134 SELECTED ARTICLES. 
suggestions, which are well worth the attention of Indian 
botanists. 
Gamboge was first brought to Europe by Admiral Van 
Neck, in 1603. He gave a specimen of it to Professor Clusius, 
of Leyden, under the name of Ghittaiemou. 
In consequence of the poisonous properties of gamboge, it 
was long before it was introduced into the European pharma- 
copoeias. Now, however, when cautiously employed, it is 
considered to be one of our safest active purgatives. 
The finest gamboge is understood to come from Siam, being 
imported into England from China, by way of Singapore. The 
druggist distinguishes three varieties — Pipe, Cake or Lump, 
and Coarse Gamboge, 
" Pipe gamboge, which is invariably the finest, has sold in 
the London market during the last eight years, at prices 
varying from 2s. lOd. to 5s. a-pound, exclusive of duty.* Cake 
or Lump Gamboge is sometimes very nearly equal in quality 
to the last, but is more commonly somewhat inferior, and, 
therefore, sells for at least three-pence a-pound less. The 
two qualities are sometimes mixed in the same packages; 
sometimes each package contains but one; and frequently, on 
the other hand, the cases contain not merely Pipe and Cake 
Gamboge, but likewise more or less of a very inferior sort, by 
the presence of which the price is materially affected. This 
inferior sort again, of which there are probably many varieties 
confounded together in the rude nomenclature of the English 
drug-market, under the name of Coarse Gamboge, and which 
will be seen presently to be nothing else than a Cake Gam- 
boge, of low quality, often constitutes the entire contents of 
the package. In its crude state this is quite unfit for the 
purpose of the painter, and is equally rejected for medicinal 
use; and consequently it bears so contemptible a character in 
the market, as to bring scarcely lOd. a-pound, when the other 
sorts are worth three or four times as much. For this state- 
* Martin's History of the British Colonies, i, 224, Table. 
