The cocoa is another tree most worthy of being known, as in fruitfulness and sweetness of fruit it surpasses all other trees.  Its fruit is a nut of large size; and taken altogether, this tree produces ten different commodities of value:  as it produces wood most excellent for burning, nuts very pleasant to eat, cords or ropes that answer well for ships, fine cloth, which when dyed resembles silk.  The wood is the best that can be found for making charcoal, and it yields wine, odoriferous water, sugar, and oil.  The boughs or leaves serve to cover houses, instead of tiles or thatch, as, by reason of their closeness and substance, they keep out the rain admirably.  One tree will produce about two hundred large nuts.  The outer rhind of these nuts is removed, and thrown into the fire, where it burns quickly and with a strong flame.  The inner rhind is like cotton or flax, and can be wrought in the same manner.  From the finer part of this, a kind of cloth is made resembling silk; and from the tow, or refuse, they make a coarser cloth, or small ropes and twine; while the coarsest parts are made into cables and large ropes for ships.  The inner hard shell of the nut incloses the kernel, which is excellent eating, and lines the shell to the thickness of an inch or less.  Within this is found to the quantity of two or three cups of sweet water, which is excellent to drink, and which, by boiling, produces good oil.  Only one side of the tree is allowed to produce fruit, as they wound the other side every morning and evening in several places, whence a juice or sap runs out into vessels placed to receive it.  Thus they procure at each wound, every night and morning, a cupful of most precious liquor, which sometimes they boil till it becomes strong as brandy, so as to make people drunk like strong wine, which it resembles in taste and flavour.  They likewise procure sugar from this tree, but not very sweet.  This tree produces fruit continually, as at all times there are to be seen upon it both old ripe fruit of the past season, and green fruit of the present year.  It does not begin bearing till five years old, and only lives for twenty five years.  It thrives best in sandy ground, and is planted or set out like our walnuts; and is so much valued, that it is to be found all over the country for at least two hundred miles.  This country also produces other fruits, from which they make good oil.

For the cultivation of rice they till the ground with oxen as we do, and at the season for sowing they have a holiday, on which they testify their joy by singing and dancing to the sound of all kinds of instruments of music.  To ensure, as they conceive, a favourable produce, ten men are disguised like so many devils, who dance to the noise of their music; and after the festivities of the day, they pray to the devils to send them a plentiful crop.