130 THE TALMS OF ASIA. 



tribes. Its truuk is twenty or thirty feet liigli, 

 covered almost entirely with coarse black fibres 

 resembling horse-hair. The leaves are from 

 fifteen to twenty feet long, and pinnated. Their 

 leaflets, which are from three to five feet long, 

 ■widen gradually to the end, where they are 

 ragged and jirickly, in consequence of the pro- 

 jection of their hard veins beyond the margin. 

 Above they are of a deep shining green, but on 

 their under surfiice they are firmly coated wilh 

 ash-coloured mealy matter. The stalks of these 

 leaves have, intermixed with their coarse hair, 

 stiff bristles as thick as porcupines' quills. 

 Each bunch of flowers is from six to ten feet 

 long, and when covered with fruit, is as much 

 as a man can carry. Each fruit is about the 

 size of a medlar, and, like those of Caryota 

 urens, so extremely acrid that it excites severe 

 inflammation in the mouths of those who chew 

 it. It was the basis of the " infernal water " 

 which the Moluccans used in their wars to 

 pour over their enemies. It is remarkable, 

 liowever, that from the kernel and unripe fruit 

 is prepared a delicious kind of sweetmeat, which 

 the Chinese and Indian nobles take with their 

 tea ; it is prepared by soaking the fruit in lime 

 •water, and then boiling them in refined sugar. 

 This palm is highly valued in the islands 



