258 
ON  STORAX. 
to  the  origin  of  Liquid  Storax,  and  stated  the  points  on  which  I 
consider  them  erroneous,  I  will  now  proceed  to  communicate  the 
information  which  I  have  myself  received  regarding  the  drug  from 
three  valued  correspondents  in  the  Levant,  namely,  Sidney  H. 
Maltass,  Esq.,  of  Smyrna,  Lieut.  Robert  Campbell,  R.N.,  H.B. 
M.  Consul  in  the  Island  of  Rhodes,  and  Dr.  James  McGrath  of 
Smyrna. 
The  information  is  still  not  quite  perfect,  but  in  all  essential 
particulars  I  believe  the  following  is  a  correct  account  of  the 
Preparation  of  Liquid  Storax. 
Botanical  Origin. — The  tree  from  which  Liquid  Storax  is 
obtained,  is  Liquidambar  orientale  Miller  (L.  imberbe  Aitonj,  as 
is  proved  by  specimens  of  the  leaves  and  fruits  procured  at  my 
request  by  Mr.  Maltass  (see  wood-cut). 
Localities. — South-west  of  Asia  Minor  Forests  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Sighala,  near  Melasso ;  forests  near  Moughla,  and  near 
Giova  and  Ulla,  in  the  Gulf  of  Giova ;  also  near  Marmorizza 
and  Isgengak,  opposite  Rhodes. 
Mr.  Maltass  passed  through  a  dense  forest  of  Liquidambar 
between  the  village  of  Caponisi  and  the  town  of  Moughla  on  the 
7th  or  8th  of  May,  1851 :  he  describes  it  as  consisting  of  trees 
resembling  the  plane,  but  evidently  of  a  different  species,  the  leaf 
being  smaller,  and  each  tree  far  denser  in  foliage  than  the  plane 
usually  is.  "  I  also  observed,"  says  he,  "  that  most  of  the  larger 
trees  had  the  [outer]  bark  stripped  off  from  the  trunk  and  the 
inner  bark  scraped  off.  I  gathered  some  of  the  fruit  and  leaves, 
and  proceeded  on  my  journey  towards  Moughla,  my  road  lying 
for  upwards  of  an  hour  through  this  beautiful  forest.  I  observed 
that  the  trees  were  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  height,  but 
whenever  there  was  a  break  in  the  forest  and  the  trees  had  suffi- 
cient air  and  space,  they  were  of  larger  growth,  many  of  them 
being  forty  feet  high,  more  especially  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  streams  of  water.  My  guide  assured  me  that  in  some  places 
in  the  forest  in  the  direction,  of  Melasso,  he  had  seen  some  of 
these  trees  sixty  feet  in  height.  He  could  not  tell  me  the  name 
of  the  tree,  but  stated  that  an  oil  was  produced  from  it  called 
Buchur,  and  that  the  trees  were  mutilated  to  obtain  it." 
Extraction  of  the  Liquid  Storax. — In  June  and  July,  the 
outer  bark  is  stripped  off  on  one  side  of  the  tree  and  (according 
