TS SOIL AND PRODUCT.

Having given this account of the town of Bahia I shall next say somewhat
of the country. There is a salt-water lake runs 40 leagues, as I was
told, up the country, north-west from the sea, leaving the town and Dutch
fort on the starboard side. The country all around about is for the most
part a pretty flat even ground, not high, nor yet very low: it is well
watered with rivers, brooks and springs; neither wants it for good
harbours, navigable creeks, and good bays for ships to ride in. The soil
in general is good, naturally producing very large trees of divers sorts,
and fit for any uses. The savannahs also are loaded with grass, herbs,
and many sorts of smaller vegetables; and being cultivated, produce
anything that is proper for those hot countries, as sugarcane, cotton,
indigo, maize, fruit-trees of several kinds, and eatable roots of all
sorts. Of the several kinds of trees that are here I shall give an
account of some, as I had it partly from an inhabitant of Bahia, and
partly from my knowledge of them otherwise, namely sapiera, vermiatico,
comesserie, guitteba, serrie, as they were pronounced to me, three sorts
of mangrove, speckled wood, fustick, cotton-trees of 3 sorts, etc.,
together with fruit trees of divers sorts that grow wild, beside such as
are planted.

ITS TIMBER-TREES; THE SAPIERA, VERMIATICO, COMMESSERIE, GUITTEBA, SERRIE,
AND MANGROVES.

Of timber-trees the sapiera is said to be large and tall; it is very good
timber, and is made use of in building of houses; so is the vermiatico, a
tall straight-bodied tree, of which they make plank 2 foot broad; and
they also make canoes with it. Comesserie and guitteba are chiefly used
in building ships; these are as much esteemed here as oaks are in
England, and they say either sort is harder and more durable than oak.
The serrie is a sort of tree much like elm, very durable in water. Here
are also all the three sorts of mangrove trees, namely the red, the
white, and the black, which I have described. The bark of the red
mangrove is here used for tanning of leather, and they have great
tan-pits for it. The black mangrove grows larger here than in the West
Indies, and of it they make good plank. The white mangrove is larger and
tougher than in the West Indies; of these they make masts and yards for
barks.

THE BASTARD-COCO, ITS NUTS AND CABLES; AND THE SILK-COTTON-TREES.

There grow here wild or bastard coconut-trees, neither so large no