558 FOURTH BULLETIN OF [1846. 



The nutmeg from which the oil has been extracted is sometimes oiFered, but they 

 are of no use or value. 



Olibanum. — This is the frankincense of the ancients, and is used in China, as in 

 other countries, for incense in temples and perfumery in housss. It is yielded by 

 the juniperus lycia, a large tree which grows in Arabia and India. It is seen in 

 market in tears of a pink color, brittle and adhesive. The boxes each contain one 

 hundred weight of garbled olibanum which sells at six dollars per pecul : and the 

 ungnrbled, at two dollars and three dollars per pecul in the Canton markets. 



Fepper.— This is the fruit of the piper nigrum. That brought from Sumatra 

 and Penang is superior to that which comes ftom Java and Borneo. The pepper 

 trade is larger than all the other spicas, and solely because it is a free trade. Much 

 comes to Canton from Malacca. It sells from six dollars to sixteen dollars per pecul. 



Pulclmck. — This is a medicine brought from India and Persia, and is the root of 

 an undetermined plant in those countries. The color and smell are similar to 

 rhubarb, and when chewed, it becomes mucilaginous in the mouth. The price 

 varies from twenty to twenty-two dollars per pecul. 



Rattans. — These are the branches of the calamus ratang, the same plant that 

 produces the dragon's blood. They are found in most of the islands of the Indian 

 Archipelago, but in the greatest perfection in the district of B^mjurwassen in Bor- 

 neo. The young shoots are tiie most valuable for their pliability and strength. 

 After being stripped of theii epidermis, tlie rattans are doubled and tied up in bun. 

 dies, contaiiiing one hundred each. As they require no cultivation, the natives 

 can afford to suU them at a very cheap rate. They are brought to Canton in junks, 

 and sell from two and a half to four and a half dollars per pecul. Foreign vessels 

 also bring them. The Cninese use them for cordage, chairs, mats, beds, &.o. 

 Rattan ropes, bamboo timbers, and palm leaf boards are all the materials employed 

 in constructing a common house in China for the poor. 



Rhubarb. — This drug is the dried roots of the rheum palmatum, a plant which 

 grows in Tartary and China. The Chinese dig the roots early in the spring, before 

 the leaves appear, and cut them into long flat pieces ; dry them for two or three 

 days, and then string them on cords, put them in cool places, and dry thorn 

 thoroughly. Rhubarb varies in its prices, from thirty-eight to forty dollars per pecul 

 for those roots cured without splitting, and fifty to seventy dollars per pecul for the 

 cut. The rhubarb found in this market has always been inferior to that of Russfa, 

 and Turkey. 



Rice. — This is the great staple commodity among the Chinese, and the importa- 

 tion of it is encouraged by all possible means. Formosa, Luconia, Cochin Cliin^^ 

 and the Indian islands supply China with great quantities. To induce foreign 

 shipping to bring it to this market, the government has permitted all ships laden 

 solely with cargoes of rice to pass free of the cumsha and measurement duties re- 

 quired at Canton. The price given for a cargo of rice varies from one dollar twenty 

 five to two dollars twenty -five, rising in seasons of scarcity to two dollars seventy- 

 five, and for very good three dollars per pecul. 



Rose maloes. — This is a substance of the consistence of tar. It is brought from 

 Persia and India to China, and when good has a pearly appearance. The price is 

 about thirty dollars per pecul. 



Sandal wood. — This is the heart of a small tree, the santalum album, which 

 grows in India and many of tho islands of tho Indian and Pacific oceans. Tho 

 tree resembles myrrh in size and appearance, the flowers are red and the berries 

 black and juicy. The color varies from a light red to a dark yellow. The deepest 

 color is tho best. The best sandal-wood comes from tho Malabar coast, and sells 

 from ten to eighteen dollars a pecul. That brought from Timor is worth from 

 eight to ten dollars, while that found in the Siiudwich islands is valued at from ono 

 to six dollars. The chips also form another sort. The Chinese Ujj sandal-wood 

 in the form of a fine povder made into incense sticks to burn in their temples and 

 houses. An oil is extracted from saudal-wood, which is highly valued for its aro- 

 matic qualities. It has the cnniistence of castor-oil, a yellow color and a highly 

 fragrant odor, and sinks in water. 



Sapan-wood. — This is tho wood of tho cacsalpina sapan, a tree which grows in 

 India, Luconia, and Burmah. The treo is of the same genus as the Brazd.wood, 

 and has the same properties in an inferior degree, and on that account is not inu 



