ON THE DESTRUCTION OF TROPICAL FORESTS. 95 



product is derived, will perhaps appear unnecessary, but we know that even 

 their admitted financial value has not been sufficient to protect them from 

 thoughtless waste, but the contrary, as has been illustrated by various writers 

 in the Journal of the Indian Archipelago. 



The recent discovery of the source of East Indian Kino by Dr. Royle*, 

 the researches of Dr. Christison as to the new varieties of gamboge, and the 

 various investigations of Dr. Pereira, are instances of interesting and im- 

 portant advances in the medical botany of the Indian forests. The abundance 

 of Pterocarpus marsupium over the continent of India, producing the kino, 

 and the occurrence of Garcinia pictoria and elliptica, yielding the gamboge, 

 both in Coorg and Burmah, lead to the conclusion that much remains to be 

 done in developing the pharmaceutic resources of these forests. 



We are assured by the Rev. Mr. Mason f, Mr. 0'Riley|, and other ob- 

 servers, that the gamboge-trees ( Gamwza e/^ijof«ca) are dispersed through 

 the forests of Burmah in such numbers as to afford a considerable quantity 

 of the exudation, did the knowledge of its value and the process of preparing 

 it exist with the natives (Kareans). The tree however is felled indiscrimi- 

 nately with the rest of the forest in the annual clearings which take place, 

 and the article, which forms a prominent item in the rich exports from 

 Siam, is on the eastern side of the border range utterly neglected and 

 destroyed. 



" The districts where the Burmese gamboge is produced are nearly in the 

 same latitude with Cambodia, where the commercial gamboge of Siam is 

 known to be collected ; the two localities are even at no great geographical 

 distance from each other, and hence a strong presumption arises that the 

 tree of Burmah is the same with the unknown gamboge-tree of Siam§.' 



The Coorg or Wynaad gamboge-tree has an extensive range ; we have 

 seen it along all the higher parts of the Malabar Ghauts for fully 120 miles 

 from north to south, and in some parts it is very abundant ; yet the produce 

 for the most part is made little use of, and the tree is considered of so small 

 value, that we have seen the supports and scaffolding of bridges, &c. entirely 

 composed of the stems of Garcinia pictoria, though from the valuable ob- 

 servations of Dr. Christison, this gamboge may be advantageously applied to 

 any use to which the gamboge of Siam is habitually put. We are glad to 

 learn that it is now becoming much used as a pigment 1| ; and as the exudation 

 may be obtained in large quantity, it may be introduced equally to European 

 trade, when once the natives learn how to collect it in a state of purity, and 

 make it up in homogeneous masses, in imitation of pipe gamboge, the finest 

 Siam variety. 



The names of the trees producing gamboge and kino should be added to 

 the list of trees protected from indiscriminate destruction, which list, so far 

 as we know, is at present limited to the Teak, Ebony, Black-wood and Sandal- 

 wood. 



Many other trees should no doubt be added to this list. In the present 

 state of our knowledge, however, we shall not venture to refer to any, except 

 the oil-yielding trees, of which the commercial importance cannot be over- 



* Pharmaceutical Joiu-nal, May 1846, p. 500. 



t Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. % Journal of Indian Archipelago. 



§ ChristisoTi, in Pharmaceutical Journal for August 1846. 



II In illusti ation of the variety- of indigenous pigments, we may state that one of our 

 number (Dr. Cleghorii), finding his colour-box becoming exhausted, was enabled to supply 

 all his deficiencies, without difficulty, from the natural products of the surrounding forest, 

 including yellow from Garcinia pictoria, blue from various species of Indigofera, red and 

 piurle from Oldmlandia timiellata, " Pupplay Chukkay" ( Ventilago ?) and Vatica laccifera. 



