204 THE BEC, OR Feb. 9, 



The part of the Banana tree which forms the food 

 of man, is the fruit. It is the ftalk only of the Enfete 

 ■which is eatable. " The figs of the Enfete are not 

 eatable ; they are of a tender foft fabftance, watery, 

 taftelefs, and in colour and confiltence fimilar to a rot- 

 ten apricot ; they are of a conical form, crooked a little 

 at the lower end about an inch and a half in length, 

 and an inch in breadth, where thickeft. In the infide 

 of thefe is a large ftone, half an inch long, of the fhape 

 of a bean or Caihew nut, of a dark brown colour j and 

 this contains a fmall feed, which is feldom hardened 

 into fruit,' but ccnfifts only of ikin." 



" When you make ufe of the Enfete for eating, 

 adds Mr. Bruce, you cut it immediately above the 

 fmall detached roots, and perhaps a foot or two higher, ' 

 as the plant is of age : You ftrip the green from the 

 upper part, till it becomes white; when foft, like a 

 turnip well boiled, if eat with milk and butter, it is 

 the bed of all food, wholefome, nourifhing, and eafily 

 yigefted." It might add much to the conveniencies of 

 life, -were this plant to be tranfplanted to fome parts of 

 the Weft Indies, or other tropical climates I'aited to 

 its nature: Tliey have already in the Eaft Indies a 

 plant which does not grow in fwamps, but in deep wa- 

 ter, the Nyf!!ph.-e(i aquattca, which affords food to 

 a great part of the natives of thefe countries. 



The general appearance of this plant fo much refem- 

 bles that of tbe Banana, that Mr. B. with great proba- 

 bility conjeelures it has been often miftaken for that 

 plant by modern authors. " The Hippopotamus, he 

 ibrewdly obferves, is generally fuppofed to reprefent a 

 Nile, thatiias been fo abundant, as to be deitruSive. 

 When therefore we fee upon the obelilks the hippopo- 

 potamus deftroying the Banans, we may fuppofe it 

 pieant that the extraordinary innundation had gone fo 

 far, as not only to deftroy tlie wheat, but alfo to retard 

 or hurt the gvovv'th of the Enfete, which Was to fupply 



