PREPARATION OF THE POISON. 207 



MRS. F. 



Or of those of the tree in question, the Upas antiar; for 

 Sir Stamford Raffles mentions that one of the regents had 

 caps or bonnets prepared from the liber, in order to decorate 

 his attendants; they were stiffened with rice water, and hand- 

 somely painted; but all refused to wear them, asserting that 

 they would cause the hair to fall off. But to proceed to the 

 poison of the antiar. It is curious, that although this irritat- 

 ing property of the bark is known to the Javanese in all the 

 places where the tree grows, yet the preparation of a poison 

 from the juice, is only known among the inhabitants of the 

 eastern extremity of the island. 



ESTHER. 

 Is this preparation very simple? 



MRS. F. 



On the contrary, an eye-witness describes it as very elabo- 

 rate. He saw about eight ounces of the juice, which had 

 been preserved in the joint of a bamboo, strained into a bowl; 

 to this was added about half a drachm each, of a number of 

 vegetable substances,* all finely grated and bruised. The 

 mixture was then stirred, and a seed of capsicum (C.frutico- 

 sum) placed in the middle of the fluid. The seed immedi- 

 ately began to whirl round rapidly for about a minute, when 

 it remained completely at rest. More pepper was then added 

 and another capsicum seed placed as before; a similar com- 

 motion took place in the fluid, but in a diminished degree; 

 more pepper was added and another seed, till, on the fourth 

 trial, the seed remained quiet which was considered as a sign 

 that the preparation was complete. The poison is preserved 

 in close vessels, as it will not otherwise keep. 



ESTHER. 

 And is it very virulent upon all animals? 



* Viz. Arum, Kasmferia galanga, Amoraura, onion, garlic, black 

 pepper, Sec. 



