i6'% On the Nicobar Isles, and 



between their interfaces : the exterior furface is cutoff, and thus put into 

 earthen pots covered with leaves, then boiled on a flow fire for feveral 

 hours together.- the fruit is fufficiently boiled, when the medullary part of 

 it becomes foft and friable ; it is then taken from the fire and expofed to 

 the cold air ; when cold, the drupes are feparated from the ftalk, and the 

 medullary part preffed out by means of a fhell forced into them. Within 

 the woody part of the drupes, there are two feeds in fhape and tafle much 

 like almonds : the foft part is then collected into a fpherical mafs, and, in 

 order to extract all the ftringy fragments remaining in it by the compreffion 

 of the fhell, a thread is palled and repafTed, untill the whole is extracted, and 

 it comes out perfectly clean : it is then of a pale yellow colour, much Te- 

 fembling polenta, or the drelfed meal cf the Zea Mays, and in tafte much 

 like it : when not newly prepared, it has an acidity, to which it tends very 

 ftrongly, if long expofed to the atmofphere; but it maybe preferved along 

 time, if well covered. 



It is certain, that the Nicobar bread-fruit tree differs very effentially from 

 the palm defcribed by Mr. Masson, and found in the interior parts of 

 Africa, which bears a fort of bread-fruit. On my mowing to Mr. Mas- 

 son, in March 1790, the drawing of the tree here defcribed, he was pleaf- 

 ingly furprized at the novelty, and declared he had never before feen 

 it. It differs alfo from the bread-tree found in Otaheite and defcribed by 

 Capt. Cook m his Voyage round the World, as will appear very evident 

 on a reference to the notes of that work. Some {firubs, whofe leaves re- 

 femble much thore of the Nicobar bxead-fruit tree, are to be feen on the 

 Coromandcl Coaft, and in the Iflc of Fra?7cc, where they thrive in fome 

 degree, but never attain the height of thofe at Nicobar: imperfect fmali 

 iiuits are feen cnce a year Tprouting out, and the inhabitants derive an 



