The fruit closely resembles an apricot, covered with spots of
yellowish-brown. It bursts on attaining maturity, and then reveals a
round kernel, of the size of a nut, embedded in a network, sold as mace,
of a beautiful red colour. This network of fibrous material is carefully
separated from the nutmeg, and dried in the shade,--being frequently
sprinkled with sea-water, to prevent the colour deepening into black,
instead of changing into yellow. The nutmeg is likewise dried, exposed a
while to the action of smoke, and dipped several times into sea-water
containing a weak solution of lime, to prevent it from turning mouldy.
The clove-tree is smaller, and less copiously provided with foliage, than
the nutmeg-tree. The buds form what are known to us as cloves; and, of
course, are gathered before they have had time to blossom. The areca-nut
palm is also plentiful in Singapore. It grows in clusters of from ten to
twenty nuts; is somewhat larger than a nutmeg, and of a bright colour,
almost resembling gilt.
The Chinese and the natives of the Eastern Islands chew it with betel-
leaf and calcined mussel-shells. With a small quantity of the latter
they strew the leaf; a very small piece of the nut is added, and the
whole is made into a little packet, which they put into their mouth.
Madame Pfeiffer also inspected a sago manufactory.
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