132 EMBASSY TO CHINA.
St.'Jago. Bu tithe/annual .produce i<Sf agriculture was .’'scarcely
t© beofound. Vhe:piains-,and fields, formerlyipEoducbive
■óf corn, sfugat-canes, or plantains, nourished by regular
fall-s t r a i n , now bore®ttief sembluncnrof vegçfcatisofî.
Y e tln the small ntiniber of plants, whfeh surwecfehe
drought,! were some which, from the specimens' sént (to
Eurtpeÿ were found to havé -bee®, hrtfeferto unknown.
-Vegetation quickly; indeed, (reviyed/wherever, through
the soil, any: môistuté could be conveyed.-rr
The governor’s secretary inyited :som&- rof the génfil#
men from the L io n fo his garden, distant about.two
mitó, inland. They were very r-agreeabîy.îsürprised
with a view t a small clear, rivulet- ^issuing- (from a
the bottom of' soimfe-docks-) -shaded by,', as twïeH
as- nourishing, a fin e fig tree,- not thitgof /Europeewith
rough and deep indented leaves,i. but > another t specieS,
with ïétitire long leaves,;^and;.>afelirhick i the. ffnif/itheii
plucked off the branches Iby hands- strètehingio.vb»jth.e
fountain, was perfeetly dfelicious.?. Wherèver .the riyfilet
was . made to run, everyspecies o f ive^taWe)fnears-iît
flourished.- Here, among others, was planted thé ina-
niota or cassadiptree* of which the^juiee,raxprassed~ff@m
the root, is a deadly poison/ while-the roob itself is -salu-
^afy^food, âs is‘ also the. sediment*/■depositedy from the
poisonous juice,? being the sùbstancét.sold in England
under the name of tapioca. The rivulet soon, howev er,
fell into a bottom, from whence the adjoining grounds
wera#no ilonger irrigated; ibuti it-supplied? many ©f^the
prineipabinhjabit,a;l!%<i@f Bra^a; whonsemt: that la-nee *
^^jggts^g@4dww»te^E J h e i ,near'.j-'6,iiffiei5f<.- ref^ed
jfrahii-tbir^t.piand^ thef fields adjoini^^&K^like^ bleach
ground, ®rom thefS^iiahtity of linehl^&dedjijr fhelUttlg
^Stream-. and. dried ;eteraltajit.I !s-# garden
-washaolofky.}cdcoa-'nut •^li.fefillejd with fruit, i growing
#®hridj.tb® upper ixtremil^gfi ;i^gi4glei.tirunk,|»h^arithe
tMjjigan of] its; great -spreading; leaves. The trunk, in.ris- .
ung,i declines somewhat* fr©m^d^e^pendki^afk:aAd has
joints,- at short dis|ai®;|s^|k<|; feh e s^g,a>^cah'epra|T©iget at
theifeuifey* a man ^«QSf abraipetiaboufojhis a®fcles,,:^:^0^to'
cRf of about, a-Coat- kan*
.g^n^Eall^i^^egiQt > thus prepared „wfitjh bis-; arms emr
?brabesj tkueTreeo^hile^lfefhstSitUtpouitlfeMin^sELOh^ith
his feet, -but b y fcheerapu connectings therm Histbo^y
’thus supported jjj ghejifts .his arms Jaightf? and thus, sifer
p^ybiely, raisinghishands
fhe^spot^foorh whence he::c,ap? rpaelf,' and t lpow^down-,
-tbelfruitiito the sp#cts^t0sBS.;bslap;t'I, '^h#) ^ e lb !i§.|1dnf,d
with a white rand; almost (.solid-- substanicefi^pleasiijgjMrthe
■ta!stqg{but diffiWltifobe^iges%dWbsJt©iftaGhi Within
this»substanceyis: contained- a^thim guha^’diliquorij{peculiarly
.grateful in hot - climates®* TheiS^ll^^y.e.Srihiiordi-
:,^ ^ iM>^-fort-a!.drinkinV!^8siel:i.afad»>^(tf «apuQQgtp&ct a
substance-,qasj.t^imfeibesiitfcleu#f a p ^ f l u - i d i n t o
it. Outside-the shell areistrong :fibrfes,.fr£<pieti% twisted
Ä.pg<?.