VOYAGE FKOM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 105 



They take a good handful of it and wash it in water, so that as 

 much dirt as possible is removed; then they boil it in a pro- 

 portionate amount of water, until it is quite dissolved, which pro- 

 cess takes several hours, the vessel always being' covered. 

 "When it is quite dissolved they add so much sugar as is necessary 

 to give it the nature of jelly. Some add some spice besides, as 

 pieces of cinnamon or lemon peel. This jelly is also made of other 

 kinds of Fuci as of the Fucus Mussoides. I had the misfortune 

 to obtain very little of this plant for a great deal of money. 

 and moreover this little found great favour with the Malay 

 slaves, who feasted on it. 



4. — I went to the gardens of Mr. Clas de Vents : they lie 

 ahnost immediately under the walls of the fortress. 



I found a peculiar kind of Areca tree here ; the natives 

 attach a special superstition to its fruits, because they believe 

 that they cannot be hurt by anyone when they carry one of 

 these nuts upon them. To my great annoyance the tree was 

 not yet full grown, and therefore it had neither blossom nor 

 fruit I was told that the fruit is a little bigger than that of 

 the common Areca trees. The single leaves were not folded, 

 but quite flat ; they all ended in a rounded point and were much 

 narrower than those of these kinds of palms generally are ; they 

 had three nerves. The colour of the leaves was yellow-green, 

 as that of the common kind. This is the third kind of Areca 

 tree with three-nerved leaves which I have seen on my journey. 

 The tree really does not grow in these parts as a rule, but it was 

 brought over from the Bornese islands as a rare specimen. The 

 Malays call it Pinaug-Pennardar'' ( Arecca Olevacca ). A Malay 

 told me that there was another species, which according to his 

 belief had much greater power still. 



The front part of the garden was full of all sorts of fruit- 

 bearing trees, as Areca, Cocos, Mangos, Jambo, Cynomorium, 

 Cauliflorum, Mangostangs, etc. Behind this g-arden there was a 

 kitchen garden and then followed yet another garden which 

 beside Coco and other trees, contained several medical plants. 

 Aii^oug these were a great-quantity:b€^longing to -the family of 

 Mr. hi\\\i4^*'S, S(.itav\ina\ they were : Cardannni r?/?-c ?/?/?«, a specially 

 big species of the latter, Zinzibev vulgaris^ and Zinziber Spurinm. 

 One specimen of this class was very peculiar. It was taller than 



b. Prob Piuang Pcnawar Actinorrhytis Calappuria. 



