DK. r. WELWITSCn ox THE GUM COPAL IN ANGOLA. 299 



the natives and partly from the work ' Ensaios/ by Jose da 

 Lima — a book which does full credit to the author's diligence and 

 patriotism, but which in its comments on the natural productions 

 of Angola and their origin is thoroughly unscientific. 



We can hardly agree with what Dr. Daniell says about the 

 origin even of the softer gum resins enumerated hj him under 

 the name of Gum Animi, as he appears to have obtained them 

 from the Hymencea Courharil, or from another kindred species, 

 and which, as he says, is abundant in Senegambia. But neither 

 the Hymencea Courharil nor any other sj^ecies of this genus (of 

 which at present eight are known) has ever been found on the 

 African continent ; on the contrary, they all belong to the flora of 

 America, and therefore cannot be taken into account Avhen the 

 origin of the African gum resin is in question. 



Having now reviewed the various opinions of African travellers 

 and other scientific authorities, I shall proceed to consider the 

 ideas prevalent among the natives themselves respecting the 

 origin of Gum Copal in Angola. Many of the natives maintain 

 that the Copal still grows on different trees, but that it acquires 

 its excellent qualities as a useful resin by dropping ofi" and sink- 

 ing several feet deep into the soil, whereby it is cleaned, and 

 obtains, after the lapse of many years, its hardness, inflamma- 

 hility, and transparency. This opinion (which, if correct, Avould 

 show some analogy between the formation of Copal and that of 

 coal) was not communicated to me by native Africans alone, but 

 also by some European settlers in Loando, Ambriz, and Benguella. 

 If a portion of this Ethiopian hypothesis is wholly erroneous, still 

 the other clearly indicates that the inhabitants of the country 

 themselves, where the Gum Copal is gathered, look upon it as a 

 kind of fossil production. 



In April 1854, shortly after my arrival on the west coast of 

 Africa, at a time when I hoped to find the Gum-Copal tree still 

 in existence, I was told by a native of some education that Gum 

 Copal was furnished by certain trees called by him Muve, growing 

 near the Cabo Lombo, eight to ten miles south of Loando, where 

 I might find a small quantity, although perhaps in an immature 

 condition. This statement was corroborated shortly afterwards 

 V a European druggist established in the same town, and who 

 was considered somewhat learned by his fellow citizens. I there- 

 fore immediately started oflf for the spot indicated. I found, how- 

 ever, only a few scattered trees of the Combretaceae family, cer- 

 tainly exhibiting some blackish gum; but this gum, when mas- 



