200 DR. ROXBURGH ON THE GENUS AQUILARIA. 



where, by various accounts, they attain to a very great size, — as much as about 120 feet 

 in height, with a trunk of above 12 feet in circumference. Accounts from Assam make 

 it still larger. Flowering-time, in its native soil, uncertain ; but in this Garden a very 

 healthy young tree, out of several that were sent to it some years ago by Mr. Robert Keith 

 Dick, the Judge and Magistrate at Silhet, was in flower in March and April last, and 

 again in April 1810. 



Desc. Trunk (in our young trees) straight, and clothed with thin, smooth, ash-coloured 

 tough bark. Branches nearly erect, with their terminal, bifarious, alternate, extreme twigs 

 recurvate, bark of the branches light grey, with many small ferruginous fissures ; young 

 shoots clothed with white, soft, appressed hairs. Wood white, very light, soft and porous. 

 Specimens from large trees in their native soil are also uncommonly soft and fight, with 

 a slight tinge of yellow, and not unlike the softest porous deal ; every part inodorous, and 

 nearly tasteless. The moisture (for nothing like exudation is found here) scraped from a 

 fresh-cut twig was rubbed on the eye and eyelids of a chicken, without producing any 

 inflammation or apparent irritation. This does not accord with what Father Camellus 

 says of the true Agalloclmm tree, viz. " The bark is filled with virulent, milky juice, so 

 very caustic as to cause blindness if it gets into the eye," &c. I can well believe the pale 

 milky juice of Excoecaria Agallochttm very capable of doing injury to tender parts, and 

 probably our reverend traveller may have lighted upon that tree, which was said to yield 

 an inferior sort of Agallochwm. Leaves alternate, bifarious, short-petioled, lanceolar, firm 

 and smooth, lucid deep green, except while very young, then somewhat sericeous, which 

 is more conspicuous underneath, taper acute pointed ; entire waved margins ; length from 

 3 to 6 inches, and from 1 to 2 inches broad. Veins nearly as fine as in Calophyllum Ino~ 

 phyllum. Petioles very short (^ or £ of an inch), rugose, and a little hairy. Stipules none, 

 except an opposite, oblong, hairy scale or two at the base of the most tender axillary 

 shoots, like those of a gem, or bud. Inflorescence simple, solitary, subsessile, beautiful, 

 small, spherical umbels, at nearly equal distances between or from the leaves (internodes). 

 Flowers numerous (20-40 to the umbel), pedicelled, small, pale greenish yellow, inodo- 

 rous. Bracts none. Calyx 1-leaved, campanulate, permanent, half 5-cleft ; segments 



tain any ; and such as do, have it very partially distributed in the trunk and branches. The people employed in this 

 business proceed two or three days' journey among the hills, jungles and mountains, and without discrimination cut 

 down the trees as they are found, young, old and withered, but the latter are generally preferred ; they then, on the 

 spot, search for the Aggur, which is done by chopping off the bark, and into the wood, until they observe dark- 

 coloured veins, yielding the perfume which guides them to the place containing the Aggur, and which generally 

 extends but a short way through the centre of the trunk or branch. In this manner they search through the whole 

 tree, and bring away only such pieces as contain the oil, or have the smell of it. In this state there are four denomi- 

 nations, viz. 



1st. Ghurkee (sinks) which sells from 12 to 16 rupees per seer (of 2 lbs.). 



2nd. Has no other name than Doim .... ditto 6 to 8 ditto 



3rd. Simula (floats) ditto 3 to 4 ditto 



4th. Choorum (small pieces, which float) ditto 1 to ly ditto 



" The tree grows in sandy as well as clayey soils, on plains, and on the sides and tops of the hills ; neither root, 

 leaves nor bark yield any TJttur. Some trees will produce a maund (80 lbs.) of the four sorts. The oil is obtained 

 by bruising the wood in a mortar, and then infusing it in boiling water, when the XJttur collects itself on the surface. 



