Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
Aug.,  1885  J 
Baros  Camphor  of  Johore. 
411 
across  ;  generally  a  quarter  of  an  inch  and  upwards.  Three  picked  crystals 
gave  the  following  measurements  and  weights  :  1.  16'25  X  11*5  mm.  and  25 
centigrams;  2.  15X12  mm.  and  36  centigrams;  3.  13X10'25mm.  and  27 
centigrams. 
Second  quality. — Crystals  inferior  in  size  to  the  above,  and  they  are 
mostly  of  a  brown  color.  There  is  a  considerable  proportion  of  small 
crystals  approaching  the  pulverulent  condition.  Two  picked  crystals  gave 
the  following  measurements  and  weights:  1.  12X10  mm.  and  16  centi- 
grams ;  2.  9X5  mm.  and  8  centigrams.  In  addition  to  brown  coloring 
matter  there  is  free  woody  tissue,  etc.,  the  residue  obtained  after  washing 
with  rectified  spirit  amounting  to  2*8  per  cent. 
Third  quality. — This  is  made  up  of  powdery  crystals,  coherent  and 
slightly  colored  greyish.  Tt  contains  very  little  insoluble  matter,  the 
residue  obtained  from  2  grams  being  unweighable.  In  appearance  it 
resembles  crude  Japanese  camphor.  May  this  specimen  be  the  result  of 
sublimation  ! 
Fourth  quality. — Brownish  and  pulverulent ;  not  unlike  seashore  sand. 
Not  so  coherent  as  the  third  quality.  It  contains  2-3  per  cent,  of  insoluble 
matter. 
I  asked  Mr.  Jamie  if  he  had  ever  met  with  four  qualities  in  Singapore, 
and  gave  him  a  description  of  these,  to  which  he  replies  :  "  The  four  qi^ali- 
ties  of  camphor  you  allude  to,  unless  specially  marked  as  coming  from 
Borneo,  are  surely  the  product  of  the  Johore  camphor  tree.  How  there  can 
he  four  qualities  ivom.  the  one  tree  is  more  than  I  can  satisfactorily  explain. 
Both  natives  and  Chinese  pick  out  the  large  and  clear  crystals  from  the 
smaller  and  colored  ones  in  order  to  obtain  a  better  price.  As  this  camphor 
is  highly  esteemed  by  the  Chinese  and  natives,  the  practice  of  picking- 
would  be  resorted  to,  as  well  as  that  of  adulterating  with  Japanese  and 
Chinese  (Formosa)  camphor,  which  is  readily  procured  in  the  native 
bazaars.  [The  appearance  of  the  third  quality  as  suggesting  admixture 
witli  laurel  camphor  is  here  alluded  to. — P.  M.]  It  is  very  well  known  that 
few  classes  of  jDeoi^le  are  such  adepts  at  adulterating  as  the  Chinese  are,  and 
this  may  account  for  the  similarity  of  appearance.  The  Bornean  camphor 
is  all  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese  and  native  traders,  and  the  Johore  cam- 
phor will  be  also.  The  stock  of  either  kind  is  very  limited,  and  commands 
absurdly  high  prices.  In  Borneo  I  paid  5  dollars  per  ounce  for  a  genuine 
specimen  of  the  camphor,  which  I  presented  to  the  Museum  of  the  North 
British  Branch  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society.  Compare  it  with  the 
Johore  samples." 
Mr.  Jamie's  specimen  is  like  what  a  mixture  of  the  four  Johore  qalities 
would  be.  It  contains  some  very  fine  crystals,  free  from  color,  but  also 
colored  and  powdery  crystals.  Another  sample  sent  home  by  Mr.  Jamie 
consists  of  a  mixture  of  crystals  and  wood. 
In  "  Pharmacographia  "  it  is  stated  that  Borneo  camphor  does  not  crys- 
tallize on  the  interior  of  the  bottle  in  which  it  is  kept.  Tliis  is  not  correct. 
The  bottle  containing  Mr.  Jamie's  genuine  sample  has  a  well  marked 
deposit,  and  in  the  bottles  containing  the  Johore  specimens  deposits  have 
commenced,  joarticularly  in  the  third  quality.  I  observe  a  very  large 
deposit  in  an  old  specimen  in  the  Edinburgh  Museum  of  Science  and  Art. 
