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Here I muft beg leave to mention, that the feeds, 
which were fent to the Royal Society fgme years ago, 
for thofe of the true varnifh>tree, by the Jefuits at 
China, prove to be of this wild fort ; and the ac- 
count, which thofe reverend fathers fent of the man- 
ner, in which the varnifh is procured, being fo very 
different from that, which is mentioned by Doctor 
Ksempfer, I fhall here tranfcribe it. 
He fays, they firft flit the bark of the branches of 
the fhrub, in different places, with a knife : from 
thefe wounds there flows out a white clammy juice, 
which foon turns black when expofed to the air : the 
fame juice, he fays, is contained in the leaves and 
ftalks of the plant. This juice has no other tafle- 
able quality but that of heating without turning four, 
but it is dangerous to handle, being of a poifonous 
nature. When they make thefe inciflons in the 
branches of the trees, they place wooden veffels un- 
der them, to receive the juice as it drops from the 
wounds ; and when thefe become dry, and will af- 
ford no more juice, they make frefli wounds in the 
flems of the fhrubs, near their roots. To that all the 
juice is drawn out of them : then they cut down the 
flirubs to the ground, and from their roots new 
items arife, which in three years will be fit to tap 
again. 
This native varnifh, he fays, fcarcely wants any 
preparation 3 but if any dirt fhould happen to mix 
with it, the Japonefe ilrain it through a coarfe gaufe, 
to cleanfe it j then put it into wooden veffels, covering 
it with a little of the oil called Zb/, and ifretching 
a ikin over it to prevent its evaporating. Then, be- 
ing thus put up, it is carried all over China and Ja- 
Y 2 pan 
