VOL. L.l PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 185 



of a dry autumn, even before any frost appears. In the next paragraph I find Mr. 

 Miller has entirely mistaken the meaning of one part of my letter to Mr. Webb; 

 which I must recommend to him to read again, and he will find it exactly agrees 

 with his own sentiments. There he will find my opinion is, that notwithstand- 

 ing the change of soil and situation, this sitz-dsju, or true varnish-tree, and the 

 fasi-no-ki, or spurious varnish-tree of Kcempfer, are distinct species of rhus or 

 toxicodendron, and will ever remain so. 



Mr. Miller now desires me, since I have seen Dr. Kcempfer*s specimens in 

 the British Museum, to declare whether I think I am mistaken. In answer to 

 this, and to satisfy Mr. Miller as well as myself, I have been very lately at the 

 museum, and have looked very carefully over Dr. Kcempfer s specimens, and 

 do sincerely think, as did other judges at the same time, that the sitz-dsju is 

 not the same with the Carolina pennated toxicodendron, nor the fasi-no-ki the 

 same with Father D'Incarville's China varnish-tree. 



Mr. Miller informs us, that one of the best kinds of varnishes is collected 

 from the anacardium in Japan. In answer to this, I must beg leave to show 

 the society, that Dr. Kcempfer does not so much as mention that this anacar- 

 dium grows in Japan ; but that the varnish which is collected from it, is brought 

 to them from Siam : and I believe it will appear plainly from what follows, that 

 there is not a plant of this kind in the kingdom of Japan ; for Siam and Cam- 

 bodia, especially the parts of those kingdoms where Kcempfer informs us this * 

 anacardium grows, lie in the latitudes of from 10 to 15 degrees north, which 

 must be full as hot as our West Indies : so that it is not probable, that it would 

 bear the cold of the winters in Japan ; for Japan lies from the latitudes of 33 to 

 above 40 degrees north, which is about the same parallel with our North Ame- 

 rican colonies. 



Mr. Miller has only the bark of the cashew-tree left to support his ar- 

 gument of the dying property. This the Brasilian writers say, that the native 

 Indians of Brasil used to dye their cotton-yarn with ; but of what colour no 

 mention is made. And whether this bark is used to give strength to this 

 yarn, as we dye and tan our fishing-nets with oak-bark, or for ornament, is 

 uncertain; for a great deal of this yarn was used in the making their net-ham- 

 mocks, as well as their coarse garments. Mr Miller then introduces Sir Hans 

 Sloane, in opposition to Dr. Browne, whose History of Jamaica I had quoted, 

 to prove that the juice of the acajou was of the same nature and properties with 

 that of the gum-arabic, and consequently not fit for varnish: whereas it plainly 

 appears that Dr. Browne is right, and agrees exactly in opinion with Sir Hans. 



* This is likewise called the Malacca bean, from its growing in great plenty on that coast, near 

 the equinoctial line. — Orig, 



VOL. XI. B B 



