The Women Slaves Belonging To The
Free Dutch Burgesses Have All Reasonable Indulgence, But Are Obliged To
Find Their Own Clothes And Provisions, And Pay An Acknowledgement Of
About A Sixpence Daily, In Default Of Which They Are Severely Used.
If
they bring the daily tribute, they may whore or steal, and have no
questions asked, provided no complaint is made against them.
The chief
products of this island are cloves, ginger, pepper, rattans, canes, and
a few nutmegs.
The clove-tree is rather slender, and is from twelve to thirty or even
forty feet high, having small branches, with tapering leaves about five
inches long and two broad, which smell strong of cloves, when rubbed
between the fingers. The cloves grow out at the tips of the branches,
ten, twelve, or fourteen in a cluster, being white at first, then green,
and lastly of a dark copper colour, in which state they are ripe and fit
for gathering. At this period, they spread cloths or sheets on the
ground round the bottom of the tree to a good distance, and shake the
tree, when all the ripe cloves fall down. This is repeated every six or
seven days for four or five times, till all the cloves have ripened and
are shaken off. The usual time of gathering is October and February,
those got in October, which is the end of their winter, being called
winter cloves, and are not accounted so strong and good as the others.
These are commonly preserved in small jars of about a quart each, of
which great quantities are sent to various parts of the world.
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