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fully formed, there is a beautiful, light pink-coloured 

 jelly, which is cool and delicious to the taste, and is 

 justly esteemed a great delicacy. The inside of the 

 trunk of the tree is very fibrous, but the outer wood 

 is hard, and firm like ebony. It is of a darkish colour^ 

 and is striped with short veins of black. It is capable 

 of a high polish, and is employed, not only for light 

 building purposes, but also to make \vi'iting-desks, 

 work-boxes, walking-sticks, &c. The leaves are very 

 durable, and are an excellent covering for the abodes 

 of the poor. From them also, fancy articles of great 

 beauty and delicacy are made, such as ladies' fans, 

 baskets, flowers, &c., and many a widow and orphan 

 in Mahe and Praslin derive a modest revenue from this 

 source. 



The ordinary food of these islands consists of 

 manioc which is of excellent quality, and is generally 

 made into cakes, "gallettes," or boiled. Bread-fruit 

 is also abundant and excellent, and is a good substitute 

 for loaf-bread of a fine quality. Sweet Potatoes are 

 also plentiful. Rice and flour are purchasable at 

 Mahe. Pigs are reared in these Islands, but the grass 

 is unsuitable for horned cattle, and consequently, what 

 is termed butcher meat, such as beef, veal, mutton or 

 goat is seldom seen at table. Still, however, the 

 attempt to rear cattle is on some properties persevered 

 in, but, as a rule, the result is not satisfactory. Fish, 

 poultry and eggs are plentiful. Turtle are very scarce. 

 Fruits are abundant, and the water is pure. 



