SO The Pottery Tree of Para. 



contains a great deal of flinty matter. The tree — which is 

 called in Spanish El Caouto, or El Caouta; in French, Bois 

 de Eer ; in Brazil, Caraipe ; and in English, pottery tree — is 

 now known to botanists as the Moquilea utilis, H.f. Aublet 

 was the first to bring the tree into notice, and it was at one 

 time placed in the natural order Temstroemiacece, under the 

 name of Oaraijpa angustifolia. Eurther information and re- 

 search, however, has caused it to be placed where it now is. 

 Sound and durable as the wood is, it is on the bark that the 

 natives set the greatest value. The Indians employed in the 

 manufacture of pottery from its bark always keep a stock of 

 it in their huts for the purpose of drying or seasoning it, as it 

 burns more freely, and the ashes are collected with greater 

 ease than when it is fresh. For the manufacture of the pottery 

 the ashes of the bark are powdered and mixed with clay, the 

 purest clay that can be obtained from the beds of the rivers 

 is preferred on account of its taking up a larger quantity of 

 the bark ash, and producing a stronger kind of ware. The 

 most valued bark, or that which contains the largest quantity 

 of silex, is produced by trees, which grow in a rich but dry 

 soil. Those growing in low or sandy forests being much 

 inferior in the quality of this deposit. In the best kinds the 

 silex can readily be seen with the naked eye, but to test the 

 quality of the various kinds of bark, the natives burn it and 

 then try its strength between the fingers ; if it breaks easily 

 it is considered of little value, but if, on the contrary, it 

 requires a pestle and mortar to break it, its quality is pro- 

 nounced good. Though the proportions of ash and clay are 

 varied at the will of the maker, and according to the quality 

 of the bark, a superior kind of pottery is produced by mixing 

 equal portions of fine clay and powdered ashes of the bark. 

 All sorts of vessels of large or small size, for domestic or 

 household use, are made of this kind of ware, as well as vases 

 or ornamental articles, some of which are painted and glazed 

 as in Fig. 6, which is a representation of a specimen in the 

 Kew Museum. The figures upon this vase are not burnt in, 

 but are merely superficial, the colour being laid on with a 

 brush and secured by a coat of glaze. Fig. 5 is a representa- 

 tion of an unglazed pot, with lid, the figures of which are in 

 relief. Articles made of this ware are very durable, and will 

 bear almost any amount of heat ; they are consequently much 

 used by the natives for boiling eggs, heating milk, and, in 

 short, for general culinary purposes. 



Having shown the great value of this bark to the natives 

 for a purpose which, to say the least, is novel in the application 

 of barks, we will endeavour to arrive at the cause of such 

 an adaptation by a brief exposition of its component parts. 



