SoM-e Accciint of tie 'ELiJilc- Gum fine^ if^ 



With us the Malays have found tafting "of the milk- the 

 oefl: mode of difcriminating between the elaftic-gum vine 

 and thofe which refemble it in -giving out a milky jaice. of 

 "H'hich we have a great variety; the liquid from the former 

 being much lefs pungent or coiTofive than that obtained from 

 the latter. 



The ufual metlirjd of drawing off the milk is by wounding 

 the bark deeply in difllrent places, from which it runs hut 

 flowlvj it being full employment for one perfon to collcft a 

 quart in the courfe of two davs. A much more expeditious 

 mode, but ruinous to the vine, is cutting it in lengths of two 

 feet, arid placing under both ends veflels to receive the milk. 

 llie beft is always procured from the oldeft vines. From 

 them it is often obtaiiled in a confiftence equal to thick 

 cream, and which will yield two-thirds of its own weight in 

 gum. 



'the ehemical properties of this vegetable milk, fo far as 

 1 have had an opportunity of examining, furprifingly refeni-' 

 ble thofe of animd milk. From its decompofition in cott- 

 fequence of fpontaneous fermentation, or by the addition of 

 acids, a feparation takes place between its cafeous and ferous 

 parts, both of which are very fimilar to thofe produced by 

 the fame proccllcs from animal milk. An oily or butyrous 

 matter is alfo one of its component parts, which appears 

 upon the furface of the gum fo foon as the latter has atLaified 

 its folid form. The prefence of this confiderably impeded 

 the progrefs of my experiments, as will be fecn hereafter. 



I was at fome trouble in endeavouring to form an extraO; 

 of this milk fo as to approach to the confiftcnce of new but- 

 ter, bv which I hoped to retard its fermentative ftngc with- 

 out depriving it of its ufeful qualities; but, as I had no ap- 

 paratus for diltiliing, the furface of the milk, that was ex- 

 pofed to the air, inftantly formed into a folid coat, by which 

 the evaporation was in a great degree prevented. I however 

 learned, by collefting the thickened milk from tlie infide of 

 the coats, and dcpof.ting it in a jelly-pot, that, if excluded 

 from the air, it might be prcfervcd in this ftate for a con- 

 liderablc length of time. 



' I have kept it in bottles, without any preparation, tolerably 

 7 g^oJ, 



