PROFESSOR KIDD has collected an interesting account of the cocoa-nut tree; to all the particulars of which the writer can add his testimony, having had many opportunities of witnessing its extensive usefulness and application in the various islands of the Pacific. One valuable property not fully mentioned in this description is, that the juice contained within the shell, just as it begins to deposit a white albuminous cream upon the inside of its tenement, has, when no water could be obtained, often allayed the traveller's thirst and recruited his strength. In that

VOL. III.

stage of the fruit, the cream mentioned above, said to be albuminous, from its resemblance to the white of an egg, is very nutritious and easy of digestion, as the writer has often experienced. Sometimes, when the sun is admitted to bear upon it, from which it is generally screened by the leaves, the juice is in a state of fermentation, which gives a sharpness to the taste which is very pleaing. The Tahitian females use the oil made from the nut for the hair; but as it soon turns rancid, a stranger, when he approaches their dwellings, soon finds that

he and his Indian hosts entertain very different notions respecting the choice of perfumery.

We here give a drawing of a piece of the cocoa nut, to exhibit the situation and form of the embryo, or that minute germ and first principle of vegetable existence, which will expand by means of the albumen or meat of the nut, and attain two or three feet in length without any other nourishment.

Botanists, after Linnæus, call all fruit resembling plums, drupes. A drupe consists of an external skin (take the damson for example) or cuticle, then a pulpy layer called the flesh, next a hard nut or putamen, and lastly the seed. The cocoa-nut is a drupe; and if we take a recent specimen, we have first a thin skin or cuticle, then a fleshy layer, breaking ultimately by drying into woody fibres; next a hard shell; and lastly the seed, which only lines the internal cavity of the nut.

Professor Kidd says, "Among the vegetable productions of coral islands, the cocoa-nut tree stands pre-eminent in value; containing in itself nearly all those important properties which are found at large in that natural family of plants, the palms; and valuable indeed are those properties, if we may rely on the accounts which have been given of them by different authors; and the truth of those accounts there is no sufficient reason to doubt. Johnston, speaking of the abundance of the cocoa-nut tree in India, where he says it occurs to a greater extent than the olive in Spain or the willow in Holland, affirms that there is no part of the tree which is not applied to some useful purpose. Not only the cabins of the poorer natives, but large houses are constructed entirely with materials afforded by this tree; the trunk, when split, supplying rafters, &c.; and the leaves, when plaited, making roofs and walls, which are impervious to wind and rain.

The statement of Johnston is confirmed by captain Seely, in his account of Ellora, who says that, 'when he was stationed at Goa, in 1819, he lived, as many others did, in a cocoa-nut-leaf house; and that although the period was in the very height of the monsoon, and the house was on the sea-coast, it was comfortable and warm.' He believes that not a nail was used in the whole building: the rafters and supporters, &c., were fastened on with string made of the fibrous envelope of the cocoanut shell; the wood was the tree itself; the roof, walls, doors, and windows were the leaf. From the same authority we learn that the fibres, enveloping the shell of the nut, may be woven into a cable, by which ships of seventy-four guns have safely rode out heavy gales of wind, when European cables have parted."

"In the Wernerian Memoirs,' vol. v. p. 107, &c., is a very interesting account of the cocoa-nut tree; in which the author states that it will grow on the sand of the sea-shore, where scarcely any thing else will vegetate."

"From other sources we learn that this tree bears fruit twice or thrice in the year; that the half-ripe nut contains sometimes three or four pints of clear aqueous fluid, fragrant, and pleasant to the taste; and that the nut itself, from its highly nutritious qualities, is used as an aliment in all intertropical countries. In the volume of the

Wernerian Memoirs,' above mentioned, it is said that in 1813 the number of cocoa trees cultivated in Ceylon, along a line of coast of about one hundred and eightyfour miles, was ten millions, and that that number was increased in the following years. It is also stated that it is fruitful from its eighth to its sixty-fourth year, and sometimes bears from eighty to one hundred nuts annually; that elephants are fed on cocoa-nut leaves; and that the ashes of the tree contain so great a proportion of potash, that the native washermen of Ceylon use them instead of soap."

"In the Nouv. Dict. d'Hist. Nat.', tom. vii. p. 297, &c., it is stated, that, as in other palms, if the extremity of the sheath from whence the flowers of the cocoa arise be cut off while young, a white sweet liquor distils from it, which is used extensively as a beverage in India under the name of palm wine; that this liquor, if concentrated by boiling, deposits a sugar; that if exposed to the air, it acquires vinous properties at the end of twelve hours, and at the end of twentyfour hours becomes vinegar; that an oil

may be obtained from the nut, which is not inferior to sweet-almond oil, and which is used almost exclusively in India, and that the shell is formed into cups and various other small articles."

OUR LIMITED KNOWLEDGE.

THERE is a striking contrast to be observed between the creature and the Creator. The person who wishes to attain to an exalted character in the literary world must make known his acquirements to others. How exactly opposite to this are the means adopted by Jehovah to promote his glory; for it is the glory of God to conceal from our view, whilst in this world, many things respecting his own nature, the mode of his existence, concerning the union of the Divine and human nature in the person of Christ, also the economy of his providence, and many things connected with a future state of existence. These things we know not now, but we shall know hereafter; and the concealment of them from our view in the present state, illustrates the glory of his character. This it does by showing his superiority to all created intelligences were it not for this, the christian graces of faith, patience, and humility, would not be in such lively exercise. Besides, in the present state, we should be unable to bear further manifestations of them. Christ declared, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now;" and had all the circumstances of our lives been told us when first entered on, we should have been overwhelmed with the view; whilst, on the other hand, had all the glory of the future state been fully revealed to us, we should be so overcome by it, as to be unable to attend to the duties of our stations. Let us, then, be grateful to God for what he has revealed to us in his word, submit to his authority, and live to his glory.

C. J. M.

STABILITY OF THE PLANETARY SYSTEM. LET us observe the structure of the planetary system. There is one particular arrangement which produces a certain effect, namely, the stability of the system; produces it in a manner peculiarly adapted for perpetual duration, and produces it through the agency of an influence quite universal, pervading all space, and equally regulating the motions of the smallest particles of matter, and of its most prodigious masses. This arrangement consists in making the planets move in orbits more or less

elliptical, but not differing materially from circles, with the sun near the centre, revolving almost in one plane of motion, and moving in the same direction; those whose eccentricity is the most considerable having the smallest masses, and the larger ones deviating hardly at all from the circular path. The influence of gravitation, which is inseparably connected with all matter, as far as we know, extends over the whole of this system; so that all those bodies which move round the sun, twenty-three planets including their satellites, and six or seven comets, are continually acted upon each by two kinds of force; the original projection, which sends them forward, and is accompanied with a similar, and probably a coeval rotatory motion in some of them round their axis, and the attraction of each towards every other body; which attraction produces three several effects: consolidating the mass of each, and, in conjunction with the rotatory motion, moulding their forms; retaining each planet in its orbit round the sun, and each satellite in its orbit round the planet; altering or disturbing what would be the motion of each round the sun, if there were no other bodies in the system to attract and disturb. Now it is demonstrated by the strictest process of mathematical reasoning, that the result of the whole of these mutual actions, proceeding from the universal influence of gravitation, must necessarily, in consequence of the peculiar arrangement which has been described of the orbits and masses, and in consequence of the law by which gravitation acts, produce a constant alteration in the orbit of each body; which alteration goes on for thousands of years, very slowly, making that orbit bulge, as it were, until it reaches a certain shape, when the alteration begins to take the opposite direction, and for an equal number of years goes on constantly, as it were, flattening the orbit, till it reaches a certain shape, when it stops, and then the bulging again begins; and that this alternate change of bulging and flattening must go on for ever by the same law, without ever exceeding on either side a certain point. All changes in the system are thus periodical, and its stability is completely secured. It is manifest that such an arrangement is conducive to such a purpose, and so certainly accomplishing that purpose, could only have been made with the express design of attaining such an end; that some Power exists capable of thus producing such wonderful order, so marvellous and

wholly admirable a harmony, out of such numberless disturbances; and that this power was actuated by the intention of producing this effect. The reasoning upon this subject, I have observed, is purely mathematical; but the facts respecting the system on which all the reasoning rests are known to us by induction alone; consequently the grand truth respecting the secular disturbance, or the periodicity of the changes in the system; that discovery which makes the glory of Lagrange and La Place, and constitutes the triumph of the integral calculus, whereof it is the fruit, and of the most patient course of astronomical observation whereon the analysis is grounded, may most justly be classed as a truth, both of the mixed mathematics and of natural theology.

INSECTS.-No. XLI.

(Smell.)

THAT insects have the sense of smell is indisputable. Redi ascertained that no maggots are ever generated except from eggs laid by the parent flies; for when he carefully covered up pieces of meat with silk or paper, sealed down with wax, no maggots were seen; and that the parent flies attracted by the smell of the covered meat, not unfrequently laid their eggs on the outside of the paper or silk: thus deceived by the very sense that was given to direct their instinct.

In the case of bees, the odour of honey produces the most obvious result. John Hunter mentions that he has seen great commotion produced in a recent swarm, in wet weather, when he supposed the bees to have been hungry, by placing honey on the floor of a glass hive, which gave him a good opportunity of observing their proceedings. All of them appeared to be eagerly on the scent, and even those which were weak and hardly able to crawl, threw out their tongues as far as possible to get at the honey. The observations of Huber are still more interesting. "In order," he says, "to ascertain whether the appearance of the flowers or the odour of the honey apprises bees of its presence, we placed honey in a window near a hive, where the shutters, almost close, still permitted them to pass if they wished. Within a quarter of an hour, four bees and a butterfly had insinuated themselves, and we found them feeding thereon. For the purpose of a still more accurate

experiment, I had four boxes, different in size, shape, and colour, made with small card shutters, corresponding to apertures in the covering. Honey being put into them, they were placed at the distance of two hundred paces from my aviary. In half an hour, bees were seen trooping thither; and by carefully traversing the boxes, they soon discovered the openings through which they might introduce their bodies, and, pressing against the valves, reached the honey. Their extreme delicacy of smelling is. here most obvious; for not only was the honey quite concealed from view, but its very effluvia, from being purposely covered and disguised, could not be much diffused.

"It is worthy of remark, that some flowers have a structure resembling the valves in the experiment. The honey-vessel of several species is situated at the bottom of a tube, enclosed or concealed among the petals; yet, in spite of this concealment, the bee finds it out, though its instinct, less refined than that of the humble-bee, affords fewer resources. The latter, when unable to penetrate the flowers by their natural cavity, drills an aperture at the base of the tube, through which it insinuates its sucker into the place where nature has placed the reservoir of honey. By means of this stratagem, and favoured by the length of its sucker, the humble-bee can obtain honey, which the hive-bee could only reach with great difficulty, if at all."

"On

The varied effects of different odours on bees, were experimentally ascertained by the elder Huber, in numerous instances. He found that the mineral acids and volatile alkali acted with peculiar power. our presenting musk," he says, "to bees feeding before the entrance of their hive, they ceased, and partially dispersed, but without precipitation or beating their wings. We sprinkled some powdered musk on a drop of honey, into which some bees thrust their suckers as if by stealth, for they kept as far back from it as possible; but although they often appeared to suck it, we did not perceive it to become less in a quarter of an hour, long before which it would have disappeared, had it not been mixed with musk. Pounded assa'œtida, whose odour is so disagreeable to us, upon being mixed with honey, and put at the entrance of a hive, did not seem to annoy the bees; for they greedily sucked all the honey, neither attempting to withdraw, nor vibrating their wings, till they only left the particles of the gum.

Having remarked that bees, going out to the fields and coming home, turned

aside in the air to avoid passing immediately over a piece of camphor laid before the entrance of their hive, I tried the effect of bringing some camphor towards their mouths, while their tongues were plunged into some honey placed on a card. All of them took flight; but after plying about for some time, they ventured to alight near the honey. While they were tempted again to try it, I threw some bits of camphor on the surface. They drew back a little, still keeping the tip of their tongues amongst the honey, and carefully avoided the camphor. One vibrated its wings as it fed, while some were less affected, and others not at all; but when I covered the honey entirely with camphor, they all instantly flew away. I had this card carried to my hives, while some honey was put on another clean one within reach of the bees. The latter was soon discovered, and the honey consumed in a few minutes; but an hour elapsed before a single bee came near the camphorated card; when, at length, two ventured to alight on it, and thrust their tongues into the edge of a drop of honey. Others followed, and two hours after it was covered with them, and all the honey consumed, the camphor alone remaining; whence it was proved that the attraction of honey overcomes their repugnance to the smell of camphor."

We shall only mention the effect of the odour of one other substance on bees; namely, their own poison, which Huber was curious to ascertain. The sting of one was accordingly extracted, and presented to some workers before the entrance of a hive. Although they had previously been quiet and tranquil, they became, all at once, much agitated. None flew away, but two or three darted against the sting, and one furiously assailed the experimenters. That it was the odour of the sting-poison alone which produced these violent emotions was obvious, from their appearing insensible of its presence when it lost its scent by drying. In another instance, bees were confined in a glass tube, and irritated with an arm of barley till they protruded their stings and left some poison on the sides of the glass. The mouth of the tube was then presented to a group of bees at the entrance of a hive, and it soon produced the agitation of rage, obviously unaccompanied with fear.

(To be continued.)

MY AUNT RACHEL. (Concluded from page 297.)

Why"-replied Maria in a tone of hesitation" the school is so very far off, and in winter one gets so wet and cold. My new bonnet and pelisse were entirely spoiled yesterday with the rain."

"I am sorry for that," said my aunt, "but you should always take the precaution of providing yourself with an umbrella."

"But really, ma'am, it is quite a labour to attend sunday after sunday, in all weathers; one is so wearied and exhausted."

"But," observed my aunt, "you are young, and in the full vigour of health, Maria."

"And all one's best time," continued Maria, without noticing my aunt's observation, "occupied; it is, indeed, too great a

sacrifice."

"How can you call two or three hours all your time, child? You are only an afternoon teacher; there are some who attend all the day."

Well, but I have another reason,

ma'am."

"A better one, I hope," said my aunt, with a deep-drawn sigh.

"The school is very different from what it used to be."

"In what respect, Maria?"

"Since my dear friends, Emma and Fanny Watson left the school, it has been quite uncomfortable; some of the new teachers are so distant and repelling; there is such an atmosphere of ice about them, as completely freezes me: it is extremely unpleasant. I suppose they think it a degradation to speak to, or look at any one whom they conceive to be a grade below them in society. The school is not like the same; and I thought it my duty, ma'am, as you are the superintendent, to acquaint you with my intentions."

The wrinkles in my aunt's forehead became more contracted, and something like a frown passed over that serene brow"My child," she said, "what were your