Europe, are, by no means, a conclusive proof of the inferiority of intellect, which the fortunate inhabitants of Europe liberally bestow on their less enlightened brethren of the East and West. That "time and chance happen unto all things under the sun," is a truth that amounts to a voluminous disquisition on this subject. But to return: The oregatherers chuse a level spot of hard clay, which they divide into equidistant points, by lines intersecting each other, and laid off equally on two sides of a square. These points, included in the square space, they surround with circles, of which the points are the centres. The circles are inverted bases of cones, excavated to receive the fused metal. The smelting space is now covered with wood, charcoal, and other combustible matters, and the ore is distributed among these admixtures. The melted ore is received into the formed holes, leaving the scoriæ or recrement above. The metal, still requiring many smeltings to render it fit for use, or perfectly malleable and ductile, is taken out in the form of pointed cakes, and sold for twenty Spanish dollars per pecul, or five pounds sterling for pounds 1333 avoirdupois weight. The natives are particularly careful in preventing accidents; for, previously to fusing the ore, they heat the ground to a great degree, in order that all the water near the surface may be absorbed, or made to exhale, having experienced, I imagine, that copper, when in a state of fusion, meeting the smallest quantity of water, will fly in all directions.

with a force destructive of every vulnerable substance within the sphere of its action. I have been informed, that the metal has been eliquated at Madras lately, and found to contain very little appearance of any other but of gold,

The usual sol

vents, aquafortis, aqua regia, and spirit of salts readily dissolve the Sumatran copper. A deep green solution is produced, in a very short time, by the action of the weaker acids on the rough ore. The above method of smelting will separate all coarse, mineral, and heterogeneous substances from the metal, but will still leave it strongly impregnated with its peculiar mineral earth. The detaching of this mineral carth is the most difficult and expensive operation attending the refinement and purification of copper it being frequently necessary to add a proportion of another metal to effect it. This consideration will, probably, prevent a private company from applying for public permission to work these mines; and, therefore, they must remain in their present state, unless the East India Company will order the experiment to be made, from the reports and opinions of such, as may be qualified to give them on so interesting a subject. By submitting this short account to the gentlemen of our society, whose useful researches, will, I hope, produce permanent national benefit, by advancing the knowledge of nature, of science, and of literature, opinions properly weighed, will be diffussed among the public, of the advantages, that may result from an establishment for working copper-mines on the west coast of Sumatra.

D 2

ON

ON THE

PLANT MORINDA

AND

ITS USES.

BY WILLIAM HUNTER, Esq.

A

LTHOUGH the plant, which is the subject of

this essay, be not a new species, yet, as it is cultivated to a great extent in Málava, and forms. an important branch of the commerce of that province, I hope a particular description of it, with some account of its culture and use, will not be unacceptable to the Asiatic Society.

IT is the Morinda of LINNÆUS: It belongs to the order Pentandria Monogynia in his system, and is referred by him to the natural order of Aggregata. Here, (though it may seem a digression from the subject) I cannot help observing, that LINNÆUS is not altogether consistent in the distinction, which he endeavours to establish, between the aggregata, (properly so called) and the compound, flowers. In his Philosophia Botanica, § 116. he defines a compound flower, to be "that, which has a broad entire re"ceptacle, and sessile florets;" and an aggregate flower," that which has a broad receptacle, and

florets

florets supported on peduncles." According to these definitions, the Morinda ought to be placed among the compound flowers; but in the following section, LINNEUS makes the essential character of the compound flowers to consist in having all the anthers united; thus restricting it to his class of Syngenesia. This not only excludes the Morinda, but ought perhaps, to have strictly speaking, excluded the Kuhnia, Iva and Ambrosia: and even, allowing the approximated anthers, in these genera, to come within the meaning of the definition, it seems unaccountable that the Nauclea (a), which appears so well entitled to a place in one of these orders, should be excluded from both.

THE Aal is a tree of a middling size; the Root branchy; the Trunk columnar, erect, covered with a scabrous bark.

Branches from the upper part of the trunk, scattered of the structure of the trunk.

Leaves (seminal) oval, obtuse, entire.

(mature) opposite, decussated, ovate, pointed at both ends, smooth, with very short petioles.

Stipules, lanced very small, withering.

Peduncles,from the axils of the leaves, solitary, bearing an aggregate flower. Calyx: common receptacle roundish, collecting the sessile flowers into an irregular head.

Perianth most entire, scarce observable, above. Corol, one-petaled, funnel-form; Tube cylindric; Border five cleft; divisions lanced.

(a) The Cadam of the Hindoos.

Stamen;

Stamen: Filaments five, thread-form, arising from the tube, and adhering to it through two thirds. of their length, a little shorter than the tube. Anthers linear, erect.

Pistil: Germ beneath (b). Style thread-form, Ionger than the stamens.

Stigma two-cleft, thickish.

Pericarp: common, irregular, divided on the surface into irregular angular spaces; composed of berries pyramydal, compressed on all sides by the adjacent ones, and concreted with them, lopped, containing, towards the base, a fleshy pulp.

Seeds, in each berry, four, towards the point, oblong, externally convex, internally angular.

THE species here described is called by LINNAUS Morinda arborea, pedunculis solitariis; and he gives it the trivial name of citrifolia; but the form of the leaves, in all the specimens I have seen, does not exhibit this similitude, as will appear by the inspection of the accompanying figure, which was drawn from nature: There are figures of it given by RUмPHIUS (Herb. Amboin. vol. 3. tab. 99) who calls it Bancudus latifolia, and by RHEEDE (Hort. Malab. vol. 1. tab. 52) who calls it Cáda-pilava: In Málava it is called Aal, and in Oude it has the name of Atchy.

THE plant grows best in a black rich soil, free from stones, in situations moderately moist, not too high, yet sufficiently elevated to prevent the water of the rains from stagnating; and where there is, near at

(b) The Germ is four-celled, and contains the rudiments of four seeds.

hand