and their teeth very black, owing to the incessant chewing of betel
and faufel.

The _faufel_ or _areka_ is a kind of nut, not much unlike a nutmeg,
but smaller, and in a great measure tasteless, but yielding a red
juice when chewed, which juice also is used by the Indians in painting
chintzes, so much admired in Europe. The tree which bears this nut is
very straight, and has leaves like those of the cocoa-nut tree. The
_betel_ is a plant producing long rank leaves, shaped like those of
the citron, and having an agreeable bitter taste. The fruit of this
plant resembles a lizard's tail, and is about an inch and half long,
having a pleasant aromatic flavour. The Indians continually carry
the leaves of this plant, which also are presented at all ceremonious
visits. They are almost continually chewing these leaves, and they
mostly qualify their extreme bitterness by the addition of the faufel
or areka-nut, and the powder of calcined oyster-shells, which give
them a very agreeable taste; though some mix their betel leaves with
shell lime, ambergris, and cardamom seeds, while others use Chinese
tobacco. After all the juice is chewed out, they throw away the
remaining dry mass. Many Europeans have got into the habit of chewing
betel, so that they cannot leave it off, though it has proved fatal to
some of them; for the natives are very skilful in preparing betel so
as to do a man's business as effectually as a pistol or a dagger.

The prevailing diversion among these people is called _tandakes_,
which are a kind of comedies, acted by women very richly dressed, and
consists chiefly in singing and dancing, accompanied by music, not
very pleasant to European ears, the only instruments being small
drums, on which they beat with much dexterity. Their dancing is mostly
of a grotesque kind, in which they are very dexterous, throwing
their bodies into all sorts of postures with astonishing agility, and
expressing by them the passions of the mind so comically, that it is
impossible to refrain from laughing. The men also practise a kind
of war dance, in which the king and grandees bear a part. They also
practise cock-fighting, like the English, and bet such considerable
sums on this sport as often beggars them.

The country abounds in all the necessaries of life, having abundance
of beeves and hogs, and amazing quantities of fowls. The only thing
scarce is mutton, chiefly owing to the richness of the pasture,
which is very apt to bu