They are placed on mats, and are
either trodden with the feet or rubbed by the hands to separate them
from the spike, after which they are cleaned by winnowing. Black pepper
consists of such berries wrinkled and blackened in the process of
drying, and white pepper of similar berries freed from the skin and the
fleshy part of the fruit by being soaked in water and then rubbed. Some
planters bleach with chlorine to improve the appearance; but this
process, as may be supposed, does not improve the flavor.
In these climates the natives use enormous quantities of pepper, as
they do of all hot condiments, and the Europeans imitate them.
Although there are so many plantations, a great part of Pinang is
uncleared, and from the peak most of it looks like a forest. It
contains ninety thousand inhabitants, the Chinese more than equaling
all the other nationalities put together. Its trade, which in 1860 was
valued at 3,500,000 pounds, is now (1880) close upon 8,000,000 pounds,
Pinang being, like Singapore, a great entrepot and "distributing
point."
Now for the wilds once more!
I. L. B.
A CHAPTER ON PERAK
The Boundaries and Rivers of Perak - Tin Mining - Fruits and
Vegetables - The Gomuti Palm - The Trade of Perak - A Future of Coffee - A
Hopeful Lookout - Chinese Difficulties - Chinese Disturbances in
Larut - The "Pangkor Treaty" - A "Little War" - The Settlement of
Perak - The Resident and Assistant-Resident
The "protected" State of Perak (pronounced Payrah) is the richest and
most important of the States of the Peninsula, as well as one of the
largest.
