218 MADEAS EXHIBITION. 



Eao of Shemoga, also deserves mention. The jury understand 

 that the wood is sold by weight, and is prized next to sandal-wood 

 by natives. There is reason to believe that this is the Aquilaria 

 agallocha, the lign aloes of Scripture. The habitat of the tree has 

 not been ascertained, although it is supposed to have been brought 

 from the Malayan peninsula. The jury recommend a 2d class 

 medal. 



The jury have looked in vain for any wood likely to answer 

 the purposes of English or Turkish box, the most generally useful 

 in Europe of all the hard woods. It is more than probable that 

 its equal for many, if not all the purposes to which it is applied, 

 is to be found among the less known shrubs or small trees of our 

 jungles ; and it appears to the jury worthy of consideration, whe- 

 ther a medal or prize should not be specially offered to any one 

 who shall exhibit and prove, to the satisfaction of competent 

 persons, the like properties in any abundant Indian tree. To 

 prevent misapprehension, it may be desirable to state, that uni- 

 formity of structure and considerable toughness, hardness, and re- 

 tention of any sharp angles to which it may be cut (whether on 

 the end, or on the side), are essential properties ; colour, ex- 

 cept for certain purposes, is of little consequence. 



The jury must not omit to acknowledge the valuable aid cheer- 

 fully accorded to them by Mr Eohde, Lieut. French, Messrs 

 Deschamps and "Williams, in all matters requiring special prac- 

 tical knowledge and experience. They have also availed them- 

 selves of the very useful treatise on " Turning and Mechanical 

 Manipulation," by Mr Holtzapfell of Long Acre, with botanical 

 notes by Dr Eoyle ; and " Observations on the Eorest Trees of 

 S. India," by Dr E. "Wight, with practical notes by Mr Eohde : 

 these are the most reliable works for reference on this most im- 

 portant subject.* The jury regard the subject of the woods of 

 India as in all respects so highly important, that they venture to 

 make a few suggestions regarding the collection, &c, of speci- 

 mens, in the hope that the deficiencies of the present exhibition 

 may be remedied, and the labour and expense which many of the 

 contributors have incurred may not again be neutralized by the 



* Consult also " Wallich's Catalogue of Indian "Woods " in Trans. Roy. 

 Soe. of Arts, vol. xlviii. pp. 439-479. 



