BOTANY BAY, OE GRASS-TREE GUM. 
79 
several species of Xanthorrhcea, of which there are six or seven well-defined species in 
Australia. The resin has long been known among druggists as gum acroides. It was 
generically named by Swartz from its peculiar colour. 
This resin was first described in Governor Phillips’s voyage to New South Wales in 
1788. Mr. Phillips states that it was employed by the natives and first settlers as a 
medicine in cases of diarrhoea. The resin of X. hastilis as it occurs in commerce some¬ 
times forms masses of considerable size; but as it is very brittle, although tolerably hard, 
it usually arrives in small pieces, and in the state of a coarse powder. Its colour is a 
deep yellow, with a slightly reddish shade, and considerably resembling gamboge, but 
darker and less pleasing. The colour of its powder is greenish-yellow. When chewed 
it does not dissolve or stick to the teeth, but tastes slightly astringent and aromatic, like 
storax or benzoin. When gently heated it melts, and when strongly heated it burns 
with a smoky flame, and emits a fragrant odour resembling balsam of tolu, containing 
apparently cinnamic acid mixed with a very little benzoic. The quantity of carbazotic 
acid which this resin yields when treated with nitric acid is very great, and it is easily 
purified. Incidental mention has already been made of this resin (‘ Technologist,’ vol. ii. 
p. 25; iii. p. 19; and v. p. 227), but as it appears to be occupying increased attention 
in Australia just now, some further details respecting it may prove useful. 
The grass-tree is one great characteristic of the scenery and of the vegetation of 
Australia. It puts one in mind of a tall black native with a spear in his hand orna¬ 
mented with a tuft of rushes. On the spear is found an excellent, clear, transparent 
gum, and from the lowest part of the tree oozes a black gum, which makes a powerful 
cement, used by the natives for fastening stone heads on their hammers. The resin may 
be obtained in inexhaustible quantities. X. hastilis, australis, and arhorea seem to he 
the most generally diffused species. 
A late Melbourne paper thus speaks of the free:—"There are few who have eVer 
travelled any distance in Victoria but have met with the grass-tree, which is to be found 
in nearly all parts of Australia. Up to a few months ago it was supposed only to be a 
useless growth encumbering the land. A few knew from the natives that it contained 
a very tenacious gum. The blacks used it as a glue for joining parts of their weapons, 
bul; it is only within the last few months that the following valuable articles have been 
obtained, after great labour and expense, by a Mr. Dodd, St. Eomain’s. The place where 
Mr. Dodd has erected his works to carry on the experiments is situated about eighteen 
miles in a southerly direction from Colac, and here for some months past experiments 
have been carried on in connection with the grass-tree. The root is the portion used 
in these experiments, and usually weighs from 10 lb. to 50 lb. The root is composed of 
the stems growing in a close mass around the inner portion or kernel. From the outer 
portion gum shellac in large quantities is obtainable; the refuse contains a large 
quantity of gas, and can be made available for lighting the works. From the inner 
portion is extracted, by pressing and distilling, a spirit equal to the best brandy; after dis¬ 
tilling, a quantity of saccharine matter remains, from which sugar can be extracted. 
The present supply of grass-tree in the neighbourhood of St. Komain’s is computed to be 
equal to a supply of 600 tons per week for the next ten years. Great quantities of 
young grass-trees abound, which will keep up the supply, and doubtless cultivation 
would enlarge the roots.” 
In a paper which w^e read before the Society of Arts, in 1855, " On the Gums and 
Eesins of Commerce,” we entered rather fully into the character and uses of this resin. 
We therein stated that Captain Wray, E.E., submitted a report to the local authorities 
of Western Australia in 1854, on the manufacture of illuminating gas from the Xan¬ 
thorrhcea at one4hird the expense of lighting with oil or candles. 
The plant grows in abundance all over Western Australia, and is composed of a core 
of hard, fibrous pith, about half of its whole diameter, round which there is a layer of 
resin, varying from half an inch to one inch or more in thickness, w^hich forms the con¬ 
nexion between the leaves and the core. Between these leaves and also adhering to, 
and covering them, is a considerable quantity of resin ; resin also exudes in large lumps 
from the sides of the .plant. 
The method of obtaining the material in the colony for this purpose was as follows:— 
In the first instance, the leaves and resin were separated from the core by breaking up 
this plant with an axe and sifting the resin from the leaves; but it w^as found by ex¬ 
perience that as much gas was obtained from an equal weight of the leaves and resin 
