Mr Thomas Oxley o« Gvtta Percha. 289 



means be not adopted in its collection than at present in use 

 by the Malays and Chinese. 



The mode in which the natives obtain the gutta is by cut- 

 ting down the trees of -full growth, and ringing the bark at 

 distances of about 12 to 18 inches apart, and placing a cocoa- 

 nut shell, spathe of a palm, or such like receptacle, under the 

 fallen trunk to receive the milky sap that immediately exudes 

 upon every fresh incision. This sap is collected in bamboos, 

 taken to their houses and boiled, in order to drive off the 

 watery particles and inspissate it to the consistence it finally 

 assumes. Although the process of boiling appears necessary 

 when the gutta is collected in large quantity, if a tree be 

 freshly wounded, a small quantity allowed to exude, and it 

 be collected and moulded in the hand, it will consolidate per- 

 fectly in a few minutes, and have all the appearance of the 

 prepared article. 



AVhen it is quite pure the colour is of a greyish-white ; but 

 as brought to market it is more ordinarily found of a reddish 

 hue, arising from chips of bark that fall into the sap in the 

 act of making the incisions, and which yield their colour to 

 it. Besides these accidental chips, there is a great deal of 

 intentional adulteration by sawdust and other materials. 

 Some specimens I have lately seen brought to market could 

 not have contained much less than one quarter of a pound of 

 impurities ; and even the purest specimens I could obtain for 

 surgical purposes, one pound of the substance yielded, on 

 being cleansed, one ounce of impurities. Fortunately, it is 

 neither difficult to detect or clean the gutta of foreign matter, 

 it being only necessary to boil it in water until well softened, 

 roll out the substance into thin sheets, and then pick out all 

 impurities, which is easily done, as the gutta does not adhere 

 to any thing, and all foreign matter is merely entangled in its 

 fibres, not incorporated in its substance. The quantity of gutta 

 obtained from each tree varies from five to twenty catties, so 

 that, taking the avei*age at ten catties, which is a tolerably 

 liberal one, it will require the destruction of ten trees to pro- 

 duce one picul. Now, the quantity exported from Singapore 

 to Great Britain and the Continent, from 1st January 18-15 to 



VOL. LIV. NO. XLXXXVIIT. — ATKII; 1848. T 



