199 
sixty to seventy feet long and four to five feet indiameter. The trunk 
is nearly cylindric, and as it does not buttress much at the base, is of 
almost uniform size from a few feet above the ground up to the 
first branches. The leaves are clustered towards the ends of the 
branchlets. They are four to eight inches long, by two to three 
inches wide, ovate-oblong in shape, and rounded or apiculate at the 
end, very leathery in texture, dark green above, but from the 
presence of a very fine lepidote coating are of a bright rusty tint 
beneath while young. The flowers spring from among the leaves 
and are very small but protuuely produced. ‘The fruit is about the 
size of a marble, resembling in taste and character the fruit of the 
allied Sapodilla or Naseberry tree (Achras Sapota),a much esteemed 
it of Tropical America and of the West Indies. This latter 
species is also the source of Gum Chicle largely used in the United 
States of America as a masticatory. 
Balata is sodecina for commercial es tee in the Guianas and 
Venezuela, from whence it is exported to the United States of 
America and to eng There i is little doubt that the possibility 
of converting the milky juice of this tree ne mot Sart sii 
was first discovered by the Dutch in the Col f Surinam 
the Journal of the Society of Arts, Gatelen ‘oth, 1857, p. 625, 
Professor S. Bleekrode, after reviewing the state of the outta 
percha market in Amsterdam, gives a full and interesting account 
of the Balata tree and also the results of chemical investigations 
‘made by him on samples of the latex. From this paper it appears 
that the tree is commonly called Bolletrie (paardenvleesch, Dutch) 
but this popular name gives no information as to its true origin, for 
it is given to various plants of different botanical affinity. In the 
description of Guiana, published in 1770, by the Dutch Governor, 
T. T. Hartsinck, no mention is made of ‘the milky juice of the 
Bolletrie (Boerewy, ss called Bocrowé by the Arawack Indians. 
Mr owever, gives a description of the tree, which 
has been eontieriell be poveht ear ; he describes it as having 
a thick rough bark, containing a gum-like juice, or a bitter oil; the 
fruit resembles the plum, and is sweet, with a white, hard kernel ; 
the leaves are like those of the laurel, glossy, oval and acuminated. 
In continuation, Professor Bleckiode refers to a letter written to 
him by Mr. J. A. Muller from Paramaribo respecting the latex 
forwarded for examination and described by the writer as having 
een obtained from the Bullet tree, and also quotes from the Revue 
Coloniale (de Juillet Aodit, 1855), where it is stated, that in French 
Guiana will he found a tree (of the genus Ficus) containing a 
substance intermediate between caoutchouc and. gutta percha. 
“ Hence it was of the highest interest to decide upon the botanical 
species of this wes which gives the milky juice of gutta 
percha. . 
* As an wise tet description of a plant requires the examination 
of the flowers, foliage, and fruit, I took care to have specimens 
sent to me at the first opportunity. I received, in April last, the 
leaves and fruit; the flowers I am still expecting. I had thus 
sufficient means to determine the species of the Bullet tree, besides 
having the assistance of my friend and colleague, the well known 
botanical Professor, Dr. Blume. It was decided to be a new species 
