however, take place in private, or, better still, in the
bath, as a noble French traveller suggested, for its
juicy flesh obstinately adheres to both peel and stone,
the latter nearly half the size of the entire fruit. His
Highness’s carriage then came round and took me to
some of his plantations, from which he derives a very
large revenue. The first we came to was one of
Black Pepper (Piper nigrum): a large shrub with
ovate leaves, the fruit growing on a spike ;
a stick is required to support the slender
stem, which gives to a pepper-garden somewhat
the appearance of a vineyard. Tt
must be remembered that this is a verv
different plant to the elegant pepper-tree
we admire so much in the wide avenues at
Athens, whose berry is similar, but its
leaves are pinnate as those of the mimosa.
Next we visited acres of
Gambeer (Uncaria gambir) : a climbing shrub
with oblong leaves. The latter, by undergoing
a process of boiling or infusing in
water, produces the colouring matter,
which is its principal value ; the leaves
are also used by the Malays for chewing
with betel, then called pawn. Thence to a
Gamboge plantation (Garcinia morella): its fruit
a pulpy drupe two inches in diameter, of
pleasant taste. The gum obtained from
incisions in the stem is used for dyeing and
also for medicine. Fields of
Sugar-cane (Saccharum officinarum) followed,
and large gardens of
Tapioca or Cassava (Manihot utilissima): a slender
tree, about six feet high, leaves like those
of the bamboo, seven-parted, and a cluster
of turnip-like roots, which, after being
heated and pounded, become fit for culinary
purposes.
The Sago Palm (Sagus loevis) is likewise much
cultivated in the Peninsula, in appearance
like a stunted date palm, and the sago is
produced from the pith of the stem.
The Nutmeg (Myristica moschata): fruit golden-
yellow, its kernel is the nutmeg of commerce.
Gutta-percha (Isonandra gutta): a handsome tree
with long narrow leaves; it has become
very scarce owing to indiscriminate cutting
down by the natives.
The Maharajah of Johore is a most enterprising prince:
besides cultivating the soil, he owns some very large
steam saw-mills producing timber for shipbuilding,
principally from his immense teak forests. He also has
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