AB3AG8 irORTUS JAATATCENSIP, i;>5- 



The Barhadocs cabha^e, which is planted here for ornamenr, is onr of the most 

 beautit'ui ireo's i.i liie w:)rld. No limilsserru t<^ l)e set t-.tiitr tu its Uj^e iji ascent. Li- 

 V<>\\ ineHtions some at 4hu first scLtit-meiit of Barbadoes above two Imiulrcd fi;et in 

 height ; and Ray speaks of another of two liuiidred aiifl seventy foec or tiicreab.nits. 

 One hun(h-ed feet is a comaion height. It is propiigated froin the seeds. Tiie upper' 

 j>art of the trunk, from whence the foliage springs, resem!)ies a well-tiu-ned, finely 

 polished balustftr, of a lively green colour, f^ently swciiiiig froiii its pedestal, and di- 

 minishing gru:liuilly to the tiip, wliere it expands into the braj'iches,.eleg:uitlv arranged, ' 

 and u-av!jing like plumes of ostrich feathers. Froi tJie ceiitre of-'lhe smuaiit rises the 

 spuiiia or slicathj icrininatiiig in an acute point. The trunk itself is net less graceful, 

 bein<i a straight, smopUi, slightly annulated column, large at the. base, iind- tapering 

 froniT thence to tlie insertion. of the baUtster or cabbage: Tins tree is so much rever- 

 <'nced for its majestic form, that it is not destroyed like the others, for tlie sake of the 

 cal)bage. The Jamaica moninrnn cabbagG is cut for this purpose ; and the calibage, 

 stripped of its onter green c( at, appears perfectly white, cylindrical, and formed of 

 several concentric t'j/z?!iT. The inner tunicle.s are sliced, and either eaten raw, with 

 onions, pepper, and vinegar, or boiled and served up witJi butter; in which way,- 

 it most resembles the European cabbage in flavour; or converted into a pickle,' in 

 which state it is sent to Great Britain. 



The outward texture of the trunk of these trees is used for laths, and other purposes. 

 The spathfe are made into mats by the negroes. Th-e leaf is composed of longitudinal 

 filamcntA, or thread-like fibres, v/hich, beiiijj',properly sepai-ated, are spun like hemp, < 

 and formed into twice and cordage. . 



The tunicies are extremely thin, and may ea.sily be exfoliated and dri-ed-; after beinj-' 

 prepared in this manner, they may be wrote upon with a metallic pencil or Hi/lus ; ana 

 will retain the characters so long as the substance lasts, which may be as long as vellum, 

 if care is taken to keep Lt dry ; for this property it seems to resemble the papyrus of- 

 the ancients. The best cabliage is obtuned from this tree when it is young, and not 

 above fifteen or sixteen feet in height. From tiie real sunmiit of the stem spring two 

 branches full of small flowers ;, these are tJuHoivetl by small round berries, about the size- 

 of a hazel nut, which are devoured by tlie birds, wlu) mute the stone or seed, by which- 

 means tnere is a continual nursery of .these trees, which otherwise would soon be ex-, 

 tirpated ; for whenever they are cut down, no fresh shoot arises again from tlie root,' 

 and v.'henever robbed of their top or. cabbage, they cease from growing. The external 

 root of the trunk is impenetrable to a musquet bail, though it is scarcely an inch thick. 

 The Spaniards are said to have cased their buildings in the country parts uitli this co-- 

 vering, which made them defensible against enemies, and equally ju-oof against the- 

 assaults of earthquakes and hurricanes.. Within this hard integument is a pithj', fari-- 

 Blceous substance, similar to some other of the palm kind. 



Dampier, speaking of the trees growing in the island Mindanao, one of the Philip-, 

 pines, mentions a species called by the natives the //3^^, This tree is not unlike the 

 cabbage, the bark and wood hai-;d, and inclosing a white pith. They cut down the tree, 

 and, splitting it in the middle, take out the. pitb^ which they boat well in a mortar ; 

 Uien put it into a sieve made from the same tree, and, pouring water upon it, stir it. 

 about, till the water carries the meally part through into a trough placed underrfeath.- 

 After it has stood until it has settled, they pour off the water, and, taking out the sedi-. 

 ment, and drying it, bake it into cakes ; this meal they call sago or sagu, which is ex-.- 

 ported to other parts of the world, dried in small grains, like comfits. In Java it is, 



called 



