COCOA-NUT TREE.

Of all the gifts which Providence has bestowed on the oriental world, the cocoa-nut tree most deserves our notice. In this single production of nature what blessings are conveyed to man! It grows in a stately column, from thirty to fifty feet in height, crowned by a verdant capital of waving branches, covered with long spiral leaves; under this foliage bunches of blossoms, clusters of green fruit, and others arrived at maturity, appear in mingled beauty. The trunk, though porous, furnishes beams and rafters for our habitations; and the leaves, when platted together, make an excellent thatch, and common umbrellas, coarse mats for the floor, and brooms; while their finest fibres are woven into very beautiful mats for the rich. The covering of the young fruit is extremely curious, resembling a piece of thick cloth, in a conical form, close and firm as if it came from the loom; it expands after the fruit has burst through its inclosure, and then appears of a coarser texture. The nuts contain a delicious milk, and a kernel sweet as the almond; this, when dried, affords abundance of oil,—and, when that is expressed, the remains feed cattle and poultry, and make a good manure. The shell of the nut furnishes cups, ladles, and other domestic utensils; while the husk, which encloses it, is of the utmost importance; it is manufactured into ropes, and cordage of every kind, from the smallest twine to the largest cable, which are far more durable than those of hemp. In the Nicobar islands the natives build their vessels, make the sails and cordage, supply them with provisions and necessaries, and provide a cargo of arrack, vinegar, oil, jaggree or coarse sugar, cocoa-nuts, coir, cordage, black paint, and several inferior articles for foreign markets, entirely from this tree.

Many of the trees are not permitted to bear fruit; but the embryo bud, from which the blossoms and nuts would spring, is tied up to prevent its expansion; and a small incision being

then made at the end, there oozes, in gentle drops, a cool pleasant liquor, called tarce, or toddy, the palm wine of the poets. This, when first drawn, is cooling and salutary; but, when fermented and distilled, produces an intoxicating spirit. Thus a plantation of cocoa-nut trees yields the proprietor a considerable profit, and generally forms part of the govern

ment revenue.

The cocoa-nut tree delights in a flat sandy soil, near the sea, and must be frequently watered; while the palmyras, or brab trees, grow on hills and rocky mountains. These also abound in the Nicobar islands, as well as the date tree; but the fruit of the latter seldom attains perfection. These trees are of the same genus, though differing according to their respective classes; they all produce the palm wine, and are generally included under the name of palms or palmettoes.--From FORBES' Oriental Memoirs.

GREAT WEST-INDIA SPIDER.

IT is said there are no venomous creatures of any kind in the Bermudas, but, perhaps, a greater variety of insects than in any other of our plantations in proportion to their size. Amongst these the spiders are very remarkable for their extraordinary size and the strength of their webs. Their bodies consist of two parts, one flat, the other round, and both together, with the legs stretched out, are large enough to cover a man's hand. This monstrous bulk makes them look frightful, but the beauty and variety of their colours in some measure take off the distaste. The round part of their body is shaped much like a pigeon's egg, and under the flat part grow their legs, five on each side, with four joints, and claws at the end. They have a little hole in their backs, and their mouths are covered with grayish hairs, intermixed with some red, and have a crooked tooth on each

side, of a hard polished substance, and of a bright shining black; so that they are often set in gold or silver, to serve for tooth-picks.

When these creatures grow old, they are covered all over with a sort of down, of a brown or blackish colour, very smooth, soft, and shining like velvet; and it is said they cast their downy skins every year, as well as the two teeth just mentioned. They show a wonderful skill and agility in spreading their webs from tree to tree, which are so very large and strong, as to extend seven or eight fathoms, and when finished will ensnare a bird as big as a thrush.

THE SEA-DEVIL.

AMONG the fish found on the gold coast are the sea-devil and the horned fish; the former is about twenty-five feet long, and proportionably thick; but it is most remarkable for the angles which project from its body, and are of a hard horny substance. The head, which is large, is joined immediately to the body, without the smallest appearance of a neck, and is furnished with flat teeth. Nature has bestowed on this animal four eyes, two of which are near the gills, and are large and round, but the two others on the forehead are of a smaller size. On each side the gullet are three horns, of an equal length and thickness; that on the right side, which stands between the other two, is about three feet in length, and an inch and a half in circumference, at its insertion, gradually terminating in a sharp point; but, as it is yielding and flexible, it affords the animal only a feeble protection. The tail, which is long and taper, like a whip, is armed with a sharp point, which he frequently darts backward, and his back is covered with hard excrescences, two inches high. The flesh is tough and ill tasted, though much sought after by the negroes.-SMITH'S Wonders.

GEORGE ALEXANDER GRATTON, the Spotted Negro Boy, was well known to the inhabitants of the metropolis and its vicinity about twelve years ago, at which time he was exhibited at the fairs, by Richardson, a famous purveyor of objects of entertainment at those places of popular festivity.

Both the parents of George Alexander were black, and natives of Africa. He was born in the island of St. Vincent, on the plantation of Mr. Alexander, of which one Gratton was overseer, about the month of June, 1808; and the curiosity of his appearance was such, that he was shown in

the capital of his native island, at the price of a dollar each person. It is added, that the superstitious prejudices of the negroes placed his life in some danger, and that he was, on that account, shipped for England. Probably the prospect of a profitable disposal of him, in this country, was an equally powerful motive for his removal.

The child was only fifteen months old, when, in September, 1809, being brought to Bristol, in the ship called the Friends of Emma, Mr. Richardson, the proprietor, as before intimated, of a travelling theatre, was applied to, and an engagement entered upon, by which he was consigned to Mr. Richardson's care for three years.

His skin and hair were every where party-coloured, transparent brown and white. On the crown of his head, several triangles, one within the other, were formed by alternations of the colours of his hair. In figure and countenance he might truly be called a beautiful child. His limbs were well proportioned, his features regular and pleasing, his eyes bright and intelligent, and the whole expression of his face both mild and lively. His voice was soft and melodious; and, as his mind began to develope itself, much quickness and penetration were betrayed.

When nearly five years of age, he was unfortunately attacked with a swelling in the jaw, and died on the 3d of February, 1813. Mr. Richardson, who had always treated him with a parental kindness while alive, was sincerely afflicted at his death. Soon after he had been placed with him, he had caused him to be baptized at the parish church of Newington, in the county of Surrey, and, on his death, he was buried at Great Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, in a brick vault, which Mr. Richardson caused to be purposely constructed. Mr. Richardson, fearful that the body might be stolen, had previously kept it unburied for the space of three months.