ON THE GAMBOGE OF THE TENASSERIM PROVINCES. 127 
Dr. Graham has described a Ceylon tree under the name 
of Hehradendron cambogioides, which is said to produce 
good gamboge, but no gamboge has ever been exported 
into the English market from Ceylon. Thus it would ap- 
pear, to use the language of Dr. Wight, the tree of trees, 
which produces the gamboge of commerce, is not yet 
known." 
Dr. Helfre, who was employed by government as a 
scientific naturalist in these provinces, at an expense of 
thirteen hundred rupees per month, reported, the gam- 
boge of this country dissolves very little with water, and 
consequently does not yield that yellow emulsion as the 
common gnttifera. It will never serve as a colour, but 
promises to give a very beautiful varnish. This statement 
was controverted by a writer in our local periodical at the 
time, who said he had obtained fine gamboge of the very 
best description," from our jungles, in which he was no 
doubt correct, but he erred when he added that it came 
from the " true Stalagmitis camhogioidesy A very small 
amount of botany would have served to preserve him from 
falling into this error, for that plant has a quinary arrange- 
ment of its flowers, while the arrangement of the flowers 
of those that produce gamboge in these provinces is 
quaternary. 
The hills that bound the valley of the Tavoy river on 
both sides from their basis to their summits, abound vs^ith 
a tree which produces a fine gamboge. It is Roxburgh's 
Garcinia pictoria, which he knew produced gamboge, but 
which he said was liable to fade. As soon as I satisfied 
myself of the identity of the trees, by an examination of 
the inflorescence of our plant compared with Roxburgh's 
description, I coloured a piece of paper, one band with this 
gamboge, and another with the gamboge of commerce: 
and subsequently exposed both to the weather equally for 
more than twelve months, but without being able to dis- 
cover that one faded any more than the other. South of 
