for a long time has been the least perfectly known, and yet 
the most extensively celebrated, is, the subject of the pre- 
sent description, the Double Cocoa Nut, the Coco de Mer, 
Coco de Salomon, and Coco des Maldives of the French, 
the Cocos Maldivicus of Rumpuivus, and Nux Medica of 
Cuusivus. Until the discovery of the only spot in the world 
where the nuts grew, in the year 1743, they were solely 
known from having been found floating on the surface of 
the sea, in the Indian ocean, and near the Maldives islands, 
whence their French name was derived; and even in the 
time of Rumpuivus, the nut was spoken of as the “ mirum 
miraculum nature, quod princeps est omnium marinarum 
rerum, que rare habentur.’” The nut only was found 
floating, destitute of its husk, and mostly with the internal 
part decayed ; it was called “‘ Calappa Laut’ by the Dutch, 
and under that appellation Rumpnius has given an histo- 
rical account of it; but fabulous as it is, he tells us, that 
many other tales were related to him respecting it, which 
were too absurd for him to detail. 
The Double Cocoa Nut is not, he assures us, a terrestrial 
production, which may have fallen by accident into the 
sea and there become petrified, as Garcias ab Orta relates; 
but a fruit, probably growing itself im the sea, whose tree 
has been hitherto concealed from the eye of man. The 
Malay and Chinese sailors used to affirm, that it was borne 
upon a tree deep under water, which was similar to a Cocoa- 
nut tree, and was visible in placid bays, upon the coast of 
it instantly disappeared. The negro priests declared it to 
grow near the island of Java, with its leaves and branches 
Maldivian islands, it was death to any man to possess it : 
all that were found became the immediate property of the 
king, who. sold them at a very high price, or offered them 
as the most precious of regal gifis. ‘Their value was esti- 
