which it is procurable, when
from the mere outskirts of the forest, 300 maunds of juice may be
collected in one month.

On the excellence of the Assam product as compared with that of America,
it does not become me to pronounce. If strength, elasticity, clearness,
and perfect freedom from viscidity, be tests of excellence, then this
product may be considered as equal to any other. It has been pronounced
by persons in Calcutta to be excellent, but no details have been entered
into except by Mr. Bell, who objects to its snapping: if by this we are
to understand snapping on being pulled too much, in contradistinction to
breaking, it only proves its excellence. It is declared to be inferior
to the American by Mr. McCosh, evidently on examination of the worst
possible specimens.

The size of the trees as they generally occur in the limits above alluded
to, entirely precludes all idea of any great liability to be destroyed by
the extraction of juice, the amount of which must be so minute, compared
to that of the whole tree. Still it may be considered desirable for the
security of the tree to limit the bleedings to the cold months, and this
is rendered more necessary by the inferiority of the juice during the
season of active vegetation. And if it be possible to limit the number
of bleedings of each tree to four or five during the above period, I
consider that the present 3,000 stock cannot fail to be kept up. But to
venture on still larger supplies, to meet the demand for this most useful
article, a demand to which limits can scarcely be assigned, the formation
of plantations should be encouraged, the sites chosen to be near the
villages bordering on the line of the natural distribution of the tree.
Propagation by cuttings or layers cannot fail to be of easy and rapid
application; and if we consider that the tree is the most valuable
receptacle of the lac insect, there is every reason to suppose that the
natives will readily enter into such views.

The jungle in which the tree occurs is of the usual heavy description,
presenting in fact no one feature in particular. The trees are all of a
tropical nature, except towards the foot of the hills, when two species
of chesnut and one of alder begin to shew themselves.

CHAPTER XI.

_Journey from Assam towards Bootan_.

Left Gowahatti on the 21st and halted at Ameengong ghat.

_December 22nd_, _1837_.--Left at twelve and proceeded to Hazoo, which
is nearly due