ecently, and the demand is constantly
increasing.

Peruvian bark is cut in the eastern Provinces of Bolivia, skirting the
river Paraguay, and now conveyed an immense distance by mules over a
mountainous region to El Puerto, the only port of Bolivia on the
Pacific. It is thence brought by Cape Horn to the cities of the United
States and Europe. Now that Government has been successful in opening
the South American rivers, this important article of commerce will be
furnished in market by the Paraguay and La Plata rivers, at a much
reduced price.

A species of bark from Colombia, known as Malambo or Matias bark, has
been frequently administered by Dr. Alexander Ure as a substitute for
cinchona with good effect. It offers the useful combination of a tonic
and aromatic. It is supposed to be the produce of a species of
_Drimys_. It is stated that in New Granada, and other districts of
Central America, where the tree is indigenous, incisions are made in
the bark, and there exudes an aromatic oil which sinks in water.

Cinchona bark contains two alkaloids, cinchonia and quina, to which
its active properties are due; the former is best obtained from gray
bark, the latter from yellow bark. In combination with these there
exists an acid called kinic acid.

The imports of cinchona bark to this country are from 225,000 to
556,000 lbs. annually, and about 120,000 lbs. are retained for home
consumption. It comes over in chests and serons, or ox-hides, varying
from 90 to 200 lbs. We imported from France, in 1850, 489 cwt. of
Peruvian bark, of the value of L6,840; and in 1851, 1,128 cwt., of the
value of L15,787; also the following quantities of sulphate of
quinine, on which there is a duty of 6d. and 3-10ths per ounce.

oz. L
1848 3,856 5,898
1849 1,114 1,560
1850 8,976 12,566
1851 7,605 10,647

The following is the arrangement of these barks adopted by Pereira,
who has gone very fully into the subject:--

A. True cinchonas, with a brown epidermis.

I. Pale barks 1. Crown or Loxa bark. _C. Condaminea_. 2. Gray or
silver or Huanuco bark. _C. micrantha_. 3. Ash or Jaen bark. _C.
ovata_. 4. Rusty or Huamalies bark. _C. pubescens_.

II. Yellow barks. 5. Royal, yellow or Calisaya bark. _C. sp ?_

III. Red barks. 6. Red bark. _C. sp ?_

B. True cinchonas, with a white epidermis.

I. Pale barks. 7. White Loxa bark.

II. Yellow barks. 8. Hard Cartha