SEPT. 1770 FAN-PALM AND SYRUP 345 



up no room, though they yield the treble advantage of fruit, 

 liquor, and sugar, all, but especially the two last, in great 

 profusion. The leaves also serve to thatch their houses, and 

 to make baskets, umbrellas (or rather small conical bonnets), 

 caps, tobacco pipes, etc. etc. The fruit, which is least 

 esteemed, is also in the least plenty ; it is a nut about as 

 big as a child's head, covered like a cocoanut with a fibrous 

 coat under which are three kernels which must be eaten 

 before they are ripe, otherwise they become too hard to chew. 

 In their proper state they a good deal resemble in taste the 

 kernel of an unripe cocoanut, and like them probably afford 

 but a watery nutriment. The excellence of the palm wine 

 or toddy which is drawn from this tree makes, however, 

 ample amends for the poorness of its fruit. It is got by 

 cutting the buds, which should produce flowers, soon after 

 their appearance, and tying under them a small basket made 

 of the leaves of the same tree ; into this the liquor drips, 

 and must be collected by people who climb the trees for that 

 purpose every morning and evening. This is the common 

 drink of every one upon the island, and a very pleasant one 

 it was so to us, even at first, only rather too sweet ; its anti- 

 scorbutic virtues, as the fresh unfermented juice of a tree, 

 cannot be doubted. 



Notwithstanding that this liquor is the common drink of 

 both rich and poor, who in the morning and evening drink 

 nothing else, a much larger quantity is drawn off daily than 

 is sufficient for that use. Of this they make a syrup and a 

 coarse sugar, both which are far more agreeable to the taste 

 than they appear to the sight. The liquor is called in the 

 language of the island dua or duac, the syrup and sugar by 

 one and the same name, gula ; it is exactly the same as the 

 jagara sugar on the continent of India, and prepared by 

 simply boiling down the liquor in earthenware pots until it 

 is sufficiently thick. In appearance it exactly resembles 

 molasses or treacle, only it is considerably thicker ; in taste, 

 however, it much excels it, having, instead of the abominable 

 twang which treacle leaves in the mouth, only a little burnt 

 flavour, which was very agreeable to our palates. The 



