Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-03
a Isambic at Singapore ana Whnt Came
oft.


Singapore, as everybody knows is a city of
southern India, situated at the extremity of the
long and narrow isthmus Of Malacca It is al
most exactly under the equator and conse-
quently has very hot climate. Indeed, the
heat and insalublity of the coast prevented, TO
great degree, the explorations necessary to a
knowledge OF the natural products of the re-
glon, until a comparatively recent date
More than thirty years ago. an English ply
stefan named Montgomery, who was spending
little time at Singapore, took it into his head
one day, to ramble to the skirts of the tropical
forest, which at that period stretched north.
ward ut DO great distance from the town The
heat being oppressive he kept on, having in
view the denSer shade of certain large frees
which he perceived in advance OF him. While
resting here a few minutes, he heard the sound
of the ak and concluded to follow it, though it
led him deeper into the thcket than he had at
first intended to 20. He came, at length TO n
work of leyeiing trees with the clumsy parang,
Il rude implement of the hatchet kind
Sitting down on log to watch them, he no.
ticed one of these instruments struck into IT,
with the handle toward him. This led the doc.
tor to observe it carefully; and he saw with
surprise that upon it were carvings as he sun.
posed of quite an elaborate character, giving the
handle highly ornamental appearance It's
material, too, excited his curiosity, and, as he
could not make out what kind of wood it was
he called one of the workmen and inquired. He
was told that the handle of the paranr was NOT
OF wood, bnt was made of the gum of
just such trees as they were then and
there cutting! We may imagine with what
interest our scientific doctor prosecuted his in
quiries about this substance of which he had
never before heard
at is just the gum of these percba trees 4"
said the native, in the worst possible English
but which the awakened interest of his inferlo.
cutor helped him somehow to make ont. "see
here is some Of the gutta Tor gumD il now
LOOKS Ike dirty milk, but will soon harden i'm
Inc AIR. linen II you put il into hot wafer if
will grow soft again, and you can make it into
any shape you choose You can indent it with
burrows, or press into it any ornament tou like
and it will take the exact form of it, This is nv
parang, and made the handle myself in that
way. When cooled 1t retains all these pictures
and looks Us you see--lilxe carving"
Doctor Montgomery farther learned from his
simple informant that the Malay people had
used TINS substance IRON ancient times TO make
| various articles Of convenience, such as wbips
shoes, jugs, basins, ETC., some Of which had oc.
caslonally attracted the notice of Gorcipners Int
there had never been any demand in market for
| the gum, and II was only gathered in small
| quantities by any one who wanted il for home
use. II was not considered Of sufficient yalue to
lead to the protection Of the trees, which we're
destroyed III the rude methods Of procuring the
| gum resorted TO by the natives.
| THIS led to Il careful examination of the troes
themselves, by the doctor, who was bcginnIn@
TO comprehend what value such singular sn6.
stance might acquire in the hands of tIos, who
| could turn 1t to skilltul or scientific acconnt
| The trees grew all around him to the beobt ~
| fifty or sixty feet, with trunks from two IN
three feet in diameter The leaves were Of n
pale green ON the upper surface, and beneath
| OF a lighter color and covered with reddidb
| brown hair. The gum was plenty, and would
flow readily from any slit or punciure Of the
bark, though the natives usually fclled the tree
| to obtain it the more rapidly. The forests were
at that lime, however, generally considered AS
common property, out Of which any one minbt
appropriate what he chose. And as the gum in
question had no commercial value nobody
knew or cared bow many Of these valuable trees
were annually destroyed.
| Doctor Montgomery returned from bis ramble
IN the forest much wiser than he was before, on
one subject at least He revolved 1t in his mind,
obtained additional information, made tests and
.lials with the "gutta, called to 1t the attention
y, a 1V a 0l the foreign residents at Singapore,
anu ni,ally wrote a minute account and for
VA ~ speeinens OF 1t " several OF his selen-
Iliic lrlellus ~ Europe. And though at first the
lnLsrest manifested by his countrymen seemed
'ardy ana 'neredalous, u was AZ length fully