32  Erythrophlceum  Guineense.  {Amjln?*;J^ 
arrangement  of  the  process  requires  that  a  certain  weight  of  bark  should 
be  put  into  the  casks  every  week  throughout  the  year.  This  could 
not  be  done  with  green  bark,  because  bark  is  only  taken  from  the 
trees  twice  per  annum.  Apart  from  this,  however,  it  has  been. found 
that  dry  bark  yields  a  much  better  product,  and  quite  as  large  a  quan- 
tity. The  small  cost  of  drying  the  bark  is  more  than  counterbalance! 
by  the  advantages  gained.  It  must  be  remembered  that  this  method 
has  only  been  adopted  to  furnish  a  large  supply  of  febrifuge  for  triaL 
It  does  not  profess  to  make  the  most  economical  use  possible  of  the 
bark.  The  factory  is  estimated  to  turn  out  during  the  present  finan- 
cial year  four  thousand  eight  hundred  pounds  of  febrifuge,  which  at  a 
rupee  (2s.)  an  ounce,  will  pay  the  whole  cost  of  the  plantations  and 
manufacture  for  the  year.  If  the  product  proves  to  be  of  permanent 
value  as  a  remedial  agent,  it  is  probable  that  the  process  will  be  consid- 
erably modified  to  produce  greater  economy,  but  involving  the  use  of 
permanent  buildings  and  machinery. — your.  App.  Sd.  [Lond],  Decem- 
ber 1st,  1876. 
ERYTHROPHLCEUM  GUINEENSE,  and  E.  COUMINGA. 
By  N.  Gallois  and  E.  Hardy. 
The  Erythrophlceum  guineense  is  a  tall  tree  belonging  to  the  family 
Leguminostz,  and  growing  along  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  Its  wood  is 
very  hard,  and  is  covered  with  a  hard  fibrous  and  odorless  bark,  which 
contains  an  active  poison,  and  to  which  the  name  of  erythrophleina  has 
been  given.  Erythrophleina  is  a  base  and  may  be  obtained  by  extract- 
ing the  pulverised  bark  with  alcohol,  evaporating  the  tincture  to  a  small 
bulk,  treating  this  with  warm  water,  evaporating  the  aqueous  extract  at 
a  low  temperature,  rendering  it  alkaline  with  ammonia,  or  sodium  car- 
bonate, and  extracting  with  acetic  ether.  On  evaporating  the  resulting 
solution  the  base  is  left.  It  is  only  slightly  soluble  in  ordinary  ether, 
in  benzol  or  in  chloroform,  but  dissolves  in  water,  acetic  ether,  amylic 
alcohol,  and  ordinary  alcohol.  It  forms  salts  with  acids,  and  its 
chloride  is  precipitated  by  platinic  chloride,  forming  a  double  salt.  The 
following  reactions  have  been  noted  with  solutions  of  erythrophleina  : — 
Picric  acid  :  yellow-green  precipitate. 
Iodine,  in  potassium  iodide  :  reddish-yellow  precipitate. 
Iodide  of  mercury  and  potassium  :  white  precipitate. 
Iodide  of  bismuth  and  cadmium  :  flocculent  white  precipitate. 
