PROPERTIES OP THE GUTTA. 
25 
cleaned, one ounce of impurities. Fortunately it is neither diffi¬ 
cult to detect or clean the Gutta of foreign matter ; it being only 
necessary to boil it in water, until well softened, roll out the 
substance into thin sheets, and then pick out all impurities, which 
is easily done as the Gutta does not adhere to any thing, and 
ail foreign matter is merely entangled in its fibres, not incorporated 
in its substance. The quantity of solid Gutta obtained from eacn 
tree varies from five to twenty catties, so that, taking the average at 
10 catties which is a tolerably liberal one, it will require the des¬ 
truction of 10 trees to produce one picul. Now the quantity ex¬ 
ported from Singapore to Great Britain and the Continent from 1st 
January 181*5 to the present dale, amounts to 6,918 piculs, to obtain 
which sixty nine thousand one hundred and eighty trees must have 
been sacrificed. How much better would it therefore be to adopt 
the method of tapping the tree practised by the Burmese in obtain¬ 
ing the Caoutchouc from the Ficus Elastica, (viz., to make oblique 
incisions in the bark, placing bamboos to receive the sap which runs 
out freely,) than to kill the goose in the manner they arc at pre¬ 
sent doing. True they would not at first get so much from a sin¬ 
gle tree, but the ultimate gam would be inc^culable, particularly as 
the Tree appears to be one of slow growth, by no means so ra¬ 
pid as the Ficus Elastica. I should not be surprised, if the demand 
increases, and the present method of extermination be persisted 
in, to find a sudden cessation of the supply. 
PROPERTIES OP THE GUTTA. 
The substance when fresh and pure is, as already mentioned, 
of a dirty white color and of a greasy feel with a peculiar leathery 
smell. It is not affected by boiling Alcohol, but dissolves readi¬ 
ly in boiling spirits of Turpentine, also in Naptha and Coal Tar. 
A good cement for luting bottles and other purposes is formed by 
boiling together equal parts of Gutta, Coal lar and Ilesin. I am in¬ 
debted for this hint to Mr. Little, Surgeon, and the above were his 
proportions. I have, however, found it necessary to put two parts 
of the Gutta, that is one half instead of one third, to enable the 
cement to stand the heat of this climate. When required for use 
it can always he made plastic by putting the pot containing it over 
the fire for a few minifies, The Gutta itself is highly inflammable, 
