he sun, which finishes the drying process and gives a beautiful glaze
or polish to the paper. Nothing so well dries the paper as the sun, as
we have proved by frequent experiments. After the sun, fire is the most
efficacious agent; but this gives the paper a dead and chill appearance.

Our paper is as good as yours, though not better to write upon. I have
already informed you of some of the points of difference between them.
Paper can be made to almost any size, and without any seam. One other
peculiarity is that our paper makes no more noise when doubled up than a
piece of linen.

The colour principally in use is that of cream or a very light yellow;
for though we can produce a chalky white, we do not use it in our
stuffs, except for linen.

There is a paper which we call "natural," because its green colour
exceptionally resembles that of the leaf, although it is purely
artificial, being produced by the use of a powder obtained from a
particular fruit which hangs from a tree in the shape of small eggs, and
contains a white powder of a sticky consistency. This powder is mixed
with the leaves, and the paper thus prepared is very transparent. At
first it has a kind of primrose tint, but, when subjected to heat, or to
the sun, turns green. The egg called "Brulista Tavi," or "Lime Egg,"
follows a small blossom, but the fruit alone is used. The trees are
plentiful, growing on marshy ground, a long distance from, the city, for
there are no marshes in its vicinity.

GOLDEN-COLOURED PAPER.

Some paper is of a pure gold colour, the result of a property inherent
in the leaf itself and needing no extraneous application.

I have told you that the coarse paper is made with leaves of every
description mixed together. On one occasion some of the paper, when
dried, became speckled with gold in different parts, presenting a
beautiful appearance, which astonished the overseer and workmen. The
paper was brought to me, and I directed the overseer to endeavour to
detect in future processes the cause of these beautiful specks. Many
trials were made, but he did not for months find any gold in the paper.

I meditated much on the subject, and one night I retired to rest with
the singular phenomenon still in my mind. In my sleep I saw my tree, the
Allmanyuka, all gold.

On awaking I immediately sent for the overseer, and, without relating
what I had seen in my sleep, I told him that I was impressed with the
belief that it was the leaf