le, although it is delicious in comparison with
that of the old dry nuts which alone we obtain in this country. The
cocoa-nut pulp I did not like at first; but fruits are so scarce, except
at particular seasons, that one soon learns to appreciate anything of a
fruity nature.

Many persons in Europe are under the impression that fruits of delicious
flavour abound in the tropical forests, and they will no doubt be
surprised to learn that the truly wild fruits of this brand and
luxuriant archipelago, the vegetation of which will vie with that of any
part of the world, are in almost every island inferior in abundance and
duality to those of Britain. Wild strawberries and raspberries are found
in some places, but they are such poor tasteless things as to be hardly
worth eating, and there is nothing to compare with our blackberries and
whortleberries. The kanary-nut may be considered equal to a hazel-nut,
but I have met with nothing else superior to our crabs, oar haws,
beech-nuts, wild plums, and acorns; fruits which would be highly
esteemed by the natives of these islands, and would form an important
part of their sustenance. All the fine tropical fruits are as much
cultivated productions as our apples, peaches, and plums, and their wild
prototypes, when found, are generally either tasteless or uneatable.

The people of Matabello, like those of most of the Mahometan villages of
East Ceram and Goram, amused me much by their strange ideas concerning
the Russian war. They believe that the Russians were not only most
thoroughly beaten by the Turks, but were absolutely conquered, and all
converted to Islamism! And they can hardly be convinced that such is
not the case, and that had it not been for the assistance of France and
England, the poor Sultan world have fared ill. Another of their motions
is, that the Turks are the largest and strongest people in the world--in
fact a race of giants; that they eat enormous quantities of meat, and
are a most ferocious and irresistible nation. Whence such strangely
incorrect opinions could have arisen it is difficult to understand,
unless they are derived from Arab priests, or hadjis returned from
Mecca, who may have heard of the ancient prowess of the Turkish armies
when they made all Europe tremble, and suppose that their character and
warlike capacity must be the same at the present time.

GORAM

A steady south-east wind having set in, we returned to Manowolko on
the 25th of April, a