February i, 1888.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
507 
REPORTS ON PRODUCTS OF THE STBAlTS 
SETTLEMEN i'S. 
Gums, Renins, tic. 
In these Settlements there appears to bo a possi- 
bility of bouio considerable development of trade in 
gutta-percha and india-rubber, although at present the 
production is not very great; and in reference to the 
1 sislin^' output the following extract from a letter 
by Mr. N. Pi Trevenoti, the Assistant Executive Com- 
missionir, and dated October 6th, 1886, will be read 
with iiilerest: — 
"Referring to the wish expressed by you for in- 
formation as to the places whence the india-rubber 
and gutta-percha exported from the Straits Settle- 
I have the honour to send 
} on 
nients are derived 
the following : — 
from Uritish North Borneo: — 
Gutta Percha 540 piculs, value 4>22,92 1 
India Rubber 12 „ „ ... 512 
Front the Kant Malay Peninsula:— 
Gutta Percha l ,527 piculs, value $09,480 
India Kubber 61 „ „ ... 4,101 
From Java: — 
• ■'utta Percha 58 1 piculs, value $27,250 
India Kubber 38 „ „ ... $ 2,240 
i'lom Lab nan: — 
Gutta Percha 215 piculs, value $12,280 
From Sarawak : — 
Gutta Percha 2,115 piculs, value $125,711) 
India Kubber 3f>8 „ „ ... $ 1 1,826 
Prom Sumatra: — 
Gutta Percha 21, 966 piculs, value $705,843 
India Percha 358 „ „ ... $ 14,826 
Prom other islands under Dutch rule: — 
(.'utta percha 22,081 piculs, value $823,873 
India Kubber 110 ,, „ ... $ 5,38* 
The above is taken from the trade returns for 1884, 
and show the quantities and values from the different 
places named during that year. 
"One picul if 1331b. avoirdupois weight, aud one 
dollar, at the present rate of exchange, is worth 3a'. 2d. 
"Sticklac is obtained almost entirely from French 
Oochia China and Siaui, the values from these count- 
ries during 1884 being 8,603 dols. aud 42,81ft dols. 
respectively. 
" It is of course impossible to give any decided 
opinion as to whether this rate ot production can be 
largely increased, but considering the extent of the 
two countries iu question there stems no reason why 
it should not. It' was on this point that you were 
moro particular in your inquiries.' 1 
The white gutta-percha exhibited was of excellent 
quality mid remarkably clean. Some of it was made 
up into fantastic shapes, clubs, &c. 
Prom I'alembang there was a rather line sample of 
hardish india-rubber of a kind which appears to be 
very suitable for the manufacture of ebonite. This 
material, although it is, like ordinary rubber, perm- 
anent lv softened and destroyed by sufficient heat to 
melt it, has when heated a small rather like gutta- 
percha than like india-rubber. It is exhibited under 
the mime "Gutta Orek," but no particulars as to the 
output aru to hand. 
A vegetable juice scut over iu sealed tins and marked 
" Gutta Horfoot," yields a caoutchouc-like material of 
fair quality, but it appears that the trade iu this is 
by no means developed. It need scarcely be observed 
that to send the juico to Europo would involve au 
BUOttnoU waste of freight. 
Three samples of a sort of cauotchouc similar to tho 
' Gutta (irek " wore shown, but no particulars were 
obtainable. One of these— marked " Gutta l.umbut, 
• lav,!, from native states," is hard and souud, while 
U ithi r Mmple marked " Gutta Jettong, from nativo 
•tales," is soft, sticky, and much oxidised. Another 
sample, dimply marked " 33," i* bard (that is, hard 
fur rubbiir i : u„| ,|nito sound. althouf(h not very clean. 
The flrtt ami third— like the sample- referred to as 
t: > Orek " — when cleaned aud mixed with a trifle 
under an equal weight of sulphur, give, on curing, a 
very «oimd and satisfactory vulcanite. 
The Dammar from Ijirnt, lYrak, although rather 
dark— iiidcud decidedly dark— in colour and mixed with 
foreign matters, is of good quality and exceptionally 
hard. This material is said to be form a Diptcroc ir- 
pous tree and seems to be known in lill'ere itly iil 
Dumar dcijou, Damar ri.ukvnij, and cat's-eye Datum i> . 
There is no statement as to price and quantity 
available. 
Sticklac was exhibited by the Government of Perak, 
an I if the samples shown fairly represent the ivi 
material available, it would seem that the soon- ■ ol 
lac is well worth attention; the twigs are thickly 
coated, and the resin is of good quality. 
I'egetable tallow (Mcinyah Tunkawang). — This name 
is applied generally to a number of fats which, as 
before remarked, spasmodically pervade the English 
markets. The tribe of fat-yielding trees is very large 
and widely dispersed, and no doubt, could one certain 
species be fixed, and its product well identified and 
put to thorough praeical tests, it would tend greatly 
to clear up the existing lnziness as to these tallows. 
Lant Carpenter,* who has treated this subject pretty 
exhaustively, as one having considerable practical ex- 
perience in the matter of soap-materials states that 
the two distinct vegetable tallows coming from Asia 
are : — (1) Chinese tallow, from the Stillim/in scliifcrti, 
a white, brittle fat, chiefly produced in the Chusan 
Archipelago ; and (2) Vegetable fallow, from a species 
of Hopea, also Tetraatheft lawrifqlia (growing in the 
Malay Archipelago). The latter appears to be identical 
with the samples exhibited iu bamboo cases as collected 
by the natives. It is greenish-gray when crude, but 
after boiling with dilute acid a few times, becomes 
nearly white. No experiments were undertaken with 
the actual exhibit, the samples being too small — but 
previous experience of the writer and others show that 
this fat is a glycerine of a high solidifying point (85° 
to :») I'ahr.), yielding hard and white fatty acids, 
and a good soap. In a dearth of palm-oil, or even as 
a white substitute, vegetable tallow should have a 
ready sale. The supply is said to be aU-snfficing, but the 
natives are too lazy to collect and treat the nuts or 
berries. 
Regret may be here expressed that the Hongkong 
Court did not exhibit cither Chinese wax or tallow. 
Considerable hopes had been entertained that this 
would prove an opportunity of negotiating a commer- 
cial quantity of this beautiful material, the annual 
production of which is valued at £600,000. Hardly 
a hundredweight finds its way to England now: 
perhaps because, in the golden days of spermaceti , 
Pcla was coldly received. Its highly crystalline 
structure and intense hardness (1S0° Pahr. m. p.) 
present some obstacles, but of a noble kind, and doubt- 
less surmountable. Spermaceti appears to have had 
its day: every year new witnesses an increasing scar- 
city, and elevation of price (now 2.v. per lb). Au 
efficient substitute would be highly welcome. The 
Ohiuese formerly used all their supply themselves for 
"lobchoks" &c, but as many tons of cheap scarlet 
paraffin candles are imported for the same purpose, 
it may be supposed that a corresponding amount of 
Ciinug-pela is to be had. 
Tho Straits Settlements, although including tho 
Cocos Islands, exhibited only a few desultory speci- 
mens of copra aud coconut oil on which au opinion 
can hardly be given. The oil does not appear iu the 
English market under a distinctive name. 
Iu the Straits Settlements some very curious soap 
was displayed. The finer quality was white, and 
covered with fine crystalline etUorescence. The coarser 
was dusky red, very gritty, and also coated with 
alkali. These soaps were evidently composed of cco- 
nut oil, saponified directly with the carbonated alkali 
derived from wood ashes- As a specimen of ori u il 
soap, possibly typical of the " sope " of tho Old 
Testament, this uhibit was very interesting. 
Mining Industry. 
Tho Government of Perak, a Malay State under 
British Protection, sent a collection of specimens and 
tools to explain how tin ore is dug and washed. At 
present none but alluvial oro is worked : the depe.it 
of stanniferous sand varies in thickness from IB inches 
to in feet, and is covered by 6 to 30 feet of over burden. 
• "Soap aud Oandlos," E. and P. Spon, London 
I*"*.. 
