524 
Siam  Benzoin. 
(  Am.  Jonr.  Pbarm.  • 
I    October,  1895. 
the  river  Mekong,  in  territory  now  occupied  by  the  French,  It  is 
feared  that  the  trade  in  this  article  will  be  ultimately  diverted  to 
Tonquin,  which  is  nearer  to  the  source  of  supply  than  Bangkok. 
"Of  gum  benjamin,  319  piculs,  or  nearly  20  tons,  figure  in  the 
export  list,  valued  at  21,005  dollars,  or  2,713/.  This  valuable  resin 
is  also  a  product  of  the  east  bank  of  the  Mekong,  and  is  interesting 
as  being  confined  to  a  narrow  zone  of  forest-clad  hill  country  to  the 
east  of  Luang  Prabang,  lying  between  19th  and  21st  degrees  of 
north  latitude  and  longitude  east  102  to  105.  Some  three-fifths 
finds  its  way  to  Bangkok  by  way  of  Nan,  and  the  remainder  by  way  of 
Nongkhai  and  Korat.  The  French  occupation  of  Luang  Prabang 
does  not  seem  as  yet  to  have  caused  any  perceptible  effect  on  the 
Bangkok  export  of  gum  benjamin  beyond  enhancing  local  prices, 
but  with  the  completion  of  new  roads,  already  initiated  by  the 
French  with  a  view  to  speedier  communication  between  Luang 
Prabang  and  Tonquin,  Bangkok  exporters,  who  are  chiefly  British, 
have  well-founded  fears  lest  the  gum  benjamin  trade  be  diverted 
entirely  from  Bangkok  to  Hanoi.  The  whole  of  the  Bangkok 
export  goes  to  the  London  market  and  thence  to  France  and  Bel- 
gium, to  be  manipulated  into  balsam.  A  small  quantity  is  used 
locally  for  frankincense. 
"  Prices  during  189O  were  bad,  first-class  gum  benjamin  fetching 
125  ticals  per  picul  (or  about  165/ per  ton);  45  ticals  per  picul 
(about  40/  per  ton).  The  good  quality  known  to  buyers  as  '  bold, 
blocky,  almondy,'  was  scarce."1 
As  the  result  of  independent  inquiry  made  at  the  instance  of  Kew 
by  the  India  Office,  the  following  further  information  has  been 
received.  This  was  obtained  through  the  Siamese  Minister  of  the 
Interior  at  Bangkok.  It  affords,  therefore,  an  account  of  Siam 
benzoin  from  the  purely  native  point  of  view.  All  the  accounts 
agree  in  ascribing  the  region  of  the  benzoin  trees  to  the  left  bank 
of  the  Mekong  River,  in  what  is  now  French  territory.  This  is  a 
tract  of  upland  country  east  and  northeast  of  the  important  town 
of  Luang  Prabang  : 
India  office  to  Royal  Gardens,  Kew. 
India  Office,  Whitehall,  London,  S.  W. 
July  30,  1895. 
Sir  : — In  continuance  of  previous  correspondence,  I  am  directed 
xThe  remainder  of  this  article  is  taken  from  a  continuation  in  the  Kew 
Bulletin  for  August. 
