of the depredations of this
beetle, the difficulties have been considerable.

In Pinang and Province Wellesley it has only been observed within the
last two years, and it is believed to have come from Keddah. A similar
kind of beetle is, however, found on the Coromandel coast. The natives
of Keddah say that this insect appears at intervals of two, three, or
more years.

Its larvae, which are also very formidable insects or grubs, about
three inches long, with large reddish heads, are found in decaying
vegetable matter. It is when the tree has made considerable progress,
however, that the parent insect does most mischief. When they are from
one to two years old, throwing out their graceful branches in quick
succession with the greatest vigor, and promising in three or four
years more to yield their ruddy fruit, this destructive enemy begins
to exercise his boring propensities; and, making his horn act as an
auger, he soon penetrates the soft and yielding fibre of the young
tree, and if not discovered in time, destroys the leading shoot or
branch. The only remedy which has been adopted in Ceylon, is the
following:--Several intelligent boys are provided each with an iron
needle or probe, of about a foot long, with a sharp double barbed
point, like a fish-hook, and a ring handle; they go through the
plantation looking narrowly about the trees, and when they perceive
the hole in the trunk, which indicates that the enemy is at work, they
thrust in the barbed instrument and pull him out. Sometimes he may
only have just commenced, when his capture is more easily effected,
but even should he have penetrated to the very heart of the tree, the
deadly needle does not fail in its errand, but brings the culprit out,
impaled and writhing on its point. This is the only known way of
checking the ravages of this beetle, except destroying its larvae. Some
cultivators, however, think pouring salt water or brine on the top of
the tree, so as to descend among the folds of the upper shoots, a good
plan to get rid of the larvae.

Nearly two million coco-nuts are shipped annually from Bahia.

From Ceylon, 114,600 coco-nuts were shipped in 1851, and 70,185 in
1852.

Coco-nut oil; 98,159 gallons were shipped from Ceylon in 1852; 359,233
gallons in 1851.

The prices of Ceylon oil have ranged from L31 to L33 10s. per tun; of
Cochin oil, L34 to L35, within the last two years. The price per
leaguer in Colombo, without casks, has been L8 10s.