DG BETEL CHEWING. 



of the breath. The betel-juice is the active agent in the production 

 of the red colour which stains the saliva and the mouth of the betel- 

 chewer. I satisfied myself that the saliva was not necessary for 

 producing this colour, which may be readily obtained by mixing the 

 betel-nut and lime in rain water. 



When away on an occasion with a party of natives, I once was 

 tempted by curiosity to chew a betel-nut which I afterwards 

 swallowed in order to experience its full effect. Very shortly after- 

 wards my head began to feel heavy, and I had an inclination to lie 

 down, whilst my sight was sensibly dimmed. These effects passed 

 ■away in about twenty minutes. In my cabin I tried the effect on 

 my circulation of merely chewing a single nut. Five minutes after- 

 wards I found my pulse had increased in force and in frequency 

 from 62 to 92 beats per minute. There was a sensation of fulness 

 in the head and temples, but no perceptible effect on the vision. 

 The pulse retained this frequency for another five minutes ; but it 

 did not resume its previous rate until more than half-an-hour had 

 elapsed since the beginning of the experiment. Subsequently I tried 

 the effect of chewing two betel-nuts. The first increased the pulse 

 bj^ twenty beats per minute, and gave rise to restlessness and a 

 feelinc; of fulness in the head. The second sustained, but did not 

 increase the frequency of the pulse. On account of nausea I chewed 

 the second nut with difficulty. No effect was produced on locomo- 

 tion by these two nuts; but my sight was sensibly dimmed. On 

 turning-in for the night soon afterwards, I experienced during the 

 first hour rather vivid dreams characterised by rapid shifting of the 

 scene and change in the "dramatis personse." Some of the crew 

 who, at my desire, tried the effect of chewing a single nut, informed 

 me that it affected them much the same as a glass of spirit would. 

 The natives themselves are usuall}^ content with chewing one nut at 

 a time . two nuts, as the}^ told me, produced unpleasant symptoms, 

 and a bad head. 



The betel-nut, in truth, possesses far greater stimulating 

 properties than I had previously suspected. A single nut had much 

 the same effect on m6 as a glass of sherry would have had. I 

 believe that the extent of its intoxicating qualities is not generally 

 known. 



I may here remark that I did not come upon the custom of 

 kava-drinkinsr in these islands. Accordinor to the Rev. Mr. Lawes, 

 the kava plant (Piver methysticum) grows wild in the forests of the 



