COPAL, MASTIC, BENZOIN. GUM-RESINS. 239 



exposed to the air, into little drops or tears. Dragon's Blood, 

 so named from its red colour, is a resin which exudes in drops 

 from the stem of several trees growing in the tropical parts of 

 Asia, Africa, and America ; it is valued on account of the tinge 

 which it imparts to spirit of wine, and is employed, when thus 

 dissolved, in staining marble and woods. The substance called 

 Benjamin or Gum Benzoin, is also a resin secreted by a tree 

 that grows in the tropical parts of Asia, especially in Siam and 

 Sumatra. This tree grows very rapidly, so that it yields 

 resinous juice when only six years old, its trunk being then 

 about 7 r 8 inches in diameter. This resin has a very fragrant 

 odour, which probably depends upon its having, mixed with it, 

 a small quantity of essential oil. It is principally used in per- 

 fumery, and in the manufacture of pastilles, or incense, which, 

 when burned, diffuse an agreeable odour. Hence the principal 

 consumption of it is in the churches of Roman Catholic and 

 Mohamedan countries ; and a much larger proportion of that 

 brought to .London is again exported, than is retained in this 

 country.- There are many other kinds of resin, of which small 

 quantities are employed for particular purposes ; but the fore- 

 going are those most valuable to mankind. 



378. Resinous matter, however, exists in other products, 

 which are termed Gum-Resins, from the quantity of Gum they 

 contain ; and this enables them to be partly soluble in water, 

 which pure resins are not in the slightest degree. Some of these 

 are valued on account of their fragrancy ; and have been 

 employed in the incense burned in places of religious worship, 

 from very ancient times. Thus we find in the earliest records, 

 that the addition of fragrant odours was regarded, as rendering 

 the sacrifices offered to the Deity more acceptable ; and the same 

 idea seems to prevail in many Christian as well as heathen coun- 

 tries, at the present time. Frankincense is one of these sub- 

 stances ; it is produced from a kind of Juniper growing in Ara- 

 bia. Olibanum is another of similar character, also produced by 

 a species of Juniper ; and Myrrh is nearly allied to these, but 

 the source of it is uncertain. Gamboge is a gum-resin of very 

 different properties, which is the product of several different 



