164 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



yards, although it is not fo light nor To elaflic 

 as fir. Perhaps it would be advantageous to 

 form made-mafts of it, and even to hollow out 

 thefe thick trunks of trees throughout their whole 

 length, in order to render them lighter, firength- 

 ening them with iron hoops at certain di (lances. 

 It mould fcem that by this method would be ob- 

 tained all the folidity that may be defired ; fincc, 

 from the opinion of mechanics, a cylinder pre- 

 ferves great flrength even when it is hollowed 

 out in its middle. 



We were obliged to cut down one of thefe trees 

 in order to procure its flowers ; as it inclined greatly, 

 it foon fell. The fun was then extremely bright; 

 the fap rofe in abundance, and at the moment of 

 its fall iflucd in great quantities from the middle 

 of the lower part of the trunk. 



This very beautiful tree, of the family of the 

 wyr/i, is covered with a pretty fmooth bark ; the 

 branches are a little angulatcd as they rife ; they 

 arc adorned towards their extremity with alter- 

 nate leaves, flightly bowed, about two decime- 

 ters long by a dcmi-dccimcter broad. 



The flowers arc folitary, and grow from the 

 axilla of the leaves. 



The calyx is hcmifpherical, and pcrfeclly 

 entire, like the other fpecies of the fame ge- 

 nus, and it falls in the fame manner when the 

 a flamina 



