422 



SPICES AS"D EUAGEANT WOODS. 



grows abundantly from all tlie branches, in lonff small clusters of 

 from 20 to 50 grains ; when ripe it is of a bright red color. After 

 being gathered, it is spread on mats in the sun to dry, when it 

 becomes black and shriTelled. The grains are separated from the 

 stalks by hand rubbing. The roots and thickest parts of the 

 stems, when cut into small pieces and dried, form a considerable 

 article of commerce all over India, under the name of Pi^pula 

 moola. 



Almost all the plants of the family Fiperace(B have a strong 

 aromatic smell and a sharp burning taste. This small group of 

 plants is confined to the hottest regions of the globe ; being most 

 abundant in tropical America and in the East Indian Archipelago, 

 but more rare in the equinoctial regions of Africa. The common 

 black pepper, P. nigrum, represents the usual property of the 

 order, which is not confined to the fruit, but pervades, more or less, 

 the whole plant. It is peculiar to the torrid zone of Asia, and 

 appears to be indigenous to the coast of Malabar, where it has 

 been found in a wild state. Prom this it extends between the 

 meridians of longitude 96 deg. and 116 deg. S. and the parallels 

 of latitude 5 deg. S. and 12 deg. N., beyond which no pepper 

 is found. "Within these limits are the islands of Sumatra and 

 Borneo, with the Malay peninsula and part of Siam. Sumatra 

 produces by far the greatest quantity of pepper. In 1842, the 

 annual produce of this island was reckoned at 30,000,000 lbs., 

 being more than the amount furnished by all the other pepper 

 districts in the world. 



A little pepper is grown in the Mauritius and the West India 

 Islands, and its cultivation is making some progress on the 

 'W estern Coast of ilfrica, as we imported from thence 2,909 bags 

 and casks in 1846, and about 110,000 lbs. in 1847. 



Mr. J. Crawfurd, F.E.S., one of the best authorities on all that 

 relates to the commerce and agriculture of the Eastern Archi- 

 pelago, recently estimated the produce of pepper as follows : — 



lbs. 



Sumatra (West Coast) . . . 20,000,000 



(East Coast) . . . 8,000,000 



Islands in the Straits of Malacca . . 3,600,000 



Malay Peninsula .... 3,733,333 



Borneo ..... 2,666,667 



Siam ..... 8,000,000 



Malabar . . . . .• 4,060,000 



Total . . 50,000,000 



If we add to this 



Western Coast of Africa and B. W. Indies . 53,000 ^ 



Java ..... 4,000,000 



Mauritius and Ceylon . . . 80,000 



It gives . . 54,133,000 



as the total produce of the world. 

 Black pepper constitutes a great and valuable article of export 

 from the Indian Islands ; which, as we have seen, alford by far the 



