86 NEW FIBRES FROM BRAZIL. 
save those competent to the task, are making paper of saw-dust and 
straw, and couch-grass,—in short, anything but of those substances to — 
which science would direct its votary :—and hence so many failures. 
But to return to our present subject. We owe our knowledge of 
the origin of fibres to which Mr. Archer has here directed our attention, 
mainly to the botanical and other qualifications of Mr. Spruce, who 
has now been engaged in exploring the vegetable riches of the Amazon 
and its tributaries for the last five years, with the greatest assiduity, 
and with the most remarkable success, as may be seen by his letters in 
the last five volumes of the present Journal. Mr. Archer, from great 
experience in textiles, judged the first of these fibres (which he aptly 
compares to “long-staple” sheep's-wool) to be derived from the leaves 
of a Palm, having seen a somewhat similar, but coarser, in the collec- 
tion of Liverpool imports, which was considered to be the Carnauba, 
Corypha (or Copernicia) cerifera, and he may be right. Mr. Spruce 
sends a similar material, in a coarser state (in that respect agreeing 
with that just mentioned by Mr. Archer), as “a cord of Zucém, and 
bundles of raw fibre. This latter is merely the leaves of the young 
shoot (which before it bursts forth is quite colourless) of the Tucúm 
Palm (Astrocaryum Tucum, Mart.), torn up into shreds: it needs no 
cleaning process of any kind.” The cord is excellent, strong, and 
very beautiful. Of smaller twine from this fibre are made the ham- 
‘mocks which some travellers have called “grass hammocks.” No doubt 
from other Palms a very similar substance may be obtained, and 
probably the same name of ** Tucám," or “ Tecum,” given to it: as, 
— more enlightened people, many kinds of fibres are called 
À The other article, “a coarse red fibre," mentioned by Mr. Archer, 
and recommended as a substitute for Oakum : this we find is the pro- 
duce of a noble tree, of which the seeds or nuts are well known in this 
country as the “ Brazil-nut” (Bertholletia excelsa of Humboldt, who 
first accurately described the entire fruit), the Castanheira of the Bra- 
_ ailians. The bark (as in the specimens sent by Mr. Spruce, and as in 
. hose from Mr. Archer) is beaten into Oakum, and much used in that 
z form for caulking ships at Pará. Mr. Archer has examined this oakum 
x. microscopically, and he kindly sends me a drawing,* which I trust he 
s * Tt gives me pleasure to be able to say that Mr. Archer is i * Mannal 
of Economic Botany,' for which few men are more competent, d iu i A better 
position for inspecting materials for such a work. 
