ones;

Cavity, and so vanished till the Sky was as clear as before. I saw very few small Birds there (not above twenty I believe,) and none of the English kind. N. B. That at Nevis and St. Christopher's, we have a few Birds called Mountain-Thrushes, that are wondrous fat, and resemble the English and at the Sun's declenfion towards the Tropick of Capricorn from the Equator, we are visited by a few Swallows. Our other Birds are a small kind of Screech Owls, Noddies, SpoonBills, Pelicans, Boobies, common Pidgeons, two or three forts of wild Pidgeons, Ground-Doves a beautiful fort of bird, and Humming-Birds: In the dusk of the Evening we have some Batts flying about; but it was never my fortune to knock down one, though I employed a fharp-fighted and nimble Negro feveral times for that purpose. We every quarter of a minute heard an odd tho' regular and periodical noife (which founded exactly like the creaking of a Sugar-mill, or Cart when it wants greafing) from two or three different places that were not very far from us, tho' we could not poffibly find out the cause of it; and I took notice that we could not hear this noise near so distinctly at the bottom where we dined, as we did about forty or fifty yards before we came down to it, though it seemed to proceed wholly from the bottom. We beheld continual Clouds of Steam arifing out of the Veins of Sul

phur, Brimstone, and hot breathing holes, upon which (as I faid before) I looked down with horrour from the Rim or Verge at the top of this Cavity. Many of the Rocks on all fides round us were of such strange uncouth fhapes, as would I am apt to think, have puzzled an expert Geometrician to delineate: And beneath these 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, fhould carry along with him a Tent to fleep in, and fo spend two or three days there. What alas! fignifies a two hours vifit to fuch a Place?

30. This Cavity from top to bottom (upon a ferious review of it after dinner) could not exceed three hundred yards in perpendicular depth in my own opinion, though the rest of my Companions contended strenuoufly for more; and indeed it was meerly to comply with them that I allowed fo much, for it certainly could not poffibly exceed two hundred and twenty yards: It chagrines me to think that a Traveller must either forego Truth in fome cafes, or elfe differ with his Company. However, upon maturely weighing the whole state of this Mountain, we unanimously agreed, that it must be on fire underneath us, and that this Cavity where we then fate was formerly (perhaps ages ago) occafioned by fome furious

and

and dreadful Eruption, when it might be a Vulcano for a while, like Ætna, Vefuvius, or Strombolo. Before these Islands were inhabited by Europeans, the Charibees their ancient Natives were entire strangers to all forts of Literature, and of courfe muft want Annals to tranfmit down to Pofterity fo memorable an Occurrence. And here, a difficult Query does naturally arise, viz. What Right had we to difpoffefs the honeft Charibees of it, who are now almost extinct in race, and confined to the forry Island of Dominico; nay, I lately heard from a Surgeon aboard a Ship of Sir Chaloner Ogle's Squadron who touched there, That the French have lately made a Settlement at Dominico; fo that I suppose the poor Remains of the Charibees, must foon pack up their alls, and be gone to fome one of the uninhabited Islands. To deal plainly with you, I do not remember any Christian rule that does in the lowest degree countenance fuch cruel acts, nor did I ever yet meet with a Cafuift, who durft take up the Cudgels to defend them; and our Ancestors who difpoffeffed them are not justifiable: Nay, to perpetrate fuch Actions under the fpecious title or pretence of civilizing them, does in my mind vastly enhaunce the horrid Crime. But enough upon that Topick for the present, because I defign to make it the business of my next Letter to demonstrate, that we of this Century do tread in

beyond question occafioned the difference in their height. As for my part, I faw none that exceeded 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 palish green colour, a little piked juft 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 resemble a fhort green Faggot, and it is fold in our Market, which by unavoidable neceffity is kept every Sunday Morning, from Sunrising till nine a clock. The hard outside of this Stick (as I would term it) is taken off; and then the softer infide or Pith, which may be above an inch in Diameter, is boyled, and fo ferves inftead of Turnips (or if you please to call it fo, Cabbage) to boyled Mutton, Pork &c. It is of a whitish Colour, and tastes fomething like the bottom of an Artichoke, though with a much finer Flavour.

22. I do not deny their Bodies to be almost thick enough for Mill-Pofts; but I infift, that the Wood is far too porous and befides, the Gentlemen of Nevis and Saint Chriftopher's would never have purchased at a dear rate (to serve as Posts to their Houfes and Sugar-Mills) Iron Wood and Lignum Vitæ, which were brought from far

diftant Islands (viz. Defeada, St. Bartholomew, Santa Cruz &c.) for that purpose, provided Cabbage-trees, which they might have had for cutting up and carrying a few miles home, would have done for fuch an use. To be fincere and plain, I take Cabbage-trees to be wild Coco's which do not bear Nuts, for they exactly refemble them in all other refpects: Salmon in his Eastern History says the fame.

23. The very highest of the Coco's which do bear Nuts that I ever faw, might (both in Body and the Boughs that always sprout upwards and spreading from the top of the Body) amount to forty Feet in height, that is to say, the Body to thirty, and the Boughs to ten. The Body is the exact shape of an Apothecary's large Iron Pestle, viz. of an equal thickness at top and bottom, but fomewhat smaller in the middle; its colour is of a pale Brown, and the Bark smooth. The Boughs are of a most 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 fmaller end) and close set 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 stringy substance which holds them being wondrous tough, and thicker than my middle Finger.

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