by any accident loofened from the bottom, does naturally swim.

13. Confulting my last Volume of Remarks, I found in them the following Paffage, which I had with fingular pleasure transcribed verbatim out of the Saint James's Evening Poft for September 25, 1729, viz. "Some days ago Captain "Hannibal, in the Sloop Cornelius, brought over

as Paffengers from Roterdam, the two famous

English Divers living at Weymouth, having been "three Years in the Dutch East India Compa

ny's Service, and had been sent to fish upon the "Wrecks of fome Ships of theirs in India: They

gave a fpecimen of their Skill before the "Governour and Directors at Middleburgh in "Zealand, by diving in fix Fathom Water, and is ftaying at the bottom three quarters of an

hour, bringing up fome Gravel in their hands :

"The Directors afterward entered into a Con"tract with them, agreeing to give fix Pounds "per Cent. for the Treasure they should recover, " and fo for other Goods in proportion to their "Value. The first trial they made was upon "the Wreck of a Dutch East India Ship that " had been loft off Cape Coast in fix Fathom "Sea, in which they fucceeded fo well, that

they brought up at feveral times 3600l. in "Silver. They dived also upon another Wreck "in eight Fathoms, and brought up fome Bars

" of

"of Silver and Gold, and feveral Brafs Great "Guns: When one went to the bottom, his

Companion ftaid on board to pull him up as "occafion offered; for they would truft no

Foreigner. Their diving Engine they contriv"ed in England, which was made of Wood, fix "hundred weight of Lead being affixed to the "bottom to fink it, and lefs would not do; "The Glaffes before their Eyes were three "Inches thick, and their Hands were at li

berty to grope and faften Hooks to Chefts

"and fuch other things as they had a mind

to get up. Notwithstanding the largeness of "the Engine, which terrified most of the In"habitants of the Deep, there was one large "Fish that would often make at them; but

to guard against him, they carried in one "hand a little fharp Lance, with which they pricked him, then he fcoured off. They ne

ver dived but in Summer time, and then on "calm, ferene, and fun-fhiny Days. They re"late what is very remarkable, That the bot

tom of the Sea where they had been, look"ed like a fine Garden, abundance of things

(which they wanted a Name for) growing "in it resembling fhort Plants, and branching "out from the main Stocks divers ways, being white, hard and rugged, but did not appear to be of the white Coral kind: They brought

•

brought up fome Pieces with them, which "after they were expofed to the Sun, but not before, yielded a moft fragrant Smell; one "little Branch thereof is now in the poffeffion of "the aforefaid Captain Hannibal, and is looked

upon as a very great Curiofity: When the "Cheft in which the Pieces were repofited was opened at the Custom-house Key, a fine Scent was diffused round about, which pleased and furprized all that were prefent.

14. By way of confirmation of this memorable paffage, I take liberty to observe, That in the Year of our Lord 1718, a Nevis Gentleman of my acquaintance, had fome business that called him down from thence to the Danish Island of Saint Thomas, upon the Shore of which he found growing close to the Sea great numbers of much the fame things (which the St. James's Evening Poft fays refembled short Plants,) and which were likewise branching out from the main Stock divers ways. He brought fome of them up to our Ifland: They were extreamly white, harder than Chalk, and fomewhat rugged; but I do not remember any fragrant Smell they had, and am abfolutely certain, that they were not of the white Coral kind, because fo brittle that they would not bear any polishing by way of cheat. N. B. None of our English Leeward Islands produce them.

15. You

15. You will find too in my Collection a milk white Stone not quite so broad as a Half Crown Piece, which in shape is not much unlike a Carnation Flower; The upper or infide part, is entirely composed of exceeding nice Stone Leaves, that are close set together in a wavy form at top, and are full as thin as Carnation Leaves; and the bottom or outfide part has a little bit of Stem, jetting out as it were on purpose to direct us, to imagine or fancy the reft of the Stalk, from whence it was by fome unknown accident broke off in its fair Garden the Sea. This is of a Coral kind, many pieces whereof I have since seen in your Chamber at Trinity College.

16. We have there Land Crabs which high up in our Mountain Woods, make small Burroughs in the Ground like Rabbits; their Flesh is rich (delicious) eating, but their Shells are no ways curious, though of a deep Blood Red colour when boiled; they annually travel down to the Sea, in order to wash and fhed their Shells, at which Seafon we catch them eafily, by help of Torches in the Night, which is the time of their travelling. Their Bodies are much smaller than the Bodies of our European Sea Crabs, and Nature has fupplied them with Claws that are both long and strong as well as flender, which enables them to lift well up their Bodies and to travel арасе. In our Ponds near the Sea we

catch

catch Pond Crabs of a most beautiful Sky Blue, that are shaded all around the edges with a brownish Yellow, and much lefs, though far finer shaped, both in Body and Claws, than our European ones: But their Shells were not worth bringing home to England, because those fine Colours vanifhed with their Life. We have no Sea Crabs; at least that are fit to eat: Clams ftick to our Rocks that are near the Shore, but are not eaten by us.

17. Our Nevis Lobsters do exactly resemble the English ones, in bulk, colour, and shape, except that their two large Claws are not fo big in proportion to their Bodies: but I once found, to the utmost hazard of my life, this remarkable and ugly circumftance attending them, viz. Such of them as are found on the Western or Leeward fide of our Ifland are reckoned very fine eating; whereas they that are taken on the Eastern or Windward fide are rank Poison, which we attribute to fome unwholesome kind of Food they meet with there; fome imagine that they meet with veins of Coperas there: This Poison works ftrongly, both by dreadful Vomits and Stools. We have also great numbers of Sea Cray Fishes, that are almost as large as our Lobsters, and are justly reckoned elegant eating.

18. Before I take leave of the West Indies, I shall make bold to add one Paragraph about that fingularly beautiful Fish called a Dolphin, that is