1837.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 893 



apology for the trouble which may be occasioned in furthering a measure calcu- 

 lated to lead to the improvement of our commerce, and to be of general advantage. 



I have the honor to be, 

 &c. &c. 



H. Harkness, Secretary. 



To the Right Honorable Lord Auckland, G. C. B., Governor-General of India." 

 Mr. Visgee's specimens, deposited in the museum, are labelled as follows : 



Value per ton. 



1. Canary orchilla, ^250 to 350 



2. Cape de Verde ditto,.. 200 to 300 



3. West Island ditto, 150 to 230 



4. Madeira ditto, 100 to 150 



5. Africa ditto, 80 to 130 



6. South America do. .. 80 to 120 



7. Sardinian ditto, .... 30 to 45 



8. Cape of Good Hope do. 20 



9. English ditto, no value. 



Value per ton. 



10. Canary rock moss, .... 80 to 90 



11. Sardinian ditto, 70 to 90 



12. Pustulatus ditto, 20 to 40 



13. Tartarous moss, 20 to 40 



21. Useless lichen, liable to be 

 mistaken for Nos 1 or 9 



22. Lichen valueless ditto, . . 12 



23. Bad canary moss ditto, . . 10 



" The Good has a nearly white powder on its surface, towards the centre ; 

 the under surface is of a gray color, and is not hairy ; if wetted it does not 

 turn of an orange color ; its edges are flat and thin. 



" The Bad has no mealy white powder on its surface ; its under side is hairy, 

 and blacker than the good ; its edges are usually more or less knobbed, and on 

 being wetted it generally becomes of an orange color. 



11 No. 24, contains a mixed sample of good and bad, which has been wetted 

 with water. 



" The useless mosses greatly outnumber the useful, and vary from each other, 

 in some instances, by such slight shades of difference, that the above specimens 

 of them can serve little more than to call minute attention to the subject. A 

 test for the discovery of color is therefore necessary. 



" Test. — Take liquor ammonise, very much diluted with water, but strong 

 enough to retain a powerfully- pungent smell — half- fill a phial bottle with the 

 same, then add of the lichen (being broken up to a convenient size), so much 

 as will lightly fill up the liquor, so that the whole may be readily stirred about. 

 Care must be taken to leave at least one-third of the bottle for air. The bottle 

 must be kept corked, but be frequently opened, and the contents stirred with a 

 small stick. The color will begin to exhibit itself in a few hours, and the 

 more rapidly in proportion to the warmth of the place in which it is kept ; 

 but the heat should not exceed 130° Fahrenh. A piece of white silk placed near 

 the surface of the fluid will show the color before it would otherwise be percep- 

 tible. This test will only serve to show where color exists, but will not develope 

 it to its fullest extent. 



" Localities. — The good sorts are generally found in rocky or stony districts, 

 or where dry stone walls abound ; in the neighbourhood of the sea, — or if 

 distant from the sea, in places exposed to sea breezes. The more valuable are 

 met with in volcanic islands. My own experience has been principally in the 

 Canaries, where I find the more arid the situation, the better the quality of the 

 lichens. When the land is high and humid, the useless sorts alone are met 

 with. In dry places near the sea, there are only the good sorts ; and there is 

 generally a belt between the two, in which both good and bad are found on the 

 same stones, and not unfrequently overrunning each other. 



" There is with the samples a small bottle of ammoniacal liquor, of the strength 

 suited for test : and also a small bottle of the color to be produced." 



Resolved, that five copies of the " Proceedings" be communicated to the 

 Agricultural Society ; and that others be sent to any members of the Society 

 who may be in a position to collect specimens of Indian mosses for trial and 

 transmission home. 



The Secretary brought up the following 

 5 x 



