SOME  REMARKS  UPON  SHELLAC,  ETC. 
443 
be  passed.  Hydrochloric  acid  is  added,  and  last  of  all  red  lead. 
The  white  pulpj  mass  is  then  collected,  washed,  and  pulled  into 
sticks  of  different  lengths.  This  description  of  lac  is  not  much 
employed,  being  chiefly  consumed  in  manufacturing  the  different 
light  shades  of  fancy  sealing-wax.  Before  proceeding  to  the 
closing  part  of  these  remarks — viz.  the  present  commercial 
relations  of  this  article — it  may  be  stated  that  shellac  should 
contain  from  84  to  90  per  cent,  of  resin  alone,  with  varying 
quantities  of  coloring  matter.  When  not  carefully  prepared,  a 
quantity  of  sand  is  often  present,  which  deteriorates  the  lac,  and 
depreciates  its  value  when  used  for  varnishes,  &c. 
For  about  two  years  there  has  been  a  steady,  but  most  unac- 
countable, rise  in  the  price  of  all  descriptions  of  lac.  Thus,  in 
October,  1858,  the  price  in  the  London  market,  as  well  as  in 
Liverpool,  was  82s.  per  cwt.  During  the  same  month  in  1859 
it  reached  123s.  per  cwt.,  and  in  October,  1860,  it  sold  in  the 
same  markets  at  260s.  per  cwt.  ;  while  in  both  the  enormous 
price  of  £14  has,  within  the  last  fortnight,  been  obtained.  At 
first  sight,  one  is  very  apt  to  consider  such  extreme  prices  the  re- 
sult of  speculation,  but  I  have  ascertained  the  last  quotation  from 
Calcutta,  I  mean  in  the  market  there,  to  be  57  rupees  per  maud. 
There  are,  I  understand,  3  mauds  to  every  2  cwt.,  or  a  maud 
and  a  half  to  each  112  lbs.  ;  so,  allowing  each  rupee  to  be  worth 
2s.  of  British  currency,  we  have  the  cost  in  India  before  ship- 
ment as  £S  lis.  The  estimated  expense  of  freight,  &c.,  may 
be  roughly  stated  at  <£2,  which  brings  up  the  price  on  landing 
to  ^10  lis.  This  appears  a  very  good  margin  for  the  importers. 
But  it  is  said  on  pretty  good  authority  that  there  are  not  at  pre- 
sent fifty  chests  of  really  good,  fine,  orange  shellac  to  be  got  in 
London.  If  this  be  correct,  then  the  difference  given  above,  be- 
tween the  net  value  as  imported  and  the  price  realized  here  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  nor  can  it  be  called  excessive.  It  might, 
however,  very  naturally  be  asked,  what  is  really  the  cause  of 
such  high  prices  and  such  scarcity  ?  The  most  feasible  reason, 
and  I  believe  the  true  one,  is  that  the  native  forests  where  lac 
has  hitherto  been  found  in  such  abundance,  have  suffered  so 
dreadfully  from  the  ravages  and  devastation  of  war,  that  the  na- 
tive collectors  have  failed  entirely  in  obtaining  supplies  of  the 
raw  material.    Now  this  is  highly  probable,  for  we  know  that 
