70 THE HARMONIES OF NATURE. 



substances, of resins, and gums. In the rind of the Cinchona- 

 trees he finds quinine, the only substance which opposes an 

 effectual resistance to the fever and ague ; and that of the cinna- 

 mon tree surpasses all other spices in flavour. The bark of the 

 cork-tree gives him the necessary material for preserving the rich 

 produce of his vineyards, and that of the common oak with the 

 astringent juices he requires for tanning the hides of his cattle. 

 Whole nations live almost exclusively upon the pith of the sago 

 palm, and when a deep incision is made in the trunk of the 

 wonderful cow-tree of Gruiana, it pours forth an excellent milky 

 fluid in such abundance as to relieve the traveller's thirst. Thus 

 man finds innumerable treasures in the trunks of trees. Thus 

 there is a wonderful harmony between the various wants of 

 cultivation and the life of the forest. 



When the wind swept through their sacred groves, our pious 

 ancestors fancied they heard in the moaning of the agitated 

 leaves, in the rustling of the branches, the voice of an invisible 

 (rod and should these awful sounds awaken no echo in our 

 breasts, should we remain insensible to a language which so 

 eloquently proclaims the august Being, who, in his infinite power 

 and wisdom, has raised those beautiful temples of Nature for 

 the use of man ? 



