244 [Assembly 



When Dr. Montgomerie made his enquiries in 1842, this sub- 

 stance was quite unknown to the people at Malacca, and to the 

 natives of Sumatra, " although," he says, " I was inclined to sup- 

 pose that the substance might have obtained its name from that 

 island, the Malayan name for the Island of Sumatra being Puto 

 Perch a." 



The tree producing the Gutta Percha is one of the largest found 

 in these eastern forests; its wood is seldom used, but an edible con- 

 crete oil is procured from its fruit, and taken by the natives with 

 their food. 



The plan of obtaining the Gutta Percha from the tree was, as 

 late as 1846, by felling the tree, stripping off the bark and ihe 

 milky juice or sap gathered. 



But in February, 1847, measures were taken by the East India 

 and the London company, to prevail upon the Rajahs of the differ- 

 ent provinces to introduce the plan of drawing the sap from the 

 trees, in the same manner as the caoutchouc is drawn by the natives 

 in Brazil, and we are informed that the Rajahs issued edicts through- 

 out all their provinces to that effect, therefore the tree will be 

 spared. Such is the history of the discovery of this most valuable 

 article Gutta Percha. 



Since the name of it is differently pronounced by the public, it 

 appears desirable to give the origin of it, and its correct pronun- 

 ciation. The name is a pure Malayan one, " Gutta," meaning the 

 gum, or concrete juice of a plant, and Percha the particular tree 

 from which this is procured. The ch is not pronounced hard like 

 a k, but like the ch in the English name of the fish. Perch. 



Gutta Percha was first introduced into London as an article of 

 manufacture in 1845 or 6. The first experiment was made by Ar- 

 chibald Brooman, as an artificial fuel, but in the course of his ex- 

 periments he discovered many valuable properties in it, and found it 

 applicable to many useful purposes, and very soon applied for and 

 obtained patents for numerous applications of the article. Charles 

 Hancock, of London next takes it up and obtained letters patent. 

 Charles Keen, Christopher Nickles and Henry Busby, of London and 

 Dublin, are next found in the patent office with Gutta Percha. 



In 1846 the Gutta Percha company was formed in London, with 

 a capital of ^£500,000 sterling paid in, they sending their agents 



