€20  The  Trees  Yielding  Benzoin.  | 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1883. 
Miquel  remarks  of  it  an  etiam  henzoiferiim  ?  That  these  two  species 
should  receive  the  same  native  name  in  Sumatra  is  not  surprising  since 
the  leaves  are  very  similar  in  shape  and  appearance  and  the  fruit  of 
^S.  subdenticulata  apparently  only  differs  from  that  of  8.  benzoin  in 
-being  obovate  instead  of  globular  and  depressed. 
Palembang  benzoin  resembles  the  Sumatra  sort  in  odor  and  differs 
from  it  chiefly  in  its  much  greater  transparency  and  in  yielding,  as  I 
-am  informed,  a  larger  percentage  of  benzoic  acid.  It  frequently  con- 
tains moisture  and  if  recently  imported  specimens  are  placed  in  a 
bottle  they  soon  become  mouldy.  Concerning  the  tree  which  yields 
.Siam  benzoin,  nothing  definite  has  hitherto  been  ascertained,  although 
as  long  ago  as  1859,  Mr.  D.  Hanbury  wrote  to  Sir  R.  H.  Schomburgh, 
asking  him  to  investigate  the  origin  of  the  resin,  and  to  find  out 
whether  the  tree  wliich  yielded  it  was  really  Styrax  benzoin.  ,  Nor  have 
subsequent  inquiries  been  more  successful.  The  only  account  extant  of 
the  mode  of  collection  of  Siam  benzoin  is  that  given  by  Sir  R.  H. 
Schomburgh,  who  was  British  Consul  for  some  years  at  Bangkok.  He, 
however,  never  visited  the  region  producing  benzoin  and  could  therefore 
only  give  information  at  second-hand.  He  represents  that  the  bark  is 
gashed  all  over  and  that  the  resin  which  exudes  collects  and  hardens 
between  it  and  the  wood,  the  former  of  which  is  then  stripped  off  The 
.authors  of  Pharmacographia,"  remark  that  it  is  evident  that  all  Siam 
benzoin  is  not  thus  obtained.  Schomburgh  adds  that  the  resin  is  much 
injured  and  broken  during  its  conveyance  in  small  baskets  on  bullocks' 
heads  to  the  navigable  parts  of  the  Menam  river,  whence  it  is  brought 
down  to  Bangkok. 
The  state  of  our  knowledge  of  Siam  benzoin  being  thus  imperfect, 
.it  occurred  to  me  to  write  to  Mr.  R.  Jamie,  of  Singapore,  to  ask  him 
for  information  on  the  subject.  This  gentleman  takes  great  interest  in 
all  that  relates  to  pharmacy,  an(J  has,  I  believe,  been  a  liberal  contri- 
butor to  the  Museum  of  the  North  British  Branch.  A  few  weeks  ago 
I  received  from  him  a  box  of  specimens  for  the  Museum  of  the 
Pharmaceutical  Society,  containing  amongst  other  interesting  and 
valuable  donations  some  sections  of  the  trunk  of  the  Siam  benzoin 
tree,  and  herbarium  specimens  of  the  leaves,  but  unfortunately  neither 
flowers  nor  fruit;  also  specimens  of  the  Sumatra  benzoin  tree  with 
leaves,  flowers  and  fruit.  In  addition  to  these  specimens  he  has  con- 
tributed some  interesting  information,  which  I  have  taken  this  early 
