and tlw Areca-mit Tree. 1 15 



After strong ebullition of two hours, the fire is lessened till 

 it is nearly extinguished, and it is then kept at that degree 

 for five or six hours. When the poi is completely cold, it 

 3s unluted, and the areca is taken out with a large shovel 

 pierced with holes ; after which it is suffered to drain on a 

 hurdle of bauihoo. The Hindoos in this operation use only 

 utensils of wood, on account of the sour quality of this nut. 

 When the pieces have been well drained, they are exposed 

 to the sun. This kind of areca, which the inhabitants of 

 the upper part of Hindostan, where this palm is not found, 

 call cItikui-sQvpaii, that is to say, gummy areca, is preferred 

 in the use of betel to the raw nut. 



The whole aqueous part is evaporated over a slow fire till 

 the juice is inspissated to the consistence of an extract, and 

 till It has such adhesion that it can be held in the hand. It 

 is then taken out to be formed, by kneading, into small 

 pieces as large as the fist, which are dried in* the shade that 

 they may not crack and break. 



These pieces in several of the dialects of Hindostan are 

 called balai, a word to which is joined that of rcrw/'e ; so 

 that the whole signifies a lump of the juice of the areca. 



The catecamhre, to use the expression generallv employed 

 by the Europeans, though faulty, receives a preparation at 

 Goa, Batavia, and ?»iacao, which we enoeavour to imitate. 

 The Portuguese call it cachoiide, from which we have made 

 the word cac/tou. It is obtained in these places by com- 

 bining the catecamhre with a proportional quantity of sugar, 

 cumamon, coco-nut milk, musk, and sometimes a very 

 sn)rdl quantity of essence of roses. 



This paste of the cr/c/'oWt" is of a black colour, and has a 

 sweet perfume: it is formed into square tablets of different 

 sizes, and is a very important object of commerce to the 

 town of Goa. The European women, habituated to the 

 use of betel, and the Mogols, prci'cr it to crude cachou or 

 catecambre. The Hindoos make no u-^e of it : they employ 

 only the latter, after having purified it with the betel, either 

 as a topic or internally. 



Catecambre is useful in many arts, and even in mediciue, 

 in ulrieh it is emploved on various occasions. 



The condensed juice of the areca inspissated with gum- 

 ben, furnishes a very good resin, which the fishermen em- 

 ploy ior the preservaiion of their nets and fishing-lines. It 

 preserves wood from worms. 



It is used with astonishing success for burns, aorainst 



aiJiliDc, and in general all kinds of ulcers and fungous ex- 



'rescences ; in a word, for deafness, by diluting it with 



human milk, which is mjccted into the ears. The efficacy 



H 2 of 



