Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/455

1770 Besides these they have several fruits eaten only by the natives, as Kellor Guilandina, Moringa, Soccum of two or three kinds, the same as is called bread-fruit in the South Seas. All the kinds here, however, are so incomparably inferior to the South Sea ones, that were it not for the great similitude of the outward appearance of both tree and plant, they would scarcely deserve that name. There are also bilinju (Gnetum gnemon), boa bune, etc. etc., all which I shall pass over in silence as not deserving to be mentioned to any but hungry people.

They no doubt have many more which were not in season during our stay: we were told also that several kinds of European fruits, as apples, strawberries, etc., had been planted up in the mountains, where they came to great perfection; but this I can only advance upon the credit of report. Several other fruits they have also, which they preserve in sugar, as kumquit, boa, atap, etc., but these require to be prepared in that way before they are at all eatable.

Batavia consumes an almost incredible quantity of fruits, generally over-ripe, or otherwise bad, before they are sold: nor can a stranger easily get any that are good, unless he goes to a street called Passar Pisang, which lies north from the great church, and very near it. Here there live none but Chinese who sell fruit: they are in general supplied from gentlemen's gardens in the neighbourhood of the town, and consequently have the best always fresh. For this excellence of their goods, however, they are well paid, for they will not take less for any kind than three or four times as much as the market price; nor did we ever grudge to give it, as their fruit was always ten times better than any in the market. The chief supplies of Batavia come from a pretty considerable distance, where great quantities of land are cultivated merely for the sake of the fruits. The country people, to whom these lands belong, meet the town's people at two great markets; one on Mondays, called Passar Sineen, and the other on Saturdays, called Passar Tanabank, held at very different places; each however, about five miles from Batavia. Here the best of fruits may be got at the cheapest rates. The sight of these