he terms catechu, terra japonica, and
cutch were employed synonymously; they are now, however, for the most
part used in trade somewhat distinctively, though not uniformly in the
same sense. The manufacture of catechu from the _Acacia catechu_ as
practised in Canara and Behar, has been described by Mr. Kerr ("Med.
Obs. and Inquiries," vol. v.), and Dr. Hamilton ("Journey through
Mysore," &c., vol. iii.), while Professor Royle has explained the
process followed in Northern India. According to the last-mentioned
gentleman, "the kutt manufacturers move to different parts of the
country in different seasons, erect temporary huts in the jungles, and
selecting trees fit for their purpose, cut the inner wood into small
chips. These they put into small earthen pots, which are arranged in a
double row, along a fireplace built of mud; water is then poured in
until the whole are covered; after a considerable portion has boiled
away, the clear liquor is strained into one of the neighbouring pots,
and a fresh supply of the material is put into the first, and the
operation repeated until the extract in the general receiver is of
sufficient consistence to be poured into clay moulds, which, in the
Kheree Pass and Doon, where I have seen the process, are generally of
a quadrangular form. This catechu is usually of a pale red color, and
is considered there to be of the best quality. By the manufacturers it
is conveyed to Saharunpore and Moradabad, whence it follows the course
of commerce down the Ganges, and meets that from Nepaul, so that both
may be exported from Calcutta."

GAMBIER.

The Gambier plant (_Uncaria Gambler_, Roxburgh, _Nauclea Gambir_,
Hunter), has been described by Rumphius under the name of _Funis
uncatus_. It is a stout, scandent, evergreen shrub, which strongly
resembles the myrtle. It is generally cultivated in the same
plantation with pepper, as the leaves and shoots, after undergoing the
process by which their juice is extracted, to furnish a kind of
catechu, are found to be an excellent manure for the pepper vines. The
leaves and young shoots of the gambier plant are collected as soon as
they have attained a sufficient size, and boiled in iron pans until
the juice acquires the consistence of treacle. The decoction is poured
out into narrow troughs, dried, and afterwards cut up into small
cakes, and packed in baskets for exportation. The gambier extract,
which is of a yellowish brown color, and has the consiste