«770- nues fo loner, there is no running ftream of frefh water
^— ---> upon the whole lfland, but only fmall fprings, which are
at a corifiderable diftance from fhe fea-fide: yet nothing
■ can be imagined fo beautiful as the,profpe6t of the country
from the fhip. The level ground next to the fea-
fide was covered with cocoa-nut trees, and a kind of palm
called Arecas; and beyond them the hills, which role in a
gentle and regular afcent, were richly clothed, quite to the
Tummit, with plantations of the fan palm, forming an al-
moft impenetrable grove. How much even this profpedt
mull be improved, when every foot of ground between the
trees is covered with verdure, by maize, and millet, and.in-
dico, can fcarcely be. conceived but by a powerful imagina-
tion, not unacquainted with the ftatelinefs and beauty of the
•trees that adorn'this part of the earth. The dry feafon commences
in March or April, and ends in October or November.
The principal trees of this ifland, are the fan-palm, the
cocoa-nut, tamarind, limes, oranges, and mangoes ; and
■ other vegetable productions are maize, Guinea corn, rice,
millet, callevances, and water-melons. We faw alfo one
fugar-cane, and a few kinds of European garden-fluff; particularly
cellery, marjoram, fennel, and garlic. For the fup-
ply of luxury, it has betele, areca, tobacco, cotton, indico,
and a fmall quantity of cinnamon, which feems 'to be
planted here only for curiofity; and indeed we doubted
whether it was the genuine plant, knowing that the Dutch
are very careful not to truft the fpices out of their proper
iflands, There are however feveral kinds of fruit; befides
thofe which have been already mentioned ; particularly the
Tweet fop, which is well known to the Weft Indians, and a
fmall oval fruit, called the Blimbi, both of which grow upon
trees* The blimbi is about three or four inches long, and
in the middle about as thick as a man’s finger, tapering to- i77°-
_ . c t t _ September. wards each end: it'is covered with a very thin Ikin or alight -----„----
green colour, and in the infide are a few feeds difpofed in
the form of a ftar: its flavour is a light, clean, pleafant acid,
but it cannot be eaten raw ; it is faid to be excellent as a
pickle ; and ftewed, it made a moft- agreeable four fauce to
our boiled difhes.
The tame animals are buffaloes, fheep, goats, hogs, fowls,
pigeons-, horfes, affes, dogs and cats ; and of all thefe there
is great plenty. The buffaloes differ very confiderably from
the Homed cattle o f Europe in feveral particulars; their ears
are much larger, their fkins are almoft without hair, their
horns arc curved towards each other, but together bend dr-
reflly backwards, and they have no dewlaps. We-faw feveral
that were as big as a-well grown European ox, and ,
there muft be fome much larger; for Mr; Banks faw a pair
o f horns which meafured from tip to tip.three feet nine,
inches and an half, acrofs their wideft diameter four, feet
one inch and an half, and inthe.whol&fweepof their femi-
circle. in, front feven feet, fix inches and a half. It muft
however be ohferved, that a buffalo here of any given fize,
does not weigh above half as much as an ox.of. the fame,
fize in England : thofe that we. guefied to weigh four hundred
weight, did not-weigh more than two hundred.ands
fifty ; the reafon is, that fo late in the dry feafon the bones i
are very thinly covered with flefli: there is not an ounce o f ,
fat in a, whole carcafs, and the flanks are literally nothing;
but fkin and bone:, the. flefh however is well tailed and
juicy, and I fuppofe better than the flefli of an Englilh,
ox would be if he was ta ftarve in this fun-burnt country; .
The horfes are from eleven to twelve hands high, but.-
though they are fmall, they are fpirited and. nimble, efpedally