july — sept. 1857.] Wood Oil. 



285 



" Among the drugs that have recently appeared in the London market, 

 I have observed one article to which I am desirous of drawing attention. 

 It is a liquid imported in considerable quantity from Moulmein in Burmah, 

 and offered for sale under the name of Balsam Capivi, but known in India 

 as Wood Oil or Gurjun Balsa?/t. 



To Balsam of Copaiba, however, it presents so remarkable a resem- 

 blance, that, but for the locality from which it was imported, it would 

 hardly have been noticed as anything else than Copaiba of rather unusual- 

 ly dark colour. 



In the Paris Universal Exhibition there are two samples of a similar 

 liquid, labelled Wood Oil, one of them being sent among the Materia Me- 

 dica of Canara, the other from the Tenasserim provinces. Through the 

 kindness of Dr. Roylc, specimens of each have been placed at my disposal. 

 Though comparatively a new drug in English trade, Wood Oilis an article 

 of common occurrence in the bazaars of India. 



From its similarity to Copaiba, it might be supposed to have its origin 

 in some plant nearly allied to Copaifcra : such, however, is not the case, 

 it being the produce of the natural order Diptcroearpece. 



The following is Roxburgh's account of the manner of obtaining it from 

 Dipterocarpus turbinatm, an immense tree, native of Chittagong, Tip- 

 perah, Pegue, and other places to the eastward of Bengal.* 



' This tree is famous over all the Eastern parts of India and the Malay 

 Islands, on account of its yielding a thin liquid balsam, commonly called 

 Wood Oil, which is much used for painting ships, houses, &c. 



' To procure the balsam, a large notch is cut into the trunk of the tree, 

 near the earth (say about 30 inches from the ground), where a fire is kept 

 up until the wound is charred, soon after which the liquid begins to ooze 

 out. A small gutter is cut in the wood to conduct the liquid into a vessel 

 placed to receive it. The average produce of the best trees during the 

 season, is said to be sometimes 40 gallons. It is found necessary, every 

 3 or 4 weeks, to cut off the old charred surfaces and burn it afresh ; in 

 large healthy trees abounding in balsam, they even cut a second notch in 

 some other part of the tree, and char it as the first. 



4 These operations are performed during the months of November, De- 

 cember, January and February. Should any of the trees appear sickly 

 the following season, one or more years' respite is given them.' 



* Flora Indica (ed, Carey) vol. ii. p. 613. 



