THE PALMS OF EUROPE AND AFRICA. 71 



traders on the river. Another hindrance to the 

 trade is in the native disposition, the indolence 

 and warhke character of which is far from 

 falling in with the steady, patient, persevering 

 labour that the cultivation of the palm, the 

 manufacture of the oil, and the needful prepa- 

 rations for its exportation require. Still, if 

 missionary labour can be successfully prosecuted 

 among them, the instances of Tahiti and the 

 South Sea islands teach us how great may be 

 the change, both in their religious and social 

 character. 



The doum palm {Hijphccne Thebaica) is the 

 only other African palm at present known that 

 requires special mention. It is a native of 

 Egypt J ^^^ is occasionally found also in Arabia. 

 It is especially remarkable as being one of 

 the very few palms that have branched stems. 

 The trunk, instead of being simple, as in most 

 palms, divides into two branches at some height 

 from the ground, and these are again forked in 

 like manner ; and this repeated division of the 

 branches gives the tree more of the appearance 

 and external character of an European tree than 

 of a palm. The leaves are palmate, and the 

 fruit is roundish, having a hard kernel, sur- 

 rounded with a thick, brown, mealy rind, which 

 so nearly resembles gingerbread as to have 



