6 AN ESSAY ON THE OOTXS, OR 



enquiry, and noted with minute attention every 

 thing that related to their history and operation. 



It is in fact more surprizing that a subject of 

 so much notoriety in the District of Blambangan, 

 and of so great celebrity and misiepresentation 

 in every other part of the world, should so long 

 have remained unexplored, than that it should 

 fioally have been noticed and described; and 

 since my visit to that Province I have more than 

 once remarked the coincidence which led two 

 persons of nations different from each other, and 

 Trom that w^hich has been long in possession of 

 the Island^ who commenced their enquiries 

 without any previous communication and with 

 different objects in view, within the period of 

 about six months^ to visit and examine the Oopas 

 Tree of Java. 



The work of Rumphuis contains a long 

 account of the Oopas under the denomination of 

 Arboo Toxicaria; the tree does not groNV on 

 Aïuboina, and bis description Was made from 

 the information he obtained from Macassar. 



His figure was drawn from a branch of that 

 wliicli was cal led the male tree, sent to him 

 from the same Place, and established the 

 iilcntity of the Poison Tree of Macassar and the 

 other Eaütcrn Islands with the Antshar of Java, 



