386 
The  Camphor  Trade. 
j  Am.  Jowr.  Pharm  . 
t     Aug.  1,1874. 
of  Tamsuy  and  Taiwan,  on  the  Island  of  Formosa,  and  between  the 
Chinese  ports  and  the  ports  of  Japan. 
The  Island  of  Formosa  is  the  chief  place  where  the  camphor  of 
commerce  is  grown.  This  island  is  populated  by  the  Chinese,  who  in- 
habit the  fertile  plains,  where  rice,  sugar  and  indigo  are  produced,  and 
by  a  mixed  race  of  civilized  aborigines  and  Chinese,  on  the  lower  range 
of  hills  where  tea  and  hemp  are  grown ;  and  in  the  higher  range, 
amongst  the  mountains — one  of  which,  called  Mount  Morrison,  is. 
said  to  be  13,000  feet  in  height — the  camphor  laurel  flourishes.  Here, 
beyond  the  boundary  line  of  territory  under  the  Chinese  government,, 
have  arisen  constant  disputes  with  the  savage  tribes,  accompanied 
often  with  fearful  attrocities  and  destruction  to  the  timber.  The  fine- 
camphor  trees  thus  destroyed  it  will  take  many  years  to  replace;  and 
as,  from  the  peculiar  character  of  their  large,  outspreading  growth,, 
they  only  occur  at  widely-scattered  intervals,  the  time  may  not  be 
distant  when  this  chief  source  of  profit  may  be  reckoned  as  one  of  the- 
things  of  the  past.  At  present  they  are  limited  to  the  Taiwan  and- 
Tamsuy  localities,  the  trees  having  long  since  disappeared  from  th'e- 
mountains  of  the  southern  department  accessible  to  the  Chinese  set- 
tlers. Formerly  the  camphor  trade  was  a  monopoly  granted  by  the 
Chinese  government.  The  camphor  mandarin,  as  he  was  termed,  who 
enjoyed  this  monopoly  paid  60,000  dollars  annually  into  the  imperial 
treasury  for  his  privilege,  and  having  obtained  the  camphor  at  the 
rate  of  about  five  dollars  per  pical  of  lbs.,  he  would  then  sell  it 
at  twenty- seven  dollars.  One  dollar  for  duties  and  some  other  slight, 
expenses  increased  the  cost,  and  about  ten  per  cent,  was  lost  by  evap- 
oration during  transit,  for,  with  the  proverbial  dogged  conservatism 
of  their  nation,  they  insisted  on  continuing  to  pack  it  in  wood  instead 
of  stowing  it  in  tin  cases,  by  which  contrivance  it  might  be  all  saved. 
The  profits  still  remained  considerable,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  com- 
petent  judges  upon  the  spot  that,  under  the  peculiar  circumstances  of" 
the  camphor  manufacture  and  trade,  a  monopoly  of  this  kind,  carried 
out  under  European  superintendence,  might  even  be  productive  of 
good  results.  How  long  this  system  had  been  in  existence  is  not  known, 
but  the  earliest  trade  notices,  which  date  back  to  the  commencement 
of  1862,  this  monopoly  is  mentioned  as  a  thing  of  some  standing.. 
At  the  end  of  1868  free  trade  was  proclaimed ;  but  in  spite  of  the 
promises  held  out,  the  traffic  did  not  greatly  increase.  Local  seizures,. 
