Selected quad for the lemma: country_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
country_n	call_v	river_n	soil_n	1,442	5	10.3487	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48103	A letter, giving a descripton of the Isthmus of Darian (where the Scot's colonie is settled;) from a gentleman who lives there at present. With an account of the fertility of the soil, the quality of the air, the manners of the inhabitants, and the nature of the plants, and animals. &c. And a particular mapp of the Isthmus, and entrance to the river of Darian.		1699 (1699)	Wing L1549; ESTC R216547	13,647	25

A LETTER giving A DESCRIPTION OF THE ISTHMUS OF DARIAN Where the SCOT'S COLONIE is settled From a GENTLEMAN who lives there at present With an Account of the Fertilness of the Soil The Quality of the Air The Manners of the Inhabitants And the Nature of the Plants and Animals c AND A particular MAPP of the Isthmus and Entrance to the River of DARIAN EDINBVRGH Printed for John Mackie in the Parliament-Closs and James Wardlaw on the North Side of the Street a little below the Cross at the sign of the Bible Prince 7 Pence M. DC.XC.IX A LETTER giving a Description of the Isthmus of Darian where the Scot's Colony is settled from a Gentleman who lives there at present SIR COnform to your Desire and mine own Promise I have sent You the following Description of Darian I was up the Country when the two Gentlemen went for Scotland who brought the News of our arrival but having now an Occasion I have sent you the following Account You desired a particular Account of the said Darian long since And according to your Desire I have sent a particular Account of the Nature of the Ground Animals Fruits and Trees and what Minerals they have with a Draught of the Place The Habits of their Kings and Queens The Form of their Houses The Way of their Fighting with the Spaniards and other Enemies Since our safe Arrival We have vieued transvers'd and gone about near an hundered Miles in the Country formerly called Darian but We have named it CALEDONIA and there is a Fort very conveniently built which We call New-EDINBVRGH The Isthmus of Darian is situated in the Main-Land o● America on the North of the Equinoctial Line 8 degr 11 min. Latitude The Land is narrower from the North to the South Sea which you will see by the Mapp As for the great River of Darian it is situated something to the Eastward ot the Golden Island The golden Island is but a small place not much bigger than Inch-Keith in the Firth of Forth There are a great many Islands westward from the golden Island 14. Leagues called Zanblas Islands The Situation of our Fort does ly very conveniently having a Bay upon the West with many small Rocks which make it inaccessable On the East the great River of Darian The Soil is as good here as in any other place in America up the Country there are long Ranges of Mountains well cloathed with Trees which for the most part are Palm and Yellow-Sanders The Inhabitants call it Bois de Chandle or in English Candle-Wood It burns like a Candle and serves them with Light while they fish in the Night time Here grows also Lignum sanctum or Guiacum its Virtues are very well known more especially to those who observe not well the VII Commandment and are giv'n to impure Copulations Physicians drawing hence in severall Compositions the greatest Antidote against all venerall Deseases as also for cold and vitious Humors The Tree likewise that affords Gummi Elemi grows here in great Aboundance As doth Radix Chinae or China-Root There is a Prickle Palm so call'd because it is infinitly full of Prickles from the Root to the Leaves with these Prickles the Indians use to torment the Prisoners they take in Battle they tye them to a Tree then takeing these Thorns they put them into little Pellets of Cotton dipt in Oil and stick them in the Sides of the miserable prisoners as thick as the Bristles of an Hedg-Hogg which cause an incredible Torment to the Patient Then they set them a Fire and if the tormented Prisoner sing in the Midst of his Torments He is esteem'd a couragious Soldier who neither fears his Enemies nor the Torture But if on the contrary He cry out they esteem him a Coward and unworthy of any Memory This Custom was told me by an Indian who said He had used his Enemy thus oftentimes But to return to the Prickle-Palm I shall only tell you that these Palm Trees in this only differ from the ordinary Palms The Leaves are like these of other Palm Trees only a little bigger and rounder and full of little Kernels as pleaseing to the Taste as the Walnuts in Europe The Wine-Palm is so call'd from the Aboundance of Wine gathered from it of an extraordinary Shape or Form for from the Root up half Way it is only three or four Inches thick but upward something above two thirds of its Height It is as big and as thick as an ordinary Bucket within it is full of a certain Matter very like a slender Stock of white Cabbage which is a very juicy of a Liquor much pleasing to the Palate This Liquor after Fermentation and Settling of the Grounds becomes very good and clear Wine The Fruit is much like to that of other Palms but smaller like Cherries To write farther of the Trees it would fill a great many Sheets But I will only name them Palm a Chapelet or Rosary-Palm so called by the French and Spaniards Caremit-Tree very like our Pear-Tree very pleasing to the Taste Genpa-Trees like to our Cherry Trees besides these there are diverse other Sorts of Trees as Cedars in great Aboundance which this Part of the World produces They are very usefull for building Ships and Canoa's These Canoa's are like little Ferry-Boats being made only of one Tree hollowed and fitted for the Sea They are so swift that they may be called Neptun's POST-HORSES The Indians make these Canoa's without any Iron Instruments by only burning the Trees nigh the Root and then so governing the fire as nothing is burnt more than what they would have Some have Hatches of Flint wherewith they scrape or pare off whatsoever are burnt too far and these by fire only they give that shape which renders them capable of navigating 60. or 80. Leagues with ordinary Security Here is Basile-Wood Yaco is another Sort of Tree Here are a great many Cabbage-Trees the Cabbage growing on the Top of it Here grows the Coco-Nut of which the Chacolat is made Here grows the Pinn-Apple and a great dale of Plantine or Sugar-Canes of which they make Sugar And a great dale of other Trees which being too tedious to give you an Account of I forbear You may have any Trees Roots or Herbs that grow in Europe as well as others that will not grow there as Mammi c. You may have a great dale of Tobacco if you plant much better than in any Place to the Northward I shall give you an Account of the makeing Sugar Indigo in another place Flies as Insects severall Sorts of them these are as big as Horse-Flies in Enrepe and denting themselves upon Mens Bodys stick and suck the Blood till they can no longer fly which obliges the Inhabitants to wear continually Branches of Trees to Fan them away There are a great dale of other Sorts as Cochinilla's There are monstruous Adders which are very frequent in these Places upon which Account I