G.J. Hinde (Phil. Trans., 1885, pp. 425-83).
I cannot, however, but think that it would be of the greatest service to
botanists, physicists, and mineralogists alike, if some resident in India
would resume the investigations so admirably commenced by Dr. Patrick
Russell nearly a century ago; and it is in the hope of inducing some one
to undertake this task that I have put together these notes. There are
certain problems with regard to the mode of occurrence of this singular
substance which could only be solved by an investigator in the country
where it is found.
[Illustration: SECTION OF INDIAN TABASHEER, SEEN WITH A MAGNIFYING POWER OF
250 DIAMETERS.]
Most parcels of the commercial tabasheer appear to contain different
varieties, from the white, opaque, chalk like forms through the
translucent kinds to those that are perfectly transparent. It would be of
much interest if the exact relation and modes of origin of these
different varieties could be traced. It would also be important to
determine if Brewster was right in his conclusion that the particular
internodes of a bamboo which contain tabasheer always have their inner
lining tissue rent or injured. The repetition of Dr. Russell's experiment
of drawing off the liquids from the joints of bamboos and allowing them
to evaporate is also greatly to be desired.
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