ON  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  BALSAM  OF  PERU.  305 
Sonsonate  with  Balsamo  negro,  are  :  Juisnagua,  six  leagues  from 
Tzalco ;  Tintepeque,  Ticalapa,  Chiltiapa,  Falmique,  Famanique 
and  Cumasagua,  near  La  Libertad.  These  pueblos  are  about 
three  leagues  distance  from  each  other,  situated  among  dense 
forests  of  the  finest  woods,  and  not  to  be  reached  but  with  a 
willing  Indian  guide. 
The  first  and  the  last  of  the  above  named  pueblos  being  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  two  ports  of  Acajutla  and  La  Libertad,  produce 
very  little  balsam,  they  are  merely  depots  ;  the  inhabitants 
purchasing  the  article  from  the  interior,  themselves  holding  con- 
tracts with  the  merchants  of  Sonsonate. 
The  medicinal  properties  of  this  tree  are  too  well  known  to 
need  a  description.  I  may  only  remark,  that  the  Indian 
Ouranderas  use  both  the  bark  and  leaves  for  preparing  stimula- 
ting drinks  to  be  used  after  severe  cases  of  the  coast  fever. 
I  have  also  the  pleasure  of  forwarding  you  a  drawing  of  an 
old  balsam  pot,  from  an  Indian  mound,  on  the  coast  near 
Juisnagua.  The  bird's  head  so  curiously  represented  is  that  of 
the  Pajuil,  or  Mexican  Pheasant,  regarded  by  most  of  our  neigh- 
bors here  as  the  wild  Turkey. 
My  observations  on  the  cinchona  capalchi,  etc.,  I  will  send 
you  at  the  earliest  opportunity,  as  I  am  still  in  want  of  a  few 
dried  specimens,  and  some  reliable  information  on  their  former 
history. 
In  the  vicinity  of  the  volcano  of  San  Salvador  I  found  a  few 
myrrh  trees,  of  which  I  much  wish  your  opinion  ;  and  on  the 
edge  of  the  water,  as  also  on  that  of  Tzalco,  some  curious 
plants,  which  I  must  leave  for  your  superior  classification. 
My  present  collection  consists  of  colored  drawings  of  about 
150  plants  used  medicinally  among  the  natives  of  this  country. 
The  number  of  destructive  insects  that  abound,  the  difficulty  of 
transportation,  and  want  of  many  conveniences  for  preparing 
dried  specimens,  led  me  to  prefer  the  use  of  my  pencil,  an  in- 
finitely slower  process,  but  advantageous  in  representing  the 
color. 
My  object,  if  possible,  is  to  procure  subscribers  to  the  entire 
work.  It  consists  of  an  exact  description  of  the  different  States 
of  the  Republic  of  Central  America,  geographical  and  commer- 
cial, Flora  and  Fauna,  with  illustrative  drawings,  in  short,  a  real 
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