ASIATIC RESEARCHES. 



ON 



THREE NATURAL PRODUCTIONS 



OF 



SUMATRA, 



BY JOHN MACDONALD, Esq. 



ON THE CAMPHOR OF SUMATRA. 



TN answer to some questions put to me by the Pre- 

 sident of the Asiatic Society respecting camphor- 

 oil, I have the pleasure of giving the solution con- 

 tained iii the following short account : — Camphor-oil, 

 one of the essential oils, is actually camphor, before 

 the operations of nature on it have reduced it to the 

 concrete form in which it is found in the tree. When 

 Mr. Marsden composed his justly-admired history 

 of Sumatra, the prevalent opinion on this subject 

 was, that the oil and the concreted camphor were 

 never found in the same tree. 1 have the authoritv 

 of a gentleman, Lieutenant Lewis, well informed 

 on this subject, from a residence of many years in 

 the country producing the camphor, to differ from 

 that generally accurate author, by saying, that he 

 has seen a tree three quarters of a mile from the stt 

 Vol. IV. B near 



