ON THE CA}IPHOPv-TEEE OF SUMATRA. 
337 
Gaertner has represented as Dryobalanops , but it is doubtful what 
he means by his D. a romotica, which he says occurs in Ceylon, and 
yields the best cinnamon. Here may be an error. The uncer- 
tainty is increased by his not giving characters of the species; 
and the identity with the species of Colebrooke cannot be decided. 
There seems to be some mistake in the account of Gaertner, for no 
Dryobalanops has ever been found in Ceylon, and it is impossible 
that a Dryobalanops should produce cinnamon, and that even the 
best in Ceylon. Perhaps he was misled by inaccurate statements 
on the labels of some of Sir Joseph Bank's specimens. Hitherto 
our efforts to arrive at some certainty in this case have been un- 
successful. If it be decided that the plant mentioned by Gaertner 
is the same as that of Colebrooke, then, according; to the opinion of 
some botanists, there would be a reason for adopting; the name 
D. aromaticce of Gaertner, instead of that of Colebrooke. But. 
first, that reason does not yet exist; and we think that we should 
maintain the system established among botanists, that no priority 
can be given in science to a name of a plant unaccompanied by a 
description. It is possible that Gaertner had the description of his 
species in manuscript, but he did not publish it. Shorea, Roxb. 
and Pterygium, Corr., have been described later than Gaertner's 
Dryobatanops, and must therefore be represented here as synony- 
mous . 
Geographical Distribution, — The region in which the camphor- 
tree is found, extends, in latitude, from Ajer Bangis to Singkel, or 
nearly from 1° 10' to 2° 20' N. It is not met with more south- 
ward than Ajer Bangis ; whether it grows further north than Sing* 
kel is unknown (Jungh.) Within these parallels it extends along 
the south-western side of Sumatra, from the coast to a considerable 
distance in the interior, and is found on the mountains as high as 
from a thousand to twelve hundred feet. As those mountain-chains 
which are near the coast, and most of the central valleys of the 
mountains which extend parallel to the coast, that is, in a direction 
from S. W. to N. E., are much higher than 1000 feet, it is clear 
that this tree has a very limited region, occupying but a small 
part of south-western Sumatra : it is also confined to the outer 
slope of the mountains, whence it descends into the alluvial plains, 
though it approaches the sea only in those parts where the ground 
