'124 NOTES ON BORNEO WOODS. 



It is, perhaps, the heaviest, hardiest, and strongest tree that grows ill 

 Sarawak. It is not much used by the Malayans except for their vessels, 

 and occasionally rudders, butts, &c. It is a good durable wood, capable 

 of standing a great strain a~nd chafe, and would make excellent stem and 

 stern posts, windlass pieces, rudder pieces, butts, in fact, anything where 

 great strength is required, and where there is much friction. It takes 

 fastenings well. 



The wood of the Pingou tree is much used by the Malays, though of 

 a greater specific gravity than the camphor wood. It is a hard close- 

 grained wood," full of a resinous or oily substance, insomuch that a tree 

 just felled or exposed to the sun will be covered with gum, just as if it 

 had received two or three coats of varnish. It bends very easily when 

 treated by fire or steam, and would make good stringers, lower beams 

 kelsons, coverings for hatches, butts, windlass pieces, and other pur- 

 poses requiring strength. It is very durable for plankings. The 

 tree attains to 70 or 80 feet by 7 or 8 feet in girth. It grows in 

 quantities on the hills of Santubong, Marang Sundu, and Sungony 

 Water. 



Camphor wood (Drylolanops CampTiora). This tree also grows in abun- 

 dance in the mountains of Santubong, Marang Sundu, and Sungony "Water. 

 Its girth reaches 17 or 18 feet, and the stem often attains the height of 

 90 or 100 feet to the first branches. The wood contains a quantity of 

 oil, is tough, durable, and owing to its strong scent, withstands the 

 attacks of the kepang, the worm so destructive in these seas. It is much 

 valued by the natives for ship-building, for which it is admirably 

 adapted, either for planks, beams, keels, stringers, or timbers. It takes 

 fastenings well from being oily. Iron has been found not so liable to 

 rust in it. 



The Menkubang-Pinang tree is one of the family of trees producing 

 the Vegetable Tallow seed, or Buah Menhubang, and, like the Camphor 

 wood, abounds in the mountains of Santubong, and is, perhaps, equal 

 in growth to that tree, or even higher. On account of its hardness it is 

 not much used by natives for building, but largely for other purjDoses, 

 such as pillars of houses, piles, &c. It is very durable. It has a great 

 deal of white dammar or resin in it, and is a tough, hard wood, well 

 suited for keels, kelsons, lower beams, butts, capstans, windlasses, 

 stringers, rails, combings, &c. The Chinese know it by the name of 

 Ckoco, and prefer it to any other for' the masts of their junks. 



