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trees are found in the vallies; among them the Aleurites 

 triloha^ whose whitish foHage forms a singular kind of 

 brush around the base and the declivities of the mountains. 

 Here and there, in the deep fissures of rocks, may be seen 

 astonishing groves of Bananas, which, growing thickly, stem 

 close-pressed to stem, cause a gloomy darkness to prevail 

 beneath their wide spread leaves. These plants, if grown 

 near the beach, scarcely attain a height of five feet, but in 

 such situations as the above, they often treble that stature. 

 The Acacias, from whose hollowed trunks the large canoes 

 of the Sandwich Islands are made, attain on these mountains 

 only to the size necessary for that purpose, and there alone is 

 the Sandal-wood found, which is so much prized in China; 

 while the ruler of these countries knows its value so well, 

 that he makes it the means of inflicting poverty upon his 

 oppressed people, who are obliged to collect it, and neglect 

 the necessary art of cultivating the ground. 



The Tarra-root [Arum esculentum), after being boiled, is 

 stamped into a tough pulp, and constitutes the principal food 

 of the people. O-Wahu is that one of the Sandwich Islands 

 which produces the greatest number of esculent plants, and 

 part of the Tar r a used at O-Waihi is thence derived. The 

 culture of the vallies which lie behind Hanaruru is really 

 astonishinsr. Artificial irrigations enable the natives to 

 form, even upon the hills, large aquatic plantations of Tarra, 

 which are at the same time employed as fish-ponds, while 

 all kinds of useful plants grow on the banks which form 

 their borders. Many introduced plants are now cultivated 

 by some of the original inhabitants; but those of the people 

 who retain their old manners make little use of them. 

 Among these, the Tobacco may be considered as the prin- 

 cipal ; and it is indeed a vegetable which the natives of all 

 parts of the globe have shown a readiness to employ. 

 Water-Melons, Melotis, and other kinds of fruit have been 

 gladly adopted here. Besides the destructive cava, a fer- 

 mented liquor is prepared from the Tea-Root [Dracena ter- 

 minalis); but the Sugar-Cane has never yet been employed 

 for that purpose. 



