■ ^ -■ ». 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 



y. . ■>^- 



■f 



i 



It was at first contcmitliitod iiu>ioly to trc';;t ol' the essential 

 oils wliicli arc obtaiiioti froiu tlio I'oliage of this ,t;"nns : hut, in- 

 asmuch as the timber, barks, uum-resiiis, etc., derived IVoni these 

 trees, likewise possess properties which i^ive them an interest, if 

 not indeed a value, I considered it exjiedient to devote a few 

 words to each. 



To have entered into botanical descriptions would have been 

 foreign to the object of the '' Memoir " : I have, liowever, given 

 the scientific name, and geographical range of the several species 

 brouiiht under notice in the course of the text. . - 



The Essential Oils have been dwelt upon at some length. 

 With I'egard to the medicinal properties of the leaves and essen- 

 tial oil of 7v. (jJiihiihix, I have, to the best of my knowledge, given 

 the results of tin; most recent investigations on the subject. 

 Tables have been introduced, shelving the results of experiments 

 instituted In reference to the yield of potash from trees of this 

 geuus, and to the products of the dry distillation of their timber. 

 Allusion has been made to the barks as tanning and paper ma- 

 terial, results of experiments in both directions being given. 

 Finally, a few remarks have been made upon the gum-resins, and 

 a Hue or two devoted to the description of two varieties of a 

 substance called manna. 



In the form of an Appendix to this Paper will be found an 

 account of a very interesting series of essential oils, obtained 

 from certain species of the genus IMclaleuca, (order Myrtacca;) 

 and other indigenous Victorian plants ; with one exception, all 

 possessing therapeutic properties, and resembling more c less 

 some of the medicinal oils of commerce. 



