
 that they ay lay hands s ddenly on 
 
 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 
 
 ax 09a 8nqm92qomnii3 9n5 C2b7i9 O937 
 no an t a th I ly a nd sely a e 
 
 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 
 
 60x267 xm m2q Z7&bxnb qx b7&n7 2a 
 
 ho e of it esonstose e n 
 
 69 70 71 72 73 74 
 
 qo7 b96&75 02n2bq&9 xm qo3 6on&6o 
 the sa ed n st y thy h h 
 
 75 7^ 77 78 79 80 81 
 
 905 qx qoxb7 C0260 bo9ii 87 X&592D75 
 and to thofe h h shall e da ned 
 
 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 
 
 qx 909 ox 19 mnD6q2xa 4207 qo9 /[ScgSy 
 1 any holy n t on e thy a e 
 
 89 90 91 92 93 
 
 905 07907019 87n7526q2xD qogq qo79 
 undheaenly e ned t on that they 
 
 ^ 3 ?4 
 
262 LETTER X. 
 
 94 95 96 97 98 99 ^'■^'^ 
 
 093 8xqo 89 qo72& 121117 905 5x6q&2D7 
 ^^ c?^/6 J /;6^ / e and do t ne 
 
 loi 102 103 104 105 106 107 
 b7q mx&qo qoa 4ix&3 9D5 b7q mx&C9&5 
 set *o th thy lo y and set a d 
 
 108 109 1 10 II I 112 
 
 qo7 b9in9q2xn xm 911 Oyu, 
 the sal at 071 all en, 
 
 I now proceed to compare the Cypher n in the 
 third, eighth, thirteenth, fourteenth, feventeenth^ 
 twenty-third, twenty-fifth, thirty-third, thirty- 
 fifth, fortieth, fifty-eighth, fixty-feventh, feventy- 
 fourth, eighty-fifth, eighty-fixth, ninetieth, one 
 hundred and ninth Words ; and as I find it ftands 
 for the Letter //, I immediately fet the Letter u 
 diredly under the Cypher n throughout the whole 
 Writing. I next compare the Cypher 2 in the thir^ 
 teenth, feventeenth, twenty-third, thirtieth, thirty- 
 firft,thirtjv:hird,thirty-feventh,forty-fecond,fifty- 
 eighth, fixtieth, fixty-fecond, fixty-fourth, kwtn-^ 
 ty-firft, eighty-firft, eighty-fifth, eighty-fixth, 
 ninety-firft, ninety-feventh, hundredth, ninety- 
 eighth, a hundred and niiith Words ^ And as I 
 find it Hands for the Letter /, I immediately fet 
 the Letter / under the Cypher 2 throughout the 
 whole Writing. I next compare the Cypher & in 
 the fifth, eighth, fourteenth, feventeenth, twenty- 
 firft, twenty-third, thirty-fifth, fortieth, forty- 
 fourth 
 
LETTER X. 263 
 
 fourth, fixty-feventh, feventieth, feventy-firft, fe- 
 venty-fourth, eighty-firft, eighty-eighth, ninety- 
 feventh, hundredth, hundred and fecond, hundred 
 and fourth, hundred and feventh Words ; And as 
 I find it ftands for the Letter r, I immediately fet 
 the Letter r under the Cypher & throughout the 
 whole Writing. I next compare the Cypher m 
 in the nineteenth, thirty-eighth, forty-fifth, fifty- 
 eighth, fixty-third, fixty-fourth, feventy- fecond, 
 eighty-fifth, ninety-eighth, a hundred and fecond, 
 a hundred and feventh, a hundred and tenth 
 Words ; and as I find it ftands for the Letter/, 
 I immediately fet the Letter /under the Cypher 
 & throughout the whole Writing. I next com- 
 pare the Cypher 6 in the eighth, fourteenth, fe- 
 venteenth, twenty-third, forty-feventh, fixty-fe- 
 cond, feventieth, feventy - fourih, eighty- fifth, 
 eighty- eighth, ninety-firft, a hundredth Words ; 
 and as I find it ftands for the Letter f, I imme- 
 diately fet the Letter c under the Cypher 6 
 throughout the whole Writing. I next compare 
 the Cypher o in the twenty-third, twenty-fe- 
 venth, thirty-firft, thirty-feventh, fiftieth, fifty- 
 fixth, fixty-firft, feventy-firft, ninety - fourth, a 
 hundred and twelfth Words ; And as I find it 
 ftands for the Letter m, I immediately fet the 
 Letter m under the Cypher throughout the 
 whole Writing, jyvhich fhows itfelf thus in our 
 fecond Plan, 
 
 R4 9^ 
 
LETTER X. 
 
 1234 56 
 
 9i©24oq3 4x5 xn& 079117019 m.9qo7& cox 
 almi hty od our heavenly father ho 
 
 7 8 9 IP II 12 
 
 lOpbq zn&6o9b75 qx qo9 b7im 9a 
 hast ur chased to thy self an 
 
 nD2n7&b9i .6on&6o 85 qo7 z&762xnb 
 universal church y the recious 
 
 18 19 20 21 22 23 
 
 81XX5 xm qo3 579& bxD ©7&62mniio 
 lood of thy dear son me r ci fully 
 
 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 
 IXX3 nzxn qo7 b907 9D5 gq qo2b q207 
 loo u on the same and at this time 
 
 32 33 Z4- 35 36 37 3^ 
 bx 4n257 905 4xn7&n qo7 02D5b xm 
 
 so uide and overn the minds of 
 
 39 40 41 42 43 44 
 
 qo9 b7&n9nqb qo7 82boxzb 905 Z9bqx&b 
 
 thy servants the isho s and astors 
 
 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 
 xm qo3 mix63 qo9q qo79 ©99 199 09D5b 
 
 of thy floe that they may lay hands 
 
 ^ 53 54 SS 56 S7 58 
 
 pn557ni3 xd Dx ©9a 8nq m92qomnii3f 
 
 suddenly on no n}an ui f aith fully 
 
 59 60 61 62 63 64 
 
 ^U^ C2hyi^ ®937 60x^67 xm m2q 
 and jsely ma e choice of fit 
 
LETTER X. 265 
 
 65 66 67 68 69 70 
 
 278cbxnb qx b7&n7 20 qo7 b96&75 
 ersons to serve in the sacred 
 
 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 
 
 G2n2bq&3 xm qo9 6on&6o 905 qx qoxb7 
 ministry of thy church and to those 
 
 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 
 
 C0260 bo9ii 87 X&592D75 qx 903 OXI3 
 
 hich shall e ordained to any holy 
 
 85 86 87 88 89 90 
 
 mnD6q2xn 4207 qo3 4&967 9D5 079n7ni3 
 function ive thy race and heavenly 
 
 91 92 93 94 95 9<^ 
 
 87n7526q2xD qo9q qo73 ©93 8xqo 83 
 enedictio7z that they may oth y 
 
 97 98 99 100 loi 102 
 
 qo72& 121117 905 5x6q&2n7 b7q mx&qo 
 their life and doctrine set forth 
 
 103 104 105 106 107 108 
 
 qo9 4IX&9 905 b7q mx&C9&5 qoj 
 thy lory aiid set forward the 
 
 109 no I II 112 
 
 b9in9q2xn xm 911 ©70. 
 salvation of all men, 
 
 I now proceed to compare the Cypher 4 in the 
 thirty-third, thirty- fifth, eighty -fixth, eighty- 
 eighth, a hundred and fourth Words -, and as I 
 find it Hands foy^the Letter g^ I immediately fet 
 
 the 
 
256 LETTER X. 
 
 the Letter g under the Cypher 4, through- 
 out the whole Writing. I next compare the 
 Cypher 8 in the fifteenth, eighteenth, forty-fe- 
 cond, fifty -feventh, ninety -firft, ninety -fifth, 
 ninety - fixth Words ; and as I find it flands for 
 the Letter /5, I immediately fet the Letter 
 I? under the Cypher 8, throughout the whole 
 Writing, I next compare the Cypher 3 in 
 the twenty- fourth, forty - feventh, fixty- firft 
 Words ; and as I find it ftands for the Letter k^ 
 I immediately fet the Letter k under the Cypher 
 3 throughout the whole Writing. I next com- 
 pare the Cypher z in the eighth, feventeenth, 
 twenty-fifth, forty-fecond, forty- fourth Words; 
 and as I find it ftands for the Letter /, I imme- 
 diately fet the Letter p under the Cypher z 
 throughout the whole Writing. I next compare 
 the Cypher c in the fixth, fixtieth, a hundred 
 and feventh Words ; and as I find it ftands for the 
 Letter w, I immediately fet the Letter w under 
 the Cypher c throughout the whole Writing, 
 which being now completely Decyphered fhow$ 
 itfelf thus, viz, 
 
 91024043 4x5 xn& o79n7ni3 rngqcySc cox 
 ahnigbty god our heavenly fat he r who 
 
 OQbq zn&6o9b75 qx qo9 bjim 90 
 hast pur chased to thy ^^ If ^ ^ 
 
 nD2n7&- 
 
LETTER X. 267 
 
 nD2n7&b9i 6on&6o 83 qo/ 2&762xnb 
 universal church by the precious- 
 
 81XX5 xm qo3 579& bxo 07&62mnii3 
 blood of thy dear son mercifully 
 
 IXX3 nzxD qo7 b907 905 9q qo2b q207 
 look upon the same and at this time 
 
 bx 4n257 905 4xn7&a qo7 02n5b xm 
 so guide and govern the minds of 
 
 qo3 b7&n9aqb qo7 82boxzb 905 Z9bqx&b 
 thy servants the bishops and pastor s 
 
 xm qo3 mix63 qo9q qo73 099 193 09n5b 
 of thy flqck that they may lay hands 
 
 bn557ni9 xa nx 09a 8nq m92qomnii3 
 suddenly on no man but f ai th fully 
 
 905 C2b7i3 <^937 60x267 xm m2q 
 and wisely make choice of fit 
 
 Z7&bxDb qx b7&n7 20 qo7 b96&75 
 persons to serve in the sacred 
 
 G2n2bq&3 xm q09 6cn&6o 905 qx qoxb7 
 ministry of thy church and to those 
 
 C0260 bo9ii 87 x&592n75 qx 903 0x13 
 which shall be ordained to any holy 
 
 mnn6q2xD 42117 qo3 482:967 905 o79n7ni3 
 function give thy grace and heavenly 
 
 87n7526q2xD qogq 8xqo 83 qo72& I2m7 
 benediction that both by thei r life 
 
 905 5x6q&2n7 qo73 093 b7q mx&qo qo3 
 and doctrine they may set forth thy 
 
 4IX&31 
 
268 LETTER X. 
 
 4IX&3 9D5 bjq mx&c9&5 cpj bpingqaxa 
 glory and set forward the salvation 
 
 xm 911 (b']U, 
 
 of all men. i 
 
 Now follows the Alphabet, viz, 
 
 9,8,6,5,7,m,4,o,2,3,T,0,a,x,z,&,b,q,n, c, a, 
 a, b, c, d, e, f g, h, i, k, /, m, n, 0, p., r, s, t, u, w, y, 
 
 JV. B. That I quite overlooked the feventy- 
 fourth, which is a remarkable Word, and as 
 fuch fet down in Paragraph the fecond, viz. 
 
 6on&6o 
 chur ch 
 
 There is no occafion for above one fingle Plan in 
 Decyphering, fo that the reafon why I made ufe 
 of three Plans here was, to have my fentiments 
 appear in the cleareft light to common under^ 
 Handings : Neither was there any other reafon 
 for thus numbering up the hundred and twelve 
 Words, and fetting their numbers juft above each 
 Word. But indeed, I do not go thorough with 
 all this Scheme, when I am about to Decypher 
 an eafy Writing ; for I then omit the firft part, 
 and begin with comparing Cyphered Words, 
 '^vhich I have fufficient caufe to fufpedt mufl 
 ftand for the Words, on^ ?20, tOy at^ it^ did^ tbe^ 
 
 that 'y 
 
L E T T E R X. 269 
 
 that ; and fo I continue doing till the whole 
 Writing is compleatly Decyphered. 
 
 Falconer^ (whole Treat ife I have not feen thefc 
 eleven ye^rs) fays, That all the Cyphers of a 
 Cyphered Writing may be clofe fet together, and 
 fo make but one fingle Word 3 by which means 
 the foregoing Rules that I have laid down, will 
 in a great meafure be defeated : And in this cafe 
 he only advifes his Readers, to make fuppofi- 
 tions ftand for real Words. But as his meaning 
 perhaps may not very eafily be underftood, I am 
 fo free with your Patience, as to give my 
 thoughts upon the matter. Here truly, the De- 
 cypherer ought to have two hundred Words to 
 examine into, becaufe the more Words there are, 
 the greater variety of ways they neceflarily afford 
 of finding out what the feveral Cyphers ftand 
 for. 
 
 The Writing now to be Decyphered, is as 
 follows, 'viz, 
 
 x9Li024oq34X532n4xm9ii32n4b9D54xn7&a 
 
 xn&xm9iiqo2D4bcoxb7zxc7&nx6&79qn&72 
 b98i7qx&7b2bqqxcox02q87ixn47qo2nbqi9q 
 xznn2bob2nn7&b9n5qx8 707&62mniqxqo7 
 Gqo9qq&ni3&7Z7Dqb9n79n557i2n7&nbc7on 
 o8i387b776oqo77m&xOqo709D5bxmxn&7a 
 7O27b989q7qo72&z&2579bbc947qo72&09i 
 
 267 
 
270 LETTER X. 
 
 2679D56xnmxnD5qo72&57n267bqo9qc7872 
 
 □49&075C2qoqo357m7n6709387z6c7b7&n75 
 
 7n7&0x&7m&x09iiZ7&2ibqx4ix&2m3qo77 
 
 cox9&qqo7xDl342n7&xm9iin26qx&3qo&xn4 
 
 oqo707&2qbxmqo3xDi3bxD27bnb6o&2bqxn 
 
 &IX&5907D. 
 
 I begin with giving an exad: Numerical Ta- 
 ble of the feveral different Cyphers in the fame 
 order in which I find them in the above Writing, 
 viz. 
 
 X. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiu 33. 
 
 C. 11111111111111111111111111 26. 
 
 1. 1111111111111111111111 22. 
 0.111111111111113. 
 
 2. immiiimmiiiimimi 28, 
 4. 11111111111 II. 
 
 o. miiiiiiiiimmim 22. 
 
 q. iiimiimiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiii 34, 
 
 3. miiiiiu 10. 
 5. 1111111111111 13. 
 3. 11 2. 
 
 D. 11111111111111111111111 23. 
 m. 1111 4. 
 
 b. iiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuii 24. 
 
 n. 111111111111111111 18. 
 
 7. imiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiimimmiiimiiiiiiiimiiii 56, 
 &. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiimiimm 33. 
 
LETTER X. 271 
 
 c. mill 6. 
 
 z. 1111116. 
 6. IIIIIIIII9. 
 8. 11111117. 
 
 Now as I find the Cypher 7 by far the higheft 
 in this Numerical Table, I peremptorily affirm it 
 to ftand for the Letter e. The Cypher q being 
 next in number, I judge it to ftand for the Let- 
 ter /. And the Cypher o being at number twenty- 
 two, I fufped: it to ftand for the Letter /j. But 
 But to prove them all, I look out for two fup- 
 pofitious Words, which will ftand for the Words 
 the and tbaf \ and I find them in thefe Cyphers, 
 n)iz, qo7 and qo9q : befides, I obferve that the 
 two Cyphers q and o ar« joined together, no 
 lefs than fourteen times in thefe few Lines : and 
 to confirm the whole, I alfo meet with the Cy- 
 phered Word qo77 which muft of courfe ftand 
 for the Word thee. Having difcovered thefe 
 four Letters, /, /&, ^, ^, I fet them down under 
 their feveral Cyphers thus in my firft Plan, 
 
 X9i024oq34x532n4xm9ii32n4b9n54xn7&n 
 a ht a a e 
 
 xn&xm9iiqo2n4bcoxb7Zxc7&nx6&79qn&72 
 a th h e e eat e 
 
 b98i7qx&7b2bqpxcox02q87ixn47qo2nbqi3q 
 a et e it e eth t t 
 
272 LETTER X. 
 
 xznD2bob2DD7&b9D5qx8707&62mniqxqo7 
 heat e t the 
 
 Gqo9qq&iH3 6c7Z7Dqb9n79n557i2n7&nbG70 
 thatt e e t ea e e eb 
 
 no8 i387b77 6oqo77m&x0qo7O9a5bxmxn&7 
 e ee hthee theha e 
 
 D7027b989q7qo72&z&257 9bbc947 qo72&Q 
 e e a at e the e a a e the 
 
 9i2679n56xDmxna5 qo72&57n267b qo9qc78 
 a ea the e e that e 
 
 72a49&075C2qoqo357m7n67O9D87z&7b7&a 
 e a e thth e e e a e e e 
 
 757n7&0x&7m&xO9iiz7&2ibqx4ix&2m3qo 
 e e e e a e t th 
 
 77cox9&qqo7xni942n7&xm9iin26qx&9qo& 
 ee h a tthe t th 
 
 xn4oqp707&2qbxmqo2n7xni3bxD27bnb6o& 
 hthe e t th e eh 
 
 2bqxn&ix&5907D. 
 t a 
 
 The next Letter I aim at is <?, which is eafily 
 dlfcovered, the Cypher x coming no lefs than fe- 
 Ven times immediately after the Cypher q, and 
 appearing fo high befides upon the Numerical 
 Table. I am pretty certain, that the Cypher r 
 ftands for the Letter /, becaufe it is doubled three 
 times immediately after the Cypher 9, which 
 
 ftands 
 
LETTER X. 273 
 
 ftands for the Letter cu As the Cyphers 2 and & 
 -follow the Cyphers opj no lefs than three feveral 
 times, I judge them to be the Letters / and r, {o 
 that the Cyphered Word 9072^ muft neceffarily 
 Hand for the Word their. The Cypher 9 ftands for 
 the Letterjy, becaufe it follows the Cyphersqo twice 
 and is upon the Numerical Table no higher than 
 thirteen. And the Cypher muft of courfe then 
 ftand for the Letter m^ becaufe it is placed be- 
 tween the already difcovered Words the and that 
 which now no other Letter can do. And hav- 
 ino; thus found out fix more Letters, viz, 0, L /, 
 7\ m^ V, I fet them down underneath their feveral 
 Cyphers, as follows in my fecond Plan. 
 
 X9i024oq34x532n4xm9ii32n4b9n54xn7&a 
 oalmi hty i all i a er 
 
 xn&xm9iiqo2n4bcoxb7Zxc7&nx6&79qn8c72 
 ro allthi ho e er r eat r ei 
 
 b98i7qx&:7b2bqqxcox02q87ixD47qo2nbqi3q 
 a letore i tto homit elo ethi tlyt 
 
 xznn2bob2nn7&b9n5qx87076c62mniqxqo7 
 i h i era to erne r i It the 
 
 Oqo9qq&:ni3&7Z7aqb9n79n557i2n7&nbc7o 
 7nthattr lyre e t a ea e liver eh 
 
 noii^ijhjj 6oqo77m&xOqo709D5bxmxn&7 
 m ly € ee J: thee ro??itheha' ore 
 
 S D70 
 
274 LETTER X 
 
 D7027b989q7qo72&z&257 9bbc947 qo72&Q 
 etnie a at e the r r i e a a e the r m 
 
 9i2679n56xnmxnn5 opyz&c^jnzbjh qo9qc78 
 a i ea o o their eie that e 
 
 72a49&075C2qoqo957m7n67O9987z&7b7&o 
 ei ar?ne iththy e e eniay e r e er 
 
 757n7&0x&7m&xO9iiz7&2ibqx4ix&2m3qo 
 e €7' mo re romall eril to lori vth 
 
 77COX9&qqo7xD 1 342n7&xm9 1 1 112 6 qx&3qo& 
 ee ho a ttheo ly i ero all i t thr 
 
 xn4oqo707&:2qbxmqo2n7xni3bxn27bnb6o& 
 hthe er t th co h ie hr 
 
 2bqxn&ix&5907n. 
 i to r lor ame » 
 
 I proceed now to compare the laft Word of 
 
 all, ^ciz. 9 7 'with the Word ^ °!^ in the mid- 
 - ame ^ ly 
 
 die of the laft line, and confequently find that the 
 Cypher d flands for the Letter n in both. I look 
 into my Table of remarkable Words, and find that 
 the Word there evermore^ tallys with the cypher- 
 ed Word T^l^^^^l^ But indeed the Word 
 e e rmo r e y 
 
 Hiows itfelf, fo that the Cypher n mull: Hand for 
 the Letter u. The cyphered Word ® 9 ] 267 ^^^^^ 
 
 that the Cypher 6 Hands for the Letter c. The 
 Cypher c in line the third, at the cyphered Word 
 
 coxO 
 
LETTER X, 275 
 
 ^?^® ihows itfelf to ftand for the Letter w, fo 
 bom 
 
 that I have gained four Letters more, viz, n^ 
 
 11^ r, It', which I add to the others, placing them 
 
 under their Cyphers in my third Plan. 
 
 x9i024oq94X532n4xm9i i32n4b9D54xn7&a 
 oalmi hty in all i ?i an overn 
 
 xn&xmpi iqo2n4bcoxb7Zxc7&nx6&79qn&72 
 our all thi n ivh e oice rnocrcaturei 
 
 b98 I7qx&7b2bqqxcox02q87 1 xa47qo2nbq i^q 
 a let ore i ttoichomit el on ethiii tlyi 
 
 xznn2bob2Cn7&b9n5qx8 7G7&52mn iqxqoj 
 II ni h i nn e r a n to em e r c i iiltothe 
 
 Oqo9qq&ni3&7Z7nqb9n79n557i2n7&nbc7on 
 ?nthatt r u lyr e ent avean e I iver u wchii 
 
 o8.i3S7b776oqo77m&xOqo709n5bxmxn&7a 
 7n ly e eechthee r omtheban our en 
 
 7O27b989q7qo72&z&2579bbc947qo72&:09i . 
 emie a ate their ri ea wa e th eir mctl 
 
 2679n56xDmxnn5qo72&57n267bqo9qc7872 
 icean con oun their evice thatwe ei 
 
 n495c075C2qoqo3'57m7n67O9387z&;7b7&n75 
 n arme with thy e encemay e re erve ; 
 
 7n7&Ox&7m&x09ilZ7&2ibqx4ix&:2m9qo77 
 evermore r omall eril to lori ythee 
 
 cox9&qqo7xni342n7&xm9iin26qx&3qo&xn4 
 ivhoar t thpo7il y ivero allvi cto ryth r on 
 
 5 2- cqo 
 
276 L E T T E R X. 
 
 oqo7G7&2qbxmqo2n7xni3bxn27b]ib6c&2bq 
 hthemer it thineonly onie u chri t 
 
 xn&ix&5907n. 
 our I or amen. 
 
 By comparino; the Word ^\ ' ^4^4^ ^^j^h the 
 ^ ^ ^ a hnt htv 
 
 Word ^^ ^ ^^^ I find that the Cypher 4. 
 over noil r -^^ ^ 
 
 ftands for the Letter g. The Cypher 8 proves it- 
 
 felf the Letter b in the Word 27;x°47qo xhe 
 
 e lo ngeth 
 
 Cypher b muft ftand for the Letter s in the Word 
 
 ^ ^ y , The m is plainly the Letter f in 
 eneniie r / j 
 
 the Word ®7&62mni ^j^^ Cyphers z ftows 
 mere I III -'^ 
 
 itfelf the Letter ji^ in the Word ^7^2i -p^gQ 
 
 e r 1 1 ^ 
 
 pher 5 muft be the Letter^ in the Word 5^°^* 
 
 a 72 
 
 And the Cypher 3 is beyond doubt the Letter 
 
 ;^ in the Words 32 °4 3° 24b j now place the 
 
 I ng 1 71 g s ^ 
 
 Letters^, ^,j,yj/,^, ky under their feveral Cyphers 
 as I did before, and of courfe the whole Writ- 
 ing is plainly Decyphered by me in the following 
 cafy manner. 
 
 X91 
 
L E T T E R X. 277 
 
 X91 024oq94X53 2 04x0191 I32n4b9n54xn7&n 
 calmightygodkingof a llki ngsandgover n 
 
 xn&xm9iiqo2n4bcoxb7zxc7&nx6&79qn&72 
 u r f al 1 1 h i 72 gswho s epowe r 71 oc reatur e i 
 
 b98i7qx&7b2bqqxcox02q87ixn47qo2nbqi9q 
 sab le t or csi sttowho7?iit be 1 nge thiust lyt 
 
 xznD2bob2nn7&b9n5qx8707&62mniqxqo7 
 op t£7ii sh 3171 71 e r sa7idtob erne r c ifultothe 
 
 Oqo9qq&ni3&7Z7nqb9n79D557i2n7&nbc7o 
 mthatt r iily r epe?it savea72dde liv eriisweh 
 
 n08i987b77 6oqo77m&x0qo7O9a5bxmxn&7 
 iimblybesee chthee f r 07nthehand so four e 
 
 D7027b989q7 qo72&z&2 57 9bbc947 qo72&0 
 72 e mi e sabat e th e i r pr i dc a s swage thei r tn 
 
 9i2679n56xnmxnn5 qo72& 57112 67bqo9qc78 
 a li c eandconf oii72d the'i r devic e sthatweb 
 
 72n49&075C2qoqo357m7n6709987z&7b7&n 
 € i 72 ga r 772e dwi t h t hyd e f e 72ce?naybepr e se rv 
 
 757n7&0x&7m&x09iiz7&2ibqx4ix&2m3qo 
 edever THO r e f r omallp eril stogl r i fy th 
 
 77Cox9&qqo7xni342 n7&xm9i in26qx&3qo& 
 e ^wh oar tth eo 72 lyg i v e r of a llvict r y thr 
 
 xn4oqo707&2qbxmqo2n7xni9bxn27bnb6o& 
 oiigh themer it s oft h i 72 e n ly s 7i i e s u s c h r 
 
 2bqxn&ix&5907n. 
 i st our 1 r da?nen , 
 
 As 
 
278 LETTER X. 
 
 As I faid before, one Plan is faflicient for De- 
 cyphering by ', and the realbn why I make ufe 
 of fo many here is, to let my fentiments appear 
 in the cleared light I coald to common under- 
 ftandings. To conclude this long Article : I 
 frequently get coniiderable help by comparing a 
 cyphered Word with one of the remarkable 
 Words, mentioned and fet dov/n in Paragraph 
 the fecond : And indeed there are many more 
 Obfervations which I could eafily give -, but I 
 think it needlefs, becaufe they mull: naturally oc- 
 cur to the Thoughts of a Decypherer. 
 
 3. I obferved, lafl: night in a News- Paper, 
 the following; rem.arkable Paracfranh, viz, " We 
 
 O Of? 
 
 have at l.^oulon^ in Vra'nci\ lately difcovered the 
 fccret of making the Greek Fire, which is not 
 extinguiihed by Water ; and an experiment 
 *^ has very latelv been made of it. In order to 
 *' underftand this rightly, our Reader m.uft take 
 notice, That this kind of Wild-fire was in- 
 vented by one CaUinicus^ a Grcek^ Anno Do- 
 mini 680. It v/as compofed of Charcoal, Salt, 
 Aqua-Vitas, Sulphur, Pitch, Camphire, &c, 
 boiled together, and rolled up in Balls : With 
 this combuftible matter, the Emperor Con- 
 *' JiantiiiS Pogonatus^ i. e. i::ith the great Beardy 
 '^ burnt a large Fleet of the Saracens^ which 
 '^ had blocked him up in the City of Conjlanti- 
 
 nople ', 
 
LETTER X. 279 
 
 ?20ple', as is related fully by the Hiftorian Zo- 
 naras. Now I imagine, that this Preparation, 
 or fome fuch kind of Phofphorus, muft be the 
 fecret means of carrying on and fupporting the 
 Ceremony, kept up by the Greeks and Arme- 
 nians^ upon a full perfuafion. That every 
 Eajier-E've^ there is a miraculous Flame de- 
 fcends from Heaven, into the Holy Sepulchre 
 at Jerufalejn^ and kindles all the Lamps and 
 Candles there, as the Sacrifice v^as burnt at the 
 Prayers oi Elijah, i Kings xvm, 38. viz. l^hen 
 the Fire of the Lord fell, a7id confiimed the Burnt 
 " Sacrifice, and the Wood, and the Stones, and the 
 *' Dujl, and licked up the Water that was in the 
 cc 7>^;;^^/» Our Countryman, Henry Maiindrell, 
 who was an Eye-witnefs of this artful Cheat, de- 
 fcribes the whole thus, at page 95, of his Tra- 
 vels, from Aleppo to ferufalem. 
 
 4. *' Coming to the Church of the Holy Se^ 
 " pidchre, at ferujalem, W'C found it crowded 
 " with a numerous and diftracted Mob, making 
 <^ a hideous Clamour, very unfit for that facred 
 *' Place, and better becoming Bacchanals than 
 *' Chriftians. Getting with fome ftruggle thro' 
 ** this Crowd, we went up into the Gallery on 
 ** that fide of the Church next to the Latin Con- 
 " vent, from whence we could difcern, all that 
 *' paffed in this Religious Frenzy. 
 
 s 4 5- 
 
 sc 
 <i 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 c: 
 cc 
 
C( 
 CC 
 
 280 L E T T E R X. 
 
 5. " They began their Diforders, by running 
 
 " round the Holy Sepulchre, wiih all their might 
 
 '^ and fwiftnefs, crying out as they went, Huiay 
 
 *' which figniiieSj 'T'bis is he^ or 'This is it-, 
 
 *' An expretlion, by which they afiert the 
 
 " Verity of the Chriflia?! Religion. After they 
 
 " had by thefe vertiginous Circulations and 
 
 *' Clamours, turned their Heads and inflamed 
 
 '^ their Madnefs, they began to ad the moft 
 
 '' Antick Tricks and Poftures, in a thoufond 
 
 *' Shapes of Diflraclion, Sometimes they drag- 
 
 *' ged one another along the Floor, all round 
 
 the Sepulchre ; fometimes they fet one Man 
 
 upright upon anothers Shoulders, and in this 
 
 pofture marched round ; fometimes they took 
 
 *' Men with their Heels upward, and hurried 
 
 ^^ them about in fjch an indecent manner^ as to 
 
 ^^ expofe their Nudities ; fometimes they tumbled 
 
 *' round the Sepulchre, after the manner of 
 
 *' Tumblers on the Stage. In a word, nothino[ 
 
 ** can be imagined more rude or extravagant, 
 
 ^^ than what was acted upon this occaficn. 
 
 6. " In this tumultuous frantick Humour, 
 ^' they continued from Twelve till four of the 
 '' Clock : The reafon of which delay was, be- 
 *• caufe of a Suit that was then in debate, be- 
 ^.^ fore the Cadi^ between the Greeks and ^r- 
 *^ menians ; the former endeavouring to ex- 
 " elude the latter, from having any fhare in this 
 "^^^ Miracle. Both Parties having expended (as I 
 
 was 
 
LETTER X. 281 
 
 was informed) five thoufand Dollars, between 
 them, in this foolifh Controverfy, the Cadi at 
 lafl gave Sentence; That they fhould enter 
 the Holy Sepulchre together, as had been ufual 
 at former times. Sentence being thus given, at 
 Four of the Clock, both Nations went on with 
 their Ceremony. The Greeks firft fet out, in 
 a Proceflion round the Holy Sepulchre, and 
 immediately at their heels followed the Arme- 
 itians. In this order they compaffed the Holy 
 *' Sepulchre thrice, having produced all their 
 " Gallantry of Standards, Streamers, Crucifixes, 
 ** and embroidered Habits upon this occafion. 
 
 7. " Toward the end of this Proceffion, there 
 was a Pigeon came fluttering into the Cu- 
 pola, over the Sepulchre; at fight of which, 
 there was a greater Shout and Clamour than 
 before. This Bird, the Lathis told us, was 
 purpofcly let fiy by the Greeks^ to deceive 
 the People into an opinion, that it was a vi- 
 fible Defcent of the Holy Ghoft. 
 
 8. " The ProceiTion being over, the Suffragan 
 of the Greek Patriarch, (he being himfelf at 
 Cojijlantinople) and the principal Armenia?! Bi- 
 fhop, approached to the Door of the Sepulchre, 
 and cutting the String with which it is faflen- 
 
 " ed and fealed, entered in, fhutting the Door 
 " after them ; all the Candles and Lamps hav- 
 " ing been before extinguiihed, in the prefence 
 
 (C 
 (C 
 (C 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 (C 
 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 <c 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 
 of 
 
«c 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 282 LETTER X. 
 
 *' of the T'urks and other Witnefles. The Ex- 
 *^ clamations were doubled, as the Miracle drew 
 " nearer to it's accompliOiment ; and the People 
 *' prefled with fuch vehemence towards the Door 
 *' of the Sepulcher, that it was not in the Power 
 *' of the Turks, fet to guard it, with the fe- 
 vereH: Drubs, to keep them off. The Caufe 
 of their preffing in this manner, is the great 
 deiirc they have to light their Candles at the 
 Holy Flame, as foon as it is firft brought 
 out of the Sepulchre -, it being efleemed the 
 moft facred and pure, as coming immediately 
 " from Heaven. 
 
 g, " The two Miracle-mongers, had not been 
 '* above a minute in the Holy Sepulchre, when 
 *' the Glimmering of the Ploly Fire was feen, 
 '^ or imagined to appear, through fome Chinks 
 " of the Door ; and certainly Bedlam itfelf never 
 " faw fuch an unruly Tranfport, as was pro- 
 *' duced in the Mob at this fight. 
 
 10. " Immediately after, out came the tv/o 
 *' Prjefts v/ith blazing Torches in their hands, 
 " which they held up at the Door of the Sepul- 
 ♦"^ chre, while the People thronged about with 
 '* inexpreffible ardour ; every one ftriving to ob- 
 ^^ tain a part of the firft and pureft Flame. The 
 " Turks in the mean time, with huge Clubs> 
 " laid them on without mercy; But all this 
 «' could not repel them, the Excefs of their 
 
 ** Tranfport 
 
cc 
 <c 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 LETTER X. 283 
 
 Tranfport making them infenfible of Pain. 
 Tbofe that got the Fire, applied it imme- 
 diately to their Beards, Faces, and Bofoms, 
 pretending that it would not burn like an earth- 
 ly Flame : But I plainly faw, none of them 
 
 '* could endure this Experiment long enough to 
 
 *' make good that Pretenfion. 
 
 11. *' So many Hands being employed, you 
 may be fure, it could not be long before in- 
 numerable Tapers were hghted. The whole 
 Church, Galleries, and every place feemed in- 
 ilantly to be in a flame;, and with this Illumi- 
 nation the Ceremony ended. 
 
 12. " It muft be owned, that thofe two with- 
 in the Sepulchre, performed their part with 
 great quicknefs and dexterity : But the Beha- 
 viour of the Rabble without, very much dif- 
 credited the Miracle. The Latins take a great 
 deal of pains to expofe this Ceremony, as a 
 moil fhameful [mpofture, and a Scandal to the 
 Chrijlian Religion ; perhaps out of envy, that 
 others fliould be mailers of fo gainful a Bufinefs. 
 But the Greeks and jirmema?js pin their Faith 
 upon it, and make their Pilgrimages chiefly 
 upon this Motive : And it is the deplorable 
 Unhappinefs of their Priefls, that having aded 
 the Cheat fo long already, they are now forced 
 to fland to it, for fear of endangering the Apo- 
 llacy of their People. Going out of the Church, 
 
 '' after 
 
cc 
 tc 
 
 « 
 
 €{ 
 C( 
 
 cc 
 
 284 L E T T E R X. . 
 
 after the Rout was over, we faw feveral Peo- 
 ple gathered about the Stone of Un6lion, who 
 having got a good ftore of Candles, lighted 
 with the Holy Fire, were employed in dav/b- 
 ing pieces of Linnen with the Wicks of them 
 and the melting Wax ; which pieces of Lin- 
 nen were defigned for Winding Sheets: And 
 *^ it is the real opinion of thefe poor People, 
 *' That if they can but have the happinefs to 
 -* be buried in a Shroud fmutted with this Ce- 
 " leflial Fire, it will certainly fecure them from 
 " the Flames of Hell. 
 
 13. Now my opinion of this Ceremony is. 
 That it is wicked; but notwithflanding, the Lati?is 
 ought iirft of all to remove the large Beam out 
 of their own Eye, before they prefume to difco- 
 ver the fmaller Mote in the Eye of the Greeks 
 and Armeniam^ i, e. as they have been frequently 
 deteded in attempting to impofe Sham Miracles 
 upon their Lay Brethren ; fo they ought not to 
 find fault with the others for doing the fame once 
 a year. I fliall mention but one particular in- 
 llance (out of great numbers that I could name) 
 i^gainii: thefe diilatisfied Latins. They audacioufly 
 affert, That the Blood of St. yinmarms^ (the Tu- 
 telar Saint of Naples) boiles up as often as it ap- 
 proaches the Shrine, wherein his Body is depofit- 
 ed y fo that here we behold the repetition of a 
 Miracle, whenever their crafty Priefchood can 
 
 find 
 
LETTER X, 285 
 
 find their account in it. But Maximilimi Mi[fof\ 
 obferves rightly enough on this occafion, That 
 nothing is more eafy than to prepare a certain 
 Compofition or Mixture of Drugs of any con- 
 liflence and colour, that fliews fome Motion 
 without Fire, by their fermenting together. An 
 Acquaintance of mine, on his Travels, happened 
 to be at Naples^ at the time of this Jugling Trick's 
 being played ; and curioiity tempted him to be a 
 Spedtator. The Ele6loral Pr'mce^ o£ Bavaria (now 
 both Eledlor and Emperor too, if not deprived 
 of thofe Honours by the Queen of Hungary and 
 her Allies) was prefent, with feeming Devotion, 
 and my Friend had the good fortune to be placed 
 very near him. The Mixture of Drugs {alias ^ 
 Coagulated Blood) which is preferved in a tranf- 
 parent Glafs Phial, was brought forth by a Prieft 
 or Bifhop, and with great Solemnity either fet 
 down upon the Shrine, or upon an Altar clofe by 
 it. As it did not immediately liquify, the Jugling 
 Priefl: or Bifhop took it up in his Hands more 
 than once, pretending highly to reverence the Re- 
 lick, and holding it there for a fmall fpace of 
 time, that is to fay, till the Warmth of his Hands 
 could ferment and of courfe caufe a Motion in the 
 Drugs, alias Coagulated Blood. Nay, fuch is 
 their Artifice, that fometimes the Prieft afTures 
 the deluded Populace, That the Coagulated Blood 
 
 cannot 
 
286 LETTER X. 
 
 cannot liquify till the Hereticks are drove out of 
 the Church -, and then all Proteftants mufl: imme- 
 diately depart, and think themfelves well off, if 
 they fare no worfe than receiving a few Blows 
 and Knocks. In the mean while, the Prieft is 
 trying with his warm Hands to ferment and 
 caufe a Motion in the Coagulated Blood, which 
 is no fooner perceived, than vifible joy appears in 
 all Countenances of the Congregation, juft as if 
 it ferved for an unanfwerable proof of the Miracle. 
 I was formerly intimate with an ingenuous as well 
 as learned Romaniji^ who had alfo been an Eye- 
 witnefs of this Ceremony, and indeed confeffed 
 that it was an Artificial fort of Miracle, or Piece 
 of pure Legerdemain in his opinion. There is a 
 Tradition (fays M. Mijjoit^j That St. yamiarhis^ 
 and fix other Chrijltam^ were expofed for a Prey 
 to Wild Beafl:s, but the Beafts adored, inftead of 
 devouring them. Sometime after, thefe {z\'^n 
 Champions had their Heads cut off, near Solfa- 
 tara^ in the Place where now a Church is 
 built, and dedicated to St. yanuarius, Thefe 
 Words are written on the Altar : Locus Dccolla- 
 tionis S, Jamiarii, & Sociorum ejus, 
 
 14. I took a walk one day lafl Week to a 
 pleafant Village cdWtA Goldington, (about a Mile 
 from hence) on purpofe to fatitfy my curiofity, 
 with the fight of a Pollard AHi-trce, which raifes 
 
 not 
 
LETTER X. 287 
 
 Hot a little wondering among fome of our Neigh- 
 bours. It was lopped four or five years ago, 
 when the Farmer to whom it belongs gave very 
 particular order to fpare that Angular part, which 
 caufes fo many Wonderers to vifit it. The Body 
 of it is pretty bulky, and perhaps fix yards in 
 height. All the Loppings grow on the Head or 
 Crown of it, excepting thofe that are found 
 Ihooting out of two pretty large Knobbs, the 
 higheft whereof is five feet or better below the 
 Head or Crown, and the lower Knobb is fbmc- 
 what above three feet dire6tly underneath it. Out 
 of the higheft Knobb iflues a Bough full as thick 
 as my Wrift, the top of which being cut off^ 
 the remainder bows downwards in fhape of a 
 Bow, till it reaches the lower Knobb, where en- 
 tering a round hole it becomes joined with it 
 and is now all of a piece with it, as well as with 
 the higher Knobb. In flaort, this Afh-tree when 
 it is newly lopped, refembfes in fome meafure a 
 Quart Pot, the bent Bough, as defcribed, ferv- 
 ing aptly enough for the Pot's Handle. The bent 
 Bough has a fmaller Bough, of the thicknefs of 
 my Thumb, growing out of the middle of it, 
 ftrait forward for four Inches in length; and then 
 it rifes diredly upwards. I made what enquiry I 
 could among the Parifliioners, but could get no 
 information of the manner in which the Bough 
 
 arriv- 
 
288 LETTER X. 
 
 .-'arrived at its prefent State. However, my own 
 thoughts upon the manner are; That fome crafty- 
 Fellow did privately (firft of all) cut off a good 
 -part of the Bough, and then (after boring a hole 
 in the lower Knobb) bended down the end till it 
 could reach to enter that fame hole in which it is 
 now fo firmly fixed; or perhaps the Fellow met 
 . with a Hole ready made tO- his Hands, by the 
 dyingof fome Bough^-j and a little affiftance of the 
 Bird.called a Wood-pecker. We have a cheat of 
 ■'..much the fame fort in an Afh-tree, growing in my 
 own Parifli of St.vMzr)', but the Seam where the 
 tvvo Boughs meet, da plainly enough chalk out 
 the contrivance:. In Ihort, they are both idle and 
 -j fcarce worth notice. .j 
 
 -?•::.: J i^;^:Ho we ver, this, puts ime in mind, That 
 ^irrAthirtyi years ago L rode from Oxford, purpofely 
 ::y .to lee ia-very -noted Tfee, commonly known by 
 c.: jtbe ham<^ \6f Gal/ow-^^T'ree, on account of the 
 oddnefs of it's fliape in the lower parts. . Several 
 ,' Authors of unqaeftion^ble credit take notice of 
 it, efpeciaUy Bifhop A^/VZj^i:^y upon whofe Au- 
 thority I depended :for its being curious: How- 
 ever^ as I may in juftice prefume, it Js not uni- 
 . .vcffally heard of by my JEteaders, I crave liberty 
 to defcrlbe it as well as my parts and memory; at 
 this great diftance of time will admit of. It ftands 
 (if yet alive) on a Common, or Wafie Ground on 
 
 the 
 
LETTER X. 289 
 
 the left hand fide, and not far from the Road, 
 about four or five miles before one comes to 
 Reading in Berkpur, being a pretty tall Beach- 
 tree, and (was then) thicker than a Man's Body. 
 It confifls of two Stems that arife out of the 
 ground about three yards afunder diftant from 
 each other, and that approach gradually nearer 
 and nearer to each other, till they are about five 
 yards in height, when they meet clofe together, 
 and fo, being thus united, make but one fingle 
 Stalk of a confiderable length. Between three and 
 four foot beneath the part where they thus unite, 
 there goes a piece of the live Tree, nearly re- 
 fembling a Wooden Bar, almoft ftrait acrofs from 
 one Stem to the other ; and this is what gives it 
 the name of Gallow-Tree. The People there- 
 about could aflign no account how it firft came 
 to grow in that fingular manner : But I am of 
 opinion, that Art might very eafily be afllifting to 
 Nature in the Affair. 
 
 16. I yefterday faw, at my Lord T^rewr'^ Seat, 
 at Bromhaniy a curiofity in Planting, which I had 
 never before met with, tho' I believe it to be no 
 new modern invention; njiz, Milletoe growing 
 upon the main Bodies of feveral White- Thorn, 
 and Apple -Trees ; which was efFedled by the 
 Gardiner, and in this eafy, and indeed natural 
 manner. In the middle of February laft, he rub- 
 
 T bed 
 
290 LETTER X. 
 
 bed the proper places well over with Milletoe 
 Berries, till the Seeds got to fome fmall Cracks 
 or Crevices in the Bark, and^others of them ftuck 
 very faft to even fmooth places of the Bark, by 
 affiftance of the vifcous matter, which grows 
 plentifully all around them, under the white 
 outfide (Lin, and (Bird-lime like) will not quit 
 them, before they have taken fuch good root, as 
 to iiioot out there into fmall Bodies and BrancheSe 
 Every one knows that the Mifletoe Bird, which 
 is of the Thruih kind, plants Mifletoe by carry- 
 ing the Berries to Haw-Thorns, Oaks, Apple- 
 trees, &c, 
 
 ly. I am credibly informed, that about twenty- 
 four years ago, as fome Labourers were at work 
 in a Gravel-pit at GoUinglo??, which was four- 
 teen foot deep, they found an Elephant's Tooth 
 or Tufk, and fome time after fold it to a Gen- 
 tlem^an of Curibridge^ whofe Name is forgot here : 
 Which reminds me, That at Hawnes, my Lord 
 Cart ere fs> Seat, about four miles from hence, 
 I took particular notice of the upper parts of fe- 
 veral large Faces, with monftrous great Horns 
 upon them. They did beyond all queflion for- 
 merly (perhaps many Centuries ago) belong to 
 the Bealls, called in Sweden^ and other Northern 
 Countries, an Elk, and were dug up out of a 
 Morafs or Bog in Ireland, Now I would wil- 
 lingly 
 
LETTER X. 291 
 
 lingly be informed, how thefe Horns came de- 
 pofited there ^ for I do not remember I ever 
 heard, that Elks wer^ Natives of Ireland. I may 
 alfo in reafon afk, how and in what manner 
 the Elephant's Tooth or Tufk could creep four- 
 teen foot deep into the Gravel-pit at Goldington ? 
 Though I dare not prefume myfelf to determine 
 the Cafe, I am fenfible,, that many Perfons in 
 good reputation for judgment will infifl, That 
 they have lien buried ever iince the Univerfal De- 
 luge. Be it fo : I muft, notwithftanding, take 
 liberty to relate the following Paffage, as it real- 
 ly happened, W;^. When I lived at Burgh ^ in the 
 Mar/h, in LincohiJJ:ire , I went in company of 
 fome Neighbours to vifit a Friend about three 
 miles off, upon the edge of the Fenns, and three 
 miles diftant from the Sea-fide. We found him 
 bufily employed in digging for a Well of Water, 
 in order to fix a Pump. The Labourers having 
 got to the depth of twenty-five foot, picked up 
 there an old rufl:y Iron Head of an Arrow, which 
 caufed immediately a fi:urdy quefiion to arife a- 
 niong US; namely, How and in what manner 
 came it thither ? One of our company ventured 
 to make a pretty bold fort of conjedure, viz. 
 That many hundreds of years ago, the place where 
 we then dined might be all Sea, (the Land even 
 at this day gaining ground in fome places and 
 
 T 2 lofeing 
 
292 L E T T E R X. 
 
 lofeing as much in others upon that Coaft) and 
 that a Roman Veffel of War failing along over 
 it, one of the Mariners or Soldiers did by fome 
 accident di^p it over-board ; upon which it of 
 courfe funk to the bottom, where it lay unfought 
 for and unmolefted, till my Friend's Labourers 
 met with it. But alas ! m accident which hap- 
 pened that very afternoon, put an end to the 
 conjedlure, and fcemed to .point out the manner 
 wherein it came thither. The Workmen, in- 
 ftead of digging down flopeways (as they ought 
 to have done,) dug diredtly down in a perpendi- 
 dicular line, which confequently caufed the clayifh 
 Sides to crack and calve in. This calving waS 
 fo very gradual and gentle, that they had all 
 time enough to efcape out fafely ; though the 
 Bucket wherein the Earth was drawn up, (as 
 wqU as part of the Rope tied to it) was buried at 
 the bottom. By this time my Friend v^as grown 
 Aveary of his proje6l, and fo ordered the Hole to 
 be immediately filled up again. Now perhaps, 
 forty or fifty years hence, when this affair is en- 
 tirely forgotten, another Owner of the Place may 
 dig for a Well there ; and when the Bucket 
 and piece of Rope are difcovered, who knows 
 but that, they may be pronounced Roman ^ and as 
 a rare curiofity fent, either to Dr. Woodward'% 
 
 CoL 
 
LETTER X. 2^93 
 
 Colledion, at Cambridge ^ or elfc to \\\q Mufaum 
 j^Jhmolea72um 2it Oxford? 
 
 1 8. I ought (in my Firft Letter) to have in- 
 formed you, that the Clufter of roundifli Shells 
 about as big as my fill, which ^re cemented and 
 grown together, was picked up among the Rocks 
 and Sand ^X, Black Rock Point, that ii'to fay^ 
 about halfway between 'the Pond mA- Charles 
 liown^ at A^mi. They are Barnacle Shells,. and 
 were wafhed off fome Rock in the Sea, and thrown 
 nfhore in a Storm or Hurricane : Th^y ftick fafl: 
 to Ships bottoms too, when they *gPbW' foul, 
 "which they foon do in fultry Latitudes-. A BaV-^ 
 riacle is no other than a Sea Wothi ; and now 
 pray. What became of thefe Black -Rock Sea 
 Worms? Did they perifh as Toon as out of their 
 Element on the dry Shore ? Did they prudential- 
 ly creep back into the Sea, to look out for a new 
 rocky Settlement ? or did they turn into' Qzdk, 
 Ducks, Qfc. and fo mount up into the Air ? I am 
 fatisfied, That all the mofl pofitive llories about 
 the Scotch Barnacles are fabulous ^ for I fee no rea- 
 fon why Scotland fhould be bleffed, above other 
 Countries, with fuch a genial Warmth, as will 
 turn Worms into Geefe, Ducks, ^c. Thefe 
 Geefe may feed on Barnacles in Scotland \ and in 
 this fenfe Barnacles may be faid to turn into 
 Geefe among the Or cades. N, B. That in O^o- 
 
 T 7 her 
 
294 LETTER X. 
 
 ber lyiiy I faw the Ikin of a Soland Goofc fluff- 
 ed, at Don Salter d^ Coffee- Houfe, in Cheljea, 
 it was confiderably lefs than our E?2gliJJj ones, 
 and flat-bodied, not round, to the beft of my re« 
 membrance. 
 
 / am^ Good Sir^ 
 
 Tour ajjiired Friend ^ 
 
 W. Smith. 
 
 LET 
 
295 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 ILaft night tranfcribed, verbatim, the follow-- 
 lowing Article from Ireland, out of the Lo/i-- 
 don Eveni?ig Pojt, viz, " YelT:erday, there being 
 " a Spring- Tide, a vafl army of Porpuffes came 
 " up at Lough Foyl, m purfuit of our Salmon : 
 *' As they rolled by Londonderry, the Sailors pur* 
 " fued them in their Boats, and killing them all 
 the way, drove them fix miles farther up the 
 Lough to the Flatts, about Mount Gavellng ; 
 there a new Chafe began by our Fifliermen and 
 the, Country People, who ftretched a great Net 
 acrofs the Lough, and drove them up to the 
 narrow paffages of the great Ifland, which lies 
 a mile below this Town ; there they all fell 
 on them pell-mell with Guns, Swords, Hatch- 
 ets, and all kinds of Weapons, and made a ter- 
 rible flaughter : There were killed here above 
 an hundred and fixty, befides as many more 
 
 <c 
 
 (C 
 
 cc 
 
 C( 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 " which were mortally wounded, and carried off 
 " by the Flood; including thofe the Londonderry 
 " Men killed, there have at leaft fallen in this bat- 
 '^ tie five hundred PorpuflTes, generally weighing 
 
 T 4 " from 
 
<< 
 cc 
 
 c< 
 
 <€ 
 
 << 
 CC 
 
 CC 
 
 296 LETTER XL 
 
 "from a- thoufand to fifteen hundred Weight, 
 and very good for OyL Some of them were 
 full of Young ones. as big as Calves, and fome 
 had from half a dozen to half a fcore Salmons 
 in their Stomachs : But we hope, That fince 
 thefe grand Devourers are deftroyed, our Fifh- 
 ing Trade will hereafter fiourifh, and we are 
 pretty well repaid by their Oyl, for the Da- 
 mage they have done.'* I could heartily wifh, 
 that the Author of this relation had thoroughly 
 explained himfelf in the above written Words, 
 viz. Some of tke^n were full ofToung ones^ as big 
 as Calves : For I fancy, he would then have af-. 
 ferted (as I do in Letter eight. Paragraph twenty-, 
 fix) That Whales, Sharks, Grampufl^es, Porpufr 
 fes, and other huge Leviathans of the Oc^an, 
 do never Spawn, but that. they propagate ' their 
 feveral Species like Brute Beafl:s of the Field, 
 breeding their Young ones in a regular Matrix. 
 Surely the Surgeons and Apothecaries oi London^ 
 derr\\ are a very incurious fet of People, if they 
 did not regularly open fome few of them, in or- 
 der to oblige the inquifitive part of Mankind 
 with an exad: account of the Matrix^ Ovan'a^ 
 and Fi^fus of the Female, as alfo of the Penis ^ &c. 
 of the Male Porpus. Or, if thefe young Porpufles 
 went into the Maw of the old ones, purely to 
 prey upon fuch Salmons as they found there, (juft 
 as young Sharks do in the f-Fef Lidies) the Au- 
 thor 
 
LETTER XL 297 
 
 thor ought to have informed us of it, if It had 
 come under hiisGognizance. 
 
 2. Now, that all Species of Animals whatever 
 confift of both- Male and Female, is what I fup- 
 pofe no body will "offer to deny, for fear of his 
 Underfl:anding*s being called in queftion ; though 
 their various methods of Copulation, Breedings 
 and Bringing- forth, are not (o perfectly and ea- 
 fily difcovered. But alas! thofe refined Gentle- 
 men who are for carrying this nice Point farther 
 Ml, by infifting that the fame will hold true ' 
 as to the Vegetable Wof Id ^ they are for the 
 moft part, if not always miftaken. Maximilian 
 MifiGn, (in vol. 4. page. 398.) tells us. That he 
 faw ifl the Garden of Simples, at Pifa^ in Italj^ ' 
 a Male and a Female Palm-tree planted together 
 agreeably to the ancient Error of thofe,^^who '^ 
 thought fuch a Marriage was neceffary, : in ordef' '^ 
 to make thofe Trees fruitful. " But this; is ^ '• 
 " meer Fable, (adds he;)> fori obferved a Palm- 
 " tree alone full of Dates, at the Villa Madotne 
 '' on Mount Mario ^ near i?i?w^.'' I have had the " 
 fame truth confirmed to me, by fuch of my Ac- 
 quaintance, as have had the good fortune to make 
 the agreeable Tour of Ital\\ who (with him too) ■■ 
 unanimoufly allow, that they are fcarce enough ^ 
 in Jtal)\ and that they very feldom bear Fruit. 
 Ab, Seller (in chap. 3. of his curious and critical . ; 
 Hiftory of Palmyra) praifes highly the Dates of 
 
 Syria, 
 
298 LETTER XL 
 
 Syria, where they abound ^ and quotes Straho^ 
 who affirms, That the Country about the River 
 Euphrates, produces great quantities of Barley, 
 bat that the want of all other things was fupplied 
 by their Palm-trees ; that That fingle Tree af- 
 forded the Inhabitants both Wine and Vinegar, 
 Honey and Mead ; and out of it they wove their 
 Cloaths : The Shells ferve the Smiths for Fire ; 
 and when you have foaked the Shells in Water^ 
 you may feed your Cattle, your Oxen and Sheep 
 with them : And it is reported, that there is a 
 Perfic Poem, which enumerates three hundred 
 and fixty ufes (one for every day of the old year) 
 of the Palm-tree. In fome places oi Arabia they 
 are perfumed : And thofe in Syria, as they are 
 moft beautiful to the Eye, fo they are of a moft 
 delicious tafte to the Palate. Now, as Ab, Seller 
 was a Perfon of fuch a communicative Nature, 
 as well as great Reading and Curiofity, it would 
 have been wondrous Itrange, if he had believed 
 that (according to Plmy and other miftaken Au- 
 thors) there had been both Male and Female 
 Palm-trees, he fliould not have given us a hint 
 or two of fo fmgular a fad:. In fliort ; I know 
 of no Male Fruit Tree of any kind 5 for in mine, 
 and indeed all other Gardens that I ever vlfited, 
 Apple-trccs, Pear-trees, Orange-trees, Tamarind- 
 trees, Plumb-trees, Apricock-trees, Peach-trees, 
 G?r. do all yield (fome more, fome lefs) their pe- 
 culiar 
 
LETTER XL 299 
 
 culiar Sorts of Fruit -, however, I do not remem- 
 ber one fingle inftance to the contrary, either 
 here at home in England^ or in the Leeward Cha- 
 ribee Iflands : Or fuppofe there to be a few in- 
 ftances to the contrary, Pray what Conclufions 
 can we draw therefrom, to fupport fo grofs an 
 Error ? Surely none at all. 
 
 3. Dr. Pate?2, of Nevis ^ a Perfoii of good 
 Learning, ftrong natural Parts, and untainted 
 Veracity, was brought up at the Univerfity of 
 Aberdeen^ and had (as a Ship Surgeon) made three 
 Voyages to Lidia 3 In one of which they touch-- 
 ed (to the beft of my remembrance) upon the 
 Coajft of Bengal^ where he faw a very extraordi- 
 nary kind of Rarity ; viz, an hidiait Brachman, 
 who by Charm or Enchantment undertook to 
 quell the fierce and favage temper even of Cro- 
 codiles, fo far as to oblige them to come out of 
 the Water quite tame and inoffenfive. He went, 
 in company of fome Sailors, who had been there 
 about two years before, to vifit the old Brach- 
 man at his Hut, which was fituate in a retired 
 lonefome place in the Wild Country, and not far 
 from a Pond, clofe to which he had contrived a 
 Room of Entertainment (of about thirty foot 
 fquare, with Benches in it) by hanging Matting 
 to fome. fpreading Ever-green Trees, that (by a 
 little help from the Sea Breezes) rendered it won- 
 drous cool and refrelliing in fo fultry a Climate. 
 
 After 
 
3o6 LETTER XL 
 
 After a fliort converfatidn had with him, he con- 
 duced them to this plealant (haded Room, " and 
 defired them to fit dowii, and not to flir. Dr. 
 Pate?i fate clofe by the Brachman, who pulled 
 out a Book, and read therein, mumbling to him- 
 felf, the Characflers being all Indian^ and of courfe 
 unknown to niy Friend. He had not long done 
 fo, before iip corhes ia 'Crocodile about three foot 
 in length,' and walked quietly enough till he 
 came up to him, where he flood flill for a while 
 till the India?! Brachman had gently flroaked 
 him, "and then after taking a Tour rbutid the 
 Room, returned back to the Pond. ThelBf^aich- 
 man began to read a fecond time, and quickly 
 after comes up another Crocodile about feveH 
 foot long, which behaved in the fame civil man- 
 ner with the former, before he returned back to 
 the Pond. The Brachman reiad a little the third 
 time, and up comes a third Crocodile, that the 
 Dodtoi* gueffed might be twelve foot long ^ This 
 huge Monfter terrified him heartily, but howe- 
 ver did him lio hurt, excepting a heavy ftroak on 
 the Shins, with his Tail-end, as he turned round 
 to go back again to the Pond. They all imme- 
 diately accompanied the o\A Indian back to his 
 Hut ; where he gave them fome Fruit to carry 
 with them on board the Ship, and for which (as 
 well as for his Conjuring) they made him a fmall 
 Prefent. The Doctor was glad enough that he 
 
 got 
 
LETTER XL 301 
 
 got fb fafely off then ; but could never be pre- 
 vailed on, to venture on another fuch curious 
 Vifit. The Sailors, are a very fuperftitious fet of 
 People ; for thefe were firmly perfuaded, that 
 the Bracbman performed this Feat by dint of 
 pure Charm or Enchantment. But alas! it is 
 eafily , accounted . for in the follovv^ing manner, 
 without recourfe to Conjuration, 'viz. He had 
 catched them on the Bank of fpme River, when 
 they were very young, carried them Home 
 to the Pond- fide in his Room, fed them at cer- 
 tain partkular times in the day, fuffered them by 
 degrees to accuftom themfelves to the Pond, out 
 of which they foon naturally came up at the 
 ufually hour of being fed. And this pretty plainly 
 ihows itfelf ; For the old Brachman would be 
 ^ke :j*vith but at one certain Hour of the Day. 
 In fhort ; all Animals whatever may be tamed, 
 provided they are catched whilft young enough 
 for^that purpofe, agreeably to the Words of St. 
 ^aynes^ (chap. 3 . ver. 7.) For every kind ofBeaJls^ 
 (pid of Birds ^ and of Serpents^ and things in the 
 the Sea^ is tamed ^ and hath been tamed of Man- 
 kind, 
 
 . 4. The Brachman was artful enough, though 
 (I think) his Skill was far fliort of our Country- 
 man's at Brijiol^ who (no longer ago than in the 
 year 171 9 or 1720,) taught a Dog to fpeak as 
 articulately as Men ufually do. There are (no 
 
 doubt) 
 
302 LETTER XL 
 
 doubt) many thoufands now alive, who were 
 Eye-witneffes to the fad: : I have difcourfed with 
 at leaft twenty of them (Perfons of good credit) 
 and they all agree in every particular circumftance. 
 Nay, I have an intimate Acquaintance, who laft 
 year went to Brif.ol on purpofe to drink the 
 Waters, and enquired after the Dog, which has 
 been dead fome years ; However, the People 
 fatisfied him of the Truth of this Relation. The 
 Dog's Name was Fox^ and what is pretty re- 
 markable, he refembled a Fox both in fhape and 
 colour. When his Mafter firft began to teach 
 him, he was forced to put his Fingers to the 
 Dog's Wind-Pipe till he half throtled him, and 
 alfo beat him. But as Fox learned his Leflbns, 
 thefe were by degrees left off, till at laft he fpoke 
 articulately v/ithout fuch cruel ufage: However, 
 I muft take notice, That he could never utter a 
 Word without previoufly faying the Letter O; 
 For inftance. If his Mafter afked him a Queftion, 
 which obliged him to pronounce ih^wovAJudge 
 by way of anfvver, then the Dog would imme- 
 diately fay, O Judge, Judge, J^^dge. He was 
 expert in fpeaking feveral other fuch fliort things 
 which have nov/ ilipped my memory. But had 
 the Brijlol Man lived in the darkeft times of Po- 
 pery, and taught Fox in private, perhaps both 
 Mafter and Dog might have been publickly burnt 
 for Diabolical Practices. Or had they even ven- 
 tured 
 
LETTER XL 303 
 
 tured to play their Tricks within the Liberties of 
 the good City of London^ I fuppofe fome wife 
 Grand Jury of MiddlcfeXy in thofe loyal times, 
 would have zealoufly prefented to the Court the 
 aforefaid Mafter, as one who being moved by the 
 Malice and Inftigation of the Devil, did excite 
 and caufe the faid Dog Fox^ to utter frequently 
 (in all forts of Company) certain Seditious and 
 Traiterous Words, tending to excite his Majefly's 
 Leige Subjects to Rebellion, in order to fabvert 
 our prefent happy Eftablifhment. I many years 
 ago read a Treatife that was intended to prove 
 the Rationality of Brutes, done by Monfieur 
 Charron^ who takes great pains, and indeed quotes 
 many grave Authors, in order to prove his affer- 
 tion. We all know what furprizing things have 
 been eiFedled by Elephants, Horfes, and Dogs, 
 who are trained up with that defign : And for 
 my own part, I am perfuaded that they all have 
 an inferior fort of Reafon, to which you are at 
 hberty to appropriate the plaufible Title of In- 
 ftinft, or any other fuch kind of Name as is now 
 in vogue with the Learned World. 
 
 5. I fliould have informed you, in Letter the 
 2^ Paragraph the 2(f\ that the Spoon- Bill is a 
 very large dunnifh coloured Bird, and is fo called 
 becaufe its Bill refembles a Spoon; that Noddies 
 too are as large, and much of the fame Colour ; 
 that Boobies alfo are large as well as of a dunnifh 
 
 Colour -y 
 
304 LETTER XL 
 
 Colour ; and that, if one of thefe laft alights (as 
 they now and then do) upon a Ship's Yard- Arm, 
 it will ftand there till a Sailor can climb up and 
 catch it with his hands, it all the while pecking 
 and fcreaming out, but not offering to fly away, 
 which defervedly gained for it the name of Booby. 
 We have a fmall rocky Iiland between the Wind- 
 ward part of Nevis^ and the Windward part of 
 St. Cbrijlopher's, called Booby Ifland, from their 
 building Nefls upon it. TV". B. I was never very 
 clofe to any of thefe Birds. The Women oi An- 
 giiilla (an inconfiderable Ifland, fcarce a Day's 
 Sail Leeward from Nevis) do cufl:omarily go 
 once a year to another lefs and barren Ifland, 
 (called Prickle Pear^ becaufe nothing elfe will 
 grow thereon,) in order to ftrip the Birds of their 
 Feathers, which poor Creatures are fo Ample as 
 to fuffer the Women to knock them down with 
 Sticks as they fly about : It is fomewhat fl:range, 
 that repeated experience does not teach them wit 
 enough to keep farther off from fuch dangerous 
 Enemies. I twice failed along clofe by this Ifland, 
 in both of which times I faw vafl: numbers of 
 thefe Birds (that were feemingly bigger than 
 Pigeons) hovering about it ; I do not remember 
 their Name. None of the above-mentioned kinds 
 of Birds are eatable. N. B, Ajiguilla is fo called, 
 becaufe it is a long narrow Ifland, refembling 
 the form of a Snake. 
 
 6. About 
 
LETTER XI. ^505 
 
 6. About two months before T left' the JVeJi- 
 
 Lidies^ I took a little trip up to Antigua^ which 
 
 ' is a fine liland, though it has not one fingle 
 
 Spring of Water in it: Arid as it was in a time 
 
 of great drovv^th, the whole fice of the Country 
 
 looked diffnally enough. All their Ponds were 
 
 - then quite dry, and their Cifterns almoft empty; 
 
 ' ' fo that they were obliged to fetch their frefli Wa- 
 
 '■ ter from GiiardahupCy a Frejich Ifland, and Mont^ 
 
 \ ferrate an EngUJJj one, which was afterwards fold 
 
 • for Eighteen Pence a Pail- full. The Capital is 
 called St. yohns^ a'nd^is by-far the 'mbft regular 
 Town I law in the Wq^ I^idies^ 'clofe to the 
 lloufes wliereof is the beft and moil commo- 
 
 • dious Harbour, belonging to our EngUJlo Lee- 
 ward I Hands : They were then building a llately 
 Church, which I fince hear is completely finiih- 
 ed • and I am falisSed is the finefl Building of the 
 kind by much, we have under the Government. 
 
 ■•' Aild as for the Inhabitants, they (like our other 
 
 '^ Settlemchts) were femiarkable for Hofpitality and 
 
 • Civility to Strangers. Their Produce is the fame 
 
 with 'that of Nrols : But^ as they want a great 
 
 ' Mountain, they can have no Afparagus, very 
 
 few Cucumbers, and not fo much plenty of 
 
 Garden- growth in other kinds. I was lately af- 
 
 fured by an Antigua Gentleman, That they have 
 
 very fine Prawns,- a Fifli not met with at Nevis, 
 
 U He 
 
3q6 L E T T E R XI. 
 
 He alfo told me, that they eat with fingular 
 pleafure a foiall Land-Crab, the Shell of whofe 
 Body is not broader than a Crown Piece, and 
 which is entirely negledled at Nevis, becaufe we 
 have great plenty of the larger fort. At Nevis. 
 we have fome diminutive Soal-Fiflies which talle 
 exadlly like Englijh ones. The be ft profpe6l of 
 Antigua, is from a Hill in the middle almoft 
 of the Country. 
 
 7. In my return back homewards to Nevis^ 
 we called in at Montferrat, where too the Gen- 
 tlemen delight to fignalize themfelves in Hof- 
 pitality, and all A(!ls of Kindnefs and Good Na- 
 ture. The Country is mountainous; and one 
 third of the People Papifts, who are notwith- 
 ftanding allowed to bear xArms, ferve upon Juries, 
 and to do their Country's fervice in all other re- 
 fpeds the fame with the Proteftants. You can- 
 not in reafon expedt a fuller account of thefe two 
 Ifles, my flay at them being fo fliort as ten or 
 twelve days at the firft, and at the latter no 
 more than two. Montferrat on the Leeward or 
 Weftern Side, muft needs afford a fair Prolpecl 
 after a plentiful Shower of Rain, it being much 
 hio;her Land than Antinia, 
 
 8. Between Montferrat and Nevis, we paffed 
 by a fmall rocky Lie named Rodondo^ which has 
 
 no 
 
LETTER XL 307 
 
 no other Inhabitants befides a few Goats. The 
 Ifland St, Bartholomew^ is fettled by us Engliflo^ 
 but is not confiderable, except for Lignum Vitse 
 and Iron Wood. The Dutch Ifland of Eufiachia^ 
 being wondrous regularly marked out into Sugar 
 Cane Fields, looked delightfully as I failed along 
 by it in 171 8 : But the Small Pox being very 
 rife there then, and fome of our Company hav- 
 ing never been vifited with that Sicknefs, which 
 is always reckoned to be vaftly dangerous to 
 Life in fo hot a Clime, we durft not venture to 
 go on fliore, to my fmgular regret. Saha is ano- 
 ther Dutch Ifland but a little way from it : It is 
 a monftroufly great, fteep, and high Rock, 
 iprinkled over with a thin Coat of Earth on the 
 top, and inhabited by fifty or fixty Families : No 
 more than one Perfon at a time can climb up to 
 it, and that with difficulty enough, as well as 
 but at one place, fo that it is abfolutely impreg- 
 nable to all Enemies. Curracm too, is a Dutch 
 Ifland of good note for Trade, and well fortified; 
 its fituation is about two day's fail to the Leeward 
 o^Nevis^ but I was never at it. The Ifland of 
 Nevis is of a round figure ; and St. Chrijiopher's 
 is not unlike Ital)\ i. e. its Shape is much in the 
 form of a Man's Leg. 
 
 9. I forgot to acquaint you, That in a bright 
 and clear Day, we can from Nevis very diftind:- 
 
 V z ly 
 
3o8 LETTER XL 
 
 ly perceive the feveral Iflands of Eujlachta, Saba^ 
 St. Bartholomew^ Antigua^ Giiardaloiipe^ Montfer" 
 rat^ Rodondo^ and St. Chrijlopber'%^ with an un- 
 bounded Profpedl (on all fides) of the Atlantick 
 Ocean. When I took leave of it on my return 
 Hon^.e to my Native Country, fome refrefhing 
 Rains had made the whole face of the Earth 
 look fo verdant and fmiling, that no other part 
 of the Globe which I have as yet feen, could af- 
 ford a richer gratification of its kind, than was 
 that Quarter of our Ifland which we beheld from 
 on board our Ship in the Bay. For Charles Town 
 lies ftretched out along the bottom of the Bay^ 
 clofe to the Sea-fide. Above it, upon the rifing 
 grounds, and alfo on both fides of it for about 
 four or five Miles in the whole breadth, were 
 fine Plantations of Green Sagar-Canes, Orchards 
 of Orange-Trees, as big as our Englijh Apple- 
 Trees, &c. Higher ftill, were innumerable tall 
 Trees (or Woods confiding of Palmetto and other 
 charming Ever-Greens) in the utmoft perfedion. 
 Higheft of all, up fprung the verdurous Moun- 
 tiiin-top, not unlike a thick Sugar-loaf. And not 
 far fromi it, on the South-fide, flood Saddle Hill : 
 A Hill we term it, tho' here' it might well pafs for 
 a Mountain. A delightful, lovely fight indeed ! 
 efpecially to me, who had received fo many Civili- 
 ties from almofl: every Gentleman dwelling there. 
 An eafy Gale of Wind from the Eafl:, wafted us 
 
 fmoothly 
 
LETTER XL 309 
 
 fmoothly out of the Bay into the wide Ocean : 
 But I kept my Eyes fixed upon the dear Coun- 
 try, till Night fpread out her fable Curtains, 
 and hid it for ever from me. I then fighed, 
 dropt a few tears, and faid. Farewell, happy IJle ! 
 N. B. As the Holes under our Sugar-Coppers are 
 all on the Weftern-fide of our Boyling-houfes, 
 To during Crop-time when they have a fire in 
 them, they muft of courfe caft a dazling fliow 
 in the Night, towards the Bay. It is an obfer- 
 vation of all Perfons who fail from Antigua to 
 Nevis, That when they get as far as the fmall 
 rocky Ifland of Rodondo, they are moft highly 
 gratified with a charming Profped: of that quarter 
 of Nevis called Gingerland, it being the Eaftern 
 Pariih of the Country, and of courfe, not to be 
 feen at all from the Bay at Charles Town. V/iiid- 
 iioard Pariih too exhibits a moft beautiful Land- 
 fkip to fuch as fail by on that fide of the llland. 
 I often thought it a thoufand pities, that Pepper, 
 Clove, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg-Trees, were not 
 long ago tranfplantcd from the Eajl-Indies, to the 
 Leeward IJlands', for then England might have 
 been fupplied with thofe Spices at a far cheaper 
 rate, than by purchafing them of the Dutch, I 
 fhould imagine it no difficult talk, to fend three 
 or four Ships very privately to India for that pur- 
 pofe, viz, to bring away large quantities of their 
 
 u ^ feveral 
 
310 LETTER XL 
 
 feveral Fruits ripe, which would of courfe be fit 
 to be put in the Ground, when they arrive at 
 the Weji-Indies^ as likewife as many of the fmalleft 
 young Trees, with the Earth about them, as 
 the Ships could find room for, in Boxes. And 
 for the farther encouragement of Publick Spirit j 
 let us remember, that Coffee does now thrive 
 pretty well in the fVeJi-IfidieSy though formerly 
 the Planters knew nothing of it, and that it would 
 moreover prove a moil advantageous Voyage, be- 
 caufe the Weft-India Gentleman would flick at 
 no price in purchafing them. The Dutch would 
 (no doubt) try all methods to prevent fuch a pro- 
 jed: from fucceeding j but there are other Iflands 
 befides their Settlements, where they might be 
 had eflfedtually, if the Expedition was kept a fe- 
 cret for fome time: For inllance. Nutmegs might 
 be had at Boutoriy where they grow. One Mr. 
 Powers^ (a Cantabrigian) who was a Predeceflbr 
 of mine, in the Reftory of St. Johns at Nevis^ 
 wrote a Po'em called, T'he Sugar-Cane^ which 
 was looked upon there as a curious Work, and 
 as fuch (after his death) fent home hither to his 
 Relations: But I believe it was never printed, for 
 at my return to England ^ I made a particular en- 
 quiry after it of Mr. Rivington^ by St. Paul's 
 Church-yard, and of many other London Book- 
 fellers, but in vain. However, the Subjed: was 
 
 a Field 
 
LETTER XI. 3 1 T 
 
 a Field noble enough for the iineft of Poets to 
 expatiate upon. 
 
 lo. I cannot fay, That I am well fatisfied, 
 with either the Ptolemaic or Copernican Syftem : 
 And as for 'Tycho Brahe ; far better Judges than 
 myfelf are of opinion, that unfurmountable Diffi- 
 culties may be eafily raifed againll his Hypothefis, 
 though he is fo prefumptuous as to aim at ac^ 
 counting for the Errors of both the others. I find 
 no fmall fault with every one of the Theories of 
 the Earth, that I have as yet feen, though I pro- 
 fefs myfelf very far from being duly qualified to 
 corredl thofe Faults. And upon the whole, I 
 think I do efpy a moft fuperlative Pride in all 
 Authors, who attempt to unwind that myflerious 
 Clew of Divine Providence, which perhaps no- 
 thing lefs than InfiniteWifdom (its firft Contriver) 
 is able to comprehend. In fine -, wonderful are 
 all the Councils and Ways of the Ever-glorious 
 God, Omnipotent, and All- wife ! Foolifh are the 
 fubtilcil Machinations, and the cunningeft De- 
 vices of poor mortal Man's projefting Heart ! 
 However -, fince they do not injure my Faith as 
 a found Chriflian, I nov/ and then take a little 
 pleafure by infpedling into, and examining their 
 fhallow Depths as far as my fhort line of Under- 
 ftanding will poffibly reach. But itill, I am fo 
 
 u 4 cautious. 
 
312 LETTER X.. 
 
 cautious, as to referve to myfelf full liberty either to 
 admit of, or to rek^ all, or any of their Works, 
 though offered to publick view, and patronized 
 by Perfons the mod eminent for Learning and 
 Natural Parts ; ever bearing in mind the Angej 
 Raphaeh Anfwer to Adam^ our general Sire, 
 when he earneflly expreiled his longing to be in- 
 formed of fuch high, abflrufe Matters ; Milton^ 
 bpok 8. line 66, 
 
 ^0 ajk or fear ch I blame thee not^ for Heanfjt 
 Is as the Book of God before thee fet^ 
 Wherein to read his wondWous Works ^ and learn 
 HisSeafons^ Hours^ or Days ^ or Months^ or Tears: 
 'This to attain^ whether Heavn move or Earthy 
 Imports not^ if thou reckofi rights the reji 
 From Man or Angel the great Architect 
 Did wifly to conceal^ and not dividge 
 His Secrets^ to be fcann'd by them who ought 
 Rather admire ; or if they lift to try 
 ConjeBure, He his Fabrick of the Heavns 
 Hath left to their difputes^ perhaps to move 
 His laughter at their quaint opifiions wide^ 
 Hereafter^ when they come to model Heav*n 
 And calculate the Stars ^ how they will wield 
 T'he mighty Fra?ne^ how build, unbuild^ contrive 
 TJ? fave appearances^ how gird the Sphere 
 With Ce?2tric and Eccentric fcri bled o'er ^ 
 
 Cycle 
 
LETTER XL 313 
 
 Cycle and Epicycle^ Orb in Orb : 
 Already by thy reajoning this I guefs^ 
 Who art to lead thy Offsprings and fuppofejl 
 T'hat Bodies bright and greater JJ:ould ?iot ferve 
 The lejs not bright ^ nor Heaifnfuchjournies ruri^ 
 Earth Jitting ftill, when Jhe alofie receives 
 Tihe benefit : confJer firft ^ that Great 
 Or Bright infers not Excellence : T'he Earth 
 '7'hough, in comparifon of Heaven ^ fo fmall^ 
 Nor gliflering may offolid Good contain 
 More plenty than the Sun that barren Jhines^ 
 Whofe virtue on itfelf works 7io effedt^ 
 But in the fruitful Earth -, there fir jl received 
 His beams s unaBive elfe^ thetr vigour find, 
 Tet not to Earth are thofe bright Luminaries 
 Officious s but to thee Earth's inhabitant. 
 And for the Heaven's wide circuity let it fpeak 
 The Maker s high Magnificence^ who built 
 So fpacious^ and his line fir etch' d out fofar^ 
 T'hat Man may know he dwells not in his own 3 
 An Edifice too large for him to filly 
 Lodgd in a fmall partition ^ and the refi 
 Ordain d for ufes to his Lord befi known* 
 The fwiftnefs of thofe Circles attribute^ 
 Though numberlefsy to his Omnipotence 
 That to corporeal Subfiances could add 
 Speed almofi fpiritual ; me thou thinkfi Jiotfiow^ 
 Whofince the Morning hour fet out from Heaven 
 
 Where 
 
314 LETTER XI. 
 
 Where God refides^ and eer mid-day arrrSd 
 In Eden, dijlance inexprejjihle 
 By numbers that have name. But this I urge^ 
 Admitting motion in the HeavnSy tojhew 
 Invalid that which thee to doubt it mov'd i 
 JSfot that Ifo afirm^ though fo itfeem 
 ^0 thee who hafl thy dwelling here o?i Earth, 
 God to remove his ways from human fenfe^ 
 Blac* dHeavenfrom Earth fofar^ that earthly fight 
 If it pre fume ^ might err in things too high^ 
 And no advantage gain. What if the Sun 
 Be Center to the World, and other Stars 
 By his attraElive Virtue and their own 
 Invited, dance about him various rounds ? 
 ^heir wandering courfe now high, now low, theji hid^ 
 ProgreJJive, Retrograde, or ftanding ftill. 
 Infix thoufeefi y and what if fev^nth to thefe 
 ^he Planet Earth, foftedfafi though fie feem^ 
 Infenfibly three different motiojis move? 
 Which elfe tofeveral Spheres thou mujt afcribe 
 Movd contrary with thwart obliquities, 
 Orfave the Sun his labour, and that fwift 
 ISJodiurnal and diurnal Rhomb fuppos'd, 
 Invifible elfe above all Stars, the wheel 
 Of Day and Night -, which needs not thy belief. 
 If Earth indufirious of herfelf fetch Day 
 travelling Eajl, and with her part averfe 
 From the Sun's beam meet Nighty her other part 
 . ^ Still 
 
LETTER XL 315 
 
 Still luminous by his Ray. What if that light 
 Sent from her through the "wide tranfpicuoiis Air^ 
 2l? the T'errejlrial Moon be as a Star 
 Enlighfning her by day, as fie by night 
 T'his Earth ; reciprocal, if Land be there. 
 Fields, and Inhabitants : Her Spots thou fee [i 
 As Clouds, and Clouds may rain, and rain produce 
 Fruits in her f of ten' d Soil, for fome to eat 
 Allotted there -, and other Suns, perhaps 
 With their attendant Moons thou wilt defcry 
 Communicating Male and Female 'Light, 
 Which two great Sexes animate the World, 
 Stored in each orb perhaps with thofe that live. 
 Forjuch vafl room in Nature unpoffefsd 
 By living Soul, defert and deflate. 
 Only tojhine, yet fear ce to contribute 
 Each Orb a glimps of Light, convey dfo far 
 Down to this habitable, which returns 
 Light back to them, is obvious to difpute. 
 But whether thus thefe things, or whether mt^ 
 Whether the Sun predominafit in Heav'*n 
 Rife on the Earth, or Earth rife on the Sun 
 He from the Eafi his faming road begin. 
 Or foe from Wejl her f lent courfe advance 
 With inoffenfive pace that fpinning feeps 
 On herfoft Axle, while fie paces ev'n 
 And bears thee foft with the fmooth Air alofig^ 
 Sollicit not thy Thoughts with matter hid^ 
 
 Leave 
 
3i6 LETTER XI. 
 
 Leave them to God above ^ him ferve and fear j 
 Of other Creatures, as him pleafes beji. 
 Wherever plac d, let him difpofe: joy thou 
 In 'what he gives to thee, this Paradife 
 And thy fair Eve ; Heavn is for thee too high 
 For thee to know what pajfes there ; be lowly wife: 
 T^hink ofily what concerns thee and thy Being -, 
 Dream not of other Worlds, what Creatures there 
 hive, in what fate, condition or degree 
 Contented that thus far hath been revealed 
 Not of Earth only but of higheji Heavn. 
 
 I cannot help taking particular notice of the eight 
 laft lines of our great blind Poet, and find in me 
 a ready difpofition, to cry out with Xophar, {Job 
 II. 7.) Caftf thou by fe arching find out God'? 
 Canjl thou find out the Almighty unto perfeBion ? 
 It is as high as Heaven, what canfi thou do? 
 Deeper than Hell, what canfi thou know? I'he 
 meafure thereof is longer than the Earth, and 
 broader than the Sea. And alas! Notwithftand- 
 ing fuch a powerful difcouragement, vain Man 
 covets at leaft to be thought wife. In plain ; Hu - 
 mility is an excellent Virtue, and yet we are all 
 proud enough : Nay, there may be, and indeed 
 often is a great deal of fecret Pride, in the very 
 faireft pretences to Humility. I fliall finifii this 
 
 Article 
 
LETTER XL ^xj 
 
 Article with obferving, That nothing does more 
 ealily puiF up our empty bladder of vanity, than 
 weak Human Literature : Nay, fometimes a poor 
 pittance, or even pretended fhare of it, will fuf- 
 fice for that purpofe, though at the fame time it 
 is well known, that the wifeft Solomon of our 
 Age, cannot affign a tolerable Reafon, why Grafs 
 fhould be green, or why Flowers fhould be va- 
 riegated into fo many beautiful, enamelled Co- 
 lours. 
 
 1 1 . My dear Friend, Farewell ! And I wlih 
 I could for ever bid adieu to this bewitching fm 
 of Pride, that haunts me like an Evil Genius : 
 But that (I fear) is much too difficult a talk for 
 mc to overcome ; for yefterday morning, it would 
 fain have tempted me to begin another Letter ; 
 and it certainly would have fucceeded, had not a 
 Verfe in the firll LejfTon for Evening Service de- 
 termined me to the contrary, viz, Ecclefiajles xii. 
 12. Of making many Books there is no end^ and 
 much Study is a wearinefs of the Flejh, I fhould 
 not be eafily tired by continuing longer in this 
 Epiftolatcry way of Correfpondence ; but am 
 fully convinced, that my Faculty of Writing 
 on, would not foon terminate, becaufe a Perfon 
 whofe Talent lies in this Vein, has an inexhaulli- 
 
 blc 
 
3i8 LETTER XL 
 
 ble Fund to work upon, which in the end muft 
 however quite weary him out. I am fufB- 
 ciently admoniflied to conclude by fubfcribing 
 myielf/ 
 
 Toiirfmcere Friend^ 
 
 W. Smith. 
 
 INDEX. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 A» Page 
 
 jiLLIGA'TORS 235 
 
 -^-^ Angling in Black-^Rock Pond id 
 
 Anguilla IJland — 304 
 
 Antigua IJland —— 305 
 
 Ants " 204 
 
 Apples of Sodom " ■ " 28 
 
 Arrow-head under ground ' ' 2 9 
 
 AJbeJios no 
 
 Afparagus " >i*^ »mm>' ■ jgz 
 
 B. 
 
 Barnacles ■ '" ■■■' ' " ' ' ■ ' * 30 
 
 Bartholomew IJland 8 
 
 Bath at Nevis ^^ 
 
 Bath-Plain Plantation ■ 87 
 
 Batts *• ^1 
 
 Beef^ Muttony &c. 209, 210 
 
 Bees^ wild 191 
 
 Birds 51 
 
 J^/V. — 303 
 
 Bonny Boatman __ j^o 
 
 Bull-Dogs • 217 
 
 C. 
 
 Cabage-'Trees ^ — - ' " 252 
 
 Ibid. ' 7 — ■— — 43 
 
 Cape 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Calenture — — ■ 1 8 8 
 
 CallebaJJj Threes ■ 33 
 
 Cape de Verd IJlands 2 0() 
 
 Cajjada Bread -' loi 
 
 CaJJia Fijiida T'ree 26 
 
 Catara5i — ~ 142 
 
 Cdvally FiJJj 2 
 
 Cedar 'white 203 
 
 Centipee 97 
 
 Cherrokee-Indians 72 
 
 Cherry^ CaJJjew 3 o 
 
 Chianne 32 
 
 Chigoes 99 
 
 China, Great Wall of- ly ^ 
 
 Chrijlal 183 
 
 Ibid, — — '^8 
 
 Chrijlopher I [land 22 
 
 Citrons 237 
 
 Cock Roach 196 
 
 Cockle Shells' — ^ 2, 9 
 
 Cocks ^ Gajne 217 
 
 Coco • 45 
 
 Cocoa -—-.—.. 46 
 
 Copenhagen ^ 135 
 
 Copernicus, Ftolomy, T'ycho Brahe 3 1 1 
 
 Coppers, the Devil's 48 
 
 Coral — ^ ■ — ■ 1 6 
 
 Cormia Amrnonis — — -— ~ 20 
 
 Cotton — — -~ — 2 3 
 
 Crabs on hand — - — ~ —_ 16 
 
 Ibid. 2 1 o 
 
 Cray-fijljcs at Chianne 1 7 
 
 Crebouga 
 
1 N D E X. 
 
 Page 
 
 Crebouga " " ' 2 3 2 
 
 Crocodiles^ Tame 2 9 9 
 
 Cronjlot Caftle . 1 4^ 
 
 Cucumbers prickly 20S 
 
 Curracoa I/land ■ — -. 81 
 
 D. 
 
 JDecyphering • ^ ^ ^ 253^ 
 
 Dendrites 16 1 
 
 Diddledbo Trees ■ ■ — 19 j 
 
 Divers of Weymouth ij 
 
 Dog [peaking ^3 1 2 
 
 Dog-wood Bark ■ • ■ 3 
 
 Dolphin ' 18 
 
 Ibtd^ ^ 2 1 6' 
 
 Doves ^ Ground ibid, 
 
 Dropjy . 6S' 
 
 Ducks ^ Mungrel , , ■ i.(^> 
 
 Earthquakes at Nevis 59, 6o,,6i.„62,.63, 
 
 Bde 2 5.0 
 
 Fiel^ coldy at Surinam 100 
 
 Elephants Tooth at Goldington 209 
 
 Elks Horns ^ ^^Hawnes- 290 
 
 Elfmeur in Denmark 134 
 
 ^i\^^nA^ formerly joined to France • 66* 
 
 Exiftachia i^^/^- (yyr 
 
 PL 
 
 ire^ 
 
INDEX. 
 
 F. 
 
 Fire^ Greek — — ~ 278 
 
 Fijhes in Black-Rock Pond •. 59 
 
 Fijhes^ Flying ' 186 
 
 Fijhes, Sea 3 
 
 Fijhes, Golden 201 
 
 Fijh, Hunting 3 
 
 Flamingo Bird 236 
 
 Frogs 2 44 
 
 Fruits 67, 70 
 
 Ibid. ' 29 
 
 G. 
 
 Garden in the Woods 29, 32 
 
 Garden, Produce — — 37 
 
 Geefe, Ducks, &c, ■ 221 
 
 Ginger ' 2 o 6 
 
 Grampus 198 
 
 Ground, hot at Sulphur Gut 55 
 
 Guanas ^ — - — » 8^ 
 
 Gulph Weed 1 8 7 
 
 Gumn Alymnce --—^ 25 
 
 H. 
 
 Hecla, a Vulcano 128 
 
 Heat at Nevis 239 
 
 Hejperides — : -207 
 
 Humming Birds ' — 1 94 
 
 Hurricane .. 240 
 
 Januarius 
 
INDEX. 
 J. 
 
 Januarius Saint, his Blood . -284 
 
 Jeffamine- ■ . , . 203 
 
 Indico ■ ' — 206 
 
 L. 
 
 Ladies Jkin their Faces .. .- ^ ^q 
 
 Library at Charles ^own-^ ~ 217 
 
 Lightning without "Thunder — iqq 
 
 Liquorijh Bujh—^— ^^^ 
 
 Lizards. .„,.. ■ — ■ , ^^ 
 
 Lizards T! ail cut off\ grows again • 180 
 
 LobJierSy poijonous' " ^ ^ — ■ . 1 j j 
 
 Maelr-Jiroom . - . :,,._,,_.„. .; ;- - r — ■ ■ in 2 
 
 Manchineel Apple -Tree w. ^-». 2 r 
 
 Manchineel Sticky turns Milk — 244 
 
 Miflbn, upon Shells — _j62 
 
 Mijletoe —- r-— — 2 8q. 
 
 Montferrat IJland ^ -, w 
 
 Moon Fijh — '.";;.^ -^ 
 
 Mountain at Nevis ^ 6^ 
 
 at St* Chriflopher's- 22 
 
 Mud FiJh — -— .. . 
 
 Mulatto Child'-- ___ 
 
 Mullefs Fat ^- . 
 
 3 
 
 231 
 
 219 
 
 Mufick in a Garden 29 
 
 -^— - — of Lizards ---^ — . go 
 
 X 2 Nankin 
 
I N D E X. 
 
 N. 
 
 Page 
 
 Nankin Porcelain Tower 17 j 
 
 Narva — '^ 13^ 
 
 Negroes — —" 2 2 5 
 
 Nevis, why the Mother IJland — 223 
 
 Nevis, PrQfpeB^ -^— 308 
 
 O. 
 
 Oyjiers^ upon Mangrove-tree Roots 21Q 
 
 P. 
 
 Pagod ■ ■ — — 177 
 
 Palm-l'ree- — ■ 297 
 
 Parrots — 237 
 
 Patella Shells . ^ 
 
 Pelican - — ig^ 
 
 pigeons ■■ 5 1 
 
 Piemento ' -^— _ 2 5 
 
 pinna Mari?ia ■ 236 
 
 Polypus^' an Aquatick InfeB 179 
 
 Porpujfes — 1 85 
 
 Ibid, — 295 
 
 Port'Royaly an Earthquake there 62 
 
 Prawns — ^ — _, 6 6 6 
 
 Prefentation and Sallary at Nevis a 13, 214 
 
 R. 
 
 Rats eaten at Jamaica 209 
 
 Redondo 3 o 6 
 
 Revel 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Revel T'own- 
 "Rum 
 
 Page 
 
 148 
 238 
 
 S. 
 
 ^, 
 
 Saba IJland 
 Sage BuJIj - 
 Salt Pond- 
 Scorpions — 
 Sea Blue — 
 Sea Eggs — 
 Sea Horfe — 
 Shark Fijh^ 
 Ibid, 
 
 Sheer-water Bird 
 
 Shelvock's Letter^ &c, *^ 
 Siie, in the Weft- Indies- 
 Sloan'^ Account of Nevis 
 SoaUFiJh 
 
 "f*«* 
 
 Solomon 'i Cijierm 
 Spices tranfplanted ' 
 Spiders 
 
 Spiders at Cuba- 
 Sprats 
 
 Spri?2g perpetual- 
 
 Spring in the Sea^ Hot 
 Spring at Louth 
 
 ' — ■ ci ^rri 
 
 Stones in an Oxe's Paimch 
 
 Stones grow 
 
 Ibid ' .- 
 
 Stones, with oddjhapes, colours, &cr 
 Stones by Petrification ' ■ 1 > 
 Horfe' s Kidney petrified 
 
 -307 
 
 - 192 
 
 - 88 
 
 - 97 
 
 - i I 
 
 -i8i 
 -152 
 
 -i8i 
 =-205 
 -245 
 
 - ia 
 -218 
 -306 
 -168 
 
 -309 
 -204 
 
 -235 
 -196 
 
 -242 
 
 - 1% 
 -17^ 
 -i6r 
 
 -246 
 -160 
 -168 
 
 — 170 
 Stones^ 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Stones^ Artificial _^___ j ^ j 
 
 T^ablel of Artificial Stone 1 73 
 
 Storks — -— 1 40 
 
 Sugar-Canes — ■ — -222 
 
 Sword Fijh ^ — "^9^ 
 
 tamarind ^ree — — ^ * — ■ ■' 194 
 
 ^arantulce in Italy —102 
 
 at Cuba 234 
 
 lihrajloer Fijh ■ 198 
 
 Tide at Nevis ■ 246 
 
 Ibid, 1 50 
 
 Toad^ hairy 235 
 
 Toad alive in Portland Stone 156 
 
 Tcrtoife^ Sea 197 
 
 Tree^ Gallow -288 
 
 Tropick Bird ^^245 
 
 Ttirky Capojts——^ ^ 221 
 
 Tu7'nado « ' — 189 
 
 Ibid, — 202 
 
 V. 
 
 Vegetable^ Jtrange 203 
 
 Vincent St. a Mountain blown up-^--^ ^^ — - bo 
 
 W. 
 
 JVater Spouts ^ 1 8 9 
 
 Ibid. 244 
 
 Whale 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Whale — — ^ ^. jQ 
 
 Whirlwind at Land .- jQ 
 
 Wilk Fijh J 
 
 Wind always Eajl at Nevis— ^5 
 
 Woodward's Natuml Hijiory of the Earth 246 
 
 Worms in Negroes Legs gg 
 
 FIN I S. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Page 10. 1. 21. read caniQ up again 
 
 p. 86. 1. 12. r. Rocks or dry Ground 
 
 p. 112. 1. 13. r. a Minute's fpace 
 
 p. 1 29. I. 14, i\ an Account of Treatifes 
 
 p. 162. 1. 17. r. and their Shells 
 
 p. 225. L hit. r. the reafon why 
 
 p. 229. 1. 17. r. As for Bad Men 
 
 p. 241. J. 19. r. fo that the Ships 
 
 p. 246. 1- 25. r. does not grow 
 
 p. 305. 1- 19. r. under that Government 
 
\ 
 
 

 t 
 
 "T<