COCO DE MER. 79 



HENRIETTA. 



What is this strange-looking nut which is lying down 

 here? 



MRS. C. 



It is the celebrated Coco de mer, or Cocoa-nut of the Sey- 

 chelles Islands. 



MRS. F. 



The nut, I conclude, to which so many fabulous origins 

 were assigned; but I am sure that Mrs. Clifford will kindly 

 give us a more detailed account of it. 



MRS. c. 



With pleasure. Until the discovery in 1743 of the only 

 spot in the world where these nuts grow, they were solely 

 known from having been found floating on the surface of the 

 sea, in the Indian Ocean, and near the Maldives, whence was 

 derived their French name of Coco des Maldives. They have 

 also received other appellations, such as Double Cocoa-nut, 

 Coco de mer, Coco de Salomon, and Nux Medica.* The nut 

 being only found in this manner (always destitute of its husk) 

 gave rise to many fabulous stories among the Malay and 

 Chinese sailors; such as, that it was borne by a tree deep 

 under water, which was similar to the cocoa-nut tree, and 

 was visible in placid bays upon the coast of Sumatra, &c., 

 but that if they sought to dive after the tree, it instantly dis- 

 appeared. The negro priests declared it to grow near the 

 island of Java, with its leaves and branches rising above the 

 water, in'which a monstrous bird or griffin had its habitation, 

 whence it used to sally forth nightly to tear to pieces with its 

 beak elephants, rhinoceri, &c., whose flesh it carried to its 

 nest: furthermore, they avouched that ships were attracted by 

 the waves which surround this tree, and there retained, the 

 mariners falling a prey to this savage bird; so that the in- 

 habitants of the Indian Archipelago always carefully avoid 

 that spot. W 7 ith such and many more strange ideas respect- 



* Lodoicea Sechellarum (Labillardiere and Sprengel). 



