He speaks in vol. ii. p. 94, of two large Indian canoes made of bois d’acajou or cedre. I am inclined to think that the acajou of the islands and the cedre of the Spaniards is the pao amarello of Pernambuco.
[130] Piso says, that its small clustering red fruit has the property of curing meat owing to its acidity and astringency.
[131] The indefatigable and all-observant, although unfeeling and brutal Labat, has also mentioned the pinham, under the name of medicinier ou pignons d’Inde, and he gives a print of it. His account of the plant is elaborate, and he speaks of three kinds. Of that of which I have treated, he says, “Sa fleur n’a rien de beau. Elle ne vient jamais seule, mais en bouquets composez de plusieurs fleurons d’un blanc sale tirant sur le verd. Chaque fleuron est composé de cinq feuilles en maniere d’etoile, qui font comme un cul de lampe arrondi avec un col plus resserré et terminé par l’extrémité des feüilles qui se renversent en dehors. Le fond du fleuron est garni et comme renfermé entre cinq petites feuilles. C’est du centre de ces fleurs que l’on voit sortir le fruit; ordinairement il est de la grosseur d’une noix commune d’Europe.” He says again (after speaking of its purgative quality, which it likewise possesses with that of provoking vomiting) alluding to the separation of each seed into two parts, “Lorsqu’elle est recente, elle se partage naturellement en deux parties, entre lesquelles on trouve une petite pellicule à qui on attribüe une qualité de purger plus violemment qu’a tout le reste de la noix.” My old woman said, that the pinham should not be given, unless the person who prepared it was well acquainted with it, because a certain part of the seed was dangerous; but she would not shew me where the dangerous substance was to be found. Labat continues, saying that four or five of the seeds are a proper dose as a purge, “mais quand on en prend une plus grande quantité, on s’expose à des vomissemens cruels et à des évacuations trop grandes.” He mentions a fact which is curious. In speaking of Europeans having oftentimes eaten of this nut without being acquainted with its properties, he says, “une régle générale qu’il faut observer a l’egard des fruits qu’on ne connoît point est de n’y point toucher à moins qu’on ne voye q’ils out été bequetez par les oiseaux.”—Nouveau Voyage, tom. iii. p. 300, 301, and 302.
In Piso, p. 83, an account will be found of the Munduy-guacu, Lusitanis Pinhoes do Brasil, ejusque usu in medicina.
I have perhaps quoted too copiously in writing an account of those plants which Labat has described, but I must have followed so nearly what he has said, that my description might have been supposed to have had his for its basis. Perhaps these plants need not have been described at all, but to some readers a confirmation of what other travellers have said may afford satisfaction.
[132] History of Brazil, vol. i. p. 466.
[133] The following story was current at Conception, and I knew all the persons of whom it was related. A young man was intimate in a family of a rank inferior to his own, and he frequently made presents to several individuals of it, which was generally thought strange, as it did not contain any young female. Therefore to account for this predilection, it was reported, that the good old woman to whom he was so kind, possessed a small image of St. Antonio, which was concealed in a bit of old cloth; and it had several scraps of ribbons and I know not what else, tied to its neck, legs and arms; and with this she was said to perform certain mysterious rites, which secured the continuance of the young man’s affection towards herself and family.
[134] When I resided at Jaguaribe, I was once standing by and hearing the conversation of a man and woman, who were laughing and joking upon several subjects; but I was more particularly amused when the man answered to something that had been mentioned, saying, “I will ask Our Lady of the Conception.” The woman replied, “But she will not grant what you ask;” he then said, “Well, I will then apply to Our Lady of the O.”—Thus entirely forgetting that the same person is intended under another name.
[135] “Em negocio de branco, negro nam se mete.”
[136] “Morra e deixe de bobagems.”