,
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.
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