538 Statistics of the Circar of DowlatahatL [No. 3(j, 



In making sugar, the first thing the Hulwai docs, is to fill with ra!» 

 a large closely wattled bamboo basket, five feet high, and twenty 

 feet in circumference, capable of holding about forty puUahs of rab, 

 the basket stands upon horizontal poles, having a well beneath, sunk 

 in the floor, into which drips the draining from the baskets, which is 

 called " kaki," or molasses. It is allowed thus to remain for fifteen 

 days, when from the consistence of honey it will have been found to 

 have taken the appearance of Muscavado sugar, the plan for freeing 

 it of its gluten, and other impurities, is accomplished by a series of 

 " meltings," as it is termed in the West Indies : that is, breaking up 

 the crystallized mass, and forming the whole into a pap, Avith a mix- 

 ture, as thus prepared, five seers of salt, two seers of soda, one 

 seer and a half of the cuttings of the euphorbia tiraculli ; one seer of 

 cuttings of the euphorbia ligularia, and one seer of the ashes of the 

 ^^lantain tree, the whole to be boiled for one day in two maunds of 

 water, strained and mingled with the raw sugar into a pappy state, 

 after which it is allowed to drain for ten days, when the same process 

 of melting is again performed, with this difference, that this time the 

 several ingredients are diminished, there being but one seer of salt, 

 one seer of soda, one seer and a half euphorbia tiraculli, one seer of 

 euphorbia ligularia cuttings, and one seer of plantain ashes with only 

 twenty seers of water. Five days are now sufficient to drain the 

 crystallized mass, after which the surface is covered to the depth of 

 four fingers, with plants of the vallisneria verticellata, removing them 

 every third day until the process is finished. About twenty seers of 

 sugar are usually found encrusted on the surface at each removal ; 

 the time required from the first steps of refining to bringing into this 

 condition occupies about ninety days, and fits it for the remaining 

 operation, which is to clarify the sugar, and is thus performed : one 

 maund of the prepared sugar is dissolved into a thick syrup, by first 

 adding three seers of w^ater, and boiling gradually, adding to this, 

 fourteen more seers of water, with two seers of milk ; the impurities 

 being carefully removed as they arise upon the surface. The clari- 

 fied syrup is then gently evaporated to the point of crystallization 

 and left to evaporate, and crystallized in the sun and air, which, when 

 eff'ected, the crystals are crushed fine, and in this state it is sent to 

 the market. This sugar is very sweet, and of a very fair white color. 



Forty pullahs of rab when thus converted into sugar, and refined, 



