ON  THE  COPAL  OP  ZANZIBAR. 
443 
Mozambique  to  near  Lamo,  or  from  3°  to  15°  south  lat.,  but  is 
most  common  between  Cape  Delgado  and  Mombas.  The  Tra- 
chylohium  Mossambicense,  Kl.,  is  found  along  the  creeks  and  on 
the  maritime  plain  or  the  old  sea-beach,  but  becomes  very  rare 
at  a  little  distance  inland,  and  quite  unknown  long  before  the 
change  in  geological  structure  offers  an  explanation  of  its 
absence.  It  requires  the  near  presence  of  the  sea  for  its  growth, 
and  dies  when  far  removed  from  its  influence. 
The  second  sort,  or  "  Chakazzi  "  gum,  is  found  in  the  ground 
at  the  roots  of  modern  Copal-trees,  or  in  the  country  where  these 
exist ;  but  it  is  also,  I  am  told,  to  be  got  with  true  Copal.  That 
it  is  found  near  the  existing  forests  is  certain ;  and  there  the 
true  Copal  is  not  known  ;  and  we  must  accept  with  caution  the 
statement  that  it  is  also  found  in  the  interior,  from  this  well- 
known  fact,  that  our  informants  habitually  mix  the  inferior  coast 
gum  with  the  valuable  produce  of  the  interior.  This  "  Chakazzi" 
is  obviously  the  recent  gum  which  has  remained  a  short  time  in 
the  soil  after  the  death  of  the  tree  which  produced  it,  yet  long 
enough  to  take  the  impression  of  sand  and  stone,  or  other  hard 
matter,  as  the  hardest  sealing-wax  long  felt  on  a  coin  will  take 
the  impression,  or  as  ice  will  flow  down  a  valley. 
The  Tree-Copal,  or  "  Anime"  of  the  English  markets,  is  un- 
doubtedly the  produce  of  forests  now  extinct ;  for  there  is  no 
tree  now  growing  at  a  distance  from  the  coast  which  produces  it. 
It  is  obtained  all  along  the  ancient  sea-beach,  the  maritime  plain 
which  here  fringes  the  Continent  to  a  depth  of  20-40  miles  in 
general.  Some  spots  are  richer  than  others,  and  some  soils  in- 
dicate good  diggings."  When  the  rains  which  follow  the 
north-east  monsoon  have  softened  the  soil,  the  natives  of  the 
country  commence  to  dig  this  from  small  pits,  searching  the  soil 
as  removed  ;  but  there  is  no  system,  and,  like  the  gold-washings 
of  Africa,  so  the  Copal-regions  yield  not  a  fraction  of  what  a 
little  system  and  industry  might  produce.  At  present  every  clan- 
feud  stops  the  search.  The  producer  receives,  even  when  success- 
ful, only  a  trifle  from  the  Indian  merchants,  who  again  part  with 
it,  often  paying  enormous  dues  to  the  Zanzibar  State,  to  the 
European  and  American  traders.  The  supply,  considering  the 
extent  over  which  it  is  scattered,  seems  unlimited ;  for  at  present 
