It Would Be A Natural Supposition That So Delicate An Insect
Would Produce A Honey Of Corresponding Purity, But Instead Of The
Expected Treasure We Find A Thick, Black And Rather Pungent But
Highly Aromatic Molasses.
The natives, having naturally coarse
tastes and strong stomachs, admire this honey beyond any other.
Many persons are surprised at the trifling exports of wax from
Ceylon. In 1853 these amounted to no more than one ton.
Cingalese are curious people, and do not trouble themselves
about exports; they waste or consume all the beeswax. While we
are contented with the honey and carefully reject the comb, the
native (in some districts) crams his mouth with a large section,
and giving it one or two bites, he bolts the luscious morsel and
begins another. In this manner immense quantities of this
valuable article are annually wasted. Some few of the natives in
the poorest villages save a small quantity, to exchange with the
travelling Moormen for cotton cloths, etc., and in this manner
the trifling amount exported is collected.
During the honey year at Newera Ellia I gave a native permission
to hunt bees in my forests, on condition that he should bring me
the wax. Of course he stole the greater portion, but
nevertheless, in a few weeks he brought me seventy-two pounds'
weight of well-cleaned and perfectly white wax, which he had made
up into balls about the size of an eighteen-pound shot. Thus, in
a few weeks, one man had collected about the thirtieth part of
the annual export from Ceylon; or, allowing that he stole at
least one-half, this would amount to the fifteenth.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 252 of 334
Words from 67312 to 67589
of 89475
