CHRISTISON ON THE CEYLON GAMBOGE. 
331 
ANAGYRIS FCETIDA. 
This tree grows to the height of 8 or 10 
feet; the leaves are ternate, alternate, pub- 
escent below, and supplied with a bifid stipula 
at their summit. It is indigenous to Greece 
and the southern parts of Europe. The bark, 
according to Peschier and Jacquemin, con- 
sists of a fixed oil, chlorophylle, resin, gum, 
yellow colouring matter, extractive and a 
peculiar principle. The latter also exists to 
a considerable extent in the seeds. It is ob- 
tained by submitting them, when dried, to 
the action of alcohol of '800 with the assis- 
tance of heat; and the product of the diges- 
tion in alcohol of *836 ; evaporating the li- 
quor to the consistence of extract, dissolving 
the matter furnished by the alcohol in water 
in order to separate the resin and oil and 
evaporate to dryness. Thus prepared the 
principle is yellow ; its taste is bitter, solu- 
ble in water and alcohol. — Memoires de la 
Societe de Physique et d^ Histoire Naturelle 
de Geneve, v. 75. 
ACTION OF GYPSUM ON VEGETA- 
BLES. 
Peschier finds that the solution of gyp- 
sum which has been removed from the fur- 
nace is sometimes acid. 2. That the influ- 
ence of gypsum has no elFect upon vegetables 
except in solution. 3. That on spreading 
gypsum upon the leaves during rain, its de- 
composition is effected in direct proportion 
to its solution, and the surfaces which the 
leaves present. 4. That its action upon ve- 
getables is due to the influence which the 
electric fluid exerts upon them, and upon 
the chemical combination which they absorb ; 
that from the influence of this fluid the de- 
composition of these combinations, and the 
formation of new products depend. Hence, 
the sulphuric acid is set at liberty and com- 
bines with potash in the juice. 5. That the 
electric influence is equal upon the raw and 
calcined gypsum. Hence, the former is to 
be preferred. 6. That the roots like the 
leaves decompose saline solutions. 7. That 
hydro -chlorate of lime may be employed with 
advantage. 8. That the influence of gyp- 
sum is not confined to leguminous plants. 
9. That when spread upon the leaves gyp- 
sum has more influence than upon the 
roots. — Ibid. 180. 
ON THE SOURCES AND COMPOSI- 
TION OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS 
OF GAMBOGE. BY DR. CHKISTI- 
SON; AND ON THE BOTANICAL 
ORIGIN OF GAMBOGE. 
By De,. Graham. 
The papers of which the official abstracts 
are subjoined, were lately read before the 
Royal Society of Edinburgh. 
Gamboge was first made known by Clusi- 
us about the commencement of the seven- 
teenth centiry, as a concrete juice from 
China. About the middle of the same cen- 
tury, Bontius conceived he had traced it to a 
particular species of Eujyhor.bia, growing in 
Java and in Siam; from the latter of which 
countries the whole gamboge of commerce 
was at that time obtained. About the close 
of that century Hermann announced that 
gamboge was produced by two species of 
trees growing in Ceylon, which have been 
since often confounded together, but which 
are now designated by the names Garcinia 
Gambogia, and Stalagmitis Gambogioides. 
About the middle of last century, gamboge 
was referred by Linnaeus to the former of 
these plants, and his reference was generally 
admitted; but about thirty years later. Pro- 
fessor Murray of Gottingen conceived he had 
traced it satisfactorily from the specimens 
collected by Koenig in Ceylon, and informa- 
tion obtained by the same botanists in Siam, 
to a new species which he called Stalagmitis 
gambogioides. 
Dr. Graham shows, from specimens and 
drawings sent from Ceylon, both by Mrs, 
Colonel Walker to himself, and by David 
Anderson Blair, Esq, to the late Dr. Duncan, 
that the plant producing Ceylon gamboge is 
neither Garcinia gambogia, as Linnaeus 
thought, nor Xanthochymv.s ovalifolius, as 
conjectured by Dr. Wight and Mr. Arnott, 
nor Stalagmitis gambogioides, according to 
Murray and Koenig, but is a species descri- 
bed by Lamarck and Gartner under the name 
of Garcinia or Mangostana morella, although 
it differs from all of these genera in the struc- 
ture of its stamens, and, therefore, probably 
ought to be considered a new genus among 
those producing a gambogioid juice. 
Dr. Christison proved, that, at the pre- 
sent time, Ceylon gamboge is not an article 
of European commerce, and that the whole 
gamboge of the markets of this country 
comes, as in the time of Bontius, from China. 
After mentioning the analysis of fine gam- 
boge made by Braconnot in France, and 
John in Prussia, he stated the following as 
the mean composition of the several varie- 
ties of gamboge he has hitherto examined : — ■ 
Pipe gamboge of Siam: Resin 72-2; 
Arabia 23’0; iMoisture 4-8; Total 100’ 0 
Cake gamboge of Siam: Resin 64’8; Ara- 
bia 20-2; Fecula5'6; Lignin 5 3 ; Moisture 
4-1 ; Total 100-0. 
Ceylon gamboge sent by Mrs. Colonel 
Walker: Resin 70-2; Arabia 19-6; Fibre of 
wood and bark 5*6 ; Moisture 4-6. 
Ceylon gamboge, adhering to a specimen 
of the bark sent by Mr. David Anderson 
Blair: Resin 75-5; Arabia l8-3; Cerasin 
0-7; Moisture 4-8; Total 99'3. 
The proportion of the gum to the resin 
varied somewhat in each variety, but never 
differed more than two per cent, from the 
means given above. 
The author added, that he had found the 
resin to be the active principle of gamboge. 
He inferred from the composition of the 
different kinds of gamboge, and other cir- 
cumstances detailed in his paper, that the 
cake gamboge of Siam is not entirely a na- 
