140 
would now write it) " grows particularly in the Kubboo, a valley 
on the banks of the Ningtee between Munnipore and the Birman 
Sir David Brewster concludes his observations by a reference to 
Dr. Wallich's discoveries of the Burma varnish tree and then 
narrates certain experiments that lie had himself performed with 
the varnishes of Burma and Sylhet. A small quantity of each 
was placed between two plate glasses and the plates pressed 
together till the thin film of varnish he, Mine transparent. Upon 
evaminintr this film through a powerful microscope it was observed 
the fluid was not "homogeneous"' lnii " organised."' and ''con- 
sisted of immense congeries of small parts which exhihited the 
finest example of mottled or striated colours. These [.articles 
dispersed the sun's rays in all directions like a thin film of 
unmelted tallow or like organised fluids such as blood and milk." 
"After standing two days exposed to the action of the air, I 
found," continues Sir David, " that the portions which the air did 
not reach, viz., between the glass plates, exhibited the same con- 
stitution as before, while that which was squeezed out between 
the glasses and on which the air freely acted had become of a 
fine colour like that of treacle. I now placed this portion 
between two plates of glass, and found, to my great surprise, that 
the organised structure of the fluid was entirely gone, that it was 
perfectly homogeneous and showed the sun of a beautiful red 
colour. The action of the air had completely disorganised the 
vegetable juice and reduced it to a condition of complete 
fluidity." 
These results speak for themselves, and I reproduce them first 
because they give the key to the industrial utilization of the 
1 second because hardly any other observer in the 
eighty odd years that have since transpired can be said to have 
published much of greater interest than these simple experiments 
regarding this much neglected substance. 
The next account of the varnish, in historic sequence, is that 
given by Dr. N. Wallich, in his Plantce Asiaiira Un, lores I ISIJO). 
He there narrates his discovery of the plant at Prome, 
lenasserim, &c, and determines the Manipur and Sylhet plant 
described by Swinton, Grant, and Smith as being one and the 
same with the Burmese varnish tree for which he gave the name 
f''""""';' ,(Wrt »*<tata. According to Wallich, the person who 
hrst made known this substance was Mr. M. R. Smith, who sent 
I iculars regarding the tree to Mr. H. Colebrooke, from 
which it has to be inferred that the so-called Sylhet varnish of 
ottera waa m real] brought into 
India ma Sylhet, hence called by that name. 
Perhaps the next mention of this substance occurs in the Pro- 
T?n^?f ■ r l % C ° mm !l ^e of ^e 
! " .••- '\~ , ■ " > -■ ■ - .- b.-r.-rhe 
attention of the Committee to the Burmese varnish <//,;/*/') which 
vlrll 1Ch h /t ld6ntified a9 bein S the sane as the /■■/,,« or 
Varnish-tree of Manipur. 
4M 7) furnished a highly n,,,iv, ,„,,„,. ,,,n,.,i - Notes on the 
