Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 10.djvu/731

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1em  GOA POWDER, a drug occurring in the form of a yellowish-brown powder, varying considerably in tint, which has recently been brought into notice by Dr Fayrer of Calcutta as a remedy for ringworm. It derives its name from the Portuguese colony of Goa, where it appears to have been introduced about 1852. In 1875 it was shown by Dr Lima that the substance had been exported from Bahia to Portugal, whence it found its way to the Portuguese colonies in Africa and Asia. The tree which yields it belongs to the genus Andim of the natural order Leguminosw, and has been named .lraroba. It is met with in great abundance in certain for- ests in the province of Bahia, preferring as a rule low and humid spots. The tree is from 80 to 100 feet high, and is furnished with imparipinnate leaves, the leaﬂets of which are oblong, about inch long and  inch broad, and some- what truncate at the apex. The ﬂowers are papilion~ accous, of a purple colour, and arranged in panicles. The Goa powder or araroba is contained in the trunk, ﬁlling crevices in the heartwood. To obtain it, the oldest trees are selected as containing a larger quantity, and after being cut down are sawn transversely into logs, which are then split longitudinally, and the araroba chipped or scraped off with the axe. During this process the workmen feel a bitter taste in the mouth ; and great care has to be taken to prevent injury from the irritating action of the powder on the eyes. In this state, 2'.c., mixed with fragments of wood, the Goa powder is exported in casks.

1em  GOÁLPÁRA, the most westerly district of Assam, be- tween 25J 21' and 26° 51' N. lat. and between 89° 44' and 91 ‘ 0’ E. long, bounded on the N. by Bhutan, E. by Kamrup, S. by the Garo Hills, and W. by Kuch Belrar and Rangpur. The district is situated on the Brahmaputra, at the corner where the river takes its southerly course into Bengal. The sceneryis striking. Along the banks of the river grow clumps of cane and reed ; farther back stretch fields of rice cultivation, broken only by the fruit trees surrounding the villages, and in the background rise the forest-clad hills overtopped by the white peaks of the The soil of the hills is of a red oclrreous earth, with blocks of granite and sandstone interspersed ; that of the plains is of alluvial formation. Earthquakes are common and occasionally severe shocks have been experienced. The Bralrrnaputra annually inundates vast tracts of country. Numerous extensive forests yield valuable timber. Wild animals of all kinds are found.

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, the chief town of above district, situated on the left bank of the Brahmaputra, in 26° 11' O" N. lat, 90° 41’ 0’ E. long. It was the frontier outpost of the Mahometan power in the direction of Assam, and has long been a ﬂourishing seat of river trade. The civil station is built on the summit of a small hill commanding a magnifi- cent view of the valley of the Brahmaputra, bounded on the north by the snowy ranges of the Himalayas and on the south by the Gare hills. The native town is built on the western slope of the hill, and the lower portion is subject to inundation from the marshy land which extends in every direction. Population (1872) 4678.