346 DESCRIPTION OF SAVU CHAP, xv 



sugar is reddish brown, but more clear tasted than any un- 

 refined cane-sugar, resembling mostly brown sugar candy. 

 The syrup seemed to be very wholesome, for though many 

 of our people ate enormous quantities of it, it hurt 

 nobody. 



Firewood is very scarce here ; to remedy, therefore, that 

 inconvenience as much as possible, they make use of a con- 

 trivance which is not unknown in Europe, though seldom 

 practised but in camps. It is a burrow or pipe dug in the 

 ground as long as convenient, generally about two yards, and 

 open at each end ; the one opening of this, into which they 

 put the fire, is large ; the other, which serves only to cause a 

 draught, is much smaller. Immediately over this pipe circular 

 holes are dug which reach quite down into it : in these the 

 earthen pots are set (about three to such a fire) ; they are 

 large in the middle and taper towards the bottom, by which 

 means the fire acts upon a large part of their surface. It is 

 really marvellous to see with how small a quantity of fire 

 they will keep these pots boiling, each of which contains 

 eight or ten gallons ; a palm leaf or a dry stalk now and 

 then is sufficient ; indeed, it seemed in that part of the island, 

 at least, where we were, that the palms alone supplied 

 sufficient fuel, not only for boiling the sugar, but for dressing 

 all their victuals, besides those which are cooked by this con- 

 trivance. How many parts of England are there where this 

 contrivance would be of material assistance to not only the 

 poor, but the better sort of people, who daily complain of the 

 dearness of fuel, a charge which this contrivance alone would 

 doubtless diminish by at least one-third. But it is well known 

 how averse the good people of England, especially of that 

 class that may be supposed to be not above want, are to 

 adopt any new custom which savours of parsimony. I have 

 been told that this very method was proposed in the Gentle- 

 man's Magazine many years ago, but have not the book on 

 board. Fre'zier, in his voyage to the South Sea, describes a 

 contrivance of the Peruvian Indians upon the same principles, 

 plate 31, p. 273, but his drawing and plan are difficult to 

 understand, if not actually very faulty, and his description is 



