The Remainder of the Observations Made in the Formerly Mention'd Voyage to Jamaica, Publisht Numb. 36

PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. Monday, July 13, 1668. The Contents. Other Observations, made in the formerly mention'd Voyage to Jamaica. A curious Relation of a Sand-Floud, which hath of late years overwhelmed a great Tract of Land in the County of Suffolk; together with some Observations concerning Agriculture. An Extract of a Letter, touching the present Declination of the Magnetick Needle, and the Tydes. Two Extracts of Letters, concerning an Opticall Experiment, conducive to a decay'd sight, together with some Notes, referring to the Observations about a Blemish in Horse-eyes, publish'd Numb. 32. A Remark touching the greater Antiquity of the Transfusion, than hitherto hath been taken notice of here. Mr. Gregories Answer to Mr. Hugeni's Animadversions on his Treatise De Vera Circuli & Hyperboles Quadratura. An Account of four Books: I. DISCOURS PHYSIQUE dela PAROLE, II. De INFINITIS SPIRALIBUS INVERSIS INFINITISQUE HYPERBOLIS, ac aliis Geometricis. III. EXERCITATIO GEOMETRICA de MAXIMIS & MINIMIS. IV. LA VENERIE ROYALE. The Remainder of the Observations made in the formerly mention'd Voyage to Jamaica, publish'd Numb. 36. Before we proceed to the rest of these Observations, it ought not to be pass'd by, what the Learn'd Author of them takes notice of, as done by the Publisher in the first part of the same, printed in the Year 1667, in September (viz. Numb. 27. p. 498.) where the said Publisher takes the liberty to offer offer a reason, opposite to his of Similar Attraction: which this Observer in his Second Letter thinks not so fair, except the other instances, he mentioned, had been refuted. To which 'tis thought there needs no more to be said, to satisfy the Observer, than that the Publisher did not at all obtrude another reason of the Effect, there spoken of, but very modestly (as he conceives) and with an expression implying doubt, suggested only his thoughts, which then occur'd to him; being so unconcern'd herein, that, to shew on this occasion his aversion from disputing, he altogether leaves it to the Reader to judge, whether Similar Attraction, or Pulsion and Weight be the more Philosophical account of the Phenomenon there discoursed of: In reference to which, this curious Traveller farther observes; That the Sea-bribe comes not into Jamaica till 8 or 9 of the clock in the morning, and ordinarily ceaseth about 4 or 5 at night. Where yet he adds, that he hath known a Sea-bribe blow in the Winter-months 14 days and nights together; and that then no Clouds gather, but Dews fall: But if a North-wind blow, (which sometimes in the Winter-months lasts as long) that then no Dew falls, nor Clouds gather. The Clouds (he faith) begin to gather about 2 or 3 of the clock in the afternoon at the Mountains, and do not embody first in the Air, and after settle there, but settle first, and embody there; the rest of the Skie being clear till Sun-set; so that they do not pass near the Earth in a body, and only stop where they meet with parts of the Earth elevated above the rest; but precipitate from a very great height, and in particles of an exceeding rarified nature, so as not to obscure the Air or Sky at all; that great variety of beautiful Colours in the Canopy of Heaven, being raised to a much greater distance than 'tis here. Next (to do the Observer farther right) he desires that what is said Numb. 27. p. 497. of having sail'd in the Latitude of Barbados for two days, may be read for some days, he having kept no exact Journal, and believing it was more days. And p. 498. he suggests, that for J. Hawkins it should be read Sir Richard Hawkins in his observ. Sect. 12. Thirdly, he takes notice, that he could not learn, how the Tor- toises do, when they sleep on the top of the Sea; for they float asleep (saith he) in a calm day a long time, so that the Sea-men hoist out their Boats and row gently to them, and either strike them with irons, or ensnare their Legs with a Rope and a running Net, and so take them. He doth not remember any Swim or Bladder in them, than what contains their Urine. Fourthly, he observes of the Purging-suts (of whom so much is said by Authors, as Ligon, Piso, Simon Pauli, &c.) that he could never adjust the Dose, having given from 3 to 60, without any effect in the same person, so that he never durst rely on them; yet he adds, that they often do work as is related. Fifthly, he notes, that he never saw any good effect of the most innocent Purge during his stay in the Indies, except in Chronical distempers; nor did he ever almost give any, after frequent tryals had made him cautious, but Pills that were Antimonial, or Mercurius vita, or Vomitive Infusions. Sixthly, he relates, that inquiring at the Barbadoes of the Doctors and Chirurgions there, about the use of Opium, so much magnified by Bontius and Piso, he heard them all condemn it, as most stupifying and mortal; and found, that they us'd the London-Laudanum, which he observ'd to be very narcoticque, the Opium being extracted with Spirit of Wine. But he saith, he had a Laudanum of Monsieur Le Fevre, call'd Laudanum Simplex, of torrefied Opium, extracted with distill'd Vineger and some other Correctives, which he affirms never stupifies, no, nor inclines to sleep after 'tis taken, yet immediately easeth all pain. He adds, that he used the London-Laudanum several times, and found two grains to stupifie so, that those who took it, were almost senseless for two days, even when it was mixt with purging Pills in the Colick; but that other never rendred them sleepy; and if they fell asleep, and he awaken'd them presently after, he found them as intelligent, as if they had taken nothing of Opium. To which he subjoyns, that he took it himself for 14 weeks every night in the Bilious Colick, where it immediately ceas'd his pains, but perhaps he slept not till two or three hours after, taking it with so much security, that he very seldom weigh'd it, but guess'd at a Pill of two or three, or (as he found his mistake sometimes, when he weigh'd it out of curiosity) even four grains. K k k k 2 Nor hath this Laudanum Simplex (by his observation) only this effect in the Indies, where he saith, he used it in all cases to all ages, even sucking Children, but that even here in England he gave it not long ago to a Lady in the Colique bilious, never weighing it, and it eas'd her pains, yet did she never apprehend, that she had taken any such thing, and all the night, if any did but stirre, she could hear them as perfectly, as ever she could when she slept naturally. Seventhly, he takes notice, that the Observation, which Oviedo hath about Lice, which is, that they leave the Spaniards as they go to the Indies in such a degree, and meet them again in the same Latitude in their return, is very true. For though the ships, they went in, with such a multitude of Servants and Seamen, were not over-cleanly, yet (as he remembers) before they came to the Tropick, there were none Lowsie; whereas before, one could not walk amongst them, but his cloaths would gather Lice. In the Indies (saith he) none are Lowsie, how nasty soever, except it be in their heads; and there they breed much: but he could never hear of the most nasty, that ever they had them in their shirts or cloaths. And in their return home he did observe, that they did multiply again, after they came to about the Latitude of the Maderas. Discoursing with his Captain and others about the reason of it, the Ingenious Sir Christopher Mings, one of the most observing persons in the World, said, that when they approach the Long-reach and Tropick, they begin to sweat excessively, which sweat abounding over the body, c' oaks the old Lice and kills them: Just thus, he said, it was an usual remedy for lowzy heads, to rabb them all over with Butter or Oyl, and he would warrant, it would kill all the Lice. And as for any new generation, the sweat not lodging in the pores long enough, it was not disposed to produce these vermine at all; for no sweat in the Indy's is rank, as in Europe, that ever he could observe. In their return, the sweat lodgeth longer in the pores and habit of the body, and the particular forms or ferments, being exalted and unloosen'd, and put into activity, shape out those creatures, and so they breed them. But if you ask, why they breed in the Head in the Indies? He answers, that though our faces sweat much, yet doth not our hair so much: besides that the sweat is lodg'd in the hair, and there breeds the vermine, and they take not the care of their heads there as here. However, the Spanish Negroes wash their heads with soap once a week to prevent being lousy; whilst the other Negroes loose a great deal of time in looking after their heads, which by reason of their curls breed Lice more than the English, infomuch, that he affirms to have seen great holes eaten by Lice in the heads of some of them that were lazy. Eighthly, He relates, that in the Colick bilious they often used Clysters of Tobacco smoke, but with no success at all. That he gave the juice of Tobacco, an ounce in a Clyster, which stupified extremely, but did no other good, than for the present to render them insensible of their pain. He adds, that 'tis usual to give Clysters of a pint of Brandy there, which will make them as drunk and mad as if they had taken it at their mouth. He observ'd, that less Brandy would sox them in a Clyster then if drunk by them. He tryed a quarter of a pint in a Clyster on himselfe, and it made him not dead drunk, but raging mad, (though mixt with other things) and he saith, he remembers still, how unruly he was, so as not to be held in bed, his reason being depraved by these fumes. So he never took more of that Clyster but once, to reiterate the experiment, the effect being the same. But he complyed with the Spanish Negroes, who to nourish him, gave him a Clyster of halfe a pint of Madera-Sack, the yolk of one Egg, and a little Pepper, warm'd and given at night, and to hold it in all night: which did gently warm his bowels, and cast him always into a gentle sleep and sweat for some hours. He saith, he took many of these in the day time, the effect ceasing after two or three hours. Lastly, He takes notice of the censure of Simon Pauli in his Herbal p. 383. against Chocolata, and saith, he cannot forgive him for it; being of opinion, that that Liquor, if it were well made and taken in a right way, is the best Diet for Hypochondriaks and Chronical distempers, and the Scurvy, Gout and Stone, and Women lying in, and Children new-born (to prevent Convulsions, and purge the Meconium out) and many other distempers, that ever came into Europe; but that 'tis now rather used for Luxury than Physick, and so compounded, as to destroy the stomack, mack, and to encrease Hypochondriacal diseases, and so cook'd now, as if it were to be trans'form'd into a Caudle or Custard. A curious and exact Relation Of a Sand-cloud, which hath lately overwhelmed a great tract of Land in the County of Suffolk; together with an account of the Check in part given to it; Communicated in an obliging Letter to the Publisher, by that Worthy Gentleman Thomas Wright Esquire, living upon the place, and a sufferer by that Deluge. Sir, I beg your pardon, that I have not made an earlier return to the Letter, by giving you the account, you required of those prodigious Sands, which I have the unhappiness to be al- most buried in, and by which a considerable part of my small fortune is quite swallow'd up. But I assure you, my silence was not the result of any neglect, but rather of my respects to you, whose employments I know are too great to suffer you often, va- care nugis. The truth is, I suspended the giving you any trouble, till I was put into some capacity of answering the whole Letter, as well concerning those few Improvements, this part of the Na- tion has made in Agriculture, as these wonderful Sands, which al- though they inhabit with and upon me, and have not yet exceeded one Century, since they first broke prison, I could not without some difficulty trace to their Original. But I now find it to be in a Warren in Lakenheath (a Town belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Ely, distant not above 5 miles, and lying South-west and by West of this place) where some great Sand-hills (whereof there is still a remainder) having the Superficies, or word of the ground (as we call it) broken by the imperious South-west winds, blew upon some of the adjacent grounds; which being much of the same nature, and having nothing but a thin crust of barren earth to secure its good behaviour, was soon rotted and dissolved by the other Sand, and thereby easily fitted to increase the Mass, and to bear it company in this strange pro- gress. At the first Eruption thereof (which does not much exceed the memories of some persons still living) I suppose, the whole Mag- azin of Sand could not cover above 8. or 10 acres of ground, which increas'd into a 1000 acres, before the Sand had