On East Indian Isinglass. 



171 



year, the whole of which we collected and prepared, amount- 

 ing nearly to three tons, will render the article well known, 

 and tend to establish its value in a way most likely to 

 remove all difficulties and uncertainty in future operations 

 in regard to it. 



In describing the article, page 35 in his pamphlet, Dr. 

 Royle describes the samples he received from Messrs. Cantor 

 and Rogers, as of a different kind from what he received from 

 us. We can explain this by stating, that Messrs. Cantor 

 and Rogers' specimens were merely samples from our own 

 first investment, consisting of the fish sounds simply split 

 open, the external and internal membranes removed, and 

 the air vessels washed and dried. These specimens are de- 

 scribed by Dr. Royle as of " oval shape, nine inches in 

 length, and five in breadth, and at least a quarter of an inch 

 thick ; opaque, of a brownish colour externally* but beauti- 

 fully white, even silky-looking when thin pieces are stripped 

 off. These specimens," Dr. Royle states, " had neither taste 

 nor smell, but as they were only few in number, the smell 

 could not be judged so well as when in bulk" We have 

 placed in italics, such parts of this description as we think 

 wrong. These specimens were, or ought to have been trans- 

 lucent when held against the light; but strips removed 

 from the mass are opaque, as well as the mass itself, when 

 either surface is broken. 



Secondly, we think it would be wrong to imply that the 

 true way of judging of the smell is in bulk, merely because 

 the article has been sent home in bulky packages of eighteen 

 I cubic feet ; for if this be found to cause the article to smell, 

 i the packages may be made as small as we like, and it is 

 quite enough to know, that when the bulk is separated, as 

 it must be before the article can be used, it loses its smell 

 like the samples presented to Dr. Royle by Messrs. Cantor 

 and Rogers. We have dwelt on this point as one of vital 

 consequence ; the samples in question having been mere aver- 



