THE COUNTRY. 155

acquainted with the language to write in fuch a
manner as will pleafe a critical reader; yet in
spite of his modesty, one is startled to find how
much vigor patriotism grants his words when he
comes to speak of tea, which he thinks might
as well be planted in the Florida barrens, or by
these shaded streams, as in that other land of
flowers. "Tea" he describes as "a defpicable
weed, and of late attempted to be made a dirty
conduit to lead a stream of oppreffion into thefe
happy regions, it would not have deserved
my attention, had it not fo univerfally become
a neceffary of life, and were not moft people fo
infatuated as more and more to eftablifh this one
article of luxury in America; our gold and filver
for this dirty return being fent to Europe." He
ends by calling it a "monopoly of the worft
kind," and insisting that the realization of this
ought to roufe us to introduce the plant into
thefe provinces, that we may trample under foot
this yoke of oppreffion which begins to gall us
very fore."
 De Soto, however, when he planned to bring
his seeds from Spain, had no resentment or am-