30 



Opilia, and Hebradendrori. Among the useful plants are 

 Berberis tinctoria of the Neelgherry Hills, which is stated, 

 upon the authority of Vauquelin, to be inferior to few woods 

 for dyeing yellow ; on the plate representing this species are 

 three squares coloured to imitate the cloths dyed with the 

 plant in India ; one is pale clear yellow, a second pale green, 

 the third light greenish blue. 



FRANKINCENSE OF SIERRA LEONE. 



The "Bungo," or Frankincense tree, is an evergreen, 

 and one of the most graceful in an African forest ; it grows 

 in great abundance in the colony and in the neighbourhood, 

 and is generally found in rather elevated situations ; its 

 foliage is a very dark green, the leaf smooth and pointed, 

 and not large ; the trunk, which is rather smooth at first, is 

 then curiously marked with white patches, which make the 

 tree very remarkable at a distance. The lower stem is almost 

 invariably perfectly straight, and at the height of :20 or 25 

 feet usually branches off; the range of height of the trees I 

 have seen may be from 40 to 60 feet ; when aged the bark 

 becomes rugged, very thick, and the white patches dis- 

 appear ; the flower is very simple, white and small. I do 

 not recollect ever seeing any seed ; the natives have a notion 

 that the tree cannot be propagated except by nature (un- 

 assisted). I made some attempts, but did not succeed. 



The tree (and especially the branches) is subject to the 

 ravages of an insect, which must be of considerable size, 

 from the holes it bores in every direction being commonly 

 about half an inch in diameter ; the operations of this insect 

 occasion the production of the " Bungo " in very consider- 

 able quantities ; sometimes no doubt the gum drops pure 

 from the tree, but the chief supply is mixed up with woody 

 particles resembling sawdust, and is forced from the holes 

 by the insect, and gathered from the grass and ground by 

 the natives. When fresh the gum is of a light reddish 

 colour, translucent and very fragrant, soft and adhesive. 



The native Timmanee w^omen use the gum, powdered 

 and mixed with palm oil, as a kind of perfume, and it is 

 commonly sold in the market of Freetown (without any pre- 

 vious preparation) for this purpose. 



The gum, when burnt on a red hot plate of iron, gives 

 forth a very grateful and highly aromatic odour ; by some it 



