Title
A Voyage to the East Indies: Page 108
Description
But the Chief Dependance of the Islanders is on the sea, as most of them live upon Fish of which there is great vanity. Every Housekeeper on the Island has a slave continually out in a boat, who when no ships are there entirely support their Master’s Families. Very few Families eat Bread, substituting in its Room a Root call’d Yam which when boil’d bears some resemblance to a Potatoe. On these and Mackarell their slaves subsist, tho they get fish of a better quality viz. YellowTails, Albicores, Cavallies, Bonettoes, Bream, Conger Eels, an excellent kind of spotted Rock fish call’d Jacks, soldiers, Rockfish, Bull’s Eyes, soldiers, fivefingers, silver Eels, leather Coats, Green Fish, Gurmets[?], Old Wives Cunning Fish, Parrotfish, Ink Fish, Trumpetters, Silver Fish & many others. The Soldiers live upon Salt Provisions, & Biscuit which they get from England, or the Cape. The Island abounds with excellent water cresse and every Hill is cover’d with an antiscorbutic Herb, Purslaine, which when boil’d becomes Mucilaginous. These Circumstances, added to [illegible] Temperature of the Climate, prevent the Scurvy from appearing. There are Rabbits, Pheasants, & Partridges on the Island, but not in abundance, as they will not allow them Time to encrease; several kinds of small Birds which have been let fly, have multiplied exceedingly. Here is one Species something resembling the Pidgeon and call’d St. Helena Pidgeon. The Vegetable productions of the [end page 108]
