aftringent. That of old trees is thicker; when dried
turns blackifh on the inlide, and of a darkilh red in the
middle. The other when broke is of a paler red, but all
of them when left to dry in the fun twift themfelves clofe
together, and turn very dark on the inlide. This circum-
ftance, however, may be ealily prevented; for, by peeling
off the thin inlide Ikin as it is taken from the tree,
and expofing the Bark not too haftily to the fun, it will
aflume a line cinnamon colour, and appear very hand-
fome to the eye.
Notwithftanding the predilection in favour of the
young tree, 1 am apt to fuppofe its Bark poffeftes only
an imaginary virtue. When reduced to powder, both
are fo nearly alike, that it is extremely difficult to diftin-
guilh them: and in whatever form it is given, they
are equally powerful and efficacious. A gentleman of
fome eminence told me that he thought them a tenth
ftronger than the Cortex ufually fold in London. : As I
had fome of the latter in fubftance from the Hall, whofe
genuinenefs I knew could be depended upon, the following
is an obfervation or two I made on that fubjedt. Teca-
mez Bark dilfers from that fold by the Hall in Colour,
ftrength and tafte. Its colour is more a browniffi green,
fpread over with a whitifh mofs; the inlide darker, and
of a deep red inclinable to black. When broke it appears
of a pale red, and has a moft pleafant bitter tafte,
rather aromatic, but not fo aftringent as that I had in the
medicine
medicine cheft. When boiled however With the fame
quantity of water, or infufed in it when cold, its ftrength
is fuperior, and its tafte far more agreeable. If its virtues
are drawn off by fpirits, they equal that I had from the
Hall, and in four cafes fat eafy upon the ftomach,
when the other did not. As many of our people
unhappily laboured under a fevere ague on our return,
I thought that a proper opportunity of trying
their effects; for, whatever may -be advanced to the contrary,
experience has taught me that in many inftances
Bark is highly ferviceable in this diforder. Having fe-
lecfted two people with the fame fymptoms, I gave it to
them in equal dofes, and by the ufe o f Tecamez Bark
one recovered a week before the other. I tried it again—
the difference was five days. I had only an opportunity of
repeating it .a third time, and it was feven. But I would
not wiffi to be underftood as if I thought thefe few cafes
fufficient to afcertain its fuperior effects with certainty.
That muft be left to future experiments, and to gentlemen
o f greater penetration, and who have more ample opportunities
of making them than the writer of this article
-can pretend to poffefs.
All the trees I law grew on the fide of a hill, and in i
dry barren foil.' The mould was of a red colour intermixed
with ftnall ftones, and not above a foot deep; for
feveral of their, roots appeared at the furface, and few
that I examined were covered more than two inches by
the earth. None of them were in bloom in Auguft, nor
E * had