THE KAPUR BARUS, OR CAMPHOR TREE. 45 



On Borneo it is found at present towards the north ; 

 but as I once discovered these trees in Sarawak, near 

 the Santubong entrance of the river, I think it pro- 

 bable that they have once been abundant here, but 

 have been destroyed in extracting the camphor. That 

 it has been once collected there appears, the more pro- 

 bable, as one of the three trees above named, on being 

 felled, was found to have had a large notch cut into 

 the tree, as is the custom to the northward, to see if 

 it is likely to produce the camphor. On Labuh-an it 

 is common, and is one of the noblest trees in that, 

 the finest jungle I ever saw : it has a fine straight 

 stem, from which the bark comes off in large flakes ; 

 the foliage is very dense, forming a well shaped head 

 to the tree, the stem of which is frequently ninety feet 

 to the first branches. 



A tree of another species, which had fallen down, 

 measured nearly 120 feet to the branches, but 

 none of these at all equal the Tapang, of which men- 

 tion is made in another place. Nearly all the 

 kapur trees, excepting such as were young, had large 

 notches cut almost into the centre of the tree : 

 this was for the purpose of ascertaining whether, on 

 being felled, it was likely to be productive, as it is 

 said that not one in ten is found to produce it ; so 

 that its appearance must be caused by a particular 

 state, probably of vigour or disease in the tree. It 

 is said that in those which produce it, the younger 

 and smaller trees are often found to be quite as pro- 

 lific as the old and larger trees. The camphor is found 

 in a concrete state in the crevices of the wood, so that 



