December,, 1910.] 



487 



Saps and Exudations^ 



Of great importance to city and 

 state is the Association Commercial do 

 Amazons, commonly called the Com- 

 mercial Association. Every business 

 house in Manaos of any prominence — 

 Brazilians, Portuguese, English, German, 

 and American — is represented in this 

 Association. Nor is this all ; business in- 

 terests throughout the state of Amazons, 

 particularly in the upper Amazon, are 

 also members. It is really a State Board 

 of Trade, active, progressing, comprehen- 

 sive, and vital. 



Organised thirty-five years ago, its 

 history has been marked by varying 

 degrees of activity, bub it has ever stimul- 

 ated co-operation in the direction of the 

 general welfare of the city and state. 

 Its work has been much broadened since 

 its recognition under the new statutes 

 of May 28, 1908. Since July of that year 

 it has published a monthly Hevista 

 (review). This is no mere compendium of 

 statistics — though its commercial figures 

 are of much value— but every trade topic 

 bearing upon Amazon progress is treated 

 in forceful and well-written articles, 

 which have been influential in govern- 

 ment circles as well as with the business. 



The Association has launched a plan 

 for a biennial Congress to be devoted to 

 commercial and industrial interests, and 

 particularly to the promotion of the 



rubber trade. I was fortunate enough 

 to attend the first Congress, the 

 success of which has been so generally 

 recognised. A very interesting feature 

 in the Association building was their 

 varied collection of samples of crude 

 rubber and of rubber articles made by 

 native gatherers in the forest. 



I saw much of the Secretary of the 

 Commercial Association, A quiet, mo- 

 dest scholarly gentleman, whose whole 

 thought is for progress in his state and 

 couutry. He reads and writes most of 

 the modern languages, but shyly avoids 

 conversing except in his own. As a 

 historical writer and authot he has 

 already taken his rank. 



The visitor to the Amazon country, 

 whatever tongue ue may speak, soon 

 learns some Portuguese. One word in a 

 particular impresses itself upon him from 

 the beginning, that is borracha. He 

 hears it in the streets of the cities, on 

 the river steamers, in the jungle, and 

 soon learns that it means rubber. Like 

 all people of Latin extraction, the 

 Brazilians are very apt in coining ex- 

 pressive phrases. They often call India- 

 rubber "ouro pretu," black gold, a 

 fascinating term, perfect in its complete 

 suggestiveness, 



(To be continued.) 



OILS AND FATS 



CYMBOPOGON GRASS OILS IN 

 CEYLON. 



(Prom the R. B. O. Circular, 

 Vol, V., No. 12.) 

 The following circular is a continu- 

 ation of Circular No. 14 of Vol. IV., and 

 gives the results of the detailed examin- 

 ation of Grass Oils made at the Imperial 

 Institute upon samples prepared with 

 great care and trouble by Mr. J. P. 

 Jowitt of Bandarawela. 



The Director, Imperial Institute, to 

 His Excellency the Governor, Ceylon. 

 No. 2,631/1910. 



South Kensington, 

 London, S.W.; July 23, 1910. 

 Sir,— I have the honour to enclose a 

 report on a collection of Grass Oils from 

 Ceylon, which was forwarded to the Im- 

 perial Institute by Mr. J. P. Jowitt, of 

 Craig, Bandarawela, with letter dated 

 October 13, 1908. 



The herbarium specimens of the grasses 

 which accompanied the samples of oil 



have been identified at Kew by Dr. 

 Stapf, whose determinations are given 

 in the report. 



I would ask that a copy of this report, 

 which has involved a large amount of 

 work, may be transmitted to Mr. Jowitt, 

 who has already done much, and I hope 

 will do more, to clear up the nature 

 and value of the oil-bearing grasses of 

 Ceylon. I suggest that Mr. Jowitt 

 should cousider the report in consult- 

 ation with Mr. Kelway Bamber. 



I shall be glad if we can be of any 

 service in connection with future work, 

 as to which suggestions are made in the 

 report. 



Wyndham R, Dunstan. 



Report on the Results of the 

 Examination op Citronella Oil prom 

 Ceylon. 



Imperial Institute No, 26,033, dated 

 July 23, 1910. 



Reference : Letter dated October 13, 

 1908, from Mr. J. P. Jowitt, of Bandara- 

 wela, Ceylon. 



