MB. S. TVABD ON THE COCO DE MEU. 119 



m be no danger under any circumstances of tlie 



extinction of this most interesting species. 



I am confident that whilst Mr. Ward remains in his present 

 post he will do all in his power to protect the existing trees, and 

 to secure the planting of others. 



I remain, Sir, 



Your obedient Servant, 

 To George Bentham, Esq., Heket Barklt. 



President L.8., ^c, &c. 



Preservation of the Coco de Mer. 



Civil Coramissioner's Office, Seychelles, May 17, 1864-. 



Sir, — I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your 

 letter (No. II. 890) of May Gth enclosing a communication from 

 the Linnean Society on the subject of the destruction of Coco de 

 Mer trees at Prasliu, and directing me to report, for the informa- 

 tion of his Excellency the G-overnor, upon the measures which 

 ought to be taken for the preservation of such of the Lodoicea 

 trees as now remain, 



2. The paper on the Coco de Mer, to which the Linnean 

 Society alludes, was written a short time after my arrival ; but 

 although I had made a tour of inspection round the islands, 

 including Praslin and Curieuse, I had not then visited the district 

 in which this Palm principally flourishes. 



3. There is no doubt that the Coco de Mer has entirely disap- 

 peared from many parts of the Island of Praslin, where it formerly 

 abounded — destroved bv accidental 



eonflasrations 



cut down to make room for manioc cultivation. The land in 

 these parts of Praslin, with a very small exception, is entirely in 



and 



Government 



4. I returned, on the 9th instant, from a visit to the more 

 distant islands of the group in the 'Pleiad,' which was placed at 

 my disposal by Colonel Play fair, and 1 took the opportunity, 

 during this tour, of visiting the Lodoicea-forest at Ause Marie 

 Louise, on the southern point of the Island of Praslin — a small 

 lovely valley reacliing to the sea-board, surrounded by lofty liills, 

 the sides and crests of which arc covered with Lodoicea several 

 hundred in number. 



