372 ]\Ir A. Galletly on certain 



country to the wood of several distinctly different trees. 

 Some of the more important woods of Brazil are enumerated 

 in the official book already referred to, and among these are 

 noted the black, the purple, the violet, the white, and the 

 thorny jacarandas, all of which have different specific names 

 and three of them belong to the genus Machcerium. In 

 this genus is also placed what in the same list is called the 

 rose jacaranda, though curiously enough its specific name is 

 not given. 



It seems that the leaves of the Brazilian rosewood tree, 

 or of one of the trees so-called, are in the Kew Herbarium, 

 and judging by them and the appearance of the wood, 

 Mr Bentham assigned this tree to the genus Ddlhergia. 

 The species, however, is still unknown at Kew. 



The appearance of Brazilian rosewood is familiar to 

 every one from its frequent use in furniture. It is called 

 rosewood because, when fresh, it has a faint smell of roses, 

 but apparently it soon loses this distinctive odour. Many 

 experienced cabinetmakers assert that this wood changes 

 in colour before it is many years old, its rich reddish or 

 purplish brown colour becoming an iron grey. There 

 appears, however, to be some doubt about the accuracy of 

 this observation, owing probably to the fact that it is 

 customary to stain the wood when made up into furniture, 

 and therefore it may only be the stain that is fugitive. As 

 will presently be seen, rosewood is remarkable for the 

 large quantity of resinous colouring matter in its composi- 

 tion. It is sent to this country in half-round flitches, 

 because "heartshake," or hollo wness at the centre, generally 

 extends far up the trees. This necessitates the cutting of 

 the logs down the middle longitudinally, hence the notion 

 among cabinetmakers that all rosewood trees have a rotten 

 side. 



Thinking it would be interesting to ascertain to some 

 extent what chemical properties are peculiar to Brazilian 

 rosewood, M-hat to some East Indian woods from known 

 species of Dcdbergia, and what to a few other well-known 

 woods, I have, with the assistance of one or two chemists, 

 got an examination made of a small number of specimens 

 cf these. 



The chemical examination of the woods referred to in 



