330 A MISSION TO VITI. 



agree in showing the progression of the cocoa-nut tree 

 from west to east. Numerous cocoa-nuts are annually 

 drifted on the eastern shores of New Holland, where 

 they often germinate and grow, until the seedlings are 

 killed by the low temperature of the winter months. 

 Ceylon, now covered with immense forests of cocoa-nut 

 palms, has a distinct tradition that at one time the tree 

 was unknown there, and there is even a statue not far 

 from Galle, recording the event of its becoming known 

 there ; whilst the oldest chronicles of the island, known 

 by the name of the Marawansa, and the historical value 

 of which is now fully admitted, are absolutely silent on 

 everything relating to the cocoa-nut, while they never 

 fail to record every accession to the plantations of other 

 fruit-trees made by the native princes. This seems to 

 prove that the cocoa-nut was not always known, and 

 that it would have much sooner found its way there 

 than it did if it had been indigenous to India Proper ; 

 whilst the fact that all other species comprising the 

 genus Cocos are strictly confined to the interior of tropi- 

 cal America, and only this one species (C. nucifera. Linn.), 

 a sea-side plant, unaffected by drifting on sea-water, is 

 spread over Polynesia and the Old World generally, 

 offers another important consideration. But even if the 

 introduction of the cocoa-nut tree to Asia took place 

 after the assumed departure of the Polynesian tribes, the 

 latter must have been well acquainted with the art of 

 making toddy, as there is a number of palms in Asia, 

 about the true native country of which there is no doubt 

 whatever, yielding toddy a beverage of so ancient a 

 date that even the oldest language of that continent has 



