by causing my Negroe-man to walk on before him. There was not a breath of Wind stirring, and it was wondrous dark between the intervals of the Lightning; But I know not how long it continued, for I went directly to bed, and foon fell asleep. N. B. That the Powder Magazine, upon the top of Brimftone-bill, in the Island of St. Christopher, has been twice within the memory of Man, blown up by common Lightning; but indeed, that is no fuch mighty wonder, it being fituate half a mile in perpendicular height from the Sea Shore.

8. We have no Bees that are hived, and still we meet with excellent Honey, made by the Wild Bees in the Woods, about the Salt- Ponds in St. Christopher's, &c. But it will not make tolerable Mead, on account of the Climate's being too warm, as I was affured by my Lady Stapleton, who tried it. You need not wonder at the term Wild-Bees, for I fuppofe they are mostly, if not always, wild in hot Climates. We read in Matthew iii. 4. how St. John the Baptist, whilst in the Wilderness, lived upon Locusts and Wild Honey. And our Countryman, Henry Maundrell, in page 86. affures us, That in many Places of the defolate Plain, adjoining to the Mare Mortuum, he perceived a strong scent of Honey and Wax, (the Sun being very hot;) and the Bees

were

were very

induftrious about the Bloffoms of that

Salt-weed, which the Plain produces.

9. Another fingularity I remarked was, That in the Mountain Plantations, where only AfpaI have known it fit to cut with

ragus can grow, in the small space of three Calendar Months, reckoning from the time of its being fown in Seeds, that came from London: For there, we never transplant the Roots. We are obliged to let it run up to Wood, in order to shade 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 Compost and Soil; so that a Bed will not hold good, much above two years, and the Afparagus never grows big. Afparagus grows wild in Spain.

Its

10. In our Paftures, we meet with a Bush about two yards high, called Sage-Bush. Bark is of a fhining, though duskish hue, and its Leaves cannot poffibly be distinguished, from broad green Sage Leaves, either by fight or smell. Out of pure curiofity, I dried a parcel in the Shade, and made Tea of them. This Tea was of a most beautiful Yellow Colour, but furely bitterer than Gall itfelf; in fhort, fo extream bitter, that the best of refined Sugar could not render it palatable. I confulted about the Nature of it, with a Doctor of my Acquaintance, who was born at either Wifmar, or Stralfund, in Swedish Pomerania, and

reck

reckoned the most skilful Botanift of his Profeffion, in our Ifland: He told me, that it was very medicinal, and that he gave it, with good fuccess, to any of his Patients whose case he thought required it, as he did alfo feveral other Nevis Plants, that were entirely neglected by his Brethren.

II. We have there likewife a Tree called Diddle Doo, which is of the size and make of a Codlin Apple-tree, but with narrow thin Leaves: It bears a most lovely Flower, of the finest yellow, and livelieft Scarlet Colours, fomewhat refembling Nafturtian Flowers. It is esteemed as a Sovereign Remedy in the Green Sickness, a very rare Distemper, in fo warm a Climate, where the Blood and other Juices of the Body, do ufually keep on in pretty regular courfes, especially fince the warm Climate is fo ftrongly affifted in the Affair, by the frequent Dancing of those young Ladies, as well as their riding fingly on Horseback; for the whole force of that skipping and jogging Motion, (fays Baglivi) terminates downwards, where it raises a Fermentation, by which the stagnating Matter recovers its loft Circulation. At Antigua, I saw a whole Hedge of it.

12. After a fevere Fever there, I was once troubled with an ugly tickling Cough, and the Doctor ordered me to eat plentifully, of what I

would willingly call a Liquorifh Bufh, becaufe it taftes like Liquorifh, and to either chew, or make Tea of its Roots: I complyed with the Prefcription, which almost inftantaneously caused 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 Coalblack 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 Tamarindtree, viz. as follows. It is a very spreading Tree, and will grow to be thirty foot high, and better: Its main Body is fhort and thick, and the Boughs long and flender, at the extremity whereof, it is ufual with Humming-birds to build their small Nefts. The Fruit grows in long brown Pods, like an English Bean, and is commonly fold at Apothecaries Shops, here in England. Its Leaves are fmall, but fo thick fet together, as to afford us an 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 glistening greenish blue. They feed upon Prickle-pear Flowers, as English Bees do, upon English Flowers, and (like Bees) move their Wings fo nimbly, as to be scarce dif

cerned

cerned, which makes a humming Noise, that I fuppofe, firft gave them the Name. They can fly swiftly, and I have known one of them give chafe to a Hawk, but his diminutive Size and Agility were, I imagine, his only Protection: I have feen four or five forts of them, and at least nine or ten of the Parrot kind.

14.

3

In Paragraph twenty-nine, of my fecond Letter, I might have informed you, That the Pelican is a large brownish Dun coloured Bird, (I never was close to one) that delights to be about the Water. Its Craw holds above a Quart, and in it the Female puts Provifion for her Young ones, which she can difgorge at pleasure to them; and that, perhaps, gave rife to the old allufion, of a Pelican's tearing open her Breast 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 disposition.

15. 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 Plantation,) that lays a long round Egg, of a brown duskish colour, quite flat at each end, and shaped like a bit of small Stick, half an inch long. This Egg is glutinous, and will stick to any thing, remaining there till the warm Weather hatches

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