XewSotith Wales, $c.] ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 6&7 



of the wood when dry. The wood is heavy and fine grained ; but being 

 intersected by the channels containing the gum, splits and warps. 



This gum is said to be the finest species of kino {Gummi ruhrum 

 astringena), which used to be imported from Africa, and is said to be there 

 produced by a species of Pterocarpiis. Kino is very friable, easily breaking 

 between the fingers ; without smell ; of an opaque, dark-reddish colour, ap- 

 pearing almost black in the mass, and when powdered, of a deep lateritious 

 red. In chewing, it first crumbles, then coheres slightly, and soon seems 

 to dissolve, with a very astringent, slightly sweet taste. It has been con- 

 founded with true gum Senegal, and also with dragon's blood. It is easily 

 distinguishable from both by its stypticity when tasted. Its astringent 

 properties render it a very useful drug, and a powerful remedy for the 

 dysentery. Kino is occasionally brought from India under the name of 

 gum dawk. This is probably the produce of the Butea fronthsa, which 

 Dr. Roxburgh (Flor. Cor., Tab. 21) says exudes a gum rich in colour as the 

 ruby, and astringent. 



The yellow Gum of Botany Bay is strictly a resin ; it is insoluble in 

 water, and in appearance resembles gamboge, but does not stain. It is 

 generally dug out of the soil under the tree which produces it, from whence 

 it drops ; and it is probably what Tasman calls gum lac of the ground. 



BASS'S STRAIT. — Between New Holland and Van Diemen's Land 

 is a strait, about 30 leagues wide, called Bass's Strait, from Mr. Bass, who, 

 with Captain Flinders, circumnavigated Van Diemen's Land, and thereby 

 proved the correctness of his own conjecture, that the latter was separated 

 from the former by a navigable strait 



The passage through Bass's Strait, and round Cape Van Diemen, has 

 sometimes been made by vessels which left England too late to pursue the 

 ordinary route to China ; and instead of passing through any of the straits 

 E. of Java, (as usual, when late in the season), they have proceeded round 

 New Holland, by the way of the Pacific Ocean. 



In approaching the strait from the westward, great caution should be 

 used ; and it is better that it should not be entered in the night time. Vessels 

 may anchor conveniently in the strait with easterly winds, under the N. W. 

 end of King's Island ; or Port Phillip (on New Holland) just within 

 the entrance on the S. side; or Hunter's Isles, between Three Hummock 

 and Barren Islands, taking care not to anchor too close to the weather 

 shore, lest the wind suddenly change, 



PORT PHILLIP is the westernmost harbour on the N. side of the 

 strait; the entrance is in latitude 38° 19* S., about 4 leagues to the E. of a 

 bluff headland without trees, rising from low, but thickly wooded land . 



