Title
A Voyage to the East Indies: Page 109
Description
Island are by no means numerous, altho with care, I believe they might raise any thing. They have all the european Gardenstuff & the peach, pear, & apple Trees, the Former of which I think produces peaches equall if not superior to the English. They have no large Timber, but a Considerable Quantity of Underwood & Tirzes of flowers they have the Rose, Pink, Narcissus, Geranium, & a few more, (I omitted when speaking of Fruit to mention, oranges, Lemons, plantains & Grapes,) Mertle grows plentifully in every Hedge. The following eight Lines were written from Report before I had visited every Part of the Island, when I found this assertion erroneous. . There are no venomous Creatures on the Island, & only one, wild one, call’d the Wild Cat, partaking nearly of the Nature of that Animal. Few if any Minerals have been discover’d on the Island. I have heard repeatedly that there were evident marks of Combustion, on the Rocks, with burnt stones resembling pummice, which would seem to tell us that the Island was originally thrown up by some violent commotion below, but altho’ such a suggestion may have its probability, I must confess I never saw any Trace of what is alluded to; the rocks are hard and solid, without any apparent mixture of ore or Metall, rising regularly, stratum super stratum to a great Height. There is a common Notion that under Major Bassets’ House is a Vein of Gold; but I am apt to think that the first fabricator of this Tale, meant that the Vein of Gold, was in that House, the Bassets being the the richest Family on the Island. [end page 109]
