PALMS OF WESTERN TROPICAL AFRICA. 425 
Rivers, and this oil would be found much superior to that now obtained from the meso- 
carp of the seeds. 
Elwis wine, a drink much liked by the natives, is obtained by cutting off the male 
flower-spike; this wine is also used by the Europeans instead of yeast in making bread. 
The main nerves of the pinna and the exterior of the petiole are used for basket-work, 
for the making of brooms, and similar purposes. Dr. Welwitsch says that at St. Paul 
de Loando the fibre at the base of the leaves, and also that of the spathe, is used for 
stuffing cushions, &c.; the soft centre of the upper part of the stem, consisting of the 
undeveloped petioles, is much relished as a vegetable. Finger-rings, bracelets, necklaces, 
and other ornaments are cut from the endocarp of the seed. 
Many as are the benefits derived from this palm by the natives, they are comparatively 
few compared with the uses made of its products by Europeans; of these we need not 
speak, as all must be more or less acquainted with them. It may, however, be worthy 
of mention that during the last three years 130,381 tons of palm oil, of the value of 
£5,605,913, have been imported into Great Britain. 
With regard to their utility to the natives, the various species of Raphia rank next to 
the .E/eis. The petioles furnish the materials of which their huts and beds are made, while 
the pinnæ are used for roofing; and the epidermis of the leaflets gives the material from 
which their clothing is made. In places where the Fleis is scarce, the oily substance 
between the scaly exterior of the fruit and the kernel, although bitter, is eaten with yam, 
cassada, &e., and the oil pressed out of it is by the women thought superior to that of 
Eleis for dressing théir hair. 
The pleasant taste of the wine obtained from R. Hookeri has even been sufficient to 
overcome the innate idleness of the natives of Old Calabar, and has induced them to 
cultivate it. The wine is procured by cutting out the terminal inflorescence as soon as 
it makes its appearance; the wine is then produced in large quantities. The natives of 
Old Calabar manufacture cloths, &c., from the epidermis of the leaflets of this palm, and 
in the south, at St. Paul de Loando, R. Welwitschi is used for the same purpose, and the 
petioles of R. vinifera are employed as poles upon which to carry the palanquins. On 
the river Sherboro the natives make hammocks from the former material, as well as 
all sorts of basket-work, mats, &c. The roofing made of the leaflets of R. vinifera lasts 
for three years, while that made from R. Hookeri, it is said, requires to be renewed every 
year. . 
Wine is also obtained from Phenix spinosa, and the fruits of this palm are much liked 
by the natives. The very young leaflets, before the leaves expand, are used for the 
plaiting of hats and caps at Accra. de 
The outer part of the stems of the climbing palms of Western Tropical Africa is used 
for binding together the materials of which the huts are constructed. The Bafan people 
also make large cylindrical baskets of this in which to carry the rubber manufactured 
by them, and the same people take large quantities of Calamus (Ancistrophyllum) secun- 
diflorus with them as food when they go into the hills of the Sierra del Crystal to 
procure tlie rubber. For this purpose they choose the extremities of the stem, cutting 
9ff the leaves to make the bundles more portable, and when required for use they simply 
