90     NEW  FEATURES  IN  THE  SUPPLY  OF  PERUVIAN  BARK. 
contents  appearing  in  the  greater  abundance  of  chincho-tannic 
acid  in  the  quills.  The  alkaloids  weighed  as  first  precipitated, 
gave  in  each  case  twenty-eight  grains  per  1000,  the  larger  por- 
tion of  which  consisted  of  the  quinidine  of  Pasteur,  together 
with  cinchonine,  and  a  very  small  percentage  of  quinine. 
The  novel  course  which  this  bark  has  travelled  suggests 
questions  as  to  its  origin,  which  can  only  be  answered  hypo- 
thetically.  When  Mr.  Pritchett  was  in  Huanuco  in  1860,  he 
says,  "  The  expectations  of  the  inhabitants  were  at  the  highest 
respecting  the  future  prosperity  of  the  city,  on  account  of  a 
grand  road,  which  was  already  commenced,  for  connecting  the 
province  of  Huanuco  with  the  river  Ucayali,  the  largest  and 
most  important  of  the  southern  tributaries  of  the  Amazon."  It 
is,  then,  not  improbable  that  we  have  some  of  the  first  results 
in  the  present  importations.  It  is  not  the  first  time  that  bark 
has  been  sent  down  this  .river-navigation  of  some  thousand  miles 
to  the  Atlantic. 
The  produce  of  the  forest  of  Huanuco  has  often  been  at- 
tempted to  be  passed  off  for  Calisaya  (as  I  have  described  un- 
der the  head  C.  nitida  in  my  "  Illustrations  of  Pavon's  Quino- 
logia.")  I  have  specimens  of  this  dated  as  far  back  as  1846. 
In  MM.  Delondre  and  Bouchardat's  "  Quinologie  "  will  be  found 
very  full  information  on  this  subject,  under  the  head  Quinquina 
Huanco  plat,  p.  27,  also  pi.  iv.  M.  Delondre  says,  "No  species 
resembles  more,  at  first  sight,  the  bark  of  Bolivia,  and  for  a 
long  period  those  who  collected  it  sold  it  as  true  Calisaya.  It 
is,  doubtless,  the  species  described  by  Euiz  and  Pavon  as  the  O. 
nitida,  and  to  which  they  attributed  a  very  superior  quality. 
The  surface  is  of  a  tawny  yellow,  uniform  with  longitudinal 
marks,  less  distinct  than  the  Calisaya.  The  texture  of  the  inner 
surface  is  less  compact  than  this  last.  The  transverse  fracture 
is  of  a  more  pink  color,  the  fibres  are  shorter,  but  do  not  easily 
detach  themselves.  "When  chewed,  the  bitterness  readily  de- 
velops itself;  the  taste  is  slightly  poignant  without  astringency." 
This  description,  together  with  M.  Delondre's  plate,  accord 
sufficiently  well  with  the  present  specimens  (presented  to  the 
Pharmaceutical  Museum)*  to  allow  of  its  being  produced  by 
*  These  specimens  were  exhibited  at  the  meeting,  and  their  character- 
istics briefly  alluded  to  by  Professor  Bentley. 
