| OCR Text |
Show AN tion is foonerorlater, {ometimes in fix, eight, or ten Hours, and fometimes we are oblig’d to wait eighteen or twenty Hours, It is very rare that it is any longer. AN This is not the have abus’d. the ¢ AST y Inftancein which they ity and Simplicity of Father Piumier, as 1 have been a Witnefs upon other Occafions, and, perhaps, fhall mention Here the Effeéts of the Fermentation may fome in thefe Memoirs. be obferv’d ; the Water heats and bubbles up on all Sides, as Grapes in a Vat; and the they do to expofe thofe who would give Relations of a Country that they have Water, which at firft was clear, thickens in- not feen but em paffant, and as if they were fenfibly, and becomes of a blue Colour, in- running through they often apply themcliningto.a Violet. felves to fuch as knowbut little of the MatThen, without meddling with the Herbs at ter concerning which they would be inform’d, all, they open the Spiggots Cor Plugs) which and fuch as ¢hufe rather to proclaimtheir are at the Bottom of the Soaker, andlet out Folly, than appear to be ignorant ; and ofteninto the Battery, this Water charg’d with the times they happen to fall into the Hands of Salts and Subftance of the Plants that the Banterers, with which this Iflandis well ftor’d, Fermentation has detach’d ; and at the fame who take a Pleafure in expofing Perfons to time they throw away the Herbs that are in Ridicule, when Opportunityoffers. the Soaker, as good for nothing, and, as it I have fcarce known a Man eafier to be imwere, rotten, and cleanfe it out, in order to pos'd upon than this Father ; he had a wonfill it again with frefh Herbs, then they beat derful Talent’ at defigning Plants, and was j the Water which was let out of the Soakerinto a Condition to have rendred this Work c the Battery. pleat in its Kind, if he had ftopp’d the ; In former Times they made ufe of a Wheel but he fell into an infinite many Miftakes, by of Battledoors or Slices, the Axis of which going ont of his Sphere, of which this here was plac’d in the Middle of the Vat, which mention’dis not the moft confiderable, they turned by two Handles plac’d at the Top After they have left off beating j of the Axis let the Matter reft, the Dregs p Inftead of thefe Battledoors they afterwards the Bottom of the Vat, and there gather toput {mall Carriages in the Bottom, and after gether like a kind of Clay, and the Water, thefe others, the Bottom of which were bor’d difcharg’d of all thefé Salts, and of whichit full of Holes with an Augur. : was impregnated, fwims on the Top, and At prefent they make ufé of a large kind clarifies itfelf. ‘ of Buckets, tied to long Rods placed upon Then they “open the Plugs that they have Chandeliers, by means of which, the Negroes contriv'd at different Diftances from the Botraife the Water, beat it, and ftirit violently tom, and let the Water run out ; and when it and continually, until the Salts and other Parts is come to the Superficies of the Fxces, they of the Subftance ofthe Plant are united toge- open the Plugs at the Bottom, that ther, and, as it were, coaguiated fufficiently Feces mayrun into the Little Devi to make a Body. where theyare to reft, The obferving the critical Minute, difcoHere they leave it to fettle a lit vers the chief Art of the Indigo Maker ; forif and afterwards put it up into C they fhould leave offbeating never folittle too fifteen or fixteen Inches long, made tapering foon, the Grain, which is not yet form’d, to a Point, whereit finithes its purging itfelf would remain expanded in the Water without from the reft of the Water, which, till then, finking and gathering at the Bottom ofthe remain in its Particles, Vat, and would beloft along with the Water, Whenthis is done, they fpread it in Cafes, when they are oblig’d to let it out, which or Waggons, three or four Foot long, and two would be a great Lofs to the Owner; and if Foot wide, and about three Inches deep, and they fhould continue to beat it after it is expofe it to the Air to dry thoroughly ; they form’d, the fame Inconveniehncy would happen; take Care not to expofe it to the Sun, becaule andtherefore they are oblig’d to nick the very that would exhauft the Colour in drying it; Moment, and as foon as theyfind that, leave and they are very careful to keep it from the off beating, and let the Matterreft, Rain, for that would diffolve it, and {poil ic Theyufe for this Purpofe alittle Silver Cup, intirely, defign’d only for this Ufe, which theyfill with Tt often happens that the Caterpillars get in this Water, during the Time the Negroes are among the Jy, ligo, and in that little Time they beating it, and according as they obferve that the Fwces do precipitate to the Bottom of the are fuffered to Leaves, be there, they eat up the Cup ; where, as they remain diftributed, they Branches,’and often the Bark and Tops of the and caufe the Stocks to die: It ceale or continue to beat it. The General Di ‘tionary printed at Trevoux, relates very ferioufly, upon the Credit of Father Plumier the Minim, that the ji ligo Ma- kers having taken the Water out of the Bat tery into the Cup, do fpir in it; and if the Indigo be form’d, the Faces fall down prefently to the Bottom of the Cup, and then would be lofing Time to go about to deftroy them, and hinder them from ravaging onc intire Piece, in cutting a Trench. ‘The iureft Wayis to cut the Indigo immediately, and to throwit pell-mell into the Soaker, Plants and Caterpillars and all together, and the Caterpillars burfting will give up what they a Sorged, and the Indigo will be never the theyleave off beating ; but if not, they con- worle, tinueit, It AN It is true, that when the Plant has not Workmen ; as alfo a better Market than they come to its full Maturity, it yields a great have in this Country. Suppofe the Fact to be true, as the Sieur Pomet has written, upon the Report of thé deal lefs ; but it has been prov’d, by many Experiments, that the Colour produc’d from it is much finer, fo that what is loft by the one is gain’d by the other. Sieur Tavernier, although I love to make Ex- periments that maybe able to bring our Manufactures to a higher Degree of Perfeétion, I would not prefume to propofe it ; becaufe the Expence of thofe who would make it, and the Profit that they would drawfromit, perhaps, would not pay the Coft: But however, Ihave given the Practice of the Indians of weffe, that 1 may not be reproached for having omitted any thing that may be of Ad- I would not wait for the Plant’s coming to its full Maturity before I cut it: Perhaps the whole of the Secret of thofe who boaft of their Indigo, to the Prejudice of ours, lies in nothing elie but cutting the Plant at the Time when it gives the brighteft Colour. I have experiene’d, that leaving the Cochineal upon the prickly Pears, which were too ripe, inftead of being red, became ofa Feuille- vantage to my Nation. mort Colour, as the Fruit of which they were The good Indigo ought to be fo light, that fed; the fame Thing may, very likely, happen it will float upon the Water ; the more hollow to the Indigo ; and what I propofe here is not it is, the more it is to be {ufpected to have a a Doubt without a Foundation, in that it is Mixture of Earth, or Athes, or Slate pounded : fupported bycertain Experience, which I am the Colour ought to beof a deep Blue, incligoing to relate, and proves plainly, that the ning to a Purple, brilliant, lively, glittering ; fame Plant, cut at different Ages, produces it ought to look r within-fide than withColours different in Beauty. out, andfhining like Silver. I would not venture to give this Counfel to If it be too heavyaccording to its Bulk, it People that are attach’d to their Intereft, or ought to be fufpected and challenged, and who regard more the Quantity than the Qua- fearch’d to difcover its‘Quality ; for as it is lity of their Merchandize ; but, I fuppote, ha- often at a confiderable Price, it is f é ving nothing to fear from our Inhabitants of that buyit fhould be adverti the Ifles, who are generous and magnificent, that may be committed in it. oftentimes beyond their Ability ; Iadvife them The firft is the beating the Plant too much to make different Trials of the Earth, the in the Steeping-Vat, {fo as to confume the Seafon, the Age of the Plant, the Water Leavesintirely, and alfo the Bark of the Plant: which they ufe to fteep it in, and the Point of It is certain that this confiderably augments the Diffolution, &e. Quantity of the Matter by the Diffolution, but And I am certain, in a little Time, with the Indigo is not near fo good ; it is blackith, Labour and Patience, they would make Indigo Jean, heavy, and fitter to be thrown away not only equal to, bur alfo furpaffing that thanufed, which is made in the Country ofForeigners, The fecond is to mix a fort of afh-colour’d of which they boaft fo much. Earth and a certain brownfhining Sand, which The Inhabitants of Domingo know, that in they find very commonly in the Beaches on ror. their Sugar was rough, and of a very the Sea-fhore. bad Quality, and that they did not makeit Andabove all, the powder’d Slate in the without a great deal of Pains ; and all the Feces, which they throw in fuch a Quantity World will own, that now, by their Labour, as it falls into the Little Devil being well Affiduity, and Experiments, it is become as ftirred in, to makeit incorporate, and which much, nay, more in Efteem than that of the Fraud does not appear. Leeward \lands: And why maynot the fame Andthis Fraud is committed more eafily in Thing be hop’dforas to the Indigo ? The Sieur Pomet, Author of the General Hifiory of Drugs, fays, in his Firft Part, Cap. to. That the Judians of the Village of Sarfe near Amadabat, make ufe of nothing the Leaves ofthe Jndigo, and throw away the Plant and the Branches, and that by i ns the Jvdigo is made that is moft efteem’d. Tam much ofhis Mind ; for we fee that the Indigo which is in Powder than that which is in Cakes, becaufe it is very difficult for thefe ftrange Bodies to joyn toge © well as that it does not appear in {é\ ices, as Beds of different Matter, w! reaking off a Piece ofthe Ivdigo, is eafily obferv'd There are two Expedie or bad Quality ofIndigo. it is, to put a Bit of it in a Glafs of Water, and if it be pure and well made, it will diffolve intirely ; thofe People who take the Pains to pick off but ifit be falfify’d, the foreign Matter will the Grapes before they put them into the Vat, fink to the Bottomofthe Glais. The fecond and who throw awayintirely the Stalks, make is in burning it: ‘The good /ndigowill burnall a Wine muchbetter, becauie the Stalks alw ays away, inftead of leaving Afhes, Earth, Slate, contain an Acid, which mingles with the Juice €&e, after that which is true is confam’d. of the Grapes, in treading and prefling them The Indigo was fold in the Leeward Ilands bothtogether. in 1694. from three Livres ten Sols to four And bya like Reafoning the Plant of Indigo Livres a Pound, according to its Beauty, and ought to contain a Liquid much lefs perfect the Number ofthe Veffels that were freighted in Colour, than that whichis in the Leaves ; with it. but this requires Patience and Time for the I have fince feen it fold much under that Indians to undertake {uch a Work, and to find Price ; be that as it will, the Inhabirants make a very |
