224 AGAR, AGAR. 



A kind of white sea-weed, called Agar, agar, 

 is found on the reefs about Singapore, but the 

 best is procured from Malacca, where it is ob- 

 tained in great abundance about the " Water 

 islands," in the vicinity of that settlement ; and 

 after being collected it is picked and washed. 

 It is also brought to Singapore from Billiton, 

 Bouton, &c. ; the weed from the former place 

 sells at three dollars and a-half the pecul, and 

 from the latter at three dollars the pecul. This 

 article is exported in large quantities to China, 

 where it is used for various purposes — as stiffening 

 linen, size for paper, &c. At Malacca and Sin- 

 gapore the finer kind makes a beautiful trans- 

 parent jelly, which is of course perfectly taste- 

 less, unless mixed with rose-water, sugar, and 

 lime-juice, which render it an excellent pre- 



inclined to consider that more efficacy is stated to be 

 possessed by the Cassia alata than can be justified by 

 actual experience, with regard to the ring-worm ; for I have, 

 since writing the above, been informed that it had often been 

 tried upon cases at Singapore for nearly a month, without 

 any decidedly good eff"ect resulting from its use, although 

 the disease had been evidently mitigated by its application : 

 it might certainly be more efficacious if used simply bruised, 

 without the addition of lime-juice and salt, which latter is 

 the mode of application adopted ; but the addition of the 

 latter articles is regarded as tending to increase its efficacy 

 in the disease. 



