1846.] 
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE 
555 
understood, and the plant could be cultivated, (as probably could be done,) it would 
form, for many years, a considerable export to this peculiar people, who are so ex¬ 
ceedingly tenacious of their prejudices and predilections. 
Agar-Agar.—This is a sea-weed, the Fueus saccharinus, and is much used by the 
Chinese as a paste, and is the article of which they make their transparent lan¬ 
terns. It forms an excellent paste, and is said not to be eaten by insects. It is 
also used in the manufacture of paper and silk, and is extensively used as a sweet¬ 
meat. It is brought from New-Holland, New-Guinea, Singapore, and all the adja¬ 
cent islands. It sells in Canton at $1 50 to $2 00 per pecul (133£ pounds.) Its 
cheapness and qualities as a paste, render it worthy the attention of manufac¬ 
turers of other countries. 
Betel-nut.—The leaf of the Betel pepper, (piper betel,) and the nut. of the areca 
palm, (areca catechu) constitute together the article which is improperly called 
betel-nut, and is used as a masticatory throughout the east. As an article of com¬ 
merce, it is sold separately under the name of betel nut, so called, because it is 
always used with the leaf of the betel pepper. The areca nut is the fruit of a slen¬ 
der palm, from six to twelve inches diameter, and about thirty feet high. The tree 
produces fruit from the age of five to twenty-five years. The nut resembles a nut¬ 
meg in shape, color, and internal structure, but is a little longer and harder. The 
annual produce of a tree is about fourteen pounds, and the little care required in 
procuring it, enables the cultivator to sell it at fifty cents per pecul. The betel 
pepper is the vine from which the leaf is obtained, and from which alone it is cul¬ 
tivated. The flavor of the leaf is very peculiar, being between a herbaceous and 
an aromatic taste, and a little pungent. The vine requires a rich moist, soil. The 
tree on which it is supported, it is affirmed, affects the quality and quantity of the 
produce. In the preparation the nut is cut in pieces, wrapped in the raw leaves 
with a small quantity of lime, sufficient to give it a flavor. 
All classes of people are in the habit of chewing it, male and female, and they 
say that it sweetens the breath, rectifies and strengthens the stomach, and pre¬ 
serves the teeth, and gives the gums, lips, and teeth a dark red color, which is 
esteemed a mark of beauty in proportion to the darkness. There is probably less 
objection to its use than tobacco; its narcotic properties are not so great, and its 
taste is more pleasant. It probably does not preserve the teeth, as the teeth of 
those nations who use it are not so liable to decay as Europeans or their descen¬ 
dants. It is said by some to be an effectual preventive for dysentery, which may 
also be doubted. Those brought from the coast of Malabar are not so good as those 
from the Indian Islands. The betel.nut leaf is used in India for dying cottons. It 
sells for $2 or $3 per pecul. 
Aniseed-Stars.—These are the fruit of a small tree, (the Illicium anisatum,) 
wdiich is cultivated in China. They are valuable for the volatile oil obtained from 
them, and also for the husks, which have a more aromatic flavor than the seed, 
but are not so sweet. The Chinese use them to season sweet dishes. They are 
exported at $li or $12 a pecul; the oil at $2 per catty, which is generally used 
for medicinal purposes. 
Benzoin or Benjamin.—This resin is the concrete juice of a small tree, (the 
styrax benzoin,) which grows in Sumatra, in rich moist soil. Its geograpical 
limits are the same as the camphor tree, being only found in Borneo proper, and 
in the country of the Battacks, in Sumatra; but, unlike that tree, is cultivated. 
When the trees are seven years old, an incision is made in the bark, and the gum 
which exudes is carefully scraped off. The trees produce the best Benzoin in 
three years. This first gathering is called “head that which is produced during 
the next eight or ten years, and which is inferior in quality, is known by the name 
of “bellyand at the end of the above period, the tree is supposed to be worn out, 
and is cut down and split to pieces, and all the gum is scraped off from the frag¬ 
ments of wood, which last is denominated “foot,” and is full of sticks and dirt. 
The price is $50 to $100 a pecul for the best, $25 to $ 15 for the second, and from 
$8 to $20 for the third. It is used for incense in the churches, and for fumigating 
houses. 
Galangal.—This root is obtained from two different plants, the greater from the 
haempferia galanga; the smaller from the maranta galanga. The greater is a tough 
woody root with a thin bark, and full of knobby circles on the outside. It is bitter* 
