BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 253 



"Many of those passing under different names however are merely 

 different qualities of the same stuff, or prepared in a different manner. 

 Seeds of the Gutta Percha tree, and flowering specimens of the plant, 

 I am afraid I shall not be able to procure in Singapore, as we have 

 nothing but very small trees left in the island now; all those old 

 enough to yield even a very small quantity of sap having been cut 

 down by the Malays ; but Sir James Brooke, who has been staying 

 here, has promised to send me both from Sarawak, where there is no 

 difficulty in procuring them, there being abundance of full-grown trees 

 still.* The trees are always cut down here to procure the sap, though 

 I have no doubt it is very bad policy to do so, since by tapping them 

 a good quantity of sap easily runs, and it might be repeated again after 

 giving the trees a reasonable time to recover. Natives will never con- 

 sider any future advantage, their great object being to get the largest 

 quantity at a time. Their argument, too, that unless the trees were 

 private property, and could be looked after, it would be impossible to 

 protect them from one's neighbours, is very true ; and this would be 

 quite out of the question in the extensive forests where the Gutta trees 

 are found. At some future period, I have no doubt the Gutta Percha 

 tree will be quite extirpated in all the countries about Singapore. 

 Being always cut before it has a chance of seeding, it cannot continue 

 to exist unless the price rises to such an extent as to make it worth 

 while planting the tree on private property. 



" It is to be found " (the identical species ?) <e over nearly the whole 

 Archipelago that is inhabited by the Malay race, but as far as I know 

 does not extend further to the east. True Gutta Percha is called 

 Gutta Tabban ; most of the other Guttas are varieties of Caoutchouc. 

 Neither the Malays nor the Chinese make much use of Gutta Percha 

 as far as I have seen. Knife-handles and small buckets seem to be 

 the principal uses they put it to ; it is sometimes made into bands 

 for tying things with also, but I have not often seen it used in this 

 way. 



" The quantity of Gutta Percha exported from Singapore in 1855 was 



* The Borneo Gutta Percha, we believe, is much less esteemed than that of Sin- 

 gapore, and from specimens of the leaves that have been sent us by Sir James 

 Broolce, it would appear that the species is different from the true Gutta Percha. 

 The veritable Isonandra Gutta has however recently been detected m Sumatra, and 

 a specimen has been sent to m by our excellent friend Professor De Vr.ese, of Ley- 

 tea. — En. 



