68 N ' A r r a c t i v e o f a n
c H A P. grefen aïched branches, naked till near their extremity,
when thefèsâ^ip diverge or digitate in long-broad leavès
o f a pale green colour, and difpofed inah orbicular man«
iner . with; great. regularity, not unlike fun-béanas, or a
lady’s fan expanded; As .the young ^branches fpring up
from: the 'centre at- the fiimmit, the old bne&ffade at the
bottom and hang downwards, fhriveflèd arid- dangling in
the wind. From the heart o f the green leaves the Indians
draw oüt long; whiterüteès or thrfcadsy:as; th e f ào
from, the filk-grafs plant :: thefe, beingi.equally ftrong,
ferve as f cord® when twilled. to. fhring their b o^vs ; | to make
nets, or to be. tried as-threads; from the middle o f the
branches appears the feed, hanging down alfo in theform
o f a large rope o f onions. I have.feen|Hiany prints, re-
prefénting palm-trees, but I rnuft take the liberty to îây
that moft of them are impofitions on the public,, having
either been executed from fancy, Or 'from a very bad
defcription ; but I can affure my readers,: thaf all thofe
which I reprefent were taken from nature, and on the
fpot : 1 fpeak of the cocoa-nut tree, the ihamqôla, ,the
mountain - cabbage, and. : the- maureCeee trees,, whofe
branches and leaves are ah-.extremely .different from
. each other ; and I have not .confounded the Species*, as
they are in too many publications- ' T h e two firil the,
reader has already feen; and the two others;!.now offer to
his view, where A is the trunk o f the mountain-cabbage-
tree B One of its branches,- feparated from the reft, and
€ the feed or hulky fpatha inelcffng it & D isjthe trunk of
the maureeeee-tree,. and E. one of its branches: dropping
down*.
IB ' H B