Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/380

352 of the sap, one would naturally suppose that the tree would yield a greater quantity of this liquor during the day than during the night. The fact, however, is quite otherwise, for the humidity which is absorbed by the leaves in the night, mixing with the juice, increases its apparent quantity; but that which is obtained during the day contains much more of the saccharine principle, which is to be extracted.

This extract forms a kind of sugar, which the Malays call goula itan (black sugar.) It is commonly met with in small loaves, which retain the shape of the hemispherical vessels, in which the redundant water is evaporated. Its colour approaches to that of chocolate; but it is deeper. On breaking those little loaves, there appear, especially towards the centre, yellowish shining grains, a circumstance which renders it probable, that there would be no great difficulty to bring it to the degree of crystallization, necessary to convert it into sugar of a good quality. Such as it is, the natives scarcely use any other, that which is extracted from the sugar-cane being sold for seven or eight times the price.

From this almost exclusive use of the goula itan, one would be apt to conclude, that the sugar-cane was not produced in the island. Almost all the inhabitants, however, devote small portions