Of all the gifts which Providence has bestowed on the oriental world, the cocoa-nut tree most deserves our notice. In this single production of nature, what blessings are conveyed to man! It grows, in a stately column, from thirty to fifty feet in height, crowned by a verdant capital of waving branches, covered with long spiral leaves: under this foliage bunches of blossoms, clusters of green fruit, and others arrived at maturity, appear in mingled beauty. The trunk, though porous, furnishes beams and rafters for habitations; and the leaves, when plaited together, make an excellent thatch, coarse mats for the floor, brooms, and common umbrellas; while their finest fibres are woven into very beautiful mats for the rich.

The covering of the young fruit is extremely curious, resembling a piece of thick cloth, in a conical form, close and firm as if it came from the loom : it expands, after the fruit has burst through its inclosure, and then appears of a coarser texture. The nuts contain a delicious milk, and a kernel sweet as the almond: this, when dried, affords abundance of oil; — and, when that is expressed, the remains feed cattle and poultry, and make a good manure. The shell of the nuts furnishes cups, ladles, and other domestic utensils; while the husk, which encloses it, is of the utmost importance: it is manufactured into ropes and cordage of every kind, from the smallest twine to the largest cable, which are far more durable than those of hemp.

In the Nicobar islands, the natives build their vessels, make

the sails and cordage, supply them with provisions and necessaries, and provide a cargo of arrack, vinegar, oil, jaggree or coarse sugar, cocoa-nuts, coiar, cordage, black paint, and several inferior articles, for foreign markets, entirely from this tree.

Many of the trees are not permitted to bear fruit; but the embryo bud, from which the blossoms and nuts would spring, is tied up, to prevent its expansion; and a small incision being then made at the end, there oozes, in gentle drops, a cool, pleasant liquor, called tarce, or toddy, the palm wine of the poets. This, when first drawn, is cooling and salutary; but, when fermented and distilled, produces an intoxicating spirit. Thus, a plantation of cocoa-nut trees yields the proprietor a considerable profit, and generally forms part of the govern

ment revenue.

The cocoa-nut tree delights in a flat, sandy soil, near the sea, and must be frequently watered; while the palmyras, oi barb trees, grow on hills and rocky mountains. These, also, abound in the Nicobar islands, as well as the date tree; but the fruit of the latter seldom attains perfection there. These trees are of the same genus, though differing according to their respective classes: they all produce the palm wine, and are generally included under the name of palms, or palmettoes.

EXERCISE XXIII.

DIVING FOR PEARLS.- Ruschenberger.

The crew of a boat employed in the pearl fishery, consists of a tindal, or master, ten divers, and thirteen other men, who manage the boat, and attend the divers when fishing. Each boat has five diving-stones; the ten divers relieving each other five divers are constantly at work, during the hours of fishing. The weight of the diving-stone varies from fifteen to twenty-five pounds, according to the size of the diver. The diving-stone is used to enable the divers to keep at the bottom of the sea, to fill their net with oysters. The form of a diving-stone resembles the cone of a pine: it is suspended by a double cord. The net is of coiar rope-yarns, eighteen inches

deep, fastened to a hoop eighteen inches wide, fairly slung to a single cord.

On preparing to commence fishing, the diver divests himself of all his clothes, except a small piece of cloth: after offering up his devotions, he plunges into the sea, and swims to his diving-stone, which his attendants have slung over the side of the boat; he places his right foot or toes between the double cord on the diving-stone, the bight of the cord being passed over a stick projecting from the side of the boat; by grasping all parts of the rope, he is enabled to support himself and the stone, and raise or lower the latter, for his own convenience, while he remains at the surface; he then puts his left foot on the hoop of the net, and presses it against the diving-stone, retaining the cord in his hand. The attendants take care that the cords are clear for running out of the boat. The diver being thus prepared, he raises his body as much as he is able; drawing a full breath, he presses his nostrils between his thumb and fingers, slips his hold of the bight of the diving-stone, and descends as rapidly as the stone will sink him.

On reaching the bottom, he abandons the stone, which is hauled up by the attendants, and kept ready to take him down again,clings to the ground, and commences filling his net. To accomplish this, he will sometimes creep over a space of eight or ten fathoms, and remain under water a minute. When he wishes to ascend, he checks the cord of the net, which is instantly felt by the attendants, who commence pulling up as fast as they are able.

The diver remains with the net till it is so far clear of the bottom as to be in no danger of upsetting, and then begins to haul himself up by the cord, hand over hand, which the attendants are likewise pulling. When by these means his body has acquired an impetus upwards, he forsakes the cord, places his hands to his thighs, rapidly ascends to the surface, swims to his diving-stone; and by the time the contents of his net have been emptied into the boat, he is ready to go down again.

One diver will take up, in a day, from one thousand to four thousand oysters. The diver seldom exceeds a minute under water: the more common time is from fifty-three to fiftyseven seconds; but when requested to remain as long as possible, they can prolong their stay to something more than eighty seconds.