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These steamers carry the mails, and make the voyage from Canton to Calcutta once a month, touching at Singapore on their way. The mangostan is unanimously pronounced the finest fruit in the world. One of the four had been removed from the first cabin, because it was asserted that he was somewhat cracked, and did not always know what he said or did.
The chief fruits here are plantains, bananas, oranges, lemons, mangostans, and rumbostans. The mangostan is about the size of a golden rennet, quite round, and resembling a small pomegranate, the outer rind being like that of the pomegranate, but of a darker colour, but the inside of the rind of a fine red.
The fruits are the cocoa, areca, banana, papaya, white and red shaddock, mangostan, rambootang, ananas, and betel. Saffron is collected there, and every description of allspice. The betel is a creeping-plant with an aromatic leaf. The natives spread over the leaf a little slaked-lime, and place at one end a small piece of areca-nut and cardamom.
This is the worst of all the fruits that I shall particularly mention: In size and shape it resembles the Madja, and within a thick skin contains kernels like those of the Mangostan, the taste of which is both acid and astringent, and so disagreeable, that we were surprised to see it exposed upon the fruit-stalls.
The cashew apple. This is seldom eaten on account of its astringency. The nut that grows upon the top of it is well known in Europe. The cocoa-nut. This is also well known in Europe: There are several sorts, but the best of those we found here is called Calappi Edjou, and is easily known by the redness of the flesh between the skin and the shell. Mangostan. The Garcinia Mangostana of Linnæus.
The varieties of fruit found at Singapore are very numerous and beautiful. Among the best may be reckoned the mangostan, which is said to grow only here and in Java. It is as big as a middling- sized apple.
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