JAN.— MAR. 1857.] Penman Bark-irce. 217 
has finished the prepavati on of the bark ; he has yet to carry his 
spoil to the camp, and, with a heavy load on his shoulders, to re- 
trace his steps along those parts which, while unburdened, he tra- 
versed with difficulty. The labour involved in this part of the 
operations can hardly be conceived. I have seen more than one 
district where the bark has to be thus carried for fifteen or twenty 
days' journey to get it out of the wood from which it was obtained; 
and considering the amount of remuneration received, I could 
hardly imagine men so unfortunate as to engage in work so labo- 
rious and ill-paid.^'* 
" Something yet remains to be said with reference to the packing 
of the bark. It is the *moJor-domo who performs this duty. As 
the cutters bring him the bark, the produce of their labour, he sub- 
mits it to a slight examination, and rejects that which is bad. It 
is then, if necessary, exposed to a fresh process of desiccation, and 
formed into bundles of nearly equal weight, which are sewn up in 
coarse canvas kept for that purpose. In this condition the bundles 
are conveyed on the backs of men, donkeys, or mules, to the depots in 
the towns, where they generally receive an exterior envelope, con- 
sisting of fresh hide, which as it dries makes a hard and compact 
package. In this form the packages are known by the name of 
sero7is, and it is thus that they arrive in Europe. The usual weight 
of Siseronis from 70 to 80 kilogrammes (kilogramme 2 lbs. Sozs.avoir- 
dupoise) ; but the weight is sometimes much less than this. From 
these details it will be seen how erroneous the notions of some per- 
sons still are with reference to the collection of cinchona bark ; many 
having thought that it continues under special surveillance as it 
was formerly represented to be ; and others that the cinchona-trees 
are cultivated in enclosed parks and treated as the cork-trees of our 
country. It must be acknowledged that the mode of collecting 
this valuable product appears to be always under the control of the 
half -savages by whom it is performed; and if some efficient means 
" * In general, before the product reaches the coast it passes through at least 
three or four hands, and on each occasion its price is augmented; moreover, as 
carriage is very expensive, it follows that the price charged in Europe will afford 
110 idea of its cost on the borders of the forest. At Pelechuco, for instance, 1 ki- 
logramme (2 lbs. 3 ozs. avoirdupoise) is only worth a franc and a half (fifteea 
pence), and for this twenty francs are now paid in Paris. 
