I72                           HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
book thou wouldft advance thy mifchief, go and provide
,   x"'   , thyfelf with the poifons of the New World.
Of all the regions produdive of venomous plants,
none abounded fo much in them as South America,
which owed this malignant fertility to a foil in gene-
ral rank, as if it were purging itfelf from the flimeof
a deluge. .
The plants called Lianes, of which there were vaft
numbers in all damp and marfhy places, furnifhed
the poifon, which was in univerfal requeft on the
continent. The method of preparing it was by cut-
ting them in pieces, then boiling them in water, till
the liquor had acquired the confiftence of a fyrup.
After this, they dipped their arrows in it, which were
immediately impregnated with the poifonous quality,
During feveral ages, the favages in general ufed thefe
arms in their wars with each other. At length many
of thofe nations, from the deficiency of their num-
bers, found the neceffity of renouncing fo deftrudive
a weapon, and referved it for beafts, whether large
or fmall, which they could not overtake or overcome.
Any animal, whofe fkin has been raifed with one of
thefe poifoned arrows, dies a minute after, without
any fign of convulfion or pain. This is not occafioned
by the coagulation of the blood, which was a long
time the general opinion ; recent experiments have
proved, that this poifon, mixed with blood newly
.vn and warm, prevents it from coagulating, and
even preferves it forne time from putrefadion. It is
probable, that the effed of thefe juices is upon the
nervous fyftem. Some travellers have imputed the
origin of the venereal difeafe, among the inhabitants
of the New World, to the habit of eating game kil-
led with thefe poifoned arms. At prefent it is uni-
verfally known, that the flefh of fuch animals may
be eaten for a continuance without any ill effed.
In the American iflands, the natives draw their
poifon from trees, more than from the Lianes ; and
of all the venomous forts of trees, the moft deadly
,>• the mancheneel.