21(3 ilORTUS JAMAICENSIS. . focoi 



SI aci.l extract of that plant caJlcfl Iw the Hindoos cotechi, and theacid then proci]>i- 

 tates it into u grayisli limo, which hfcoiiH's of .a rich violet colour liy the addition v.'t 

 lixed alkali ; u is \vith this colour that cotton cloth and chintzes are dved. ' VViien this 

 t'inalsion is mixed with quicklime the alkali' becoraes rose-coloured. It is hy these 

 r.;cans that the Hindoos prepare the rose-colmired hine which they use with betel. 



" Tiie dyers employ this nnik iih great advantage for silk, cotton, and woollen 

 stuffs, whicii ihev dye black. It prevents that colour, wliich is generally caustic, tram 

 buvning the. stulis, and the dye becomes darker antl more beaiititul. I suppose that 

 sinalsion ol'atmontU would prcw-lut'e tlie same efi'ect as that of the coco-niit ; our black 

 stuff's then would nut be bura.t, as is gentijally the case; this-cbservataou may be of use 

 to dyers. 



" If the milk of the coco-nut be concentrated "ry ebi7lUtionfT)ver annbilBrate fire, a 

 sweet oil, agreeable and fit for the tai)le when fresh, is olitaiiied from it. .The phv^i- 

 cians of the country compose with riiis emulsion a gentle purgative, which is not nau- 

 seous : it prodnces no cholic or violent paie.. -It is administi'rtd in cases of pleth(jra, 

 jionorrhea, and -<jther diseases ; it- is also an excellent teriahfuge. ' It is-^ composed of 

 half a pint of emulsion in which- fehree or four heads-of garlic have been elissolvedj by 

 boiling over a slow fire, to the consistence of marmelade : -it is giTeii So the patient 

 lastiutr, while warm, with the addition <rfa little sugar. 



" The oil of tiiis nut is-extracted -by pressure ; it is fit only for being burnt in lamps ; 

 it is of a drying quality, a little-ax: rid, white, and so liglit that it btnomes fixed even -in 

 *he torrid zone ; -'.vhen burnt it gives a clear bright flame without exhaling any odour 

 or smoke. It is employed by rich people an I in the houses of the Europeans in pre- 

 ierence to any other kind. The si;bstance fraii> wliich this oil has been squeezed is ~ 

 gi\ en to beasts of burden mixed with their forage ; this food when given to cows and 

 goats increases the quantity of their milk. 



" Such are the properties and ditferent es made of this palm. If theiTood could 

 -be employed for building or for domestic purposes, it might justl}- be said that the 

 coco-nut tree alone would be sufficient for the use of man. It is, however, an useful 

 vegetable production, a valuable gift of Providence to the peaceiid inhabitants of that 

 fine country where it has been placed. 



" It was the coco-nut tree which ga\'e -the Hindoos 'the first idea of inventing the 

 allegory and ingcniwusTable'of the phcenix, as may be seen in the fifth chapter of the 

 Poronia, one of the conimentaries of the Vaides, a sacred book of these people, which 

 contains the princii>les of their religion, the history of the country, their sciences, 

 and in general all their knowledge, iis well as-the practical Jtriowledge of all the arts 

 \vhich are cultivated in it." 



The emulsion and oil of the T^ernel of the cocoa nut is recommended as good in 

 touorhs aud complaints of the lungs. Pound the kernel in a mortar with water, then 

 put it in a vessel with a larger quantity of water ; let it settle, and then skim off the 

 tream. This is preferable to the expressed oil, which soon.becomes rancid. Dancer's 

 Med. Asst. second edition, p. 386. 



In addition to the former known uses of this vaUiai)le tree, a verj' respectable gentle- 

 man of this island has lately <liscovered- that the outside shining surface, both of the nut 

 and the branch, scraped olT ia fine powder, and applied to old and foul ulcers, will 

 tleanse and heal them rapidly. The efficacy of this simple application was fully proved 

 by llie cure of two bad sores occasioned by the bite of a negro's teeth. 



Ste Macaw Tree and Prickly Pole. 



coccm 



