548 
ON  BURGUNDY  PITCH. 
sides  of  these  channels  the  resin  exudes,  and  is  scraped  off  with 
an  iron  instrument  made  for  the  purpose. 
2.  The  crude  resin.  (Roh-Harz),  as  scraped  from  the  stem, 
contained  in  the  original  triangular  bark-basket  used  in  the 
country. 
3.  Wasser-Harz.  This  has  been  obtained  by  boiling  in  water 
and  pressing  the  crude  resin.  It  is  grey  and  opaque ;  contains 
much  water,  and  is  identical  with  an  impure  but  genuine  Bur- 
gundy pitch  sometimes  found  in  the  London  market. 
4.  G-ereinigtes  Fichtenharz,  Besine  purifiee.  This  is  No.  3  in 
a  purified  condition,  or,  as  we  should  call  it,  True  Burgundy 
Pitch  in  its  purest  condition. 
In  addition  to  these  specimens,  Mr.  Miiller  also  exhibits  sam- 
ples of  resin  prepared  for  the  use  of  brewers,  who  in  Grermany 
employ  resin  (Brauerpech)  for  coating  the  inside  of  beer  casks. 
Another  exhibitor  of  genuine  Burgundy  pitch  is  Mr.  Theodor 
Mtillner,  of  Hinter  Bruhl,  Post  Modling,  near  Vienna,  who 
shows  Fichtenharz,  or  crude  resin  of  the  spruce  fir,  and  Fichten- 
pech,  which  is  the  same  in  a  purified  condition.  The  latter  may 
be  regarded  as  a  type  of  good  Burgundy  pitch. 
These  contributions  to  the  Paris  Exhibition  show  that  the  resin 
of  the  spruce  is  collected  for  trade  purposes  in  Finland  and  in 
Germany,  and  in  the  first-named  country  upon  a  very  consider- 
able scale.  It  does  not,  however,  appear  that  it  is  ever  termed 
Burgundy  Pitch  in  the  places  where  it  is  produced. 
Although  genuine  Burgundy  pitch  (usually,  it  must  be  admit- 
ted, in  a  very  impure  state)  has  been  always  obtainable  in  the 
London  market,  it  is  rarely  found  genuine  in  the  shops,  an  arti- 
ficial compound  being  very  generally  supplied  in  place  of  it. 
This  artificial  Burgundy  pitch  is  of  most  variable  appearance. 
In  examining  eight  samples  of  it,  I  find  that  in  my  notes  I  have 
described  it  as  dull  tawny,  bright  tawny  yellow,  bright  yellow, 
brilliant  orange  yellow,  or  bright  orange  brown.  Some  sam- 
ples have  a  dull,  wax-like  fracture,  others  a  more  or  less  shining 
or  conchoidal  fracture.  Some  exhibit  when  broken  numerous 
cells,  containing  air  or  water,  others  are  more  compact.  All 
are  more  or  less  opaque,  but  become  transparent  on  the  surface 
in  the  course  of  time  by  the  loss  of  water.  All  the  samples  have 
