42 MALAYAN IS LEST. 



Rife fluttering in the air on callow wings, 

 And aim at infcd; prey their little flings.. 



BoHON UrAs. These beautiful lines, from a lingular and delightful poem-„ 



is my introduftion to the account of the moft violent of poifons, 

 extrnded from the celebrated Bohon UpaSy oijava", the Jr If or 

 T'oxicariai or Ipo oiRumpbius, vol. ii. p. 263. tab. 86.; and the 

 FpH of Kaempf. Amxn. Exot. p. 575. I fliall extradl from the 



A DREADFtL fifft what hc has faid refpecting this dreadful tree, in order to 

 eftablifli the truth of what has been reported of its dire efFeds, 

 and illuftrate the relation with certain melancholy proofs ; after 

 which will be given the more than apocryp)hal tales of the 

 manner of i>rocuring that infernal juice. 



Strange The tree, fo long famed in many of the Eajl India iflands for 



the wonderful, and almoft incredible effedls of its poifonous juice,, 

 has hitherto eluded the prying eye of the naturalift ; and, con- 

 fequently, its cbfs in the botanical fyftem ha& never yet been; 

 afcertained, notwithftanding the indefatigable refearches of Eu- 

 ropeans to obtain full information upon fo interefting a fubjedl ; 

 all we know for certain of the tree itfelf is, the figure of its leaf,, 

 and fruit, which the learned and accurate Rumpbius has exhi- 

 bited in the Herbarium Amboinenfe. After much entreaty, and 

 perfevering application to the Dutcb governors of Celebes (the 

 moft noted of all the iflands of the Eajl Indies for the p)rodu(5tion 

 of this tree), Rumpbius was favored by I>e CopSy governor of Ma~ 

 cajjar, with a branch of it, and a fpecimen of its poifonous juice.. 

 An enfign of the army was deputed in form to be the meirenger 

 of fo rare a prefent. Of fuch a penetrating and malignant na- 

 ■•^' ture 



Account of. 



