Nutmegs. 



jg^ SPICY ISLANDS. 



Gardens or world might be fupplied from hence. The iiland feems one 

 beautiful garden of nutmeg trees. 



The trees are leaden with fruit the whole year, either ma- 

 ture or ripening, but it is gathered only at certain times. The 

 principal harveft is in the middle of the rainy feafon, or in part 

 o'LJuly2X\AAuguft^ there is another in November, and a third 

 in March and April. The nuts are carried home and cleanfed, 

 and the mace carefully taken off with a knife, and expofed to 

 the fun Jo be dried. The exterior coat is thick, like that of a 

 walnut; the mace is the immediate covering of the nutmeg, 

 and poflelTes the fame virtues. The oil is a well-known article 



in our fliops. 



After fome time the nutmegs are divided into three heaps ; 

 the firft confifts of the fineft and largeft, which are fent to the 

 European markets. The next is referved for that of India ; and 

 the third, which is compofed of the damaged nuts, is never fent 

 abroad, bnt referved for the oil which is exprefled from them. 



The green or unripe nuts are frequently preferved with 

 fugar, and difpofed of in all parts of India and China \ and even 

 fome are fent to Europe. 



There are, befides the genuine fpecies, fix others of the wild 

 kind, called P^Af, with fome diftinguifliing epithet, and alfo 

 Palais. After faying that thefe trees are of little or no ufe but 

 for the wood, I refer to Rumphius, who* has given defcriptions 

 and plates of the feveral forts. 



The references to this plant among the beft botanical writers 

 are as follows: Nux myrijiica femina^Clus. Exof. 13. 14. Nux 



* Vol. ii. p. 24. 27. 



Mo/chataj 



