THE SAGO PALMS, BREAD-rPtriT, &C. 



315 



pottage. A farina of an inferior kind is snpplied b}' the Gomuti 

 palm (^JBorassus gomutus), another tree peculiar to the Eastern 

 Archipelago growing in the vallejs of hilly tracts. 



At so great a distance it is difficult to decide as to ^Yhich of these 

 trees really produce the ordinary sagos of commerce, for there are 

 several kinds. Planche, in an excellent memoir on the sagos, has 

 described six species, which he distinguishes by the names of the 

 places from which they come. Preferring to classify them accord- 

 ing to their characters, M. Mayet distinguishes only tliree 

 species. 



The first he denominates Ancient sago, which comes from 

 different parts, and varies much in color. It comprehends — 

 1st, Maldivian sago of Planche, in spherical globules, of two 

 or three millimetres in diameter, translueid, of an unequal 

 pinkish white color, very hard and insipid. 2nd. New Gruiuea 

 sago, of Planche, in rather smaller globtdes, of a bright 

 red color on one side, and white on the other. 3rd. Grrey 

 sago of the Moluccas or brown sago of the English ; of unequal 

 globules, from ore to three millimetres in diameter, opaque, of 

 a dull grey color on one side, and whitish on the other. 

 This grey color probably arises from long keeping and humidit}^ 

 4th, Large grey sago of the Moluccas, exactly resembling !No. 3, * 

 only that the globules are from four to eight millimetres in 

 diameter. 5th. Fine white sago of the Moluccas ; entirely 

 resembling No. 3, only that it is purely white, owing to the com- 

 plete edulcoration of the fecula of wliich it is made. 



Whatever may be the places of origin of these sagos, they all 

 possess the following characters — 



Bounded globules, generally spherical, all isolated, very hard, 

 elastic, and difficult to break or powder. The globules put into 

 water, generally swell to twice their original size, but do not 

 adhere together. 



Second sago. — This species corresponds with the pinkish sago 

 of the Moluccas of Planche. It is in very small globules, less 

 regular than those of the " first sago," and sometimes stuck 

 together to the number of two or three. Soaked in water, it 

 swells to double its volume. 



Third Species. — Tapioca sago. — This name has been applied 

 to a species of sago now abtindant in commerce, because it bears 

 the same relation to the ancient or first sago, and even to the 

 preceding sago, that tapioca bears to " Moussache," which is the 

 fecula of the manioc, Janijjlia maniliot (ManiJwt ufilissima). 



Whilst the two preceding species of sago, whatever may have 

 been stated to the contrary, have been neither baked nor submitted 

 to any heating process, as is proved by the perfect state of nearly 

 all their grains of fecula, this species has been subjected to the 

 action of heat while in a state of a moist paste. This sago is not 

 in spherical globules, like the two preceding species, or at least 

 there are but few of the globules of that form ; it is rather in the 

 form of very small irregular tubercular masses, formed by the ad- 



