58 
SCENES IN INDIA. 
elevation of the cape above the plain, as well as from 
its magnitude, all objects immediately below it shrink 
into comparative diminutiveness ; the trees no longer 
seem to maintain their stately proportions, and every 
thing is alike affected by the mighty contrast. 
It is a remarkable coincidence, that the highest 
part of this celebrated promontory is within a few 
feet the same as the Table Land at the Cape of Good 
Hope, the one being the most southern point of the 
Indian peninsula, the other the southern extremity of 
the African continent. The highest point of the pro- 
montory is some miles from the sea, the land gradually 
subsiding until it runs in a low headland into the 
ocean. The chatta-tree is here so plentiful, that we 
frequently made use of it as a standing umbrella. The 
upper growth of the tree, which forms the canopy, 
is so thorny, that the branches at times appear to be 
completely serrated, while the prickles are so large and 
the branches so closely locked together as to form a 
covering quite impervious to the rays of the sun. In 
getting under any of these trees, we invariably found 
the whole surface of the ground, as far as the branches 
extended, covered with thorns, so that, before we could 
seat ourselves, it was always necessary to sweep the 
space well, and even as we sat we were frequently 
exposed to a prickly shower upon- the slightest agi- 
tation of the tree from the wind. The taur, or toddy- 
tree, familiarly known in India by the name of the 
fan-leafed palm, is a constant companion of the 
chatta, as both thrive best in a sandy soil, which is 
generally found near the coast. 
The scenery from Cape Comorin through the Tine- 
