374 Matabello. 



young fruit that is drunk, before the pulp has hardened ; it is 

 then more abundant, clear, and refreshing, and the thin coat- 

 ing of gelatinous pulp is thought a great luxury. The water 

 of full-grown cocoa-nuts is always thrown away as undiinka- 

 ble, although it is delicious in comparison with that of the 

 old dry nuts which alone we obtain in this country. The 

 cocoa-nut pulp I did not like at first ; but fruits are so scarce, 

 except at particular seasons, that one soon learns to appreci- 

 ate any thing of a fruity nature. 



Many persons in Europe are under the impression that 

 fruits of delicious flavor abound in the tropical forests, and 

 they will no doubt be surprised to learn that the truly wild 

 fruits of this grand and luxuriant archipelago, the vegetation 

 of which will vie with that of any part of the world, are in 

 almost every island inferior in abundance and quality to those 

 of Britain. Wild strawberries and raspberries are found in 

 some places, but they are such poor tasteless things as to be 

 hardly worth eating, and there is nothing to compare with 

 our blackberries and whortleberries. The kanary-nut may be 

 considered equal to a hazel-nut, but I have met with nothing 

 else superior to our crabs, our haws, beech-nuts, wild plums, 

 and acorns ; fruits which would be highly esteemed by the na- 

 tives of these islands, and would form an important part of 

 their sustenance. All the fine tropical fruits are as much cul- 

 tivated productions as our apples, peaches, and plums, and 

 their wild prototypes, when found, are generally either taste- 

 less or uneatable. 



The people of Matabello, like those of most of the Moham- 

 medan villages of East Ceram and Goram, amused me much 

 by their strange ideas concerning the Russian war. They be- 

 lieve that the Russians were not only most thoroughly beaten 

 by the Turks, but were absolutely conquered, and all convert- 

 ed to Islamism ! And they can hardly be convinced that 

 such is not the case, and that had it not been for the assist- 

 ance of France and England the poor Sultan would have fared 

 ill. Another of their notions is, that the Turks are the largest 

 and strongest people in the world — in fact a race of giants ; 

 that they eat enormous quantities of meat, and are a most 

 ferocious and irresistible nation. Whence such strangely in- 

 correct opinions could have arisen it is difficult to understand 



