37. Gros noir d'Espagne, i e. the great black Spanish Grape, or by fome call'd Vigne d' Alicant, i. e. the Alicant Grape, brings large Clu fters, well furnish'd with large Grapes fit for the Table; from this Grape is made the most excellent Spanish Wine.

38. Le Sanmoireau is a black Grape excellent for eating and making of Wine. The Grape is longifh, firm, and grows free upon the Bunches.

39. The Frementeau Grape is of a reddish grey Colour; its Bunches pretty large, and its Grapes or Berries clofely fet together. The Skin of this Fruit is a little hard, but its Juice excellent; 'tis of this Grape is made that excellent Wine call'd Sillery Wine, or Vin de Sillery:

40. Blanquet de Lemois is a white transparent Grape, as clear as Glafs; the Berry is long and pretty large; it bears well, and has an excellent rich Juice.

41. La Malvoifie, i. e. the Malmfey Grape, is of a grey Colour, bears well; its Berry fmall, but extreamly rich and high flavour'd: It ripens early, and is fo full of Juice, that I efteem it the moft melting of all Grapes.

42. Malvoifie rouge. i. e. the red Malmfey Grape, is of a flame Colour, and has the fame Qualities with the former.

43. Malvoifie blanc, i. e. the white Malm fey Grape, is a more rare, but a later Grape than the other two. I efteem the I efteem the grey fort to

be the best.

44. Le Maroquin, is a large blue Grape, which brings Bunches of an extraordinary Size, and its Berries very large, round and hard; the Wood is reddifh, and the Leaves vein'd with

red. One fort of it bears in an extraordinary Manner, and blossoms three times in a Summer. The Midfummer Fruit fometimes comes to Perfection about Paris, but the third Bloffom comes to nothing: However in the South Parts of Italy all the three Crops ripen, for which reafon 'tis call'd there Uva de tre Volti.

45. Raifin d' Italy, i. e. the Italian Grape, named by the Italians Pergoliefe, is of two kinds, viz. the white and the blue. The Bunches are large and long, and the Berry longish and freely difpofed upon the Bunches. It does not ripen kindly about Paris.

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46. Raifin d' Afrique, i. e. the African Grape, is very large, its Berries like Plums; there are the red and the white; its Bunches are of an extraordinary Size; the Figure of its Grape rather long than round, a little flat towards the Point; its Wood and Leaf are remarkably big, and it requires a great deal of Sun.

47. Le Surin is a Vine highly esteem'd in Auvergne; 'tis one of the Melie Tribe, well tafted, and its Fruit a little pointed.

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48. The Bourdelais is of three kinds, the white, the red, and the black, the Bunches of Fruit are very large, rather fit to make Verjuice or Sweetmeats than for eating. This Vine is the best we can ufe for graffing many kinds of Grapes upon; chiefly fuch as are apt to degenerate, as the Damask Grape, and the Curran Grape, but it is better to graff the Muscat Grapes upon Plants of their own Tribe.

49. Le Teinturier, i. e. the Dyers Grape, called alfo Noirault, and Plant d' Espagne, has its Fruit very much preffed together upon the Bunches, and is of a very black Dye; its chief ufe is to heighten and colour the Wine,

I

and

and is of great Ufe alfo in the Cure of Wounds.

Thus far my Friend's Papers reach concerning the Vines chiefly admir'd in France. It would be well if we could reconcile our English Catalogues to thofe of France, that we might not fend to that Country for Sorts which we have already from Catalogues that may be impos'd upon us. I am pretty well perfuaded that few if any of the English Catalogues of Grapes are right, Anno 1724. I recommend the Care of our Catalogue of Fruits, for our Success in pruning and dreffing of Vines depends upon it; for all forts of Grapes are not to be prun'd alike, nor at the fame Seafon; and therefore without an exact Knowledge of the forts we fhall run into Confufion.

When I was in France about three Years ago, I was curious to obferve their Fruits, and efpecially their Grapes, which were the earlieft ripe, and which ripen'd their Fruit beft in the Vineyards, in the North Parts of France; that if poffible, fome of the South Parts of England might be fuccessful in Vineyards; tho' I confefs, as far as my Judgment can determine, the Gentlemen of the Weft may be faid to want no foreign Liquors fo long as they enjoy the Nectar of their Orchards; but then when we confider that it is not every where that Apples will profper, and that in fome Parts of the Weft, there are Tracts of Land which are not yet cultivated, by Reason of the many Rocks and Quarries; I fay fuch Land will be greatly improv'd by planting of Vines, which will thrive there rather than in what we call rich Land, and give Wine where Cider may be wanting.

The

The forts of Grapes which I chofe for this End were three Kinds of Melié Grapes, fome kinds call'd Morignon or Morilon, and fome of the Muniers, I bought feveral hundred of these to be tranfported to England, with a Defign at once to plant two or three Vineyards in divers Soils; but firft the Carriage of them from Paris to Roan was tedious, and from Roan to England, near two Months elapfed before a Ship could be found to bring 'em to London; and then, which was worse, the Difficulties they met at the Cuftom-house, detain'd them fo long, that hardly one in fourfcore had living Juices left in them, as I found to my Sorrow after they had been planted a Year: However there are fome yet afive and profperous; but 'tis from thence alone we must expect Increase; for 'tis not worth our while to be at the Expence and Trouble I have been at in bringing over fuch things, without they could be readily brought on Shore. The fame Year I had likewife, with a great deal of Trouble, collected feveral new Plants from the King's Gardens at Paris, and fome other Places, which, in my Judgment, would have been in a few Years as ferviceable to England, as any thing has appear'd in the Way of Gardening and Hufbandry, but they were detained fo long at Dover by the Cuftom-house Officers, that when they came to London they were all deftroy'd, and my Time and Expence loft. Now, unless there can be fome Way found out, which may allow free Paffage for things of this Nature, which cannot bear Delays, I fear we fhall make few Additions to our Plants in England, whether useful or curious.

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Nor was this the only time I have fuffer'd at this rate, for fome time before, the States of Am

fterdam

fterdam prefented me with above an hundred and fifty different forts of curious and valuable Plants, which were ftrangers then in England; i. e. I had not seen them in any of our English Gardens of Note. Mr. Fairchild of Hoxton was my Correfpondent, but there was fo much Difficulty to get them landed, that above two thirds of them were deftroy'd: Now I fay, could there be a free Liberty granted for bringing into a Nation fuch things as Plants, which are perifhable if they are kept long on Ship-board, it might not redound a little to its Advantage.

Concerning the Improvement of old decay'd VINES in a Letter to a Gentleman in Hampfhire.

SIR,

S there is nothing more defirable than

A gaining or faving of time to a Gentle

my

man who is is a Lover of planting, Defign in the following Directions is to put you into immediate Poffeffion of good Fruits tho' I muft confefs, after Wall Trees have been in a Manner lawless for two or three Years, and have run at random without Controul, 'tis hard to bring them again to the good Difpofitions they enjoy'd, whilst they were regulated by judicious Government; and the Vine efpecially, which is a Plant that above all others is moft inclinable to ramble out of Rule, if it be fuffer'd to take its own Course, requires the Skill of the Gardener more than other Trees, to bring it into healthful Order; and in this our dreffing and ordering it must be agreeable, partly