THE CAMPHOR-TREE OF BORNEO. 203 
is greedily eaten by a small parroquet, of which I have sent home a 
specimen to Mr. Lewis Dillwyn of Swansea. I have observed that the 
leaves immersed in water very soon tinge it blue. The largest tree I 
have yet seen here was a Dryobalanops. The following were its di- 
mensions :— 
Height from the ground to the top of the buttresses .. 25 ft. 
Girth at the root, following the buttresses in and out .. 333 — 
Girth above the buttresses ............ .......... s$ 
From ground to first branch ..... pe +. 92 
From ground to highest twigs..................:: 
Ihave seen several higher trees, indeed I cut one 152 feet without a 
branch, but not one looking so huge as this, from the enormous size of 
its buttresses, which were like a great wall.” 
Again, June 13th, 1851, Mr. Motley is so good as to write further _ 
from Labuan.— Since, by the last opportunity, I wrote you an ac- 
count of the * Kassur Baras,’ I have visited Borneo and have obtained 
some further information on the subject, and as I would not trouble 
you with a separate letter for such a trifle, I send it through my friend 
Mr. Lewis Dillwyn. The sample in the box sent, you must observe, 
is only prized so highly as I then stated when cleaned and picked. 
Very little would reach the highest value, though it is a very profitable : 
kind to buy, having very little impurity mixed with it. Itis bought — 
from the natives by the Chinese merchants in this state, and it requires — 
much judgment to buy it safely and to estimate by the eye the quan- ——— 
tity of adulteration, To such an extent is this carried, that a Malay 
Nacoda of Borneo has the reputation of being able out of one catty 
of good camphor to manufacture sixteen catties which will pass 
muster with the inexperienced. When it comes into the hands of the — 
merchants it is carefully washed; first with clean water to float the : 
camphor away from the impurities, then with soap, and lastly with | 
lime-juiee and water; the soap destroying and the acid restoring en : 
lustre and transparency. It is then sifted into three sizes, after which 
every crystal is carefully picked over and scraped if necessary, to clean — 
off every particle of dark matter. These qualities are worth, respec- — 
tively, about 35, 25, and. 20 dollars per catty; the dark-coloured and — 
nearly opake pieces, which are all separated, are slightly pounded and 
then again sorted to get out all that it is possible to procure, and the — 
