OF LA PEROUSE. 39* 



Young bamboo fhoots, cut in fliccs and 

 pickled in vinegar, form an excellent article fur 

 a long voyage ; we laid in a great quantity of 

 them. Thefe fhoots arc in general very tender, 

 .Care muft be taken to cut ttyem in time. They 

 are fold in the market as culinary vegetables, 

 for which they are a good fubfiitute. 'J'heir length 

 is frequently a meter, and their thicknels a third 

 of a decimeter. 



We had ftocked ourfelves with cloves and 

 nutmegs preferved in fugar. The hufk of the 

 nutmeg is, in this cafe, the only eatable part ; 

 unfortunately, the ignorant confectioners had 

 choien nutmegs in too ripe a ftate. The cloves 

 being already as big as middle-iized olives, ftili 

 preferved too aromatic a flavour to form an 

 agreeable fweetmeat : a perfon muft have an 

 Indian palate to enjoy thefe dainties in perfec- 

 tion. As much may be faid of the preferved 

 ginger, of which we alio took a fupply. 



Our ftock of fago was far too confidcrable, 

 for we could confume only a very fmall part of 

 it ; the fhip's compajiy could never reconcile 

 themfelves to this mefs, however wholefome it 

 might be, and, in fpite of all the arguments of 

 pur furgeon, they conceived fuch a difguft for it, 

 at the end of a few months, that they preferred 

 to it fait meat even of the worft quality. 



We 



