Magnificent Scenery of the Easatnala Forest. 233 



The Dutch Government has spared neither trouble nor 

 expense, and has made considerable sacrifices, to bring over 

 the quinquina plant from its native country, where it was 

 believed to be threatened with utter destruction, to Java, 

 there to be acclimatized. The chances in favour of an ade- 

 quate return are very great, and the attainment of this object 

 has been secured within certain limits. Of all the tropical 

 regions we visited, the Island of Java seems by its natural 

 advantages to be the best capable of affording to the tree 

 which produces the febrifuge bark, so invaluable a boon of 

 nature to suffering humanity, a second home, amid the 

 magnificent scenery of its mountain ranges. 



However, the wide-spread idea that the China plant is 

 exposed to utter extinction in its native land of Peru has 

 proved to be quite unfounded. We shall revert to this sub- 

 ject when we come to treat of our visit to the western coast 

 of South America, and shall take pains to solve at least some 

 portion of the question in dispute, as to certain necessary 

 conditions being requisite to be observed in the case of the 

 quinquina plant in its original home, the investigation of 

 which, the superintendent of the quinquina tree culture in 

 Java, Dr. Franz Junghuhn, so earnestly commended to the 

 attention of the scientific members of the Novara Expedition. 



However, our interest was not confined to these China-tree 

 plantations ; our attention was riveted by the marvellous 

 Rasamala (Liquid-ambar) forest in which w^e now found our- 

 selves, while those fond of the chase were not less amazed 



