OP LA PEROUSE. , 325 



in the day than during the night : the con- 

 trary, however, is the cafe ; becauie the humi- 

 dity of the night, which is abforbed by the leaves, 

 mixes with the tap of the palm, and favours the 

 diftillation ; bui the liquor that is procured du- 

 ring the day contains a great many more ex- 

 tractive faccharine .particles than that which 

 drops during the night. 



This ext,ra& j s a ipecies of fugar, which the 

 Malays call goyla itan (black fugar) : it is com- 

 monly in little loaves, which are in the fhape 

 of a hemifpherical vafe, when the evaporation 

 of the fupernuous water has taken place. It is 

 nearly of a chocolate colour, but rather deeper. 

 When tiiefe little loaves are broken, there are 

 to be ic&riy particularly towards their centre, 

 yellowifh and mining grains : this makes it pre- 

 fumable, that it would not be -difficult to bring 

 them to the degree of cryftallization necelfary 

 for their becoming a fugar of good quality : 

 fuch as it is, the natives fcarcely employ any 

 other ; that of the fugar-cane cofljng feven or 

 eight times the price. 



We Ihould be tempted to imagine, from fp 

 exclufive an ufe of the goula itan t that the fugar- 

 cane does not grow on this ifland ; the inhabit- 

 ants, however, cultivate that valuable plant ; 

 glmoli all of them have fome in their gardens, 



T 3 but 



