164 
ON CATECHU. 
ART. XXXIX. — REPORT ON CATECHU. 
The Committee to whom was referred for examination 
a specimen of Catechu, after due investigation, offer the 
following Report : 
The specimen in question was obtained from the exten- 
sive drug warehouse of the Messrs. Lennig of this city, 
where it is found in large quantities, having been imported 
by them under the name of Terra Japonica, from England, 
for the use of calico dyers in this country. It is very little, 
known in our market, and is now for the first time brought 
under the notice of our apothecaries. It is brought from 
Singapore to Liverpool, where it goes under the name of 
cutck, in large masses weighing 150 lbs., covered over with 
palm leaves, and encircled by a kind of basket formed of 
strips of cane. 
The breaking open of one of these bags presents to view 
masses of irregular cubical blocks, whose sides average an 
inch square, and adhering together from being packed when 
imperfectly dried. It is of a deep yellow or cinnamon color 
internally, mingled occasionally with spots of white — and 
reddish brown externally. This dark color is interspersed 
throughout the mass, upon the division line of the cubes. 
It is inodorous, has a powerfully astringent, somewhat 
bitter, and a subsequent sweetish taste; is very friable, and 
presents a dull earthy surface when broken. Though pre- 
senting an amylacious aspect, the presence of starch is not re- 
vealed by the usual test. Its lightness is such as to enable it to 
float upon water. Heated, it softens, swells up, and when 
consumed leaves but little ashes. 
It is almost wholly soluble in cold water, 7-8ths of sub- 
stance being taken up by displacement with this men- 
struum, furnishing by evaporation atranslucid dark extract. 
