ON THE ECONOMIC USES OP LEAVES. 199 



for leaven. The leaves of several species oi Amarantus are employed 

 as emollient poultices in India. 



A clean leaf of the Dillenia speciosa forms the plate of the Dyak. 

 The leaves, which are hard and rough, are used for polishing furniture, 

 like others of the same family. The leaves of a plant called " bua 

 palas," probably a Dillenia, are used in Sumatra for polishing creeses. 

 The rough leaves of the Curatella alata are used in Guiana and Trini- 

 dad for polishing bows, sabres, &c. The leaves of Cellis orientalis are 

 used in India for polishing horns, &c. Cadjan fans painted, coloured 

 palmyrah fans, and various palm fans are common in India. 



The leaves of the Bergera koenigii are used by the natives of India 

 in their curries, to which they impart an agreeable flavour. When 

 rubbed together they emit a pleasant aromatic smell. They retain this 

 flavour when dried, and are sold in that state in the bazars. The 

 mucilaginous leaves of Cassia tora have many medicinal uses in India. 



Baskets for catching fish, shrimps, &c, are made of the ligneous ribs 

 of the leaflet. The same substance is employed by the natives for many 

 of the purposes for which we use pins. A bundle of these ribs is in 

 universal use, as a broom to sweep the cottages ; and when an European 

 asks for a tooth-pick, his servant brings him a portion of one of these 

 fibres. The South Sea Islanders make the teeth of combs for the hair 

 of this part of the leaf. In a domestic state, elephants are fed chiefly 

 upon coco-nut leaves, and this animal evinces much sagacity in separat- 

 ing the elastic woody fibre from the thinner margin of the leaf. For 

 temporary purposes, cadjan houses are frequently constructed both by 

 natives and Europeans. During the insurrection in the Kandyan 

 country in 1818, almost all the sick were accommodated in cadjan hos- 

 pitals. Except the frame-work, every part of the house-walls, and roof, 

 is formed of coco-nut leaves, and they are capable of resisting all kinds 

 of weather for a year or more. A tent or hut made of talipot leaves sent 

 home from Ceylon for the International Exhibition, was recently set up 

 in the gardens of the Eoyal Horticultural Society, but it could not stand 

 our inclement climate, for the sharp gales soon shattered the dry leaves 

 to pieces. 



To prevent thieving, the owners of topes frequently fix a coco-nut 

 leaf along the stems of the fruit trees. As the leaf rustles much when 

 touched, a thief is cautious of ascending the trunk of the tree lest he 

 should alarm some of the inmates of the neighbouring huts. Thunberg 

 mistook the use of these leaves, and supposed that they supplied " the 

 place of ladders, by means of which the natives could climb up and 

 gather the fruit." In warm climates, it is customary to travel during 

 night, with a view of avoiding the influence of an ardent sun. Torches 

 then become necessary, and coco-nut leaves are chiefly employed for 

 this purpose. By tying the leaflets close to the centre rib of a leaf, the 

 ignition is prevented from being too rapid. Torches of coco-nut leaves, 

 commonly called choels (oaloo attu, Singhalese), are in constant use, to 



