408 H. G. SMITH. 
to a dark coloured mass, and continued to burn with a 
smoky flame and a resinous-like odour. The low melting 
point of the resin suggested perhaps the idea of a natural 
sealing wax. The resin is readily soluble in ether, alcohol, 
chloroform and acetone, and is partly soluble in petroleum 
ether. : 
The amount extracted by alcohol from average material 
of the most resinous lumps, containing 1°9 per cent. of 
moisture at 100° C., was equal to 65°2 per cent. Of the 
remainder 10°9 per cent. was removed on ignition, leaving 
23°9 per cent. of ash. Of this amount 8°3 per cent. was 
removed on boiling with hydrochloric acid, which represents 
less than 2 per cent. on the whole material. The soluble 
portion of the ash contained phosphoric acid equal to 0°086 
per cent., calculated on the whole. Iron, calcium, mag- 
nesium and potassium, besides a small quantity of sulphuric 
acid, were also present. The insoluble portion of the ash 
consisted mostly of silica, although no soluble silica was 
detected, 
The alcoholic extract of the resin was dried on the water 
bath as much as possible, but as the melting point of the 
hardest purified resin is between 80° and 84° C., it was 
difficult to complete the drying in this way, so it was spread 
in thin layers upon glass plates and set aside to thoroughly 
dry in the air. The specific gravity of the resin thus pre- 
pared was 1°128 at 20° C. 
A portion of the thoroughly dried resin was dissolved in 
ether and neutralised with alcoholic potash; only a small 
quantity, less than one per cent., of an insoluble potash salt 
was formed, this was filtered off, water added to filtrate, 
and the neutral resins extracted by ether in a separator. 
The aqueous portion was then evaporated down, acidified 
with hydrochloric acid and the resin acids separated. Dur- 
ing the process a slight odour of benzoic acid was detected, 
