On its arrival at Singapore it is purchased by the Chinese manufacturers of sago, and is thus treated:—­Upon being carried to the manufactory, the plantain-leaf covering is removed, and the raw sago, imparting a strong acid odor, is bruised, and is put into large tubs of cold spring water, where it undergoes a process of purification by being stirred, suffered to repose, and again re-stirred in newly-introduced water.  When well purified thus, it is taken out of the tubs by means of small vessels; and being mixed with a great deal of water, the liquid is gently poured upon a large and slightly inclined trough, about ten inches in height and width; and in the descent towards the depressed end, the sago is deposited in the bottom of the trough, whilst the water flows into another large tub, where what may remain of sago is finally deposited.  As the strata of deposited sago increases in the trough, small pieces of slates are adjusted to its lower end to prevent the escape of the substance.  When by this pouring process the trough becomes quite full of sago, it is then removed to make room for a fresh one, whilst the former one is put out into the air, under cover, for a short time; and on its being well dried, the sago within is cut into square pieces and taken out to be thoroughly dried, under cover, to protect it from the sun.  It has then lost the acid smell already noticed, and has become quite white.  After one day’s drying thus, it is taken into what may be called the manufactory, a long shed, open in front and on one side, and closed at the other and in the rear.  Here the lumps of sago are broken up, and are reduced into an impalpable flour, which is passed through a sieve.  The lumps, which are retained by the sieve are put back to be re-bruised, whilst that portion which has passed is collected, and is placed in a long cloth bag, the gathered ends of which, like those of a hammock, are attached to a pole, which pole being suspended to a beam of the building by a rope, one end of it is sharply thrown forward with a particular jerk, by means of which the sago within is shortly granulated very fine, and becomes what is technically termed “pearled.”  It is then taken out and put into iron vessels, called quallies, for the purpose of being dried.  These quallies are small elliptical pans, and resemble in form the sugar coppers of the West Indies, and would each hold about five gallons of fluid.  They are set a little inclining, and in a range, over a line of furnaces, each one having its own fire.  Before putting in the sago to be dried, a cloth, which contains a small quantity of hog’s-lard, or some oily substance, is hastily passed into the qually, and the sago is equally quickly put into it, and a Chinese laborer who attends it, commences stirring it with a pallit, and thus continues his labor during the few minutes necessary to expel the moisture contained in the substance.  Thus each qually, containing about ten pounds of sago, requires the attendance