hrub never bigger than a
mans arm. The Wood, Rind and Leaves have all a Physical smell; and
they do sometimes make use of it for Physic. The Leaf is of a bright
green, roundish, rough, and as big as the palm of an hand. No sort
of Cattel will eat it, no, not the Goats, that will sometimes brouze
upon rank poyson. There is abundance of these Trees every where, and
they grow in all Countreys, but in Ouvah. And this is supposed to be
the cause, that the Ouvah Cattle dy, when they are brought thence
to any other Country. They attribute it to the smell of this Tree,
of such a venomous nature it is to Beasts. And therefore to destroy
their Fleas, or to keep their houses clear of them, they sweep them
with Brooms made of this shrub. 'Tis excellent good for firing, and
will burn when it is green. There are no other coals the Goldsmiths
use, but what are made of this wood.

[Rattans.] Rattans grow in great abundance upon this Island. They
run like Honey-suckles either upon the Ground, or up Trees, as it
happens, near Twenty fathom in length. There is a kind of a shell or
skin grows over the Rattan, and encloseth it round. Which serves for
a Case to cover and defend it, when tender. This Skin is so full of
prickles and thorns, that you cannot touch it. As the Rattan growes
longer and stronger, this Case growes ripe, and falls off prickles
and shell and all.

[Its Fruit.] It bears fruit in clusters just like bunches of Grapes,
and as big. Every particular Berry is covered with a husk like a
Gooseberry, which is soft, yellow and scaly, like the scales of
a Fish, hansome to look upon. This husk being cracked and broken,
within grows a Plum of a whitish colour: within the Plum a stone,
having meat about it. The people gather and boyl them to make sour
pottage to quench the thirst.

[Canes.] Canes grow just like Rattans, and bear a fruit like them. The
difference onely is, that the Canes are larger.

[The Betel Tree.] The Tree that bears the Betel-leaf, which is so much
loved and eaten in these parts, growes like Ivy, twining about Trees,
or Poles, which they stick in the ground, for it to run up by: and as
the Betel growes, the Poles grow also. The form of the Leaf is longish,
the end somewhat sharp, broadest next to the stalk, of a bright green,
very smooth, just like a Pepper leaf, onely different in the colour,
the Pepper leaf being of a dark green. It bears a fruit just like
long Pepper, but not good for seed, for it falls o