NUTMEGS. 245 
The nutmeg-tree (Myristica aromatica) is not unlike our 
cherry-tree, both in growth and size. Its leaves are nearly 
oval, but pointed, waved, obliquely nerved, of bright green 
colour above, and whitish beneath. The flowers are small, and 
hang upon slender stalks. 
When this fruit is nearly ripe the husk opens at the 
end, and exposes a net-work of scarlet mace. Under- 
neath the mace is a black shell, about as thick as that 
of a filbert, and very hard ; and in this is contained the 
nutmeg. 
The gathering of nutmegs is performed by persons 
who ascend the trees for that purpose, and pull the 
branches to them with lon'g hooks. The husks are 
stripped off in the woods, and the remaining part of 
the fruit, with its surrounding mace, is taken home. 
After the mace has been carefully stripped off, with a 
small knife, the nuts, which are still covered with their 
woody shell, are dried, first in the sun, and then upon a 
frame of split bamboos placed over a slow fire, until, 
when shaken, the kernels are heard to rattle within the 
shells. These now easily fly to pieces when beaten with 
small sticks; and the nutmegs, being taken out, are 
soaked in sea-water and lime, and are then thrown in 
great numbers together to heat, by which their vege- 
tating principle is destroyed. The nutmegs are finally 
sorted into parcels, according to their quality, and 
packed in bags for sale and exportation. 
The nutmegs vended at the East India Company's 
sales in 1804-, amounted in weight to 117,936 pounds, 
and produced 54<,733/. exclusive of the duties. This 
kind of spice has Jong been employed both for culinary 
and medicinal purposes. Distilled with water, nutmegs 
afford a large portion of essential oil, which resembles, 
in flavour, the spice itself. When heated and pressed 
they yield a considerable quantity of limpid yellow oil. 
In the shops a thick and fragrant kind is sold, which, 
though called oil of mace, is, in reality, expressed from 
the nutmeg. The best oil of this description is im 
ported from the East Indies, in stone jars. Oil of nut" 
