Letter 2716

[fol. 165] Worthy Sr, Accoring to your Request I have Sent by the bearer (my one who makes Bold to pay Respects to you) Some Logwood Branches in to Flower, they Growing to Leward about a Hundred Miles from Spanish Town was forced to Imploy a Person to Get it who had not Skill to Lay the Branches Down Upon Paper in Good Order therefore it comes Soo rough, they being to Dry for the Attempt to Alter them therefore Sent them as I received them; The Logg wood when young makes the Best and Closest Fence of any Plant being very Prickly and always Green It Blossoms in January and the Seed Rope […] in the beginning of march Its Blossom hath a very expecting […] Pleasant Smell of a yellowish Colour the Head Beds […] and Other Flies […] are very Brusy a bout them when in full Blossom[.] Its Seed is in Bunches like our English Ash; wch you may Remember I Gave you Some of its Seeds when I was in England[.] Sr you may Remember that I once gave you a Perticular account of the Vertues of a Plant that Grows wch you Distinguish by the Name of Apocynum exectum folio Oblongo, flora umbovato, petalis cucunbis nellonis[.] your figure of this Plant is ever Exact wch is Vulgarly or Commonly Called Here Blood Flower for its Great vertues in Stopping of Blood either at the Nose Mouth or Anus as Col Howard who Frequents Old Man’s Cotty at Charring Cross[.] Here I Can Give you a Particular… to you Himself… Great in Stoping of His Gleets wch I saw Many […] Oxford I Went last to England when all Restringents and Balsamicks failed and Since I came over last to Jamaica a Gentleman About 60 years of Age Compained to me that He had Seen Trouble with an Old gleet for many years and nothing He Could meet with that would doo Him any Service[.] I Advised Him to take the Flowers of this Plants and Dry them very Well and make a Tea of them to Drink Morning and Night wch He Did and in about a Months Time made a Perfect Cure in So much that He Said A mane in England might get an Estate by it. But I have Observed within these few months that the Country People give the Juice of the Whole Plant, about 2 or 3 Spoonfuls to young People, and Purge them Smartly upwards and Downwards and forces a Way Worms to Admiration and Will have to to be the Epecacuany wch is Very erroneous that being a quite Different Plant But this last Practice with the Plant Startled me to See it purge so[.] I yet when I gave it Decocted for Bloody fluxes and Gleet it had no Such operation Pray your Opinion of it. I Beg the Favour of Adviseing my Son to a Learned and Honest Councillour of the Lane to Recover my Due if Possible as any Other Ways or means you Assist Him in Will Say greater Obligations upon me than I Shall be Capable to Return but Shall [fol. 166] make it my Endeavours who Always Prays for your Health and Happiness; And your most faithfully Obedient Humble Servant to Command Henry Barham I am in great expectation of your 2d Volume of the History of Jamaica April 30th 1724