There Are Mango Trees In This Island, The Fruit Of Which The
Inhabitants Pickle With Salt, Vinegar, And A Little
Garlic, while green.
On straight trees of a foot diameter, grapes, both red and white, and of
a pleasant taste,
Much like those of Europe, grow in clusters about the
body of the tree, like the cocoas. This isle also abounds in wild
nutmeg-trees, which resemble our walnut-trees, and the fruit grows among
the boughs, in the same manner as walnuts. This fruit resembles the true
nutmeg, but smaller, and has neither smell nor taste. Besides hogs,
guanas, and lizards, these islands have various birds, as parrots,
parakeets, turtle-doves, and wild poultry. The sea affords limpits,
muscles, and tortoises. These isles have many brooks of fresh water
running into the sea for ten months of the year; and they are very
conveniently situated for trade with Japan, China, Manilla, Tonquin,
Cochin-china, and other places.
The inhabitants are originally from Cochin-china, being of a middle
stature and well shaped, but of much darker colour than the natives of
Mindanao, having lank black hair, small black eyes, and small noses, yet
tolerably high, with small mouths, thin lips, and white teeth. They are
civil, but very poor, their only employment being to collect tar, and to
prepare a little oil from tortoises, both of which they export to
Cochin-china. They offer their women to strangers for a small matter; a
custom universal in Pegu, Siam, Cochin-China, Cambadia, Tonquin, and
India, as also on the coast of Guinea.
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