Cherry
Trees Bearing Fruit No Bigger Than A Small Pease.
Also pear-trees, but
fruitless.
Other trees of some sort to us unknown. The soil along the
coast is not deep of earth, bringing forth abundantly peasen small,
yet good feeding for cattle. Roses passing sweet, like unto our musk
roses in form; raspises; a berry which we call whorts, good and
wholesome to eat. The grass and herb doth fat sheep in very short
space, proved by English merchants which have carried sheep thither
for fresh victual and had them raised exceeding fat in less than three
weeks. Peasen which our countrymen have sown in the time of May, have
come up fair, and been gathered in the beginning of August, of which
our General had a present acceptable for the rareness, being the first
fruits coming up by art and industry in that desolate and dishabited
land. Lakes or pools of fresh water, both on the tops of mountains and
in the valleys; in which are said to be muscles not unlike to have
pearl, which I had put in trial, if by mischance falling unto me I had
not been letted from that and other good experiments I was minded to
make. Fowl both of water and land in great plenty and diversity. All
kind of green fowl; others as big as bustards, yet not the same. A
great white fowl called of some a gaunt. Upon the land divers sort of
hawks, as falcons, and others by report. Partridges most plentiful,
larger than ours, grey and white of colour, and rough-footed like
doves, which our men after one flight did kill with cudgels, they were
so fat and unable to fly. Birds, some like blackbirds, linnets, canary
birds, and other very small. Beasts of sundry kinds; red deer,
buffles, or a beast as it seemeth by the tract and foot very large, in
manner of an ox. Bears, ounces or leopards, some greater and some
lesser; wolves, foxes, which to the northward a little farther are
black, whose fur is esteemed in some countries of Europe very rich.
Otters, beavers, marterns; and in the opinion of most men that saw it,
the General had brought unto him a sable alive, which he sent unto his
brother, Sir John Gilbert, Knight, of Devonshire, but it was never
delivered, as after I understood. We could not observe the hundredth
part of creatures in those unhabited lands; but these mentioned may
induce us to glorify the magnificent God, who hath super-abundantly
replenished the earth with creatures serving for the use of man,
though man hath not used the fifth part of the same, which the more
doth aggravate the fault and foolish sloth in many of our nations,
choosing rather to live indirectly, and very miserably to live and die
within this realm pestered with inhabitants, then to adventure as
becometh men, to obtain an habitation in those remote lands, in which
nature very prodigally doth minister unto men's endeavours, and for
art to work upon.
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