it -folds up intdl plaits’ Sky kt fan, which fan -figure it
•nearl^ir^rfi1i?eS‘.‘ Int'si&e ®ild .bhiekndssjfil, Completely suipp^sises
all other leaves'.- The*'breadth itfrathiildiameter is from three
to '!four feet," and the > - length'; and; thickness ish-in proportion :
it ^ili liFge- bnough-Toucoveiy te n ' men 'from: the iticletnenp^pf
tire ^WeatherC-It is■ made-’ into umbrell£s;bfjfall sizes, and serves,
equally dp;fprbfect':the 'nati'ves la^in^Cfche intolerable i?ays;qf t,he
sun, and the fains which at particular seasons deluge their country..
'As it is of such an impenetrable texture; as to., defy either the
sun of the monsoon, it affords a shelter even more secure than,
their huts. -During the violent rains, it is not unusual dejnseg’
th e 'natives prop- up one endmfh aTalipot- leaf with a^^t^Jf ftwo-
Ur thr£e dfeeP long, and then .-creep under it- f©^?p«6teGtiqn.- I
have already described th e maimer in which natives make
us'e'.of this leaf for writing. ,
The banyan -tree, or, as it is frequently-called, the Indian
fig-tree, is a native of Ceylon. I t bears mo d®hiDndj'«bl®^sdm,
but -grows to- an immense "size,, and-has some' striking- peculiarities
in its appearance-. I t first rises to, a great height in th e .air,
and then drops its., branches: downwards. A-vast number of
roots .are then observed to shoot forth from the lower extremities
of the branches,, where they- continue suspended like
icicles^till - they a t last fasten themselves in the earth. -Frorn
these roots new shoots, spring up, which in their, turn become-
-trees, - and'strike their branches into the ;-ground. A wholegrove
is thus formed from. one .-original stock; and - the' arches-
formed by the branches and the numerous interwoven shoots, come,
in time to have actually, the appearance of.- grottos and excavations.
The -circumference of the grove arising . from one stock,
has frequently been known to extend to several hundred feet-
- I t . is j-no wopdhtf»l%^ afforded j by this
• noble tree should have pointed it out to the particular venera-
. tiou of the1 inhabitants of the torrid zone. Indeed without the
assistance . o.f its impenetrable- shade, it is almost impossible
that .the.■ numerous.".-ceremonies enjoined by theirjj superstition
could have been at all performed. I t is here therefore that
we find the Brahmins and the devotees of their religion conti-
nually celebrating their rites. The i pagodas are usually erected
in the neighbourhood. of ■ this friendly shade, as well as the
- uhhjpfries jpi.epared .for the weary traveller.
I t is' (H|mtudji; tbr*;Hiy: Indian^tcfe take up his abode un-
derrthis and^|q- t(^ahatjSjtedlched> at hisi^fee-in the shade;
Wjl«Dho^,^ y, ,itlyng tJ^posedg/to. The rays, qfv the^jtin, is scorched
with-jthe .intcdei abli ‘Ik at . '
- The cotton-tree' of ,iGeMpn^ grows ,t@j a middlipgj height. . i l is.
sleh^er^andt straight, with} the j^ ran d l^^h p p tin g out.^near thp
Top., , The b,|ittoh g f ^ ^ f n pqds b | ,an oblongs,shape, about .the
size of a small pear.; When ripe, they burst, and the cotton is
then seen projecting out of them. In this state tliejr are gathered,
Within‘ the pod a number of seeds like black- pepper.
are mixed with the cotton, from which they are separated
by little sticks in jthe form of a - cross, which the women
turn round very quick- with their hands, and during this operation
the seeds fail out. The cotton procured from this tree
is contaminated- with an oily substance, and is not by any
means equal in goodness to that which, grows ..on the shrub
in other.., | parts India. I t is however, much used for matrasses
and pillows; and coarse cloth, fit for common purposes?-,
is made, -of it. The wood is much employed in making fences,.
The tich-iuQod tree, which may be called the' oak of Ceylon,,