Skip to main content

Full text of "Pomarium Britannicum : an historical and botanical account of fruits known in Great Britain"

See other formats 


1C.D.  LI  8  3ft  BY 


POMARIUM 
BRITANNICUM 


HISTORICAL   AND    BOTANICAL  ACCOUNT 


OF 


FRUITS 

KNOWN    IN   GREAT    BRITAIN 

BY 

HENRY  PHILLIPS 


SECOND  EDITION 


Suxal   rt  yXuxspat,  seal  Ixa7a; 

HOM  ODYSS 

"  I  have  often  been  astonished  at  onr  indifference  respecting  the  applause  of  those  who 
have  introduced  useful  plants  into  their  country^  the  fruits  of  which  are  to  this  day  so 
delightful.  The  names  of  these  public  benefactors  are  chiefly  unknown,  whilst  their  benefits 
pass  from  generation  to  generation  :  whereas,  those  of  the  destroyers  of  the  human  race  are 
handed  down  to  us  in  every  page,  as  if  we  took  more  account  of  our  enemies  than  our 
friends." 

ST  PIERRE 


LONDON 

PRINTED  FOR  T  AND  J  ALLMAN 

PRINCE'S  STREET  HANOVER  SQUARE 


Printed  by  J.  6.  Barnard,  Skinner  Street,  London. 


TO  THE 

PRESIDENT, 
VICE   PRESIDENTS, 

AND 

• 

FELLOWS 

OF  THE 

HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY  OF  LONDON, 

AS  A  SINCERE  THOUGH  SMALL 

TESTIMONY  OF  HIS  HIGH  ESTEEM 

FOR  THIS 

GREAT  NATIONAL  AND  BENEFICIAL  INSTITUTION, 

THIS  WORK 

i 
IS  MOST  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED, 

BT 
THEIR  MOST  DEVOTED 

AND 
OBEDIENT  SERVANT, 

THE  COMPILE  ft. 


a  2 


PREFACE. 


To  the  first  historical  account  of  fruits,  which 
has  been  attempted  in  the  English  language, 
it  may  be  expected  that  a  Preface  should 
be  given.  The  Author  would  rather  that 
his  should  be  considered  an  apology  for 
having  undertaken  so  arduous  a  task,  at  a 
time  when  his  utmost  exertions  were,  from 
necessity,  directed  towards  other  objects. 
He  is  now  induced  to  offer  it  to  the  world, 
not  relying  on  his  own  ability  so  much  as 
on  the  indulgence  of  the  Public,  to  a  work 
that  has  been  finished  under  the  most  dis- 
tressing family  affliction. 

It  will  be  observed,  that  the  work  has 
been  compiled  more  for  general  readers  than 
for  botanists  or  practical  gardeners.  The 
former,  as  well  as  the  latter,  will  find  abun- 
dance of  books  worthy  their  attention,  but 


VI 


which  afford  the  greater  part  of  society  but 
little  information,  particularly  those  who 
have  not  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  a  classi- 
cal education,  as  Botany  is  not  yet  divested 
of  it's  Latin  garments,  although  there  is  no 
reason  why  it  should  continue  to  be  shackled 
in  a  dead  language,  when  our  own  is  so  co- 
pious and  so  rapidly  becoming  the  dialect 
of  one  half  of  the  world.  The  ancients 
wrote  their  botanical  and  medicinal  works 
in  the  language  of  their  respective  countries, 
whilst  the  writings  of  the  moderns  on  these 
subjects  are  so  disguised  in  ancient  lan- 
guage, that  few  but  professors  thoroughly 
understand  them,  thus  depriving  those  whom 
they  intended  to  enlighten  from  obtaining 
information.  For  many  centuries,  the  pro- 
fession of  the  law  was  worded  in  a  foreign 
tongue,  and  the  prayers  of  the  church  were 
offered  to  the  Almighty  in  a  language  little 
understood  except  by  the  clergy.  These 
inconveniences  have  been  remedied,  and 
the  Author  hopes  to  see  Medicine  and 
Botany  also  dispossessed  of  their  foreign 


Vll 


terms    to  the  advantage  of  society  in   ge- 
neral. 

By  those  who  have  made  the  history  of 
fruits  their  study,  it  may  be  thought  that  the 
Author  has  added  but  little  new  information. 
This  will  be  admitted,  as  he  has  not  at- 
tempted to  search  for  unknown  fruits,  or 
to  relate  anecdotes  of  them.  His  object 
has  been  to  collect  the  earliest  and  best  in- 
formation on  this  interesting  subject,  and  to 
bring  it  into  a  small  focus,  as  the  accounts  of 
fruits  have  hitherto  been  scattered  in  volu- 
minous works,  of  so  great  rarity  and  value, 
that  none  but  those  possessing  extensive  li- 
braries could  gratify  their  inquiries  on  this 
subject,  and  even  then  it  was  obtained  at  a 
great  expense  of  time;  nor  would  the  Author 
have  been  able  to  have  compiled  this  humble 
volume,  but  for  the  kindness  of  the  late  Sir 
Joseph  Banks,  and  several  other  botanical 
friends,  whose  liberality  allowed  him  access 
to  their  collections.  He  is  also  greatly  in- 
debted to  many  of  the  members  of  the  Hor- 
ticultural Society,  particularly  to  several  prac- 


vm 


tical  gardeners  and  nurserymen,  whose  atten- 
tion to  their  profession  has  not  only  honoured 
and  enriched  themselves,  but  so  benefited 
and  beautified  their  country,  that  it  has  be- 
come, as  far  as  nature  and  art  can  make  it, 
the  paradise  of  the  terrestrial  world. 

The  art, of  gardening  is  now  so  justly  ap- 
preciated in  this  country,  that  the  Author 
does  not  despair  of  seeing  monuments  of  brass 
erected,  by  a  generous  public,  to  commemo- 
rate the  memory  of  those  neglected  personages 
who  first  introduced  the  cultivation  of  the  po- 
tatoe,  and  other  useful  vegetable  productions 
into  this  kingdom.  Even  the  brilliant  talents 
of  Ireland  have  not  left  a  more  lasting  benefit 
to  our  sister  country,  than  that  man,  who, 
braving  the  seas,  procured  for  it  the  potatoe 
root.  Our  naval  and  military  defenders  are 
justly  rewarded  by  the  gratitude  and  the  purse 
of  the  nation,  and  would  gladly  divide  these 
honours  with  those  that  have  made  their  coun- 
try more  worthy  of  defence. 

The  Author  considers,  among  other  bless- 
ings, that  gardening  has    bestowed   on   the 


IX 

City  of  London,  that  of  it's  being  a  preventive 
of  pestilence  and  the  plague,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance of  it's  making  cleanliness  a  mat- 
ter of  profit  in  this  immense  f  metropolis, 
from  whence  the  soil  is  so  carefully  removed 

•«**  o> 

to  manure  the  ground  occupied  by  gardeners 

t  •'•/• 

in  the  environs,  which  are  now^  calculated 
to  exceed  six  thousand  acres  within  twelve 
miles  of  London,  that  are  constantly  culti- 
vated for  the  supply  of  the  markets  with 
fruit  anid  vegetables. 

Stevenson  informs  us,  that  3,500  acres 
of  ground  in  Surry  alone  are  employed  as 
market  gardens;  and  Middleton  observes, 
that  from  Kensington  to  Twickenham,  the 

land   on  both  sides  of  the  road  for  seven 

•- 

miles  composes  the  great  fruit  gardens,  north 
of  the  Thames,  for  the  supply  of  the  London 
market.  It  is  gratifying  to  see  the  number  of 
hands  this  ground  employs.  Even  during 

s.  '-  '  .»•-.• 

the  six  winter  months,  it  i$  computed  'that 
it  affords  work  to  five  persons  an  "acre,  and 
at  least  double  that  number  for  the  summer 
months,  who  are  principally  females;  and 
if  we  add  porters,  hawkers,  &c.  it  will  be 


found  to  treble  the  amount,  making  the 
number  exceed  ninety  thousand  persons, 
who  are  in  the  summer  months  daily  em- 
ployed by  the  gardeners,  within  a  circle  of 
ten  or  twelve  miles  around  London. 

The  Author  of  the  Pomarium  Britannicum 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  work  from  his- 
torical researches,  which  he  has  since  en- 
deavoured 'to  make  more  complete,  by  se- 
lections from  Natural  History  and  Botany. 
It  will  be  observed,  that  he  has  referred  to 
Pliny  ofteher  than  to  any  other  ancient 

author ;    but   those   who   have   studied   this 

• 
writer's  Natural  History,  will  acknowledge, 

that  he  ha$  given  more  accurate  accounts  of 
fruit,  than  is  contained  in  all  the  other  ancient 
works  together.  Gerard  was  the  first  En- 
glish authbr  that  wrote  largely  on  fruits 
and  plants;  and,  as  it  was  at  the  period 
when  Horticulture  first  began  to  be  studied 
in  this  country,  his  work  also  afforded  much 
information.  The  author  is  much  indebted 
to  the  reports  of  the  Horticultural  Society, 
whose  liberality  is  as  justly  admired,  as  their 
prosperity  is  earnestly  wished  for. 


XI 

It  is  hoped  that  no  part  of  this  work 
will  be  found  objectionable,  as  the  principal 
study  of  the  Compiler]  has  been  to  render 
it  acceptable  to  all  classes,  and  to  fulfil  his 
engagement  with  his  liberal  friends  and  pa- 
tronisers,  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability.  Should 
it  meet  with  an  encouragement  to  demand 
an  enlargement,  he  will  consider  it  the 
proudest  day  of  his  life,  when  he  sets  about 
correcting  and  improving  his  first  work :  to 
make  it  more  worthy  attention,  on  this  ac- 
count, he  solicits  from  the  Public  such  in- 
formation as  may  have  escaped  his  notice. 


INTRODUCTION. 


IT  is  now  universally  allowed,  that  no  coun- 
try ever  attained  to  such  eminence,  either  in 
commerce  or  the  arts,  as  the  British  nation 
has  at  present. 

As  the  mind  has  become  more  enlight- 
ened, the  taste  of  course  has  become  more 
pure;  whence  it  is  no  wonder  that  man 
in  this  island  has  now  so  much  directed  his 
attention  to  an  Employment  which  the  Al- 
mighty deemed  best  adapted  for  his  happi- 
ness in  the  creation  of  the  world :  "  And 

: 

the  Lord  took  the  man,  and  put  him  into 
the  garden  of  Eden,  to  dress  it,  and  to 
keep  it." 

No  people  of  old,  in  their  greatest  pro- 
sperity, ever  ceased  to  cultivate  and  honour 
this  useful  pursuit,  which,  far  from  being  con- 
sidered a  mean  and  vulgar  study,  command- 
ed the  attention  of  kings  themselves.  Of 
Solomon  it  is  written,  that  "  he  made  cedars 
to  be  as  the  sycamore  trees  that  are  in  the 

B 


vale  for  abundance/'  and  that  he  wrote  a  his- 
tory of  all  the  plants,  from  the  cedar  of  Liba- 
nus  to  the  moss  growing  on  the  wall. 

The  Chinese  have  ever  been  celebrated  for 
their  attention  to  horticultural  pursuits.  A 
peasant,  whose  garden  or  fields  are  cultivated 
with  the  most  care,  is  rewarded  by  being  made 
a  mandarin  of  his  class. 

Among  the  Persians,  horticulture  was 
most  strictly  attended  to,  if  we  may  trust 
the  authority  of  Xenophon,  who  states  that 
Cyrus  the  Younger  was  accustomed  to  in- 
form himself,  whether  the  private  gardens  of 
his  subjects  were  well  kept,  and  yielded  a 
plenty  of  fruit ;  that  he  rewarded  the  super- 
intendants  or  overseers  whose  provinces  were 
the  best  cultivated ;  and  punished  those  who 
did  not  labour,  and  improve  their  grounds. 
I  will  not  here  omit  the  just  compliment  of 
Lysander  to  this  monarch,  who  was  telling 
him  that  many  of  the  trees  they  were  look- 
ing at  had  been  planted  by  himself.  The 
Lacedaemonian  observed,  "  That  the  world 
had  reason  to  extol  the  happiness  of  Cyrus, 
whose  virtue  was  as  eminent  as  his  fortune, 
and  who  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  affluence, 
splendor,  and  magnificence,  had  yet  preserved 
a  taste  so  pure,  and  so  conformable  to  right 


reason/' 


Socrates  makes  this  noble  encomium  up- 
on agriculture :  "  It  is/'  says  he,  "  an  em- 
ployment the  most  worthy  of  the  applica- 
tion of  man,  the  most  ancient,  and  the 
most  suitable  to  his  nature;  it  is  the  com- 
mon nurse  of  all  persons,  in  every  age  and 
condition  of  life ;  it  is  the  source  of  health, 
strength,  plenty,  riches,  and  of  a  thousand 
sober  delights  and  honest  pleasures ;  it  is  the 
mistress  and  school  of  sobriety,  temperance, 
justice,  religion,  and  in  short  of  all  virtues, 
both  civil  and  military/' 

To  prove  in  what  estimation  among  the 
ancients  they  were  held  who  encouraged  or 
improved  this  art,  it  will  be  only  necessary 
to  attend  to  what  is  stated  by  Plutarch,  who 
says  that  Ceres  and  Bacchus  were  mortals 
that  were  deified  for  having  given  to  men 
immortal  blessings,  by  bestowing  on  them 
the  knowledge  of  raising  fruits.  At  Rome 
especially,  during  the  Commonwealth,  the 
greatest  generals,  consuls,  and  dictators,  with 
the  same  victorious  hands  that  overthrew  the 
enemies  of  their  state  in  war,  turned  up  the 
earth  in  time  of  peace. 

Pompey  and  Vespasian  bore  in  their  tri- 
umphs trees  which  they  had  procured  from 
the  conquered  nations,  as  monuments  more 
durable  and  useful  than  those  of  brass  or 

B  2 


marble  ;  and  long  before  their  time,  after 
the  sacking  of  Carthage,  the  Senate  reserved 
from  the  libraries  of  that  great  city  only 
twenty-eight  volumes,  (the  writings  of  Mago 
on  Husbandry,)  which  they  caused  to  be 
translated  into  the  Latin  language,  notwith- 
standing Cato  had  so  lately  written  on  the 
same  subject. 

As  soon  as  they  had  in  some  sort  made 
themselves  masters  of  Britain,  the  Romans 
began  to  clear  the  forests,  and  encourage 
agriculture,  which  in  this  country  was  but 
little  attended  to,  except  upon  the  coast;  and 
at  that  period  the  island  possessed  but  few 
fruits,  which  for  want  of  proper  culture  must 
have  been  very  inferior  in  quality. 

As  the  Romans  made  a  practice  of  con- 
veying to  their  native  country  the  natural 
productions  of  the  conquered  nations,  and 
cultivating  them  with  such  care  as  to  make 
them  flourish  as  though  indigenous  to  the 
climate,  it  is  probable  that,  after  the  fall 
of  their  empire,  the  Crusaders,  who  often 
made  that  part  of  the  world  a  rendezvous, 
observed  and  acquired  a  relish  for  many  of 
those  rarities,  and  brought  back  to  their 
homes,  not  only  new  fruits,  but  those  of 
their  native  soil  in  an  improved  state.  After 
this,  the  intercourse  of  the  priests  with  Rome 


perhaps  served  to  introduce  other  fruits,  as 
the  Catholic  religion,  enjoining  frequent 
abstinence  from  animal  food,  must  have 
made  the  possession  of  fruits  more  desira- 
btei 

But  it  was  during  the  reigns  of  Henry 
the  Eighth  and  Elizabeth,  that  the  most 
valuable  fruits  were  introduced  into  this 
country,  for  at  that  time  the  desire  of  disco- 
very pervading  England,  many  fruits,  plants, 
and  vegetables,  hitherto  unknown,  were 
brought  to  this  island  from  the  new  world. 
At  that  period  so  little  does  horticulture  seem 
to  have  advanced,  that  Elizabeth  was  obliged 
to  procure  her  salads  from  Holland;  and, 
according  to  Fuller,  green  pease  were  seldom 
seen  except  from  that  country.  "  These,"  says 
he,  "  were  dainties  for  ladies — they  came  so 
far  and  cost  so  dear/' 

About  the  commencement  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  Tusser,  Gerard,  Bacon,  and 
others,  turned  their  attention  to  natural  his- 
tory and  the  cultivation  of  useful  and  orna- 
mental plants.  After  them,  Linnreus  alter- 
ing and  enlarging  the  foundation  upon  which 
former  naturalists  had  built,  raised  that  sys- 
tem which  will  remain  as  long  as  science,  time, 
and  natural  productions  shall  last. 

Since  this,  there  has  been  kept  up.  a  con- 


6 

tinned  search  for  every  kind  of  tree,  shrub, 
and  herb,  that  could  either  please  the  eye, 
gratify  the  taste,  or  contribute  to  the  advan- 
tage of  medicine ;  the  hottest  and  the  coldest 
climates  have  been  explored ;  and  those 
plants  that,  for  want  of  a  warmer  sun,  would 
not  flourish  naturally  in  this  country,  have 
had  an  artificial  clime  and  temperature  fur- 
nished to  them.  Our  cottage  walls  are  now 
covered  with  the  roses  of  China ;  our  gardens 
with  the  flowers  of  Persia;  and  even  the 
woods  ornamented  with  the  spiral  blossoms 
of  the  Asiatic  chesnut :  in  short,  the  various 
plants  of  all  the  world  have  been  introduced 
to  beautify  our  happy  land ;  and  with  such 
success,  as  to  render  it  difficult  sometimes 
to  say,  which  are  natives,  and  which  are 
not. 

The  Agricultural  Society  has  succeeded 
in  improving  our  farms,  the  very  meadows 
of  which  are  clothed  anew :  this  produces 
the  grass  of  the  Italian  fields,  and  that  the 
pasture  of  the  Netherlands  :  the  chalky  hills 
wave  with  corn,  our  marshes  are  no  longer 
stagnated,  and  famine,  which  formerly  suc- 
ceeded an  unfavourable  season,  seems  no 
longer  to  be  dreaded. 

The  Horticultural  Society  was  established 
in  the  year  1809?  in  order  to  give  further 
2 


encouragement  to  this  art,  and  to  extend  the 
best  possible  system  of  it  to  every  part  of  the 
kingdom.  By  means  of  this  company,  what 
is  discovered  in  one  place,  may  be  sent  post 
as  it  were  to  others,  through  the  remotest 
corners  of  the  dominions,  without  travelling 
as  before,  by  ages.  Besides  this  advantage, 
individuals  have  sent  out  men  of  science  to 
every  quarter  of  the  known  world  in  search 
of  plants,  which  have  since  been  so  diver- 
sified and  multiplied,  as  to  make  it  almost 
difficult  to  discover  more  varieties. 

The  author  has  ascertained,  by  the  assist- 
ance of  the  Hortus  Kewensis,  that  since  the 
discovery  of  the  new  world,  we  have  pro- 
duced 2,345  varieties  of  trees  and  plants  from 
America,  and  upwards  of  1,700  from  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  addition  to  many 
thousands  which  have  been  brought  from 
China,  the  East  Indies,  News  Holland,  va- 
rious parts  of  Africa,  Asia,  and  Europe, 
until  the  list  of  plants  now  cultivated  in 
this  country  exceeds  120,000  varieties. 

But  flowers  have  principally  engaged  the 
care  and  study  of  students  in  horticulture 
and  botany,  while  fruits  have  been  in  com- 
parison rather  too  much  neglected,  though 
of  the  two  the  latter  are  intrinsically  the 
most  valuable,  for  since  the  more  frequent 


8 

use  of  fruits  and  vegetables  in  this  country, 
many  dreadful  diseases,  as  the  leprosy,  &c. 
are  no  longer  prevalent,  or  have  lost  their 
baneful  effects. 

Induced  by  these  reflections,  the  author 
endeavoured  to  discover  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  for  such  comforts  and  advantages ; 
in  doing  which,  he  met  with  considerable 
difficulty,  for  modern  historians  are  silent  on 
the  subject,  though  they  often  dwell  long 
on  others  not  really  so  interesting ;  and  the 
few  works  in  our  language  on  this  head,  are 
either  too  expensive  or  strictly  botanical  for 
general  readers.  However,  encouraged  by 
the  observation  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  that 
"  Every  anecdote  that  tends  to  throw 
light  on  the  introduction,  or  on  the  pro- 
bable origin  of  plants  now  collected  for 
use,  is  interesting,  even  though  it  is  not 
quite  perfect/'  he  continued  his  researches 
till  he  was  flattered  that  the  work,  originally 
intended  only  as  a  private  instruction  for  his 
family,  might,  with  care,  become  worthy  the 
perusal  of  the  public,  and  enable  him  to 
make  further  inquiries  and  discoveries,  which 
has  emboldened  him  to  send  it  forth  to  the 
world. 

It  has  been  the  compiler's  wish  and  en- 
deavour to  render  the  work  a   History  of 


Fruits,  that  may  not  only  be  read  through, 
but  referred  to,  with  some  amusement;  in  it 
to  blend  entertainment  with  useful  informa- 
tion, as  much  as  the  subject  would  allow; 
to  combine  and  compare  the  accounts  of 
the  ancients  with  those  of  the  moderns  which 
are  more  improved ;  and,  in  short,  to  treat 
on  each  species  of  fruit  generally ;  for  to 
have  descended  into  varieties,  would  have 
filled  volumes  with  names  alone,  since  he 
finds  one  individual  possessing  400  kinds  of 
strawberries,  and  others  as  great  a  variety 
of  gooseberries,  while  the  kinds  of  apples, 
pears,  plums,  &c.  have  been  still  more  nu- 
merously multiplied. 

And  kinds  are  less  material  to  his  theme ; 
Which  who  would  learn,  as  soon  may  tell  the  sands 
Driv'n  by  the  western  wind  on  Libyan  lands, 
Or  number,  when  the  blust'ring  Eurus  roars, 
The  billows  beating  on  Ionian  shores. 

Dryden's  VirgiL 


A  C  O  R  N.  —  G  L  A  N  S. 

THE  OAK  TREE.— QUERCUS. 
In  Botany,  of  the  Monoecia  Potyandria  Class. 


THE  acorn,  which  is  the  fruit  or  nut  of  the 
oak  tree,  was  the  food  of  the  ancient  Britons, 
and  particularly  of  the  Druids,  who,  says 
the  historian,  lived  in  caves  and  hollow 
trees;  their  food  was  acorns  and  berries, 
and  their  drink,  water.  The  name  of  Druid 
seems  to  be  taken  from  the  Greek  word  tyuV, 
an  oak.  They  thought  whatever  grew  on 
the  oak  was  sent  from  heaven,  and  nothing 
was  held  so  sacred  by  them  as  the  mistletoe 
of  an  oak ;  and  they  believed  it  to  be  the 
favourite  tree  of  the  Deity. 

Content  with  food,  which  nature  freely  bred, 
On  wildings  and  on  strawberries  they  fed ; 
Cornels  and  bramble-berries  gave  the  rest, 
-And  falling  acorns  furnished  out  a  feast. — Ovid. 


12 

Acorns  were  not  the  food  of  the  Britons 
only.  The  inhabitants  of  Chios  (in  ancient 
times)  held  out  a  long  siege,  having  no  other 
food  but  acorns. 

Acorns  are  eaten  to  this  day  in  Spain, 
where  they  long  remained  a  delicacy  at 
the  desserts.  Cervantes  often  mentions  them 
in  his  Don  Quixote ;  but  the  Spanish  acorns 
are  certainly  of  a  sweeter  nature  than  those 
of  England. 

In  times  of  scarcity  and  dearth  of  corn, 
they  have  been  ground  and  baked  into  bread, 
both  in  this  country  and  in  France ;  but  the 
taste  of  it  is  rough   and  disagreeable,  and 
indeed  acorns  are  said  to  be  hard  of  diges- 
tion, and  to  cause  head-aches  and  flatulence. 
The  study  of  botany,  and  the  encourage- 
ment given  to  agricultural  and  horticultural 
pursuits,  have  so  wonderfully  improved   the 
state  of  this  country,  that  what  in  early  ages 
a  king  would  have   feasted  on,  the  beggar 
now  refuses;    and   the    acorn    is    scarcely 
known  as  affording  nourishment  to  the  hu- 
man  species,  even    among    the    wandering 
vagrants  who  pitch  their  tattered  tents,  and 
cook  their  scanty  fare  beneath  the  branches 
of  the  trees  that  produce  them. 

Should  there  remain  any  persons  so  igno- 
rantly  obstinate,  as  to   exclaim  against  the 


13 

study  of  botany  as  useless  and  uninteresting, 
let  their  plentiful  desserts  be  furnished  with 
a  scanty  supply  of  acorns,  and  their  wine 
be  exchanged  for  the  beverage  of  their  fore- 
fathers; and  soon  would  they  join  in  the 
praise  of  this  science,  and  of  all  those  who 
have  given  their  time  and  talent  to  improve 
the  health,  and  add  to  the  luxuries  of  man, 
by  this  interesting  and  beneficial  study,  which, 
next %  to  astronomy,  carries  our  thoughts  to 
heaven,  and  causes  us  to  join  the  Psalmist 
in  his  exclamation,  "  O  Lord,  how  wonderful 
are  thy  works,  in  wisdom  hast  thou  made 
them  all." 

Before  the  Conquest,  the  wealds  of  Sussex 
(which  is  the  largest  valley  in  Europe)  were 
one  continued  forest  from  Hampshire  to 
Kent,  principally  of  oak  trees,  that  were 
only  valued  for  the  number  of  swine  which 
the  acorns  maintained. 

Acorns  are  but  little  used  at  present, 
except  to  fatten  hogs  and  deer;  they  are 
sometimes  given  to  poultry,  and  would  be 
found  an  advantageous  food  for  fowls,  were 
they  dried  and  ground  into  meal. 

In  medicine,  a  decoction  of  acorns  is  re- 
puted good  against  dysenteries  and  colics. 
Pliny  states,  that  acorns  beaten  to  powder, 
and  mixed  with  hog's  lard  and  salt,  heal 


14 

all  hard  swellings,  and  cancerous  ulcers;  and 
when  reduced  into  a  liniment,  and  applied, 
stay  the  bloody  flux. 

Every  part  of  the  oak  is  styptic,  binding, 
and  useful  in  all  kinds  of  fluxes  and  bleed- 
ings, either  inwardly  or  outwardly;  the  bark 
is  frequently  used  in  gargarisms,  for  the  re- 
laxation of  the  uvula,  and  for  sore  mouths 
arid  throats.  An  extract  made  from  the  bark 
is  said  by  some  to  be  equal  to  the  Peruvian 
bark. — Chambers. 

The  gall  nuts  of  the  oak,  are  of  many 
kinds,  but  they  have  all  the  same  medicinal 
virtue.  I  learn  from  Pliny  that  they  were 
used  by  the  Romans  to  colour  their  hair 
black. 

John  Ellis,  Esq.  discovered  that  acorns  can 
be  preserved  in  a  state  fit  for  vegetation  for  a 
whole  year,  by  enveloping  them  in  bees  wax : 
other  seeds  may  be  conveyed  from  distant 
countries,  by  the  same  means. 

The  ancients  thought,  that  of  all  trees,  the 
oak  was  made  first;  and  that  among  men, 
the  Arcadians  were  born  first;  and  that  is 
the  reason  why  they  were  compared  to  the 
oak. 

It  seems  that  in  ancient  times,  the  oak 
tree  was  not  venerated  by  the  Heathens  only, 
as  it  appears  there  were  oak  trees  in  the 


15 

temple  of  the  true  God,  for  the  Bible  in- 
forms  us  that  Joshua  "  wrote  the  command- 
ments and  the  precepts  of  the  Lord,  in  the 
book  of  the  law,  and  that  he  took  a 
very  great  stone,  which  he  put  under 
an  oak,  which  was  in  the  sanctuary  of  the 
Lord." 

In  the  Valley  of  Mamre,  which  was  in 
the  beautiful  country  of  the  tribe  of  Judea, 
where  Abraham  was  visited  by  the  angels 
who  announced  to  him  the  birth  of  Isaac, 
stood  an  oak,  that  became  celebrated  as  the 
tree  under  which  Abraham  often  went  to  re- 
pose and  refresh  himself.  Bayle  says,  that 
this  oak  was  said  to  have  existed  under  the 
emperor  Constantius. 

It  was  an  oak  that  caused  the  death  of 
the  son  of  David  in  the  battle  of  the  wood 
of  Ephraim :  "  And  Absalom  rode  upon  a 
mule,  and  the  mule  went  under  the  thick 
boughs  of  a  great  oak,  and  his  head  caught 
hold  of  the  oak,  and  he  was  taken  up  between 
the  heaven  and  the  earth :  and  the  mule  that 
was  under  him  went  away/* 

A  periwig-maker  in  the  town  of  Lewes, 
in  Sussex,  made  use  of  this  story  to  recom- 
mend the  sale  of  false  hair.  He  had  a  sign 
painted  on  the  front  of  his  shop,  represent- 
ing the  rebellious  son  of  David  hanging  in  the 


16 

oak  by  the  hair  of  his  head,  with  this  whimsi* 
cal  couplet  below  : 

O  Absalom!  unhappy  sprig, 

Thou  should'st  have  worn  a  periwig. 

It  was  an  oak-tree  also  which  cost  Milo 
of  Crotona,  the  most  celebrated  wrestler  of 
Greece,  and  who  was  always  the  conqueror 
in  the  games,  his  life.  He  possessed  pro- 
digious strength.  It  is  related  that  he  held 
a  pomegranate  in  his  hand  so  firmly,  without 
smashing  or  hurting  the  fruit,  that  no  person 
could  open  his  fingers  strait,  so  as  to  take 
it  from  him.  He  would  put  his  naked  foot 
on  a  quoit,  greased  with  oil,  and  whatever 
effort  was  made,  it  was  impossible  to  shake 
him.  His  confidence  in  his  (almost  super- 
natural) strength  was  fatal  to  him,  for  having 
once  found  in  his  way  an  old  oak-tree, 
nearly  opened  by  wedges,  which  had  been 
forced  by  the  hatchet  and  hammer,  he  un- 
dertook to  finish  the  felling  of  it,  by  the 
power  of  his  arms  alone;  but  in  the  effort 
he  undid  the  wedges,  and  his  hands  wrere 
caught  by  the  two  parts  of  the  oak,  which 
joining  together  again,  he  was  unable  to 
liberate  himself,  and  was  devoured  by  the 
wolves. 

The  famous  forest  of  Dodona,  in  Epirus, 


17 

consisted  of  oaks  that  were  consecrated  -to 
Jupiter:  this  was  one  of  the  most  ancient 
oracles  of  which  we  have  any  particular 
account.  Herodotus  gives  two  accounts  of 
the  rise  of  this  oracle,  one  of  which  clears 
up  the  mystery  of  the  fable,  viz.  that  some 
Phoenician  merchants  carried  off  a  priestess 
of  Thebes  into  Greece,  where  she  took  up 
her  residence  in  the  forest  of  Dodona,  and 
there,  at  the  foot  of  an  old  oak,  erected 
a  small  chapel  in  honour  of  Jupiter,  whose 
priestess  she  had  been  at  Thebes;  and  this 
was  the  first  temple  that  was  ever  seen  in 
Greece.  Suidas  informs  us  that  the  answer 
was  given  by  an  oak.  Homer  has  also  de- 
livered the  same  account;  and  as  it  was 
generally  believed  to  proceed  from  the  trunk, 
it  is  easy  to  conceive  that  the  priestess  had 
nothing  more  to  do  than  to  hide  herself  in 
the  hollow  of  this  oak,  and  from  thence  to 
give  the  pretended  sense  of  the  oracle,  for 
the  distance  the  suppliants  were  obliged  to 
keep  was  an  effectual  means  to  prevent  the 
cheat  from  being  discovered.  During  the 
war  between  the  Thracians  and  Boeotians, 
the  latter  sent  deputies  to  consult  this  oracle 
of  Dodona,  when  the  priestess  gave  them 
this  answer,  of  which  she  doubtless  did  not 
foresee  the  consequence,  "  If  you  would 

c 


18 

meet  with  success,  you  must  be  guilty  of 
some  impious  action/'  The  deputies  sus- 
pecting that  she  prevaricated  with  them  in 
order  to  serve  their  enemies,  from  whom 
she  was  descended,  resolved  to  fulfil  the 
decree  of  the  oracle;  and  therefore  seized 
the  priestess  and  burnt  her  alive,  alleging, 
that  this  act  was  justifiable  in  whatever  light 
it  was  considered ;  that  if  she  intended  to 
deceive  them,  it  was  fit  she  should  be  pu- 
nished for  the  deceit ;  or,  if  she  was  sincere, 
they  had  only  literally  fulfilled  the  sense  of 
the  oracle. 

On  Mount  Lycaeus,  in  Arcadia,  vras  a 
temple  of  Jupiter  with  a  fountain :  when 
rain  was  wanted,  it  was  thought  that  it 
would  be  obtained  of  the  god  by  throwing 
in  the  fountain  a  branch  of  the  oak-tree. 

Socrates  swore  by  the  oak,  perhaps  because 
this  tree  was  consecrated  to  Jupiter. 

There  was  an  oak  near  Priene,  a  city  of 
Ionia,  near  which  a  thousand  Samians  were 
killed  by  the  Priennians.  From  thence  came 
the  custom  that  the  women  of  Priene  had  to 
swear  by  the  darkness  of  the  oak,  because  they 
had  lost,  in  this  place,  their  fathers,  their  hus- 
bands, and  their  sons. 

The  veneration  that  the  ancients  had  for 
the  oak,  gave  rise  to  the  Greek  and  Latin 


19 

proverb,  "  Speak  to  the  oak;"  which  signified, 
speak  in  good  security.  They  had  also  an- 
other proverb  on  the  oak :  when  they  spoke 
of  persons  they  did  not  know  the  birth  of,  it 
was  said  they  were  born  of  an  oak,  because 
the  ancients  often  exposed  children  in  the  hol- 
low of  trees. 

Lucan  compares  Pompey  to  an  old  oak, 
hung  with  superb  trophies. 

The  oak  is  a  tree  of  slow  growth,  requir- 
ing a  century  before  it  will  arrive  to  its 
full  perfection.  Pliny,  in  his  Natural  History, 
states,  that  hard  by  the  city  of  Ilium,  there 
were  oaks  near  the  tomb  of  Ilius,  which  were 
planted  from  acorns  when  Troy  was  first 
called  Ilium.  He  also  says,  "  the  great  forest 
Hercynia  is  full  of  large  oaks,  that  have 
never  been  topped  or  lopped."  "  It  is  sup- 
posed/' adds  this  naturalist,  "  that  they  have 
been  there  since  the  creation  of  the  world, 
and  (in  regard  to  their  immortality)  surmount- 
ing all  miracles  whatever.  The  roots  of  these 
trees  run  and  spread  so  far  within  the  ground 
that  they  meet  each  other,  in  which  encounter 
they  make  such  resistance,  that  they  swell 
and  rise  upwards  to  a  great  height,  in  the 
form  of  arches/'  In  some  instances,  he  says, 
they  were  so  high  and  so  large  that  a 

c  2 


20 

whole  troop  of  horsemen  could  ride  upright 
through  these  natural  portals,  in  order  of 
battle. 

Linnaeus  mentions  fourteen  species  of 
the  oak-tree;  Miller  extended  them  to 
twenty;  and  Aiton  describes  forty-five  va- 
rieties of  this  tree.  The  most  common  of  the 
English  oak  produces  the  acorns  close  to  the 
branches,  without  any  stalk ;  but  the  most 
esteemed  for  ship  building  is  found  growing 
in  the  Wealds  of  Sussex  and  Kent ;  and  this 
tree  often  produces  its  acorns  with  foot  stalks 
as  long  as  the  cherry  stalk.  Young  says, 
"  Oak  is  the  staple  commodity  of  Sussex, 
which,  from  the  remotest  antiquity,  has  been 
celebrated  for  the  growth  of  oak ;  it  is  esti- 
mated that  not  less  than  from  170  or  180,000 
acres  are  occupied  by  this  timber,  the  qua- 
lity of  which  is  acknowledged  by  navy  con- 
tractors preferring,  and  in  all  their  agree- 
ments stipulating  for,  Sussex  oak.  This 
author  adds,  that  the  soil  is  so  naturally 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  oak,  that  if  a  field 
were  sown  with  furze  only,  and  the  cattle 
kept  out,  the  ground  would,  in  a  few  years, 
be  covered  with  young  oaks,  without  trouble 
or  expense  of  planting. 

Although  the  late  long  war  has,  in  some 


degree,  thinned  this  country  of  oak-trees, 
still  we  have  many  oaks  left  of  extraordinary 
great  age  and  bulk,  and 


the  sturdy  oak, 


A  prince's  refuge  once,  th*  eternal  guard 
Of  England's  throne,  by  sweating  peasants  felPd, 
Stems  the  vast  main,  and  bears  tremendous  war 
To  distant  nations,  or  with  sovereign  sway 
Awes  the  divided  world  to  peace  and  love. 

Phillips. 

The  celebrated  oak  in  Hainault  Forest, 
Essex,  known  by  the  name  of  Fairlop,  is 
thus  mentioned  by  the  late  Rev.  Mr.  Gilpin : 
"  The  tradition  of  the  country/'  says  this 
ingenious  writer,  "  traces  it  half  way  up  the 
Christian  era.  It  is  still  a  noble  tree,  though 
it  has  suffered  greatly  from  the  depredations 
of  time.  About  a  yard  from  the  ground, 
where  its  rough  fluted  stem  is  thirty-six  feet 
in  circumference,  it  divides  into  eleven  vast 
arms,  which  overspread  an  area  of  three 
hundred  feet  in  circuit :  beneath  this  shade 
an  annual  fair  has  long  been  held  on  the 
2d  of  July;  but  no  booth  is  suffered  to  be 
erected  beyond  the  extent  of  its  boughs." 

In  Bloomfield  wood,  near  Ludlow,  in 
Shropshire,  is  an  oak-tree  belonging  to  Lord 
Powis,  the  trunk  of  which,  in  1765,  measured 
sixty-eight  feet  in  girth,  thirty-two  in  length, 


and  which,  reckoning  ninety  feet  for  the 
larger  branches,  contained  in  the  whole 
1,455  feet  of  timber,  round  measure,  or 
twenty-nine  loads  and  five  feet,  at  fifty  feet 
to  a  load. 

In  the  vale  of  Gloucestershire,  near  the 
turnpike  road  between  Cheltenham  and 
Tewksbury,  stands  the  Baddington  oak,  the 
stem  of  whose  trunk  is  fifty-four  feet,  and 
some  of  its  branches  extend  to  eight  yards 
from  the  body  of  the  tree. 

The  famous  oak,  Robur  Britannicum,  in 
Lord  Norrey's  Park,  at  Prescot,  was  com- 
puted to  be  able  to  shelter  between  three 
and  four  thousand  men.  Dr.  Plot,  in  his 
Oxfordshire,  tells  us  of  an  oak  near  Clifton, 
that  spread  eighty-one  feet  from  bough-end 
to  bough-end,  and  shaded  560  square  yards. 

In  Worksop  Park,  the  Duke  of  Norfolk 
had  an  oak  which  spread  almost  3,000  square 
yards,  and  near  1,000  horse  might  stand 
under  the  shade. 

I  have  been  favoured  with  the  particular 
dimensions  of  the  large  oak  that  was  felled  on 
the  Gelin's  estate,  in  the  parish  of  Bassaley, 
and  within  four  miles  of  the  town  of  New- 
port, in  the  county  ofMonmouth,  in  1810, 
as  communicated  by  the  Earl  of  Stamford 
to  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 


23 

Body  of  the  tree,  ten  feet  long  450  ft. 

Twelve  limbs  and  collateral  parts,  contained    1850 
Dead  limbs  -  126 

2426  ft.  or 

48  loads  and  26  ft.  —  Quantity  of  bark,  65  cwt. 
and  16  stacks  of  wood. 

Four  men  were  three  weeks  and  two  days 
in  felling  and  stripping  the  tree.  There  were 
85  pieces  of  square  or  hewn  timber:  the 
squarers  were  three  weeks  and  four  days  in 
squaring  it.  One  pair  of  sawyers  had  been 
five  months  in  sawing  the  tree,  and  had  not 
finished  when  this  account  was  sent.  (Mar. 
6th,  1811.) 

The  tree  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Thomas 
Harrison  for  one  hundred  guineas. 

Part  of  an  oak-tree,  twenty-feet  in  cir- 
cumference, was  drawn  out  of  the  Thames  in 
September,  1815,  near  the  Ferry  at  Twick- 
enham, with  great  difficulty,  by  twenty-four 
horses :  it  is  known  to  have  laid  in  the  river 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years. 

The  timber  of  the  oak-tree  is  so  well 
known,  and  so  justly  esteemed,  for  a  variety 
of  purposes,  that  it  would  be  superfluous  to 
state  the  whole  of  them. 

In  building  ships  of  war,  one  great  advan- 
tage is,  that  it  seldom  splinters,  which 
caused  foreigners  to  attribute  our  naval  vie- 


24 

lories  to  the  excellency  of  our  timber ;  but 
the  late  war  has  given  so  many  proofs  of  our 
defeating  our  enemies  with  ships  of  their  own 
building,  that  they  must  now  acknowledge 
that  the  bravery  of  a  British  sailor  is  as  firm 
as  the  heart  of  an  English  oak. 

It  was  not  until  we  had  manufactured 
into  furniture  all  the  curious  woods  of  the 
New  World,  that  the  transcendent  splendor 
of  the  English  oak  was  brought  to  any  degree 
of  perfection  by  the  late  Mr.  Bullock,  of 
Tenterden-street,  and  other  eminent  cabinet- 
makers. Mr.  Penning,  of  Holies-street,  Ca- 
vendish-square, who  I  am  informed  has  been 
the  most  successful  in  the  choice  of  this 
wood,  has  lately  wrought  up  some  old  oak- 
trees  of  such  matchless  beauty,  that  one  set 
of  dining-tables  brought  him  the  unheard-of 
price  of  six  hundred  pounds.  This  far  ex- 
ceeds any  thing  of  the  kind  we  read  of, 
even  in  the  luxurious  days  of  the  Romans, 
although  Pliny  says,  "  Our  wives  at  home 
twit  us,  their  husbands,  for  our  expensive 
tables,  when  we  seem  to  find  fault  with  their 
costly  pearls/' 

"  There  is  at  this  day  to  be  seen,  "says  this 
author,  "  a  board  of  citron  wood,  belonging 
formerly  to  M.  Tullius  Cicero,  which  cost 
him  ten  thousand  sesterces;  a  strange  cir- 


25 

cumstance,  as  he  was  not  rich."  He  also 
mentions  a  table  that  belonged  to  Gallus 
Asinius,  \vhich  sold  for  eleven  thousand  ses- 
terces, which  is  about  equal  to  ^70  of  our 
money;  and  he  particularizes  a  table  of 
citron-wood  that  came  from  Ptolemaeus,  king 
of  Mauritania,  which  was  made  in  two  demi- 
rounds,  or  half  circles,  joined  together  so 
cleverly,  that  the  joints  could  not  be  disco- 
vered :  the  diameter  of  it  was  four  feet  and 
a  half,  and  three  inches  in  thickness.  It  is 
related  that  they  set  great  store  on  woods  of 
curious  grains:  some  there  are  mentioned 
with  curling  veins,  which  were  called  tigrin<z 
(tiger  tables) ;  others,  panthernce  (panther) ; 
and  some  are  described  waved  like  the  sea, 
and  spotted  like  the  peacock's  tail.  But 
those  of  the  highest  value  were  of  the  colour 
of  honey-wine,  with  shining  and  glittering 
veins,  or  lamprey-veined,  running  across. 

I  have  ventured  to  make  this  digression, 
having  seen  within  these  last  few  years  oak 
of  such  various  grains,  that  out  of  them  the 
whole  of  the  above-mentioned,  and  many 
other  curious  representations,  might  have 
been  selected. 

The  bark  of  the  oak-tree  is  a  most  valu- 
able article  for  the  purpose  of  tanning ;  and 
it  is  by  the  aid  of  this  bark,  that  our  English 

2 


26 

gardeners  are  able  to  supply  us  with  pine- 
apples, and  other  fruits  peculiar  to  the  hot- 
test climates. 

The  oak  principally  used  for  wainscot, 
&c.,  is  brought  from  Dantzic  and  Norway. 

The  evergreen  oak  (ilex)  is  a  native  of  the 
south  of  Europe,  and  is  planted  merely  to 
ornament  our  gardens  and  plantations :  this 
variety  was  introduced  into  England  in  1581, 
and  is  found  to  grow  in  great  perfection  on 
the  banks  of  the  Thames,  west  of  London. 
There  is  an  oak  of  this  description  in  the 
grounds  belonging  to  the  Bishop  of  London's 
palace  at  Fulham,  more  than  fifty  feet  high, 
and  eight  feet  in  circumference.  I  conclude 
it  was  planted  by  Bishop  Compton,  who  in- 
troduced many  new  plants  and  forest  trees 
from  North  America  and  other  parts  of  the 
world. 


APRICOT.--ARMENIACA; 

Or,  PRJECOCIA  MALA. 

In  Botany,  of  the  Class  Icosandria  Monogynia. 


THE  apricot  has  long  been  considered,  and 
in  most  botanical  works  stated,  to  be  a  na- 
tive of  Epirus  ;  and  the  name  of  pruneus 
Armeniaca  having  been  given  to  it  in  mis- 
take, and  which  I  shall  shew  belonged  to 
another  fruit,  it  has  been  transmitted  down 
from  one  author  to  another,  without  particular 
inquiry.  Theophrastus,  one  of  the  oldest 
authors,  never  mentions  the  apricot- tree  as 
being  cultivated  in  Greece,  at  the  time  when 
he  lived :  on  the  contrary,  he  alludes  to  it  as 
an  exotic,  from  an  account  transmitted  to 
him :  he  also  mentions  the  almond,  as  being 
the  only  tree  in  his  country  which  produced 
the  flowers  before  the  leaves.  (Theoph.  Hist. 
Plant,  lib.  vii.  c.  12.) 


28 

Columella  is  the  oldest  Roman  author 
who  has  mentioned  the  tree  that  has  been 
considered  the  apricot.  He  writes,  that  at 
the  end  of  January  we  may  graft  the  cherry- 
tree,  the  Armenian  plum,  the  nectarine,  the 
almond,  the  peach-tree,  and  others  which 
plush  early. 

Pliny  also  mentions  the  Armenian  plum ; 
and  says  there  is  a  plum,  a  kind  of  apricot, 
brought  from  a  foreign  nation,  and  which  is 
called  Armeniaca,  and  is  desirable  for  its  smell. 
This  great  naturalist  has  particularly  men- 
tioned the  apricot,  as  distinct  from  the  Arme- 
nian plum :  he  states  that  it  was  not  known 
above  thirty  years  before  he  wrote  the  account, 
which  would  make  its  introduction  into  Italy 
about  the  sixtieth  year  of  the  Christian  era. 
Pliny  says,  "  at  its  first  coming,  each  sold  for 
a  Roman  denier :"  he  adds,  "  this  fruit  is  harm- 
less, and  is  in  such  request  among  invalids, 
that  thirty  sesterces  are  given  for  one  of  them, 
which  is  as  great  a  price  as  is  given  for  any 
fruit  whatever/'  "  We  have,"  continues  he, 
"  two  sorts,  supernatia,  which  we  have  from 
the  high  countries,  and,  namely,  the  Sabines ; 
and  popularia,  which  grow  common  every 
where/'  Thus  Pliny  has  furnished  us  with  an 
account  of  the  apricot,  and  omitted  to  men- 
tion from  whence  it  was  first  procured. 


29 

M.  L.  Legnier  has  made  some  remarks  on 
this  subject,  which  appeared  in  the  French 
Encyclopedic,  for  November,  1815.  Here  he 
says,  "  I  was  struck  with  its  mode  of  growth 
in  Egypt,  where  it  was  anciently  brought  from 
latitudes  still  more  southern.  In  Egyot  it', 
leaves  have  scarcely  fallen  off  before  tiA 
soms  appear  again.  The  name  of  berikoi 
first  given  to  it  even  in  Greece,  apprj  .lies 
very  near  to  its  Arabian  name  of  I  °kach, 
or  berikach."  M.  L.  Legnier  adds,  "  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Deserts  called  Oasis,  gather 
and  dry  large  quantities  of  apricots,  which 
they  bring  down  to  Egypt  for  sale ;  and  they 
are  there  called  michmich."  "  The  result  of 
every  inquiry  I  made/'  says  this  author,  "  was, 
that  the  apricot-tree  grows  there  spontane- 
ously, almost  without  cultivation;  and  as  it  is 
not  known  to  grow  in  the  natural  state  in  any 
part  of  Armenia,  we  may  very  justly  conclude 
that  it  is  an  Arabian  fruit." 

The  apricot-tree  was  first  brought  to  Eng- 
land from  Italy,  in  the  year  1524,  by  Woolf, 
gardener  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  who  it  ap- 
pears introduced  several  valuable  fruits  about 
the  same  period.  (Gough's  British  Topo- 
graphy, vol.  i.  page  133.) 

We  have  now  considerable  varieties  of 
this  agreeable  fruit,  many  of  which,  by  their 


30 

names,  inform  us  from  whence  they  were 
procured,  as  the  Algier,  the  Roman,  the 
Turkey,  the  Brede,  and  the  Brussels  apricot, 
besides  the  Muscadine,  the  Orange,  and  se- 
veral new  varieties.  It  is  one  of  our  earliest 
wall-fruits,  as  well  as  one  in  the  highest  esti- 
plush  ea^ 

PThe  young  fruit  which  is  gathered  to  thin 
a^the  ayop,  makes  an  excellent  tart;  and,  when 
ripe,  it  is  second  to  no  fruit  for  preserves  or 
jam. 

The  apricot-tree  produces  its  blossom 
buds  not  only  on  the  last  year's  wood,  but 
also  on  the  curzons,  or  spurs,  from  the  two 
years'  old  wood.  Great  care  should  be  used, 
in  pruning,  not  to  injure  them;  and  it  is 
advisable  to  remove  all  foreright  shoots  in  the 
growing  time. 

The  Brussels  apricot  is  the  best  as  a  stan- 
dard tree:  they  are  all  propagated,  by  graft- 
ing them  on  plum  stocks. 

Madame  de  Genlis  relates  the  following 
'anecdote,  which  cannot  be  translated  so  as  to 
retain  the  wit,  which  depends  on  the  agree- 
ment of  the  French  name  for  apricot-tree 
with  the  inscription  alluded  to. 

Apr&s  la  mort  de  Louis  XIze,  au  com- 
mencement de  la  regence  de  Madame  de 
Beaujeu,  plusieurs  personnes  furent  disgra- 


31 

ciees ;  entre  autres,  Cotier,  premier  medecin 
clu  feu  roi,  qui  s'applaudissant  d'etre  echappe 
de  cette  cour  orageuse,  fit  sculpter  sur  la 
porte  de  sa  maison  un  abricotier  avec  cette 
inscription : 

A  Tabri,  Cotier. 


ALMOND— AM  YGDALUS. 


/ 

The    Name  of  a  Genus  of  Trees,  of  the  Jco- 
sandria  Monogynia  Class. 


THAT  the  almond-tree  is  a  native  of  Syria 
and  Arabia,  we  have  the  authority  of  the  ear- 
liest writers. 

Jacob  mentions  almonds  among  the  best 
fruits  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  when  he  says 
to  his  sons,  "  Take  of  the  best  fruits  in  the 
land  in  your  vessels,  and  carry  down  the 
man  a  present,  a  little  balm,  and  a  little 
honey,  spices  and  myrrh,  nuts  and  almonds/' 
By  the  miracle  of  Aaron's  rod,  we  learn  that 
this  tree  was  growing  in  the  wilderness— 
"  the  rod  of  Aaron  for  the  house  of  Levi 
was  budded,  and  brought  forth  buds,  and 
blossomed  blossoms,  and  yielded  almonds." 
The  Israelites  did  not  use  the  same  orna- 
mental statuary  that  adorned  the  heathen 
temples,  but  copied  the  fruits  and  flowers 


33 

of  their  country,  where  they  admitted  em- 
bellishment. The  almond  was  selected  to 
beautify  the  candlesticks  for  the  tabernacle, 
which  were  made  of  pure  gold,  of  beaten 
work :  "  Three  bowls  made  after  the  fashion 
of  almonds  in  one  branch,  a  knop  and  a 
flower :  and  three  bowls  made  like  almonds 
in  another  branch,  a  knop  and  a  flower ;  so 
throughout  the  six  branches  going  out  of 
the  candlestick.  And  in  the  six  candlesticks 
were  four  bowls  made  like  almonds,  his 
knops,  and  his  flowers/' 

Theophrastus,  who  wrote  about  300  years 
before  Christ,  mentions  the  almond  as  the 
only  tree  in  Greece  that  produced  the  blos- 
soms before  the  leaves.  Servius  relates  the 
traditionary  tale  of  Phyllis's  being  changed 
by  the  gods  into  an  almond-tree,  which  was 
called  phylla  by  the  Greeks.  Some  days  after 
this  metamorphosis,  Demophoon  her  lover 
revisited  Thrace,  of  which  Phyllis  was  queen : 
and  when  he  heard  of  the  fate  of  Phyllis,  he 
ran  and  clasped  the  tree,  which,  though  at 
that  time  stripped  of  its  leaves,  suddenly  shot 
forth  and  blossomed,  as  if  still  sensible  of 
his  tenderness  and  love. 

The  almond  tree  was  not  cultivated  in 
Italy  in  the  time  of  Cato,  who  calls  the  fruit, 
nuces  Grcecce,  or  Greek  nuts. 

D 


34 

The  Jordan  almond-tree  was  first  planted 
in  England,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Eighth, 
1548  (Hortus  Kez&ensis).  Lord  Bacon,  whose 
Natural  History  was  written  some  years  after 
this  time,  mentions  it  among  the  trees  that 
blossom  earliest,  and  whose  fruit  ripens  latest: 
and  which  he  accounts  for  as  being  a  tree 
that  hath  much  oily  moisture.  He  recom- 
mends almond  butter  as  an  excellent  nou- 
risher  to  those  that  are  weak ;  as  also  the  oil 
of  almonds,  newly  drawn,  with  sugar  and  a 
little  spice,  spread  upon  toasted  bread,  as  a 
nourishing  diet. 

The  Jordan  almonds  are  the  most  es- 
teemed for  the  table,  and  are  named  after 
the  river  Jordan,  so  celebrated  in  the  Old 
Testament,  and  from  whence  they  were 
first  procured  :  these  almonds,  when  taken  in 
moderation,  are  wholesome,  being  cooling, 
healing,  emollient,  and  nutritive:  they  are 
much  prescribed  in  emulsions,  and  are  found 
of  good  effect  in  all  disorders  from  choleric 
and  acrimonious  humours. 

The  oil  of  almonds  is  principally  drawn 
from  the  Valentian  and  Barbary  almonds, 
and  is  well  known  for  its  medicinal  qualities. 

Bitter  almonds  were  considered  by  the  an- 
cients as  of  use  to  take  off  drunkenness. 
Plutarch  relates  that  Drusus's  physician, 


35 

who  was  a  great  drinker,  took  at  every  cup 
five  bitter  almonds,  to  allay  the  heat  and 
fumes  of  the  wine.  The  bitter  almonds  are 
held  aperient,  detersive,  and  diuretic;  they 
are  therefore  recommended  in  obstructions 
of  the  liver,  spleen,  &c.  Pliny  states,  that  a 
decoction  of  the  roots  of  the  bitter  almond- 
tree  supples  the  skin,  prevents  wrinkles,  and 
gives  a  fresh,  cheerful  colour  to  the  coun- 
tenance ;  and  that  bitter  almonds  cause  sleep, 
and  create  appetite.  They  were  considered 
a  cure  for  chilblains,  as  well  as  the  bite  of 
a  mad  dog. 

Neumann  states,  that  these  almonds  are 
poisonous  to  birds,  and  all  animals  that  come 
into  the  world  blind.  The  Bohemians  are  said 
to  bruise  them,  and  to  throw  them  where  fowls 
frequent,  which  will  stupify  those  that  eat 
them,  so  that  they  are  easily  taken  by  the 
hand.  The  bitter  almonds  are  more  generally 
used  for  culinary  purposes,  and  for  flavouring 
cordials,  &c. 

As  an  ornamental  tree,  the  almond  de- 
serves to  be  more  generally  cultivated  in  our 
shrubberies,  and  particularly  as  a  foreground 
to  clumps  of  evergreens  in  parks  and  planta- 
tions, which  have  a  sombre  appearance  to- 
wards the  spring,  that  would  be  much  relieved 
by  the  beautiful  pink  flowers  of  the  almond- 

D  2 


36 

tree,  that  give  a  gaiety  to  the  plantations 
in  March  and  April,  a  season  when  no  other 
trees  are  in  blossom.  In  favourable  seasons, 
the  fruit  often  comes  to  good  perfection  in  this 
country;  but  these  almonds  will  not  keep  so 
well  as  those  produced  in  warmer  climates. 


APPLE-TREE.-MALUS. 


In  Botany,  a  Species  of  the  Pyrus,  belonging 
to  the  Genus  of  Icosandria  Pentagynia. 


THAT  the  apple-tree  Is  a  native  of  the 
Eastern  part  of  the  world,  we  have  the  au- 
thority of  the  earliest  writers,  both  in  the 
Sacred  History,  as  well  as  by  the  information 
given  by  the  naturalists  of  ancient  Greece 
and  Rome.  The  Prophet  Joel,  where  he 
declareth  the  destruction  of  the  fruits  of 
the  earth  by  a  long  drought,  mentions  the 
fruits  which  were  held  in  estimation,  and 
among  them  he  names  the  apple-tree. 

"  The  Greeks  call  them  medica"  says 
Pliny,  "  after  the  country  from  whence  they 
were  first  brought  in  old  times."  Others  were 
called  epirotica,  from  Epirus,  their  native 
country ;  and  that  these  were  the  same 
species  of  fruit  that  we  call  apples  at  this 
time,  there  can  be  no  doubt ;  as  they  are 


38 

described  in  Pliny's  Natural  History  as  a 
fruit  that  hath  a  tender  skin  to  be  pared  off; 
and  he  mentions  crabs  and  wildings  as  being 
smaller;  "  and  for  their  harsh  sourness,  they 
have/'  says  he,  "  many  a  foul  word  and 
shrewd  curse  given  them." 

Apple-trees,  from  the  earliest  accounts, 
seem  to  iiave  required  the  fostering  care  of 
man.  Of  all  the  fruit-trees  in  Italy,  Pliny 
says  the  apple  is  the  tenderest,  and  least  able 
to  bear  heat  or  cold,  particularly  the  early 
kind  that  produces  the  sweet  Jennitings. 
For  a  long  time  the  apple-tree  was  of  the 
highest  value  among  fruit-trees  with  the 
Romans:  "  there  are  many  apple-trees/'  says 
Pliny,  "in  the  villages  near  Rome  that  let  for 
the  yearly  sum  of  2,000  sesterces/'  which  is 
equal  to  £lc2.  10s.  of  our  money;  "and  some 
of  them,"  says  this  author,  "yield  more  profit 
to  the  owner  than  a  small  farm,  and  which 
brought  about  the  invention  of  grafting. 
There  are  apples  that  have  ennobled  the 
countries  from  whence  they  came;  and  many 
apples  have  immortalized  their  first  founders 
and  inventors.  Our  best  apples,"  continues 
he,  "  will  honour  the  first  grafters  for  ever; 
such  as  took  their  names  from  Matius,  Ces- 
tius,  Manlius,  and  Claudius."  Pliny  parti- 
cularizes the  quince  apples,  that  came  from 


39 

a  quince  grafted  upon  an  apple  stock,  which 
he  says,  smell  like  the  quince,  and  were 
called  Appiana,  after  Appius,  who  was  of 
the  Claudian  House,  and  who  was  the  first 
that  practised  this  grafting.  "  Some  apples/' 
says  Pliny,  "  are  so  red  that  they  resemble 
blood,  which  is  caused  by  their  being  at 
first  grafted  upon  a  mulberry  stock ;"  but 
of  all  the  apples  he  has  mentioned,  he  says 
the  one  which  took  its  name  from  Petisius, 
who  reared  it  in  his  time,  was  the  most 
excellent  for  eating,  both  on  account  of 
its  sweetness  and  agreeable  flavour.  He 
mentions  nine-and-twenty  kinds  of  apples  as 
being  cultivated  in  Italy  at  about  the  com* 
mencement  of  the  Christian  era.  The  graft- 
ing of  trees  was  carried  to  its  greatest  extent 
about  this  time.  "  I  have  seen,"  says  Pliny, 
"  near  to  Thulise,  in  the  Tyburtines  country, 
a  tree  grafted  and  laden  with  all  manner 
of  fruits,  one  bough,  bearing  nuts,  another 
berries ;  here  hung  grapes,  there  figs ;  in  one 
part  you  might  see  pears,  in  another  pome- 
granates; and,  to  conclude,  no  kind  of 
apple  or  other  fruit  but  there  it  was  to  be 
found :  but  this  tree  did  not  live  long/'  Mo- 
dern grafters  will  condemn  this  account  as 
fabulous  or  exaggerated ;  but  what  reason 
can  we  have  to  doubt  the  authority  of  a 


40 

man,  whose  life  was  spent  to  the  benefit  of 
mankind,  and  whose  death  was  caused  by  his 
perseverance  in  the  research  after  truth  in  the 
wonderful  works  of  nature? 

Sextus  Papinius,  it  is  said,  brought  two 
kinds  of  apples  to  Rome,  in  the  21st  year  of 
the  reign  of  Augustus  Caesar :  the  one  called 
Jujubes,  out  of  Syria  ;  the  other,  Tuberes,  he 
brought  from  Africa ;  but  their  fruit,  accord- 
ing to  Pliny's  account,  rather  resembled  ber- 
ries than  apples. 

The  Wild  Crab  is  the  only  apple  indi- 
genous to  this  country;  and  it  is  on  this 
stock  that  most  of  our  valuable  apples  have 
been  grafted  and  raised  by  the  ingenuity  of 
the  gardeners,  who  have,  by  sowing  the 
seeds  and  studying  the  soil,  so  improved  and 
multiplied  the  variety  of  this  most  excellent 
fruit,  that  it  has  now  become  of  great  national 
importance,  affording  an  agreeable  and  whole- 
some diet,  in  a  thousand  shapes,  to  all  classes 
of  society. 

It  was  not  until  the  16th  year  of  the 
reign  of  Henry  the  VHIth,  that  Pippins 
were  first  introduced  into  England,  by  Leo- 
nard Maschal,  who,  in  Fuller's  words, 
"  brought  them  from  over  sea,"  and  planted 
them  at  Plumstead,  in  Sussex,  a  small  village 
on  the  north  side  of  the  South  Downs,  near 


41 

the  Devil's  Dyke.  Maschal  brought  the  first 
carp  to  England,  and  thus,  at  orie  time,  fur- 
nished our  orchards  and  our  ponds  with  the 
rarest  variety  of  each  kind. 

The  Golden  Pippin  is  a  native  of  Sussex, 
and  is  said  to  have  been  first  reared  at  Par- 
ham  Park,  which  is  also  situated  on  the  north 
side  of  the  South  Downs.  The  Dutch  ac- 
knowledge it  to  be  an  English  apple  in  their 
catalogue  of  fruits,  where  it  is  called  the 
"  Engelsche  goud  Pepping."  The  French 
call  it  "  Pippin  d'Or/'  which  is  a  translation 
of  the  English  name. 

Catherine,  Empress  of  Russia,  was  so  fond 
of  this  apple,  that  she  was  regularly  supplied 
with  it  from  England ;  and  in  order  that  she 
might  have  it  in  the  greatest  perfection,  each 
apple  was  separately  enveloped  in  silver  paper 
before  it  was  packed. 

The  Ribston  Pippin  is  a  native  of  Rib- 
ston  Park,  Yorkshire.  Hargrave,  in  his 
History  of  Knaresborough,  (p.  216,)  says, 
"  This  place  is  remarkable  for  the  produce  of 
a  delicious  apple,  called  the  Ribston  Park 
Pippin.  The  original  tree  was  raised  from  a 
Pippin  brought  from  France,  from  which 
tree  such  numbers  have  been  propagated, 
that  they  are  now  to  be  met  with  in  almost 
every  orchard  in  this  and  many  other  coun- 


42 

ties/'  The  old  tree  is  yet  standing ;  and  in 
the  year  1787  produced  six  bushels  of  fruit. 
Mr.  Speedily  says,  he  has  seen  the  tree 
within  these  last  few  years,  and  that  it  was 
without  decay,  or  any  indication  of  dissolu- 
tion. 

Hargrave  adds,  "  This  fruit  still  retains 
it's  value,  being  preferred  before  every  other 
apple  this  country  produces/'  While  my 
namesake  of  Herefordshire  says, — 

Let  every  tree  in  every  garden  own 

The  Redstreak  as  supreme ;  whose  pulpous  fruit 

With  gold  irradiate,  and  vermilion,  shines 

Tempting,  not  fatal,  as  the  birth  of  that 

Primeval  interdicted  plant,  that  won 

Fond  Eve  in  hapless  hour  to  taste,  and  die. 

This,  of  more  bounteous  influence,  inspires 

Poetic  raptures,  and  the  lowly  Muse 

Kindles  to  loftier  strains ;  even  I  perceive 

Her  sacred  virtue.     See  !  the  numbers  flow 

Easy,  whilst,  cheer'd  with  her  nectareous  juice, 

Her's  and  my  country's  praises  I  exalt. 

Hail,  Herefordian  plant,  that  dost  disdain 

All  other  fields !     Heav'n's  sweetest  blessing,  hail! 

Be  thou  the  copious  matter  of  my  song, 

And  thy  choice,  nectar !  on  which  always  waits 

Laughter,  and  Sport,  and  care-beguiling  Wit, 

And  Friendship,  chief  delight  of  human  life. 

What  should  we  wish  for  more  ?     Or  why,  in  quest 

Of  foreign  vintage,  insincere,  and  mixt, 

Traverse  th'  extremest  world  ?     Why  tempt  the  rage 

Of  the  rough  ocean,  when  our  native  glebe 


43 

Imparts  from  bounteous  womb  annual  recruits 
Of  wine  delectable,  that  far  surmounts 
Gallic  or  Latin  grapes,  or  those  that  see 
The  setting  sun  near  Calpe's  tow'ring  height. 
Nor  let  the  Rhodian  nor  the  Lesbian  vines 
Vaunt  their  rich  must,  nor  let  Tokay  contend 
For  sovereignty ;  Phanaeus'  self  must  bow 
To  th'  Ariconian  vales. 


Gerard,  who  wrote  his  History  of  Plants 
about  seventy  years  after  the  introduction 
of  Pippins,  has  given  no  account  of  this  va- 
riety of  the  apple.  He  describes  but  seven 
kinds :  the  Pome  Water,  the  Baker-ditch 
apple — the  king  of  apples,  the  Quining,  or 
queen  of  apples,  the  Summer  Pearmain,  the 
Winter  Pearmain,  and  the  Paradise  apple. 
In  his  descriptions  of  apples,  he  says,  "  The 
fruit  of  apples  do  differ  in  greatness,  forme, 
colour  and  taste;  some  covered  with  a 
red  skin,  others  yellow  or  greene,  varying 
infinitely  according  to  the  soyle  and  climate; 
some  very  great,  some  little,  and  many 
of  a  middle  sort ;  some  are  sweet  of  taste, 
or  something  sour;  most  be  of  a  middle 
taste,  betweene  sweet  and  sour;  the  which 
to  distinguish,  I  think  it  impossible,  not- 
withstanding I  heare  of  one  that  intendeth 
to  write  a  peculiar  volume  of  apples,  and 
the  use  jf  them/'  This  author  continues, 


44 

"  The  tame  and  grafted  apple-trees  are 
planted  and  set  in  gardens  and  orchards  made 
for  that  purpose:  they  delight  to  grow  in 
good  and  fertile  grounds.  Kent  doth  abound 
with  apples  of  most  sorts ;  but  I  have  seen 
in  the  pastures  and  hedge  rows,  about  the 
grounds  of  a  worshipful  gentleman  dwelling 
two  miles  from  Hereford,  called  M.  Roger 
Bodnome,  so  many  trees  of  all  sortes,  that 
the  seruants  drink  for  the  most  part  no  other 
drinke,  but  that  which  is  made  of  apples. 
The  quantitie  is  such,  that  by  the  report  of 
the  gentleman  himselfe,  the  parson  hath  for 
tithe  many  hogsheads  of  cyder/' 

"  Like  as  .there  be  divers  manured  apples, 
so  is  there  sundry  wilde  apples,  or  Crabs, 
not  husbanded,  that  is  not  grafted.  We 
have  in  our  London  gardens,  (Gerard's  gar- 
den was  in  Holborn)  a  dwarfe  kind  of  sweet 
apple  called  the  Paradise  apple,  which 
beareth  apples  very  timely  without  grafting." 
From  this  account  we  may  conclude,  that  the 
Pippin  apples  were  still  rare,  or  that  they 
had  not  been  cultivated  out  of  Sussex,  al- 
though I  find  Gerard  must  have  seen  the 
fruit  of  the  Pippin  kind,  for  in  his  account 
of  the  Pomum  Amoris,  or  Love  Apple,  he 
says  it  is  the  bigness  of  a  goose  egg  or  a 
large  Pippin.  The  Pippin  appears'  to  have 


45 

been  scarce  even  in  the  time  of  Charles  the 
First;  for  in  the  valuation  of  the  fruit-trees 
at  the  royal  gardens  of  his  queen  at  Wim- 
bleton,  there  is  only  one  Pippin-tree  men- 
tioned. 

For  some  years  past,  it  has  been  stated 
by  several  ingenious  writers,  that  many  of 
our  best  varieties  of  apples  could  no  longer 
be  cultivated  with  success;  that  by  length 
of  time  they  have  become  degenerated  and 
worn  out.  Mr.  Knight,  the  president  of  the 
Horticultural  Society,  seems  to  have  been 
the  first  that  gave  birth  to  this  idea.  He  says, 
in  his  Pomona  Herefordiensis,  that  those 
apples  which  have  been  long  cultivated  are 
on  the  decay.  The  Redstreak  and  the 
Golden  Pippin,  can  no  longer  be  propa- 
gated with  advantage.  The  fruit,  like*  the 
parent  tree,  is  affected  by  the  debilitated 
old  age  of  the  variety.  Again  he  says,  in 
his  Treatise  on  the  Culture  of  the  Apple 
and  Pear,  page  6,  "  the  Moil,  and  its  suc- 
cessful rival  the  Redstreak,  with  the  Must 
and  Golden  Pippin,  are  in  the  last  stage  of 
decay,  and  the  Stire  and  Foxwhelp  are 
hastening  rapidly  after  them/'  "  It  is  much 
to  be  regretted/'  says  Speedily,  "  that  this 
apparently  visionary  notion  of  the  extinction 
of  certain  kinds  of  apples  should  have  been 


46 

promulgated  by  authors  of  respectability, 
since  the  mistake  will,  for  a  time  at  least,  be 
productive  of  several  ill  consequences/' 

Having  observed  among  the  apples  in 
Covent-Garden  market,  last  year,  a  great 
quantity  of  the  real  Golden  Pippin  in  a  per- 
fect state,  I  was  induced  to  make  particular 
inquiries  respecting  this  fruit;  and  have  re- 
ceived satisfactory  accounts  from  all  quarters, 
that  these  trees  are  fast  recovering  from  a  dis- 
ease, or  canker,  which  appears  to  have  been 
brought  on  by  a  succession  of  unpropitious 
seasons;  but  that  the  summer  of  1818,  and 
the  following  year,  have  greatly  improved 
them. 

When  I  had  decided  to  publish  this  His- 
tory of  Fruits,  I  waited  on  some  gentlemen 
who  are  well  known  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
for  their  practical  knowledge  in  the  culti- 
vation of  apples.  Mr.  Hugh  Ronalds,  jun. 
of  Brentford,  informed  me  that  he  had  lately 
seen  a  tree  of  the  Golden  Pippin  kind,  which 
had  been  planted  against  a  wall  in  a  south 
aspect,  which  was  in  a  thriving  condition, 
and  the  fruit  in  a  perfect  state.  Mr.  Ro- 
nalds, sen.  assured  me  it  was  the  true  Golden 
Pippin,  and  that  there  is  no  fear  of  losing 
this  variety. 

Mr.  Lee,  of  Hammersmith,  who  politely 


47 

showed  me  a  variety  of  500  kinds  of  apple- 
trees,  was  decidedly  of  opinion  that  the  ap- 
parent decay  of  some  trees  was  owing  to  the 
unfavourable  springs  we  have  had  for  several 
years. 

Mr.  Knight,  of  the  King's  Road,  Chelsea, 
has  also  favoured  me  with  his  opinion,  which 
perfectly  agrees  with  that  of  Mr.  Ronalds 
and  Mr.  Lee.  Mr.  Knight  added,  that  if  this 
spring  and  summer  should  be  as  favorable  as 
the  two  last  seasons,  he  should  be  able  to 
show  me  this  and  other  old  varieties  of  the 
apple-tree  in  as  perfect  a  state  as  they  have 
ever  been  known. 

Mr.  Knight,  the  ingenious  president  of 
the  Horticultural  Society,  I  conclude  had 
watched  these  trees  during  the  unfavourable 
wet  seasons  we  have  had  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  century,  and  finding  the 
disease  increase,  he  attributed  it  to  the  old 
age  of  the  varieties ;  for,  as  the  great  friend 
of  Pomona,  his  object  evidently  was  to  en- 
courage the  obtaining  and  cultivation  of  new 
kinds,  to  replace  those  which  he  appre- 
hended would  be  lost  to  the  country.  I  have 
made  this  digression,  to  prevent  if  possible 
our  best  apples  from  being  stigmatized  as 
a  decaying  fruit  and  unprofitable  to  the 
grafter,  which  would  be  the  cause  of  their 


48 

becoming  scarce,  and,  in  time,  totally  lost. 
I  have  not  presumed  to  set  my  judgment  in 
opposition  to  that  of  Mr.  Knight,  who  is 
so  justly  celebrated  for  his  attention  to 
horticultural  pursuits;  but  it  behoves  all 
who  may  write  of  this  most  valuable  fruit, 
to  recommend  the  graftings  to  be  of  the  best 
kinds,  and  to  throw  out  no  hint  that  may 
cause  our  nurserymen  to  neglect  it's  propa- 
gation. Gerard,  when  he  published  his  Ac- 
count of  the  Apple  in  1597,  was  a  warm 
advocate  for  the  cultivation  of  appjes. 
"  Gentlemen  that  have  land  and  living/' 
says  he,  "  put  forward,  in  the  name  of  God; 
graffe,  set,  plant,  and  nourish  up  trees  in  euery 
corner  of  your  grounds ;  the  labour  is  small, 
the  cost  is  nothing,  the  commoditie  is  great, 
your  selues  shall  have  plentie,  the  poor  shall 
have  somewhat  in  time  of  want  to  relieve  their 
necessitie,  and  God  shall  reward  your  good 
mindes  and  diligence/' 

Herefordshire  has  now  to  boast  of  a  friend 
to  Pomona  in  Thomas  Andrew  Knight,  Esq. 
who  has,  for  some  years  past,  been  benefit- 
ing his  country,  by  creating,  if  I  may  be 
allowed  the  expression,  a  new  variety  of 
fruits;  but  before  I  disclose  the  ingenious 
method  he  has  adopted  to  procure  new 
varieties,  it  is  but  justice  to  departed  merit 


49 

to  notice  with  whom  the  invention  was  first 
deemed  possible :  and  I  have  great  pride  and 
satisfaction  in  stating,  that,  after  an  unpre- 
judiced research,  I  find  this  wonderful  dis- 
covery has  been  left  for  the  perseverance  of 
the  English,  who,  although  late  in  taking  up 
botanical  studies,  have  now  surpassed  what- 
ever was  done  by  the  ancient  world  in  this 
science. 

Lord  Bacon,  who  has  been  called  the 
Prophet  of  Arts,  and  who  looked  into  nature 
with  a  most  curious  eye  of  inquiry,  evidently 
suspected  that  it  was  possible  to  cross  the 
breed  of  plants,  and  so  procure  kinds,  by  art, 
as  novel  as  those  which  nature  has  sometimes 
produced  by  accident. 

"  We  see/'  says  the  great  Verulam,  "  that 
in  living  creatures  that  have  male  and  female, 
there  is  copulation  of  several  kinds,  and  so 
compounded  creatures;  as  the  mule  that  is 
generated  betwixt  the  horse  and  the  ass; 
and  some  other  compounds  which  we  call 
monsters. 

"  The  compounding  or  mixture  of  kinds 
in  plants  is  not  found  out ;  which  never- 
theless, if  it  be  possible,  is  more  at  command 
than  that  of  living  creatures;  wherefore  it 
were  one  of  the  most  notable  experiments 
touching  plants  to  find  it  out,  for  so  you 

E 


50 

may  have  great  variety  of  new  fruits,  and 
flowers  yet  unknown.  Grafting  does  it  not :" 
adds  this  great  man  ;  "  that  mendeth  the  fruit, 
or  doubleth  the  flowers,  &c. ;  but  it  hath  not 
the  power  to  make  a  new  kind,  for  the  scion 
ever  overrule th  the  stock/' 

Bradley,  whose  works  were  published  in 
1718,  about  a  century  after  those  of  Lord 
Bacon,  is  the  first  author  who  wrote  on 
this  subject  as  being  accomplished ;  but 
the  exact  method  was  not  then  clearly  un- 
derstood, as  he  only  describes  it  by  bringing 
the  branches  of  different  trees  together  when 
in  blossom  ;  but,  on  this  hint,  the  gardeners 
in  Holland  and  the  Netherlands  practised 
before  it  was  much  attended  to  in  this  coun- 
try, where  the  discovery  was  made  and  pub- 
lished ;  but,  to  do  them  justice,  they  have  the 
honour  to  acknowledge  they  owe  the  art  to 
the  English. 

It  now  appears  to  have  reached  its 
highest  perfection  ;  and  I  shall  proceed  to 
relate  the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Knight 
has  so  successfully  produced  new  varieties 
of  apples  and  other  fruits ;  and  although  he 
has  most  clearly  explained  himself,  yet  I 
have  thought  it  advisable  to  elucidate  it 
more  plainly  by  plates  from  drawings,  which 
I  have  made  from  the  blossoms  for  the  ex- 

0 


51 

press  purpose,  knowing  how  little  even  the 
botanical  terms  are  understood  by  the  far- 
mers, and  many  gardeners  in  the  country. 

Mr.  Knight,  in  his  Pomona  Herefordien- 
sis,  says,  "  It  is  necessary  to  contrive  that  the 
two  trees  from  which  you  intend  to  raise  the 
new  kind,  should  blossom  at  the  same  time  ; 
therefore  if  one  is  an  earlier  sort  than  the 
other,  it  must  be  retarded  by  shading,  or 
brought  into  a  cooler  situation,  and  the  latest 
forwarded  by  a  warm  wall  or  a  sunny  situa- 
tion, so  as  to  procure  the  blossoms  at  the  same 
period/' 

The  apple  blossom  contains  about  twenty 
stamina  or  males,  which  are  represented  in 
Plate  I.  No.  3.  and  generally  five  pointals 
or  females,  which  form  the  centre  of  the 
cup  or  cavity  of  the  blossom,  as  in  Figure 
No.  4.  The  males  stand  in  a  circle,  just 
within  the  bases  of  the  petals,  or  flower 
leaves,  and  are  formed  of  slender  threads, 
each  of  which  terminates  in  a  small  yellow 
ball  or  anther,  as  in  Fig.  5.  As  soon  as 
the  blossoms  are  nearly  full  grown,  as  in  Fig. 
1 .  they  must  be  carefully  opened,  and  all  the 
male  stamina  cut  or  extracted,  so  as  not  to 
injure  the  pointals  or  females,  which  will  then 
appear  as  in  Fig.  4.  The  blossoms  are  then 
closed  again,  as  in  Fig.  1.  and  suffered  to 

E  2 


52 

remain  till  they  open  spontaneously.      From 
the  blossoms  of  the  tree,  which   it  is  pro- 
posed to  make  the  male  parent  of  the  future 
variety,   must  be  taken  a   portion   of  their 
pollen  or  farina,  when  ready  to  fall  from  the 
mature    anthers,    and    deposited    upon    the 
pointals  of  the  blossoms,  which  consequently 
will  afford  seed.      By  shaking  the  blossoms 
over  a  sheet  of  white  paper,  you  will  ascer- 
tain when  the  pollen  is  ready.      It  is  neces- 
sary in  this  experiment,  to  cover  the  branches 
on  which  the  prepared  blossoms  are,  with  a 
thin  muslin  or  gauze,  so  as  not  to  touch  the 
flowers,  or  keep  off  the  sun  or  air,  but  to  pre- 
vent the  bees  or  other  insects  from  inocula- 
ting them  with  the  pollen  of  other  blossoms, 
which  would  make  the  experiment  uncertain; 
and  in  order  to  obtain  the  fruit  and  the  seeds 
of  a  large  size,  it  is  best  to  leave   but  few 
blossoms  on  the  tree,  and,  at  all  events,   to 
clear  the  branches  on  which   the   prepared 
flowers  are,  from  all  other  blossoms.     When 
the    fruit    is   quite   ripe,   the  pips  or  seeds 
should  be  sown  at  a   proper  season,  and  in 
suitable  soil,  and  in  about  four  or  six  years 
fruit  may   be  expected.      Mr.    Knight   has 
also  made  some  curious  experiments  between 
the  peach   and  the  almond,  which   will   be 
found  in  the   account  of  the   former   fruit. 


53 

Among  the  new  apples  which  the  world  have 
to  thank  Mr.  Knight  for,  is  the  Grange 
apple,  which  fruited  first  in  1802,  and  ob- 
tained the  prize  of  the  Herefordshire  Agri- 
cultural Society :  it  is  the  offspring  of  the 
Orange  Pippin  and  the  Golden  Pippin.  He 
also  obtained  the  annual  premium  of  the 
same  society,  in  1807,  for  the  Siberian  Har- 
vey, an  apple  which  fruited  for  the  first  time 
in  that  year.  This  tree  was  raised  from  the 
seed  of  the  Yellow  Siberian  Crab  and  the 
pollen  of  the  Golden  Harvey.  Mr.  Knight 
also  raised  the  Fox  ley  apple,  from  the  seed 
of  the  yellow  Siberian  Crab  and  the  pollen 
of  the  Orange  Pippin  :  this  fruit  also  received 
the  premium  in  1808,  and  it  is  said  to  rival 
the  Golden  Pippin  in  sweetness. 

The  cultivation  of  this,  our  most  valuable 
fruit,  has  been  attended  to  with  so  much 
care  of  late  years,  that  one  of  our  great 
gardeners,  (Mr.  Hugh  Ronalds,  of  Brent- 
ford,) exhibited  at  the  Horticultural  Society, 
in  August,  1818,  sixteen  varieties  of  apples, 
and  in  September  he  exhibited  fifty-eight 
other  sorts,  all  grown  in  his  own  garden, 
and  considered  the  finest  collection  ever 
exhibited.  In  the  month  of  October  of  the 
same  year,  he  exhibited  fifty-three  sorts, 
making  in  the  whole  a  variety  of  127  kinds 


54 

of  this  our  staple  fruit,  which,  in  point  of 
real  value,  takes  place  of  all  others,  and 
affords  a  variety  for  all  seasons  of  the  year, 
both  for  the  dessert  and  for  culinary  purposes, 
as  well  as  the  drink  of  which  Phillips  in 
Miltonian  verse  has  sung, — 

Some  ciders  have,  by  art  or  age,  unlearn'd 
Their  genuine  relish,  and  of  sundry  vines 
Assum'd  the  flavour;  one  sort  counterfeits 
The  sparkling  nectar  of  Champagne;  with  that, 
A  German  oft  has  swill'd  his  throat,  and  sworn, 
Deluded,  that  imperial  Rhine  bestow'd 
The  gen'rous  rummer,  whilst  the  owner,  pleas'd, 
Laughs  inly  at  his  guest,  thus  entertain'd 
With  foreign  vintage  from  his  cider  cask. 

Thomson  has  thus  beautifully  described 
the  cider  season  : — 

The  fragrant  stores,  the  wide  projected  heaps 
Of  apples,  which  the  lusty-handed  year, 
Innumerous,  o'er  the  blushing  orchard  shakes; 
A  various  spirit,  fresh,  delicious,  keen,        • 
Dwells  in  their  gelid  pores ;  and,  active,  points 
The  piercing  cider  for  the  thirsty  tongue. 

Apple- wine  is  admired  as  a  summer  be- 
verage, but  it  is  by  no  means  equal  to  the 
cider  made  from  Golden  Pippins,  which, 
when  given  in  good  condition,  and  well 
timed,  surpasses  every  other  refreshing  drink. 
The  spirit  extracted  from  cider  is  equal  to 


55 

brandy   for   preserving   fruit,    or  mixing  ia 
made  wines  or  liquors. 

A  solution  of  iron  in  the  juice  of  the 
Golden  Rennet,  evaporated  to  a  thick  con- 
sistency, proves  an  elegant  chalybeate. 

Dr.  Short  informs  us,  that  cider  was  first 
invented  by  a  Norman,  who  much  admired 
the  delicate  flavour  of  apples;  and  "long 
observation/'  says  he,  "  assures  us,  that  such 
as  chiefly  drink  cider,  are  more  healthy  and 
strong,  and  have  better  complexions,  than 
those  that  are  accustomed  to  wine  or  ale." 
Both  Lord  Bacon  and  Dr.  Baynard  tell  us  of 
several  persons  near  a  hundred,  and  some 
above,  who,  having  seldom  used  any  other 
liquor,  were  very  active  and  vigorous  at  that 
age.  It  is  certainly  more  nourishing  than 
wine,  for  not  being  so  thoroughly  fermented, 
its  spirits  are  less  subtile  and  impetuous. 

"  There  is  made  an  ointment,"  says  Gerard, 
"  with  the  pulp  of  apples  and  swine's  grease 
and  rose-water,  which  is  used  to  beautify  the 
face,  and  to  take  away  the  roughness  of  the 
skin,  which  is  called  in  shops  pomatum,  of 
the  apples  whereof  it  is  made/' 

As  the  Horticultural  Society  of  this  coun- 
try has  been  established  for  the  purpose  of 
benefiting  the  world  by  their  attention  to 
the  improvement  of  our  various  fruits,  and 


56 

as  I  know  it  to  be  a  part  of  their  study 
to  induce  the  planters  of  orchards  to  cul- 
tivate and  propagate  the  best  kinds  of 
apples  only,  I  trust  that  by  their  attention 
we  shall  soon  have  our  markets  supplied  with 
a  superior  kind  of  apples  to  what  is  now  ge- 
nerally offered  for  sale,  as  the  same  land  that 
will  produce  an  ill-flavoured  apple  will  afford 
a  good  one ;  and  it  is  as  easy  to  raise  the 
best  kinds  of  apple-trees  as  those  of  inferior 
value. 

The  Siberian  Crab  Apple  was  not  culti- 
vated in  this  country  until  1758,  and  the 
small  fruited  variety  was  first  introduced  in 
1 784.  The  flavour  of  this  latter  kind  is  highly 
esteemed  in  tarts  and  puddings,  and  the  tree 
is  often  planted  as  an  ornament  in  our  shrub- 
beries. 

In  pruning  apple-trees,  nothing  more 
should  be  done  than  to  cut  out  all  those 
branches  which  cross  each  other,  to  pre- 
vent the  rubbing  of  the  bark;  but  never 
to  shorten  any  of  their  shoots,  except 
those  shoots  or  suckers  which  proceed  from 
the  stem,  which  should  be  entirely  taken 
off,  as  also  all  branches  broken  by  the  wind 
or  accident,  which  should  be  cut  off  close 
to  the  division  of  the  branch.  November 
is  the  best  time  to  prune  apple-trees,  as  it 


57 

injures  them  to  prune  in  frosty  weather,  or 
when  the  sap  begins  to  rise.  Pruning  is  to 
be  avoided  as  much  as  possible,  as  it  creates 
useless  shoots,  and  prevents  the  fruiting; 
but  if  trees  are  becoming  too  full  of  branches, 
which  will  be  the  case  in  espaliers,  the  better 
way  is  to  rub  off  the  buds  and  shoots  which 
are  irregularly  produced,  in  the  growing 
season.  All  sorts  of  apples  produce  their 
fruit  upon  cursions,  or  spurs,  therefore  it  is 
necessary  to  be  careful  not  to  cut  off  or 
destroy  them,  as  they  continue  to  be  fruitful 
for  several  seasons. 

The  apples  intended  to  be  preserved  for 
the  winter  should  remain  on  the  trees  until 
quite  ripe,  when  they  should  be  gathered  in 
dry  weather,  and  placed  in  a  heap  for  five  or 
six  weeks,  in  order  to  sweat:  they  should 
then  be  carefully  wiped  dry,  and  those  that 
are  perfectly  sound,  packed  in  large  jars  or 
boxes  so  as  to  be  excluded  from  the  air, 
which  will  keep  them  sound  and  plump,  and 
retain  their  flavour. 

I  have  found  the  wood  of  old  apple-trees, 
when  used  as  a  fuel,  produce  a  most  agree- 
able perfume. 

The  various  diseases  to  which  the  apple- 
tree  is  subject,  have  occupied  the  attention 
and  the  pen  of  some  of  our  greatest  natu- 


58 

ralists,   as    well    as  many    of  our    eminent 
practical    gardeners.     Animals   of    different 
species  are  found  to  engender  a  variety  of 
kinds  of  animalculae,  particularly  where  clean- 
liness is  not  attended  to.     Trees,  according 
to  their  kinds,  attract  different  blights :    our 
endeavours,  therefore,   would  be   in  vain  to 
avoid    the    blight    affecting    the    leaves   and 
blossoms  of  large  trees;    but  as  the   trunk 
and  branches  of  the  apple-tree  are  often  in- 
jured, and  sometimes  destroyed,  by  animal- 
culae,  an  attention  to  the  cleanliness  of  these 
trees  cannot  fail  of  being  beneficial  to  their 
growth.     It  has    therefore  occurred  to  me, 
from   observations   and  experiments  I   have 
made  since  compiling  this  work,  that  if  the 
trunks  of  the  apple-trees  were  rubbed  with 
the  leaves  and  young  shoots  of  the  elder,  to 
which  all  kind  of  blight  hath  an  antipathy, 
that  those  injurious  although  minute  insects 
would  not  only   be  destroyed,  but  that  it 
would    prevent   their    fking    themselves   on 
these  trees.     As  this  is  a  matter  of  import- 
ance to  the  public,  I  shall  feel  obliged  by 
the  remarks  of  any  gentlemen  who  may  be 
disposed  to  try  the  experiment.    The  canker 
of  apple-trees,    I   apprehend,    is   principally 
occasioned  by  the  uncongenial  quality  of  the 
soil.   I  lately  travelled  with  a  gentleman,  who 


59 

informed  me,  that  having  observed  all  his 
apple-trees  became  cankered  at  a  certain 
state  of  growth,  he  was  induced  to  examine 
the  nature  of  the  soil  at  the  greatest  depth 
the  roots  had  penetrated,  and  which  he  found 
consisted  of  gravel.  Not  being  willing  to 
give  over  the  propagation  of  apple-trees,  he 
caused  a  pavement  of  bricks  to  be  made  on 
the  bed  of  gravel,  which  obliged  the  roots  to 
take  a  horizontal  direction,  and  thereby  pre- 
vented their  reaching  the  gravel,  since  which 
they  have  been  free  from  canker. 


BARBERRY.-BERBERIS; 

Or,  THE  PIPPERIDGE-BUSH. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Class  Hexandria 
Monogynia. 


THE  common  barberry-bush  is  a  native  of 
this  country ;  and  notwithstanding  the  high 
state  of  cultivation  this  kingdom  is  now 
arrived  at,  it  is  still  to  be  found  growing 
wild  in  many  parts  of  the  northern  counties. 
Gerard  says,  in  his  time  (1597)  most  of  the 
hedges  near  Colnbrook  were  nothing  else 
but  barberry-bushes. 

It  is  now  very  properly  introduced  into 
our  gardens  and  shrubberies,  being  both  or- 
namental and  useful ;  but  it  requires  caution 
in  planting,  not  to  have  it  near  the  house 
or  principal  walks,  on  account  of  its  offensive 
smell  when  in  blossom.  The  flowers  are 
small,  but  beautiful ;  and  on  their  first  ap- 
pearance have  a  perfume  similar  to  the 


61 

cowslip,  which  changes  to  a  putrid  and  most 
disagreeable  scent,  particularly  towards  the 
evening  and  at  the  decay  of  the  flowers. 
I  have  a  barberry-tree  in  my  garden  near 
twenty  feet  in  height,  the  branches  of  which 
extend  over  a  circumference  of  sixty-feet. 
It  has  been  covered  with  blossom  this  spring, 
and  had  a  pleasing  effect  in  the  shrubbery ; 
but  was  so  offensive  for  about  a  fortnight, 
that  no  one  would  walk  near  it  during  that 
time.  It  seems  particularly  attractive  to 
singing  birds  wherever  it  is  planted,  espe- 
cially the  bullfinch  and  the  goldfinch,  both 
of  which  often  build  in  these  bushes. 

A  very  singular  circumstance  has  been 
stated  respecting  the  barberry-shrub, — that 
corn  sown  near  it,  proves  abortive,  the  ears 
being  in  general  destitute  of  grain;  and 
that  this  influence  is  sometimes  extended  to 
a  distance  of  three  or  four  hundred  yards 
across  a  field.  This  is  a  just  cause  for  ba- 
nishing it  from  the  hedge-rows  of  our  arable 
fields,  for  which,  otherwise,  it's  thorny  branches 
would  have  made  a  desirable  fence.  When 
this  coral-like  fruit  is  ripe,  it  adds  much  to 
the  beauty  of  the  garden  ;  but  it's  acidity  is 
so  great,  that  even  the  birds  refuse  to  eat  it. 

I  conclude  it  is  the    fruit  called   appen- 
dices by  the  ancients.     Pliny  says,   "  There 


is  a  kind  of  thorny  bush  called  appendix, 
having  red  berries  hanging  from  the  branches 
which  were  called  appendices :"  he  adds, 
"  these  berries,  either  raw  by  themselves,  or 
dried,  and  boiled  in  wine,  are  good  to  stay 
the  flux  of  the  body."  I  find,  by  Gerard's 
account,  that  the  leaves  were  formerly  used 
in  salad,  and  to  season  meat  with :  he  also 
says,  "  The  green  leaves  of  the  barberry-bush 
stamped,  and  made  into  sauce,  as  that  made 
of  sorrel  called  green  sauce,  doth  cool  hot 
stomachs,  and  those  that  are  vexed  with  hot 
burning  agues,  and  procureth  appetite/' 

Barberries  are  of  an  agreeable,  cooling, 
astringent  taste,  which  creates  appetite. 
A  conserve  is  made  from  this  fruit  that  is 
refreshing,  and  strengthens  the  stomach,  and 
is  good  against  diarrhoeas  and  dysenteries. 
The  juice,  or  decoction,  abates  the  inflam- 
mation of  the  fauces  and  tonsils,  and  heals 
scorbutic  gums.- — Brookes. 

Pickled  barberries  make  a  handsome 
garnish  for  all  white  dishes,  where  acids  can 
be  introduced :  this  fruit  is  also  used  for 
making  syrup,  lozenges,  &c. 

The  bark  of  the  tree  is  a  good  medicine 
against  the  jaundice,  and  all  obstructions  and 
foulness  of  the  viscera.  The  inner  bark  of 
this  tree,  with  the  assistance  of  alum,  dyes  a 


63 

bright  yellow  :   in  Poland  it  is  used  for  co- 
louring of  leather. 

We  have  now  several  varieties  of  the 
barberry-shrub  cultivated  in  England,  one  of 
which  was  brought  from  Candia  in  1759>  and 
another  from  Siberia  in  1790;  but  it  pos- 
sesses no  advantage  over  our  native  kind  of 
this  fruit. 


BEECH.-FAGUS. 


A  Genus  of  the  Castanea,  or  Chestnut  Tree? 
and  of  the  Class  Moncccia  Polyandria. 


THE  beech  is  one  of  the  handsomest  of  our 
native  forest-trees,  which,  in  stateliness  and 
grandeur  of  outline,  vies  with  the  oak.  It 
seems  to  have  been  greatly  admired  by  the 
ancients.  Pliny  says,  "There  was  a  little 
hill  called  Carne,  in  the  territory  of  Tuscu- 
lum,  not  far  from  the  city  of  Rome,  that 
was  clad  and  beautified  with  a  grove  and 
tufts  of  beech-trees,  which  were  as  even  and 
round  in  the  head  as  if  they  had  been  cu- 
riously trimmed  with  garden  shears/'  He 
adds,  "  this  grove  was,  in  old  times,  conse- 
crated to  Diana,  by  the  common  consent  of 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Latium,  who  paid  their 
devotions  there."  This  author  mentions  one 
of  these  beech-trees,  of  such  beauty,  that 
Passienus  Crispus,  an  excellent  orator,  who 


65 

was  twice  consul,  and  afterwards  married 
the  Empress  Agrippina,  was  so  much  at- 
tached to,  that  he  not  only  reposed  under 
it,  but  sprinkled  it  plentifully  with  wine,  and 
would  even  embrace  it. 

Manius  Curius,  after  he  had  subdued 
his  enemies,  protested  with  an  oath,  that  of 
all  the  booty  and  pillage  taken  from  them, 
he  had  reserved  nothing  for  himself  but  a 
cruet,  or  little  ewer,  made  of  beech-wood, 
wherein  he  might  sacrifice  to  the  gods. 

The  beech,  it  will  be  observed,  from 
the  class  it  is  ranged  under,  produces  both 
male  and  female  flowers  on  the  same  tree. 
The  fruit  succeeds  the  latter  blossoms,  which 
have  a  one-leafed  empalement,  cut  into  four 
parts,  but  have  no  petals:  the  germen  is 
fixed  to  the  empalement,  which  afterwards 
becomes  a  roundish  capsule,  armed  with 
soft  pines  opening  in  three  cells,  each  con- 
taining a  triangular  nut,  called  the  beech 
mast.  This  nut  is  palatable  to  the  taste, 
but  when  eaten  i»  great  quantities  occasions 
head-aches  and  giddiness ;  nevertheless,  when 
dried  and  ground  into  meal,  it  makes  a 
wholesome  bread.  This  fruit  is  celebrated 
for  having  enabled  the  inhabitants  of  Scio, 
one  of  the  Ionian  Islands,  to  sustain  a  me- 

F 


66 

morable  siege,  which  they  did  by  the  beech 
masts  and  acorns  that  their  island  afforded. 

An  oil,  equal  in  flavour  to  the  best  olive 
oil,  with  the  advantage  of  keeping  longer 
without  becoming  rancid,  may  be  obtained 
from  the  nuts  by  pressure.  It  is  very  com- 
mon in  Picardy  and  other  parts  of  France, 
where  the  masts  abound ;  in  Silesia,  it  is 
used  by  the  country  people  instead  of  butter. 
The  cakes  which  remain  from  the  pressure 
are  given  to  fatten  swine,  oxen,  or  poultry. 
A  bushel  of  masts  are  said  to  produce  a 
gallon  of  clean  oil,  but  the  beech-tree  seldom 
produces  a  full  crop  of  masts  oftener  than 
once  in  three  years. 

A  few  years  ago,  an  attempt  was  made 
to  introduce  the  making  of  beech-oil  in  this 
country,  and  a  patent  was  granted  to  the 
projector;  but  the  difficulty  of  bringing  the 
country  people  into  any  new  measure,  how- 
ever beneficial  to  them,  is  so  great,  that  it 
often  destroys  the  best  concerted  projects. 
In  this  instance  it  was  found,  that  they  would 
rather  let  the  swine  consume  the  masts,  than 
suffer  their  children  to  collect  them  for  sale 
to  the  patentee,  and  thus  failed  the  making 
of  salad  oil  in  England. 

In  the  reign  of  George  the  First,  I  find 


67 

a  petition  was  made  for  letters  patent  for 
making  butter  from  beech-nuts. 

The  finest  beech-trees  in  England  arc  said 
to  grow  in  Hampshire.  The  forest  of  St. 
Leonard,  near  Horsham,  in  Sussex,  abounds 
with  noble  beech-trees.  The  cottagers  of  this 
forest  inform  you,  that  when  St.  Leonard 
wished  to  rest  beneath  these  trees,  he  was 
disturbed  during  the  day  by  the  biting  of 
vipers,  and  that  his  repose  was  broken  in  the 
night  by  the  warbling  of  nightingales,  and 
on  that  account  they  were  removed  by  his 
prayers,  since  which  time  tradition  says  of 
this  forest, — 

The  viper  has  ne'er  been  known  to  sting, 
Or  the  nightingale  e'er  heard  to  sing. 

The  shade  of  the  beech-tree  is  very  in- 
jurious to  most  sorts  of  plants  that  grow  near 
it,  but  is  generally  believed  to  be  very  salu- 
brious to  human  bodies.  The  leaves  of  the 
beech  are  collected  in  the  autumn,  to  fill 
mattresses  instead  of  flock  or  straw,  as  they 
remain  sweet,  and  continue  soft,  for  many 
years.  To  chew  beech-leaves  is  accounted 
good  for  the  gums  and  teeth.  The  Romans 
used  beech-leaves  and  honey  to  restore  the 
growth  of  hair,  which  had  fallen  off  in  sick- 
ness. 

F  2 


The  timber  of  these  trees,  in  point  of  ac- 
tual use,  follows  next  to  the  oak  and  the  ash, 
and  is  little  inferior  to  the  elm  for  water  pipes. 
Between  the  years  1790  and  1800,  when  John 
Aldredge,  Esq.  of  New  Lodge,  St.  Leonard's 
Forest,  was  causing  fish-ponds  to  be  dug  in 
that    neighbourhood,    the    workmen    found 
scantlings  of  beech   timber,   and   trunks  of 
these  trees,  squared  out,  which  were  supposed 
to  have  been  buried  in  the  earth  since  the  i 
time  of  the  Romans,  as  there  is  no  record 
mentioning  that  part  of  the   forest  having 
been  either  cleared,   or  ponds  made  since. 
Beech-timber  is  subject  to  worms  when  ex- 
posed to  the  air  without  paint.     It  is  used 
by  wheelwrights  and  chairmakers,  and  also 
by  turners  for  making  domestic  wooden  ware, 
such  as  bowls,  shovels,  &c.     Bedsteads  and 
other  furniture  are  often  made  with  this  tim- 
ber ;  and  no  wood  splits  so  fine,  or  holds  so 
well  together,  as  beech,  so  that  boxes,  sword- 
sheaths,  and  a  variety  of  other  things,  are 
made  from  it.     When  the  art  of  splitting  this 
wood  was  first  known  in  England,  the  parties 
who  used  it  kept  the  method  a  profound  se- 
cret for  many  years. 


BLACKBERRY.-RUBUS; 

Or,  BRAMBLE  BERRY. 


A  Species  of  Raspberry. — In  Botany,  a  Gemis 
of  the  Icosandria  Polygynia  Class. 


THE  bramble  derives  its  Latin  name,  rubus? 
from  ,the  redness  of  the  twigs  and  juice  of  the 
fruit.  Pliny  informs  us,  "  that  the  propaga- 
tion of  trees  by  layers,  was  taught  the  ancients 
by  the  bramble-bush/' 

Some  bow  their  vines,  which,  buried  in  the  plain, 
Their  tops,  in  distant  arches,  rise  again. 

Dryderts  Virgil. 

"  The  berries,"  says  Pliny,  "  are  the  food 
of  man,  and  have  a  desiccative  and  astringent 
virtue,  and  serve  as  a  most  appropriate  re- 
medy for  the  gums  and  inflammation  of  the 
tonsils."  The  flowers  also,  as  well  as  the 
berries  of  the  bramble,  were  considered  by 
the  ancients  as  remedies  against  the  worst  of 


70 

serpents.     They  are  diuretic,  and  the  juice 
pressed  out  of  the  tendrils,  or  young  shoots, 
of  brambles  stamped,  and  afterwards  reduced 
into  the  consistency  of  honey  by  standing  in 
the  sun,  is,  says  the  above  author,  "  a  singu-   , 
lar  medicine  taken  inwardly,  or  applied  out- 
wardly, for  all  the  diseases  of  the  mouth  and 
.eyes,  as  well  as  for  the  quinsy,"  &c.     The 
young  shoots,  eaten  as  a  salad,  will   fasten 
teeth  that  are  loose.     The  roots  of  the  bram- 
ble, boiled  in  wine,  were  esteemed  one  of  the 
best  astringents  by  the  Roman   physicians, 
who  preferred  the  juice  of  blackberries  to  that 
of  mulberries  for  the  infirmities  of  the  mouth. 
Brookes  says,  "  the  fruit,  when  ripe,  is  cool- 
ing,  and    quenches  thirst ;    and  the   leaves 
pounded,  and  applied  to  ringworms,  and  ul- 
cers of  the  legs,  will  heal  them  in  a  short 
time."      Boerhaave   affirms,    that   the  roots 
taken  out  of  the  earth  in  February  or  March, 
and  boiled  with  honey,  are  an  excellent  re- 
medy against  the  dropsy. 

The  jam  made  from  blackberries  is  now 
much  used  in  sore  throats  caused  by  colds, 
and  is  given  in  slight  fevers. 

The  juice  of  blackberry  mixed  with  raisin 
wine,  before  it  has  fermented,  will  give  it  both 
the  colour  and  flavour  of  claret. 

There  is  a  kind  of  this  fruit,  called  rubus 


71 

camis,  or  dew-berry,  but  which  Gerard  calls 
rubus  saxatilis,  or  stone-berry ;  the  protube- 
rances of  which  are  much  larger,  and  fewer  in 
number,  than  those  of  the  common  black- 
berry. It  is  generally  found  trailing  on  the 
banks  of  hedge-rows,  or  in  hazel  copses,  sel- 
dom growing  above  a  foot  high.  This  is  a 
berry  of  excellent  flavour,  and  well  deserving 
a  place  iu  cultivated  grounds,  as  it  must  be 
equally  beneficial  to  society  that  our  native 
fruits  should  be  improved,  as  well  as  that  new 
varieties  should  be  imported  from  climates 
that  can  give  bat  little  hope  of  their  thriving 
without  the  aid  of  artificial  heat. 


CACAS.-THEOBROMA ; 

Or,  CHOCOLATE  TREE. 

In  Botany,    of  the   Polyadelphia   Decandria 
Class  :  Natural  Order ;  Columnifera. 


THE  generic  name  is  derived  from  two  Greek 
words,  signifying  the  food  of  the  gods. 

The  cacas,  or  chocolate-tree,  is  a  native 
of  South  America,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
originally  conveyed  to  Hispaniola  from 
some  of  the  provinces  of  New  Spain,  where, 
besides  affording  the  natives  a  principal 
part  of  their  nourishment,  it  also  serves 
the  purpose  of  money,  150  of  the  nuts, 
(which  are  about  the  size  of  Windsor  beans,) 
being  considered  of  the  same  value  as  a  rial 
by  the  Spaniards. 

It  is  not  only  an  article  of  great  internal 
consumption,  but  for  exportation  it  is  one 
of  the  most  valuable  fruits.  Guthrie  consi- 
ders the  cacas  from  which  chocolate  is  made, 
as  the  next  considerable  article  in  the  na- 


73 

tural  history  and  commerce  of  Mcxicoj  to 
gold  and  silver.  A  garden  of  cacas  is  said  to 
produce  the  owner  twenty  thousand  crowns  a 
year. 

Chocolate  was  not  known  in  England 
until  the  eleventh  year  of  the  reign  of  Henry 
the  Eighth,  although  twenty-three  years  had 
elapsed  since  Columbus  had  discovered  the 
country  of  which  it  is  a  native. 

Chocolate  is  esteemed  the  most  restora- 
tive of  all  aliments,  insomuch  that  one  ounce 
of  it  is  said  to  nourish  as  much  as  a  pound 
of  beef. 

An  acquaintance,  on  whose  veracity  I 
can  rely,  informed  me,  that  during  the  re- 
treat of  Napoleon's  army  from  the  North, 
he  fortunately  had  a  small  quantity  of  little 
chocolate  cakes  in  his  pocket,  which  pre- 
served the  life  of  himself  and  a  friend  for  se- 
veral days,  when  they  could  procure  no  other 
food  whatever,  and  many  of  their  brother 
officers  had  perished  for  want. 

In  all  countries  where  chocolate  is  known, 
it  is  esteemed,  and  found  to  be  a  suitable 
diet  for  all  ages,  more  particularly  for  infants, 
old  persons,  those  of  consumptive  habits, 
and  such  as  are  recovering  from  sickness. 

It  is  related  in  Hawkes worth's  Voyages, 
that  Commodore  Byron,  in  his  passage  through 


74 

the^South  Seas,  found  plenty  of  cacas  in 
the  island  called  King  George's  Island,  and 
that  many  of  his  men,  who  were  so  afflicted 
with  scorbutic  disorders  that  their  limbs  were 
become  black  as  ink,  and  who  could  not 
move  without  assistance,  and  suffering  excru- 
ciating pain,  were  in  a  few  days  completely 
cured  by  eating  these  nuts,  and  able  to  re- 
sume their  accustomed  duties. 

I  have  often  been  surprised  that  the 
making  of  the  small  chocolate  cakes  for 
eating,  should  not  have  been  attempted  by 
some  persons  in  London,  when  they  are  in 
such  demand  at  Paris,  where  a  celebrated 
manufacturer  of  these  chocolate  trifles  as- 
sured me  that  he  had  then,  in  1816,  received 
an  order  from  a  late  high  personage  in  Eng- 
land that  would  exceed  £500. 

The  oil  of  the  cacas-nut  is  the  hottest  of 
any  known,  and  is  used  to  recover  cold, 
weak,  and  paralytic  limbs.  The  Mexicans 
are  said  to  eat  the  nuts  raw,  to  assuage  pains 
in  the  bowels. 

We  cannot  but  regret  that  the  cultivation 
of  this  valuable  plant  should  have  been  dis- 
continued in  our  West-India  islands,  nor 
can  we  be  surprised  when  we  find  that  the 
duty,  including  the  customs  and  excise, 
amounted  to  upwards  of  four  hundred  and 


75 

eighty   per   cent,   on   its   marketable   value, 
when  manufactured. 

It  is  carefully  cultivated  in  all  the  French 
and  Spanish  settlements  in  the  warmer  parts 
of  America.  For  what  reason  our  ministerial 
policy  should  have  so  widely  differed  from 
that  of  the  neighbouring  courts,  I  am  unable 
to  guess ;  but  I  trust  that  the  alteration  which 
has  lately  taken  place  in  the  duty  on  cho- 
colate, will  prove  a  benefit  to  our  revenue, 
an  advantage  to  our  colonies,  and  a  credit  to 
the  ministers  who  adopted  this  measure. 

It  is  certain  that  the  cultivation  of  the 

cacas   plantation    was    both   extensive    and 

successful  in  the  British   sugar  islands,   for 

many  years  after  they  had  become  subject 

to  our  government.     Blome,  who  published 

a  short  account  of  Jamaica  in  1672,  speaks 

of  cacas  as  being  at  that  time  one  of  the 

chief  articles  of  export:  "  There  are/'  says 

he,  "  in  this  island,  at  this  time,  about  sixty 

cacas  walks,  and  many  more  now  planting/' 

At  present,  I  believe,  there  is  not  a  single 

cacas  plantation  from  one  end  of  Jamaica 

to  the  other.     A  few  scattered  trees,  here 

and   there,    are    all    that  remain   of    those 

flourishing  and  beautiful  groves  which  were 

once   the   pride  and  boast  of  the  country. 

"  They  have  withered  with  the  indigo  ma- 


76 

nufacture,"  says  Edwards,  "  under  the  heavy 
hand  of  ministerial  exaction." 

The  produce  of  one  tree  in  Jamaica  was 
generally  estimated  at  about  twenty  pounds 
of  nuts.  The  produce  per  acre  was  rated  at 
one  thousand  pounds  per  annum,  allowing  for 
bad  years. 

The  chocolate-tree  grows  to  about  six 
feet  high  before  the  head  spreads  out,  and 
it  seldom  exceeds  from  sixteen  to  twenty 
feet  in  the  whole  height,  the  boughs  and 
branches  beautifully  extending  themselves 
on  every  side,  resembling  the  heart  cherry- 
tree,  the  leaves  being  much  of  the  same 
shape.  The  tree  bears  leaves,  flowers,  and 
fruit,  all  the  year  through;  but  the  usual 
seasons  for  gathering  the  fruit  are  June  and 
December.  The  flowers  spring  from  the 
trunk  and  large  branches:  they  are  small, 
but  beautiful,  and  sometimes  pale  red,  but 
most  commonly  of  a  saffron  colour :  the  pods 
are  oval  and  pointed,  and  contain  from  ten 
to  thirty  nuts  each,  almost  like  almonds, 
adhering  to  one  another  by  soft  filaments, 
and  enclosed  in  a  white  pulpy  substance, 
soft  and  sweet,  which  some  persons  suck 
when  they  take  them  out  of  the  shells. 
The  pods  change  from  green  to  a  yellowish 
colour  when  they  reach  to  their  maturity. 


77 

which  is  known  by  the  rattling  of  the  nuts, 
when  the  pods  are  shaken.  When  gathered, 
it  is  usual  to  lay  the  pods  in  heaps  to  sweat 
for  three  or  four  days  before  they  are  opened ; 
they  are  then  exposed  upon  mats  or  skins, 
to  the  sun,  every  day  for  about  a  month. 

The  cacas-tree  is  permitted  to  bear  a 
moderate  crop  of  fruit  the  fourth  year  after 
the  seed  has  been  sown :  but  if  the  plant  is 
weak,  a  greater  quantity  of  the  blossoms 
are  gathered,  in  order  that  it  may  recover 
strength.  The  tree  attains  it's  full  perfection 
in  eight  years :  after  that  it  will  continue  to 
produce  fruit  for  thirty  years  or  more,  if 
planted  in  a  good  soil ;  but  it  is  obnoxious 
to  blights,  and  shrinks  from  the  first  appear- 
ance of  drought.  In  early  times  the  planters 
had  many  superstitious  notions  concerning 
this  tree,  and  among  others,  the  appearance 
of  a  comet  was  always  considered  as  fatal  to 
the  cacas  plantation. — Lunan. 

The  chocolate-tree  was  grown  in  our 
stoves  as  early  as  the  year  1739- 


CASHEW-NUT.-ANACARDIUM. 


In  Botany,  a  Class  of  the  Polygamia  Moncecia 
Class.     Natural  Or der,  HoloracecE. 


THE  generic  name  is  derived  from  two 
Greek  words,  signifying  without  a  heart ;  be- 
cause the  fruit,  instead  of  having  the  seed  en- 
closed, has  the  nut  growing  at  the  end. 

The  cashew-tree,  is  a  native  of  the  Bra- 
zils, and  other  parts  of  America,  where  it 
grows  to  the  height  of  twenty  feet  or  more,  in 
favourable  situations.  Lunan  gives  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  it  in  his  Hortus  Jamaicensis. 
The  fruit  is  full  of  an  acrid  juice,  which  is 
frequently  used  in  the  making  of  punch. 
To  the  apex  of  the  fruit,  grows  a  nut,  of  the 
size  and  shape  of  a  hare's  kidney,  but  much 
larger  at  the  end  which  is  next  the  fruit  than 
at  the  other  end.  The  shell  is  very  hard,  and 
the  kernel,  which  is  esteemed  the  finest  nut 


79 

in  the  world,  is  covered  with  a  thin  film.     Be- 
tween  this  and  the  shell  is  lodged  a  thick, 
blackish,    inflammable    liquor,    of    such    a 
caustic  nature  in  the  fresh  nut,  that  if  the 
lips  chance  to  touch  it,  blisters  will  immedi- 
ately follow.     The  fruit  is  said  to  be  good  in 
disorders  of  the  stomach ;  for  the  juice  of  it 
cuts  the  thick  tough  humours,  which  obstruct 
the  free  circulation  of  the  blood,  and  thus 
removes    the   complaint.      This    juice,    ex- 
pressed and  fermented,  makes  a  fine  rough 
wine,  useful  where  the  viscera  or  solid  system 
has  been  relaxed.     Barham,  who  has  written 
on  this  fruit,  says,  "  the  stone  of  this  apple 
appears  before  the  fruit  itself,  growing  at  the 
end  in  the  shape  of  a  kidney,  as  big  as  a 
walnut.     Some  of  the  fruit  are  all  red,  some 
entirely  yellow,  and  some  mixed  with  both 
red  and  yellow,  and  others  perfectly  white, 
of  a  very  pleasant  taste  in  general ;  but  there 
is  a  great  variety,  as  some  more  sharp,  some 
in    taste    resembling    cherries,    others   very 
rough  like  unripe  apples.     The  taste  of  most 
of  them  is  sweet  and  pleasant,  but  generally 
goes  off  with  an   astringency    or   stipticity 
upon  the  tongue,  which   proceeds  from  it's 
tough  fibres,  that  run  longwise  through  the 
fruit.     When  cut  with  a  knife,   it  turns  as 
black  as  ink.     The  generality  of  the  fruit 


80 

is  as  big  and  much  of  the  shape  of  the  French 
Pippins,  and  makes  an  excellent  cider  or 
wine/'  Barham  adds,  that  he  has  distilled 
a  spirit  from  the  nut  far  exceeding  arrack, 
rum,  or  brandy,  of  which  an  admirable  punch 
is  made. 

The  flowers  are  very  small,  grow  in  tufts 
of  a  carnation  colour,  and  are  very  odori- 
ferous. The  leaves  much  resemble  those 
of  the  common  walnut-tree  in  shape  and 
smell,  and  a  decoction  of  them  is  equally 
effectual  in  cleansing  and  healing  old 
wounds. 

The  oil  cures  the  herpes,  takes  away 
freckles  and  liver  spots,  but  draws  blis- 
ters, and  therefore  must  be  cautiously  made 
use  of;  it  also  takes  away  corns,  but  it 
is  necessary  to  have  a  very  good  defensive 
round  the  corn  to  prevent  inflaming  the 
part.  The  inside  kernel  is  very  pleasant 
to  eat  when  young,  and,  before  the  fruit 
is  too  ripe,  exceeding  any  walnut;  and 
when  older  and  drier,  roasted,  is  very  plea- 
sant, exceeding  Pistachio  nuts  or  almonds ; 
and  ground  up  with  cocoa,  makes  an  excel- 
lent chocolate. 

It  has  been  observed,  that  poor  dropsical 
slaves  who  have  had  the  liberty  to  go  into 
a  cashew-walk,  and  eat  what  cashews  they 


81 

please,  as  well  as  the  roasted  nuts,  have 
been  recovered.  These  trees  are  of  quick 
growth :  Barhatn  says  he  has  planted  the 
nuts,  and  the  young  trees  have  produced 
fruit  in  two  years  after.  They  will  continue 
bearing  fruit  for  more  than  a  hundred  years. 
Many  are  now  flourishing  in  Jamaica  that 
were  planted  when  the  Spaniards  had  it  in 
possession. 

I  have  lately  received  from  Jamaica  a 
cashew  apple,  bearing  two  distinct  nuts, 
which  was  considered  so  rare  a  circumstance 
that  it  was  preserved  in  spirits.  It's  appear- 
ance is  unnatural,  resembling  a  lemon  pippin 
apple,  with  two  lambs'  kidneys  stuck  on 
the  end. 

The  wood  of  the  cashew  is  excellent, 
strong,  and  lasting  timber. 

These  trees  annually  transude  in  large 
quantities,  viz.  often  to  ten  or  twelve  pounds' 
weight  of  fine,  semi-transparent  gum,  similar 
to  gum-arabic,  and  not  at  all  inferior  to  it 
in  virtue  and  quality,  except  that  it  contains 
a  light  astringency,  which  perhaps  renders 
it  the  more  valuable  in  many  respects : 
for  this  reason  it  is  often  used  as  a  suc- 
cedaneum  in  the  Jamaica  shops. 

The  thick  oil  of  the  nut  or  shell  tinges 
linen  of  a  rusty  iron  colour,  which  can  be 

G 


82 

hardly  got  out ;  and  if  any  wood  be  smeared 
with  it,  it  preserves  it  from  decay.  From  the 
body  of  this  tree  is  procured,  by  tapping, 
or  incision,  a  milky  juice,  which  stains  linen 
of  a  deep  black,  and  cannot  be  discharged. 
Dr.  Grew  mentions  the  juice  being  used  for 
staining  of  cottons ;  but  it  is  doubtful  which 
of  the  species  he  means,  though  Sir  Hans 
Sloane  supposes  it  to  be  of  the  acajou  or 
cashew,  here  mentioned. 

Long  seems  of  opinion  that  this  juice 
has  the  same  property  as  the  Japan  lac. 

The  oil  between  the  rinds  of  the  nut, 
il  hilu  to  the  candle,  emits  bright,  salient 
particles.  This  oil  is  used  as  a  cosmetic 
to  remove  freckles  and  sun  burning,  but  the 
pain  suffered,  makes  it's  use  not  very  fre- 
quent. Grainger. 

The  pith,  or  medullary  part  of  the 
anacardium,  is  extremely  pungent  and 
acrimonious;  whence  the  ancients  made 
great  use  of  it  in  cold  diseases  of  the 
head,  particularly  to  strengthen  the  me- 
mory ;  but  the  abuse  of  it  sometimes 
making  them  stupid,  delirious,  or  even 
mad,  the  moderns  rarely  venture  on  it's 
use,  at  least  not  without  great  correctives. 
Chambers. 


83 

The  cashew  nut-tree  can  only  be  raised 
in  stoves  in  this  country,  where  it  has  been 
cultivated  since  the  year  1699. 


G  2 


CHERRY.-CERASUS. 


In  Botany,  of  the  Icosandria  Monogynia  Class. 
It  was  formerly  considered  by  Botanists 
as  a  distinct  Genus;  but  Linn&us  pro- 
nounces  it  of  the  Prunus  Species. 


THIS  beautiful  fruit  was  procured  and 
brought  into  Europe  by  the  overthrow  of 
Mithridates,  king  of  Pontus,  when  he  was 
driven  from  his  dominions  by  Lucullus,  the 
Roman  general,  who  found  the  cherry-tree 
growing  in  Cerasus,  a  city  of  Pontus,  (now 
called  Keresoun,  a  maritime  town  belong- 
ing to  the  Turks  in  Asia,)  which  his  army 
destroyed,  and  from  whence  it  derived  the 
present  name  of  Cherry.  Lucullus,  who  was 
as  great  an  admirer  of  nature  as  he  was 
of  the  arts,  thought  this  tree  of  so  much 
importance,  that  when  he  was  granted  a 
triumph,  it  was  placed  in  the  most  con- 


85 

spicuous  situation  among  the  royal  treasures 
which  he  obtained  from  the  sacking  of  the 
capital  of  Armenia;  and  I  doubt  much  if 
there  was  a  more  valuable  acquisition  made 
to  Rome  by  that  war,  which  is  stated  by  Plu- 
tarch to  have  cost  the  Armenians  155,000 
men  :  we  may  very  justly  style  it  the  fruit  of 
the  Mithridatic  war. 

Botany  seems  to  have  been  more  studied 
in  early  times  by  distinguished  persons  than 
at  present.  In  this  instance  we  find  the 
conquered  and  the  conqueror  both  botanists, 
Mithridates,  whom  Cicero  considered  the 
greatest  monarch  that  ever  sat  on  a  throne, 
and  who  had  vanquished  twenty-four  nations 
whose  different  languages  he  had  learnt,  and 
spoke  with  the  same  ease  and  fluency  as  his 
own,  found  time  to  write  a  treatise  on  botany 
in  the  Greek  language.  His  skill  in  physic 
is  well  known :  there  is  even,  at  this  day, 
a  celebrated  antidote,  called  Mithridate,  a 
particular  translation  of  the  account  of 
which  will  be  found  in  the  history  of  the 
walnut* 

It  was  in  the  68th  year  before  the  birth 
of  Christ,  that  Lucullus  planted  the  cherry- 
tree  in  Italy,  which  "  was  so  well  stocked," 
says  Pliny,  "  that  in  less  than  twenty-six 
years  after,  other  lands  had  cherries,  even  as 

2 


86 

far  as  Britain  beyond  the  Ocean."  This 
would  make  their  introduction  to  England 
as  early  as  the  42d  year  before  Christ, 
although  they  are  generally  stated  not  to  have 
been  brought  to  this  country  until  the  early 
part  of  the  reign  of  Nero,  A.  D.  55. 

Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  Roman 
gardens,  by  the  luxurious  manner  in  which 
Lucullus  lived  in  his  retirement  from  Rome 
and  the  public  affairs.  He  had  passages 
dug  under  the  hills,  on  the  coast  of  Cam- 
pania, to  convey  the  sea- water  to  his  house 
and  pleasure  grounds,  where  the  fishes 
flocked  iri  such  abundance,  that  what  were 
found  at  his  death  sold  for  more  than 
twenty-five  thousand  pounds.  Pliny  men- 
tions eight  kinds  of  cherries  as  being  culti- 
vate^ in  Italy  when  he  wrote  his  Natural 
History,  which  was  about  the  70th  year, 
A.  D.  "  The  reddest  cherries,"  continues 
he,  "are  called  apronia;  the  blackest,  actia; 
the  Caecilian  are  round.  The  Julian  cherries 
have  a  pleasant  taste,  but  are  so  tender 
that  they  must  be  eaten  when  gathered, 
as  they  will  npt  endure  carriage."  The  Du- 
racine  cherries  were  esteemed  the  best,  but 
in  Pkardy  the  Portugal  cherries  were 
most  admired.  The  Macedonian  cherries 
grew  on  dwarf  trees;  and  one  kind  i&  men- 


87 

tioned  by  the  above  author,  which  never 
appeared  ripe,  having  a  hue  between  green, 
red,  and  black.  He  mentions  a  cherry  that 
was  grafted,  in  his  time,  on  a  bay-tree  stock, 
which  circumstance  gave  it  the  tiame  of 
laurta  :  this  cherry  is  described  as  having  an 
agreeable  bitterness.  "  The  cherry-tree  could 
never  be  made  to  grow  in  Egypt/'  continues 
Pliny,  "  with  all  the  care  and  attention  of 


man/' 


The  county  of  Kent  has  long  been  cele- 
brated for  the  quantity  of  cherries  which  it 
produces,  and,  in  all  probability,  they  were 
first  planted  in  this  part  of  England,  of  which 
Caesar  speaks  more  favourably  than  of  any 
other  part  which  he  visited.  Some  authors 
assure  us,  that  the  whole  race  of  cherries 
that  had  been  brought  to  this  country  by 
the  Romans,  were  lost  in  the  Saxon  period, 
and  were  only  restored  by  Richard  Harris, 
fruiterer  to  Henry  the  VIHth,  who  brought 
them  from  Flanders,  and  planted  them  at 
Sittingbourn  in  Kent.  This  appears  to  be 
an  error,  as  Gerard  says,  "  the  Flanders' 
cherrie-tree  differeth  not  from  our  English 
cherrie-tree  in  stature  or  in  forme,"  &c. 

There  is  an  account  of  a  cherry-orchard 
of  thirty-two  acres  in  Kent,  which,  in  the 
year  154)0,  produced  fruit  that  sold  in  these 


early  days  for  £1000,  which  seems  an  enor- 
mous sum,  as  at  that  period  good  land  is 
stated  to  have  let  at  one  shilling  per  acre. 
We  can  only  reconcile  our  minds  to  this 
great  price,  from  the  deficiency  of  other 
fruits  in  this  country,  and  the  splendour  in 
which  Henry  the  VHIth  and  his  ministers 
lived. 

Fruit    orchards  are   still   considered  the 
most  valuable  estates  in  Kent ;  and  I  learn 
from  Boys's  Kent,  that  cherry-gardens,  while 
in  full   bearing,   pay  better  than   orchards ; 
but  the  cherry-tree  does  not  generally  con- 
tinue more  than  thirty  years  in  perfection. 
Mr.   Randall  says  he    has   known   a  single 
cherry-tree  produce  fruit  that  he   has   sold 
for  above  five   pounds  per  year,  for  seven 
years    in    succession.      Gerard    says,    "  the 
Luke  Wardens  cherrie  is  so  called,  because 
he  was  the  first  that  brought  the  same  out  of 
Italy ;  another  we  have  called  the  Naples' 
cherrie,   because    it   was   first   brought  into 
these  parts  from  Naples :  the  fruit   is  verie 
great,  sharpe  pointed,  somewhat  like  a  man's 
heart  in  shape,  of  a  pleasant  taste,  and  of  a 
deepe  blackish  colour  when  it  is  ripe/'    This 
author  mentions  the  Spanish  and  the  Gas- 
coigne   cherry,   &c.   and   says,    "  there   are 
many  other  sorts  in  our  London  gardens/' 


89 

The  cherry  seems  to  have  been  a  fruit 
highly  esteemed  by  the  court  in  the  time  of 
Charles  the  First,  as  I  find,  by  the  survey 
and  valuation  of  the  manor  and  mansion 
belonging  to  his  queen,  Henrietta  Maria, 
at  Wymbleton  (now  Wimbledon)  in  Surry, 
which  was  made  in  1649?  there  were  upwards 
of  two  hundred  cherry-trees  in  those  gardens. 
( Archceologia,  vol.  x.  p.  399.) 

I  have  observed,  that  the  cherry-gardens 
in  the  vicinity  of  London,  have  what  is 
termed  an  upper  and  an  under  crop,  which 
is  done  by  planting  strawberries  or  currants, 
&c.  between  the  trees;  and  the  latter  fruit, 
I  have  noticed,  has  been  as  fine,  and  as  pro- 
ductive, as  when  planted  by  itself,  and  en- 
grossing the  whole  garden.  Phillips  says  the 
apple  tree  is 

Uneasy,  seated  by  funereal  yew, 
Or  walnut,  (whose  malignant  touch  impairs 
All  generous  fruits,)  or  near  the  bitter  dews 
Of  cherries;   therefore  weigh  the  habits  well 
Of  plants,  how  they  associate  best,  nor  let 
111  neighbourhood  corrupt  their  hopeful  grafts. 

Lord  Bacon  has  clearly  elucidated  what 
the  ancients  considered  the  sympathy  or  an- 
tipathy of  plants.  "  For  it  is  thus/'  says 
this  great  man,  "  wheresoever  one  plant  draw- 
eth  such  a  particular  juice  out  of  the  earth 


90 

as  it  qualifieth  the  earth,  so  that  juice  which 
remaineth  is  fit  for  the  other  plant :  there  the 
neighbourhood  doeth  good,  because  the  nou- 
rishments are  contrary,  or  several ;  but  where 
two  plants  draw  much  the  same  juice,  there 
the  neighbourhood  hurteth ;  for  the  one  de- 
ceiveth  the  other/' 

The  cherry,   like   many   other   kinds   of 
fruits,   has   had  its   sorts   so  multiplied,   by 
various  graftings  and  sowing  the  seeds,  that 
we  now  enjoy  a  great  variety  of  this  agree- 
able fruit,  and  for  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  summer,  as  it  is  one  of  the  first  trees 
that  yields  its  fruity  in  return  for  the  care  of 
the  gardener.      From   the   ripening   of  the 
Kentish  and  the  May  Duke,  to  the  Yellow 
Spanish   and  the  Morello,  we  may  reckon 
full  one  third  of  the  year  that  our  desserts  are 
furnished  with  this  ornamental  fruit;  and  to 
those   who  have   the  advantage   of  housed 
trees,  the  cherry  makes  a  much  earlier  ap- 
pearance, as  it  is  a  fruit  that  bears  forcing 
exceedingly  well. 

Cherries  have  ever  been  found  more 
tempting  than  wholesome.  Pliny  says,  "  this 
fruit  will  loosen  and, hurt  the  stomach  ;  but, 
when  hung  up  and  dried,  has  a  contrary 
effect/'  He  relates,  that  some  authors  have 
affirmed  that  cherries,  eaten  fresh  from 


91 

the  tree  when  the  morning  clew  is  on  them,  and 
the  stones  being  also  swallowed,  will  purge  so 
effectually,  as  to  cure  those  who  have  the  gout 
in  their  feet. 

Dried  cherries  are  much  esteemed  for 
winter  puddings,  and  the  wine  made  from 
this  fruit  much  resembles  the  red  Constantia, 
both  in  colour  and  flavour.  The  small  black 
cherries,  with  good  brandy,  produce  one  of 
the  most  wholesome  as  well  as  agreeable  li- 
quors. Eau  de  cerises  is  an  admired  liquor  of 
France. 

The  wood  of  the  cherry-tree,  which  is  hard 
and  tough,  is  next  to  oak  for  strength,  and 
comes  the  nearest  to  mahogany  in  appear- 
ance: it  is  in  much  request  by  the  turners 
for  making  chairs,  &c. 

The  cherry-tree  produces  its  fruit  gene- 
rally at  the  extremity  of  the  branches; 
therefore,  in  pruning,  they  should  never  be 
shortened. 

Judiciously  planted,  the  cherry-tree  is 
very  ornamental  in  a  shrubbery,  its  early 
white  blossoms  contrasting  with  the  sombre 
shades  of  evergreens  in  the  spring,  and  its 
graceful  ruby  balls  giving  a  pleasing  variety 
in  the  summer. 

-* 

There  is  a  feast  celebrated  at  Hamburg, 
called  the  "Feast  of  Cherries;"  in  which 


92 

I 

troops  of  children  parade  the  streets  with 
green  boughs  ornamented  with  cherries,  to 
commemorate  a  victory  obtained  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner :  in  1432  the  Hussites  threat- 
ened the  city  of  Hamburg  with  an  immediate 
destruction,  when  one  of  the  citizens  named 
Wolf  proposed  that  all  the  children  in  the 
city,  from  seven  to  fourteen  years  of  age, 
should  be  clad  in  mourning,  and  sent  as  sup- 
plicants to  the  enemy.  Procopius  Nasus, 
chief  of  the  Hussites,  was  so  touched  with  this 
spectacle,  that  he  received  the  young  suppli- 
cants, regaled  them  with  cherries  and  other 
fruits,  and  promised  them  to  spare  the  city. 
The  children  returned  crowned  with  leaves, 
holding  cherries,  and  crying  "  Victory!" 


CHESNUT.-CASTANEA. 


In  Botany,  it  is  ranged  in  the  Class  ofMon&cia 
Polyandria,  and  is  of  the  Genus  of  Fagus,  or 
Beech.  The  Fruit  is  more  properly  a  Mast 
than  a  Nut. 


THE  chesnut-tree  was  first  brought  to  Eu- 
rope from  Sardis,  (now  Sart,)  a  town  of  Asia 
Minor,  by  the  Greeks,  who  called  the  fruit 
the  Sardinian  nut,  until  it  was  honoured  by 
the  appellation  of  A*o?  BaAavo?,  or  Jupiter's 
nut.  Sardis  was  burnt  by  the  Athenians 
504  years  before  Christ,  which  caused  the 
invasion  of  Attica  by  Darius.  We  may  there- 
fore venture  to  conclude  that  the  chesnut  was 
thus  early  known  to  the  Grecians.  Pliny 
mentions  eight  kinds  of  chesnuts  as  being 
known  to  the  Romans  in  his  time,  and  says 
they  were  ground  into  meal,  and  made  into 
bread,  by  the  poor ;  "  but  when  roasted/' 
he  adds,  "  they  are  pleasanter  and  better 
food/'  He  also  mentions  one  kind,  coctiva 


94 

(chesnuts  to  be  boiled).  Chesnuts  were  con- 
sidered nutritive  by  the  ancients,  and  good 
for  those  who  retched  up  blood. 

"Chesnuts,"  continues  Pliny,  "were  much 
improved  when  men  began  to  graft  them/' 

The  Romans  called  them  Castanea,  after 
a  city  of  that  name  in  Thessalia,  from 
whence  they  first  procured  them,  and  where 
they  were  grown  in  great  abundance  by  the 
Grecians. 

Some  authors  affirm  that  the  chesnut-tree 
is  a  native  of  this  country.  Dr.  Ducarel 
maintains,  in  his  Anglo-Norman  Antiquities, 
that  it  is  an  indigenous,  or  native  tree  of 
this  island ;  for  this  purpose  he  alleges,  that 
many  of  our  old  buildings  in  London,  and 
other  places,  contain  a  great  quantity  of  this 
timber. 

The  remains  of  very  old  decayed  chesnut- 
trees  may  be  seen  in  the  Forest  of  Dean, 
Enfield  Chase,  and  in  many  parts  of  Kent. 
At  Fortworth,  in  Gloucestershire,  is  a  chesnut- 
tree  fifty-two  feet  round  :  it  is  proved  to  have 
stood  there  since  the  year  1150,  and  was  then 
so  remarkable,  that  it  was  called  "  The  great 
chcsnut  of  Fortworth.3'  It  fixes  the  boundary 
of  a  manor.  Mr.  Marsham  states  that  this 
tree  is  1100  years  old. 

Cheshunt,   or  Cheutrehunt,  in  Hertford- 


95 

shire,  is  supposed  to  have  been  so  called 
from  the  chesnut-trees  with  which  it  formerly 
abounded. 

Camden  remarks,  that  Cowdery  Park, 
near  Midhurst  in  Sussex,  abounded  in  fine 
chesnut-trees.  It  is  therefore  evident  that 
chesnut  timber  has  been  long  known  in  this 
country ;  but  I  am  induced  to  believe  that  it 
was  one  of  the  fruits  which  was  introduced 
by  the  Romans  to  this  island. 

Chesnuts  were  certainly  considered  as  a 
proper  food  for  man  by  Lord  Bacon,  who 
in  his  "  Essay  on  Plantations,"  says,  "  In  a 
country  of  plantation,  first  look  about  what 
kind  of  victual  the  country  yields  of  itself  to 
hand ;  as  chesnuts,  waluuts,  pine  apples, 
olives,  dates,  &c.  &c." 

Chesnuts  stewed  with  cream  make  a  much 
admired  dish,  and  many  families  prefer  them 
to  all  other  stuffings  for  turkeys ;  they  make 
an  excellent  soup ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  chesnuts  might  be  advantageously  used 
in  cooking,  so  as  to  make  many  agreeable 
and  wholesome  dishes.  I  have  had  them 
stewed  and  brought  to  table  with  salt  fish, 
when  they  have  been  much  admired ;  but  it 
is  exceedingly  difficult  to  introduce  any 
article  as  food  that  has  not  been  established 
by  long  custom  ;  and  it  is  not  more  strange 


\ 
96 

than  true,  that  the  difficulty  increases,  if  the 
object  be  economy. 

The  importation  of  chesnuts  is  very  con- 
siderable both  from  Spain  and  Portugal,  yet 
I  believe  it  is  rare  if  ever  there  is  a  single 
meal  made  from  them  in  this  country.  The 
Catalonians  have  this  strange  religious  prac- 
trice.  On  the  1st  of  November,  the  eve  of  All 
Souls,  they  run  about  from  house  to  house 
to  eat  chesnuts,  believing  that  for  every 
chesnut  they  swallow,  with  proper  faith  and 
unction,  they  shall  deliver  a  soul  out  of  pur- 
gatory. 

As  ornamental  and  profitable  for  parks, 
chesnut-trees  are  exceeded  by  no  others, 
which  all  must  acknowledge  who  have  seen 
the  fine  avenues  in  Greenwich  Park.  There 
is  no  better  food  for  deer  than  chesnuts,  and 
they  fall  from  the  trees  when  other  sustenance 
is  scarce. 

The  timber  is  of  equal  value  with  the  best 
oak,  and,  for  many  purposes,  far  exceeding 
it.  No  wood  is  more  preferable  for  making 
casks  to  hold  wine  and  other  liquors,  as  it 
imparts  no  taste  to  the  contents,  and  has  the 
property  of  maintaining  its  bulk  constantly, 
without  shrinking  or  swelling,  as  most  other 
timber  is  apt  to  do,  which  often  causes  casks 
to  burst.  It  has  also  the  quality  of  lasting 


97 

longer  than  elm,  or  any  other  timber,  when 
used  for  water  pipes,  or  other  purposes, 
under  ground. 

The  chesnut-wood  has  recently  been  suc- 
cessfully applied  to  the  purnoses  of  dyeing 
and  tanning,  thus  forming  a  substitute  for  log- 
wood and  oak  bark.  Leather  tanned  by  it, 
is  declared,  by  the  gentleman  who  made  the 
experiment,  to  be  superior  to  that  tanned 
with  oak  bark ;  and  in  dyeing,  its  affinity  for 
wool  is  said,  on  the  same  authority,  to  be 
greater  than  that  of  either  galls  or  sumach, 
and  consequently  the  colour  given  is  more 
permanent :  it  also  makes  admirable  ink. 

The  great  chesnut-tree,  near  Mount  Etna, 
is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  trees 
in  the  Old  World.  It  is  called  "  The  ches- 
nut-tree of  a  Hundred  Horses/'  from  the 
following  traditionary  tale:  Jean  of  Arragon, 
when  she  visited  Mount  Etna,  was  attended 
by  her  principal  nobility,  when  a  heavy  shower 
obliged  them  to  take  refuge  under  this  tree, 
the  immense  branches  of  which  sheltered  the 
whole  party*  According  to  the  account  given 
of  it  by  Mr.  Howel,  this  chesnut-tree  is  160 
feet  in  circumference,  and,  although  quite  hol- 
low within,  the  verdure  of  the  branches  is  not 
affected;  for  this  species  of  tree,  like  the 
willow  and  some  others,  depends  upon  its 

H 


98 

bark  for  subsistence.  The  cavity  of  this 
enormous  tree  is  so  extensive,  that  a  house 
has  been  built  in  it,  and  the  inhabitants  have 
an  oven  therein,  where  they  dry  nuts,  ches- 
nuts,  almonds,  &c.  of  which  they  make  con- 
serves ;  but  as  these  thoughtless  people  often 
get  fuel  from  the  tree  that  shelters  them,  it  is 
feared  that  this  natural  curiosity  will  be  de- 
stroyed by  those  whom  it  protects. 


HORSE-CHESNUT.— HIPPO- 
CASTANEUM. 


JEsculus;   in  Botany,   of  the   Class  Heptan- 
dria  Monogynia. 


THIS  tree  was  first  brought  from  the  north- 
ern parts  of  Asia  in  1588,  and  is  now  one  of 
the  greatest  ornaments  of  our  parks  and 
plantations,  particularly  when  in  blossom. 

The  grand  avenue  of  horse-chesnut- trees 
in  Bushey  Park,  near  Hampton-Court  Pa^- 
lace,  is  the  finest  in  England,  and  many  par- 
ties go  from  London  to  see  it  when  in  full 
blossom. 

There  is  a  fine  print  of  an  old  patriot  of 
this  neighbourhood,  with  the  following  in- 
scription :  "  Timothy  Bennet,  of  Hampton 
Wick,  in  Middlesex,  Shoemaker,  aged  75, 
1752. — This  true  Briton,  unwilling  to  leave 
the  world  worse  than  he  found  it,  by  a  vigo- 
rous application  of  the  laws  of  his  country 

H  2 


100 

in  the  cause  of  liberty,  obtained  a  free  pas- 
sage through  Bushey  Park,  which  had  many 
years  been  withheld  from  the  people/' 

The  fruit  of  the  horse-chesnut-tree  is 
ground,  and  given  to  the  horses  in  Turkey, 
particularly  to  such  as  have  coughs,  or  are 
broken- winded.  The  Turks  also  give  it  to 
milch  cows,  it  being  found  to  increase  the 
quantity  of  milk,  without  injuring  the  qua- 
lity. In  France  and  Switzerland  horse-ches- 
nuts  are  used  for  the  purpose  of  bleaching 
yarn,  and  are  recommended  as  capable  of 
extensive  use  in  whitening,  not  only  flax  and 
hemp,  but  also  silk  and  wool. 

A  patent  was  granted,  in  the  year  1796, 
to  Lord  William  Murray,  for  his  discovery 
of  a  method  of  extracting  starch  from  horse- 
chesnuts,  and  a  paste  or  size  has  been  made 
from  them,  which  is  preferred  by  book- 
binders, shoemakers,  and  paper-hangers,  to 
that  made  from  wheaten  flour.  It  is  thought 
that  the  meal  of  this  fruit  can  be  converted 
into  many  useful  articles,  such  as  soap, 
&c. ;  and  as  it  loses  its  bitter  astringent  taste 
after  it  has  been  rasped  into  water,  it  is  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  a  wholesome  food 
mixed  with  flour  or  potatoes.  The  prickly 
husks  are  valuable  for  tanning  of  leather. 
Zannichelli  affirms,  that  he  has  made  a 


101 

great  many  trials,  and  has  found  the  bark 
of  the  horse-chesnut-tree  to  have  the  same 
effect  as  the  Peruvian  bark. 

This  tree  is  of  quick  growth,  and  the 
timber  has  been  thought  of  but  little  value, 
although  it  is  in  appearance  so  like  the  wain- 
scot oak,  that  none  but  those  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  work  on  these  woods,  can  discern 
the  difference. 


COCOA-NUT.-COCOS. 


Natural  Order,  Palmed ;  in  Botany,  a  Genus 
of  the  Monacia  Hexandria  Class. 


THE  cocoa-nut  appears  to  have  been  known 
to  the  ancient  Greeks,  as  I  find  the  Macedo- 
nian soldiers,  who  accompanied  Alexander 
the  Great  in  his  expedition  into  India,  met 
with  various  Indian  fruits,  although  they  were 
not  able  to  give  the  names  of  them.  This 
nut  was  evidently  one  of  the  fruits  they  dis- 
covered; and  their  account  of  it  has  been 
faithfully  transmitted  to  us  in  the  twelfth  book 
of  Pliny's  Natural  History,  chap.  6.  "  The 
fruit,"  he  says,  "  is  put  forth  at  the  bark, 
having  within  it  a  wonderful  pleasant  juice, 
and  in  such  abundance,  that  one  of  them  is 
sufficient  to  afford  a  competent  refection  for 
four  men/'  The  Macedonians  described  the 
leaves  as  being  of  great  size,  resembling  birds' 
wings. 


103 

From  this  period,  which  was  about  325 
years  before  Christ,  little  or  nothing  more 
was  known  of  the  cocoa-nut  by  the  Euro- 
peans, for  the  space  of  1 823  years,  when  the 
discoveries  of  Columbus  opening  a  wide  field 
of  speculation  for  the  naturalist  as  well  as 
the  trader,  this  fruit  became  once  more 
known  to  the  Old  World  ;  but  it  is  only  of 
late  years  that  the  cocoa-nut  has  been  brought 
to  England  as  an  article  of  commerce.  It  is 
now  used  by  the  West-India  captains  instead 
of  wedges  of  timber,  to  fill  up  the  vacua  be- 
tween the  casks  and  other  packages  in  their 
ships.  The  freightage  of  these  large  nuts 
is  consequently  considered  as  of  no  charge  : 
they  are  therefore  now  become  as  common  in 
the  shops  and  in  the  streets  of  London,  as  the 
orange. 

The  cocoa-nut  is  the  produce  of  a  tree 
of  the  first  importance  to  the  Indians,  as  it 
furnishes  them  with  meat,  drink,  physic, 
clothing,  lodging,  furniture,  and  fuel. 

Chambers  states,  that  many  travellers  aver, 
from  the  size  and  useful  product  of  this  tree, 
that  from  a  single  cocoa-nut  tree  and  its  fruit, 
a  ship  might  be  built,  equipped,  and  laden 
with  merchandise  and  provision. 

It  is  supposed  to  be  a  native  of  the  Mai- 
dive,  and  some  desert  islands  in  the  East 


104 

Indies,  and  from  thence  to  have  been  trans- 
ported to  all  the  warmer  parts  of  America. 
The  largest  cocoa-nut-trees  grow  on  the  river 
Oronooko,  which  reach  to  the  height  of  sixty 
feet,  and,  bearing  all  their  foliage  at  the  top, 
produce  a  beautiful,  waving,  featherlike  ap- 
pearance. 

The  Spaniards  call  it  Palma  de  las  Indias, 
and  the  Portuguese  coco,  from  the  three  holes 
in  the  shell,  which  give  it  the  appearance  of 
a  monkey's  head. 

The  kernel,  or  substance,  which  adheres 
to  the  interior  of  the  shell  of  the  cocoa-nut, 
is  very  nourishing,  and  is  used  instead  of 
almonds  in  milks,  emulsions,  &c.  These 
emulsions,  when  added  to  coffee  instead  of 
cream,  give  it  an  exquisite  taste;  excellent 
cakes  and  fritters  are  also  made  from  the 
kernel,  when  rasped. 

The  tender  shoots  of  this  tree,  when 
boiled,  afford  an  excellent  substitute  for  cab- 
bage. 

A  large  cocoa-nut  will  produce  upwards 
of  a  pint  of  milk ;  and  when  young,  it  is 
esteemed  one  of  the  greatest  dainties  of 
America.  As  the  fruit  gets  older,  the  milk 
becomes  more  sharp  and  cooling,  conse- 
quently more  agreeable  to  those  of  feverish 
habits.  It  is  also  esteemed  highly  anti- 


105 

scorbutic.     Custards,  blanc-mange,  rice  pud- 
dings, &c.  are  made  with  this  milk. 

An  agreeable  sweet  oil,  fit  for  the  table, 
is  procured,  if  the  milk  of  the  cocoa-nut 
be  concentrated  by  ebullition  over  a  mo- 
derate fire.  The  oil  obtained  from  this 
nut  by  pressure  is  an  excellent  lamp  oil, 
burning  with  a  clear  bright  flame,  without 
exhaling  any  odour  or  smoke.  The  substance 
from  which  this  oil  has  been  squeezed,  is 
given  to  cattle,  mixed  with  their  forage,  and 
greatly  promotes  the  quantity  of  milk  when 
given  to  cows. 

A  juice  is  obtained  by  tapping  the  trunk 
of  this  tree,  or  by  cutting  off  the  shoots  which 
produce  the  nuts,  and  which  is  caught  in 
jars  attached  to  the  trees.  This  liquor,  after 
it  has  fermented,  is  distilled  into  a  spirit  called 
arrack,  which  is  very  superior  to  that  drawn 
from  rice :  it  also  improves  the  flavour  of 
rum  when  used  in  the  distillation  of  that  spirit. 
This  juice,  when  exposed  to  the  sun,  produces 
vinegar. 

The  cocoa-nut-oil,  composed  with  the 
emulsion,  is  a  gentle  purgative,  without  being 
nauseous  or  producing  colic ;  it  is  also  recom- 
mended in  coughs,  and  complaints  of  the 
lungs. 

The  filings  of  the  hard  shell,  applied  to 


106 

old  wounds,  will  cleanse  and  heal  them  ra- 
pidly. 

In  Maldivia,  this  nut  is  thought  a  power- 
ful antidote  against  the  venom  of  serpents  and 
other  poisons. 

The  milk  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
in  dyeing  silks,  cotton,  or  woollen  stuffs, 
as  it  prevents  black  and  other  caustic  colours 
from  burning  them,  and  gives  a  brilliancy  to 
the  colour.  The  emulsion  of  the  kernel  is 
used  in  the  art  of  painting  chintzes,  and  in 
scouring  the  cloth  after  the  colours  have 
been  applied.  The  Hindoos  procure  their 
fine  violet  and  rose  colours  by  the  assistance 
of  this  fruit. 

The  tough  fibres  or  substance  which  en- 
closes the  shell,  being  steeped  in  water  and 
beaten  like  flax,  is  then  manufactured  into 
linen. 

The  palms  of  this  tree  are  made  into  mats 
for  sleeping  on ;  the  leaves,  which  are  of  great 
length,  are  made  into  baskets,  hammocks, 
mats,  brooms,  racks,  &c.  and  are  used  for  the 
thatching  of  houses  :  the  trunk  of  the  tree  is 
employed  for  gutters,  and  split  into  laths  for 
covering  buildings,  &c. 

The  shell  of  the  fruit,  when  polished,  is 
formed  into  basins,  drinking  cups,  and  a  va- 
riety of  useful  articles. 


107 

The  Emperors  of  Mogul  highly  esteemed 
the  cocoa-nut  for  making  goblets,  which 
they  have  set  with  precious  stones  and 
edged  with  gold,  believing  that  poison  would 
lose  its  baneful  qualities  in  these  vases. 

The  cocoa-nuts  have  three  holes  closely 
stopped ;  one  of  these  being  both  wider,  and 
more  easily  penetrated  than  the  rest:  from 
this,  when  the  nut  is  planted,  rises  the  ger- 
men,  or  young  tree,  first  having  ramified, 
and  filled  the  whole  cavity  of  the  nut ;  and 
then  shoots  out  at  the  before-mentioned 
hole  in  the  top,  and  soon  appears  above 
ground  in  two  narrow  leaves :  through  these 
holes  likewise  is  the  water  copiously  dis- 
tilled into  the  nut  from  the  roots :  thus 
has  nature  wonderfully  made  an  egress  for 
the  future  tree. 

M.  Le  Goux  de  Flaix,  an  officer  of  en- 
gineers, and  a  member  of  the  Asiatic  Society 
of  Calcutta,  in  his  account  of  the  cocoa-nut- 
tree,  says  it  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  the 
fibrous  covering  of  the  cocoa-nut  is  con- 
verted into  good  ropes,  which  are  useful  in 
navigation  and  for  various  purposes  on  shore. 
Cables  for  anchors  made  of  this  substance 
are  much  better  than  those  made  of  hemp. 
They  are  exceedingly  elastic,  stretch  without 
straining  the  vessel,  and  scarcely  ever  break, 


108 

advantages  which  are  not  possessed  by  those 
of  hemp.  They  are  also  lighter,  and  never 
rot  in  consequence  of  their  being  soaked 
with  sea-water;  nor  do  they  exhale  damp 
or  miasmata,  which  are  exceedingly  hurtful  to 
the  crews  of  ships  who  sleep  on  the  same 
deck  where  ropes  are  kept  when  ships  are 
under  sail.  These  ropes  are  also  easier  ma- 
naged, and  run  better  in  the  pulleys  during 
nautical  manoeuvres. 

Some  time  since  a  cocoa-tree  was  cut 
down  on  Mr.  Hanson's  land,  in  Jamaica, 
which  had  been  planted  about  a  century, 
when,  in  grubbing  up  the  root,  the  shell  from 
which  the  tree  had  been  raised  was  found 
quite  sound  and  perfect. 

The  cocoa-tree  growing  in  Chili  produces 
a  fruit  not  larger  than  a  walnut,  but  this  is 
more  esteemed  than  the  large  kind  which  is 
brought  to  England. 


COFFEE.— COFFEA. 


In  Botany  of  the  Class  Pentandria  Monogynia; 
Natural  Order,  Stellate.  It  is  named 
after  Caffa,  in  Africa,  where  it  grows  abun- 
dantly. 


THIS  berry,  which  affords  such  a  wholesome 
and  agreeable  beverage,  is  said  to  have  been 
drunk  from  time  immemorial  in  Ethiopia, 
but  of  this  we  have  no  authority ;  and  as  the 
use  of  most  plants  has  been  accidentally 
discovered,  it  is  probable  that  the  properties 
of  coffee  might  have  been  first  perceived  by 
a  goatherd  (as  related  by  Chambers),  who 
observed  that  his  cattle,  after  browsing  on 
this  tree,  would  wake  and  caper  all  night, 
and  that  a  prior  of  a  monastery,  being  in- 
formed of  it,  first  tried  it  on  his  monks, 
to  prevent  their  sleeping  at  matins. 

About  the  fifteenth  century  the  use  of 
coffee  appears  to  have  been  introduced  from 
Persia  by  Gemaleddin,  Mufti  of  Aden,  a 


110 

city  near  the  mouth  of  the  Red  Sea.  He, 
finding  it  dissipate  the  fumes  which  oppress 
the  head,  give  cheerfulness,  and  prevent 
sleep,  without  injury,  recommended  it  to  his 
dervises,  with  whom  he  used  to  spend  the 
night  in  prayer.  It  was  soon  after  this  drunk 
at  Aden,  by  all  studious  persons  and  those 
who  travelled  by  night.  It  was  progress- 
ively used  at  Mecca,  Medina,  &c.  and  Grand 
Cairo:  hence  it  continued  it's  progress  to 
Damascus  and  Aleppo.  From  the  two  latter 
places,  it  was  introduced  into  Constantinople 
by  persons  of  the  name  of  Shems  and  Hekin, 
in  the  year  1554,  each  of  whom  opened 
a  public  coffee-house  in  that  city.  These 
coffee-houses  becoming  a  rendezvous  for 
newsmongers,  who  made  too  free  with  state 
affairs,  were  suppressed  by  Cuproli,  the 
Grand  Vizier. 

Rauwolfus,  who  was  in  the  Levant  in 
1573,  was  the  first  European  author  who 

made  any  mention  of  coffee. 

w 

The  Venetians  seem  to  be  the  next  who 
used  coffee.  Pietro  Delia  Valle,  a  Venetian, 
writes  from  Constantinople  in  1615,  in- 
forming his  friend,  that  upon  his  return  he 
should  bring  him  some  coffee,  which  he 
believed  was  a  thing  unknown  in  this 
country. 


Ill 

Lord  Chancellor  Bacon  makes  mention 
of  it  in  1624:  he  says,  "  the  Turks  have  a 
drink  they  call  coffee,  made  with  boiling 
water  from  a  berry  reduced  into  powder, 
which  makes  the  water  black  as  soot,  and  is 
of  a  pungent  and  aromatic  smell,  and  is 
drunk  warm/' 

M.  La  Roque,  who  published  his  journey 
into  Arabia  Felix,  in  1715,  contends  that 
his  father  having  been  with  M.  de  la  Haye, 
the  French  ambassador  at  Constantinople, 
did,  when  he  returned  to  Marseilles,  in 
1644,  drink  coffee  every  day ;  but  the  same 
author  acknowledges  that  it  was  M.  Theve- 
not,  who  taught  the  French  to  drink  coffee 
on  his  return  from  the  East,  in  1657- 
It  was  made  fashionable  and  more  known 
in  Paris,  in  1669,  by  Soliman  Aga,  am- 
bassador from  Sultan  Mahomet  the  Fourth, 
who  gave  coffee  at  all  his  parties  with  great 
magnificence;  and  it  could  not  fail  being 
pronounced  an  agreeable  beverage  by  the 
Parisian  ladies,  after  they  had  received  it 
from  his  slaves  with  bended  knee.  If  it  were 
a  matter  of  policy  with  the  Turks  to  get 
coffee  introduced  into  France,  the  ambas- 
sador's splendid  porcelain,  equipage,  and 
gold  fringed  napkins,  were  the  best  recom- 
mendation that  could  have  been  given  to 


a   people    who    are    so    naturally    fond    of 
show. 

Two  years  after,  it  was  sold  in  public  at  the 
Foire  St.  Germaine,  by  Pascal,  an  Armenian, 
who  afterwards  set  up  a  coffee-house  on  the 
Quai  de  TEcole ;  but  not  being  encouraged 
in  Paris,  he  left  that  city  and  came  to  Lon- 
don: however,  soon  after  this,  some  spacious 
rooms  were  opened  in  Paris  for  the  sale  of 
coffee,  and  they  soon  increased  to  upwards 
of  three  hundred. 

It  is  said  to  have  been  first  brought  to 
England  by  Mr.  Nathaniel  Conopius,  a 
Cretan,  who  made  it  his  common  beverage, 
at  Baliol  College,  at  Oxford,  in  the  year 
1641,  and  that  the  first  coffee-house  in 
England  was  kept  by  one  Jacob,  a  Jew, 
at  the  sign  of  the  Angel  in  Oxford,  in 
1650.  Coffee  was  first  publicly  known  in 
London,  in  1652,  when  Mr.  Daniel  Edwards, 
a  Turkey  merchant,  brought  home  with  him 
a  Ragusan  Greek  servant,  whose  name  was 
Pasqua  Rossee,  who  understood  the  roasting 
and  making  of  coffee,  and  kept  a  house  for 
the  purpose,  in  George  Yard,  Lombard 
Street,  or  rather,  according  to  Mr.  Houghton, 
in  a  shed  in  the  Churchyard  of  St,  Michael's, 
Cornhill.  The  famous  Dr.  Harvey  used  it 
frequently.  Mr.  Ray  affirms  that,  in  1688, 


113 

London  might  rival  Grand  Cairo  in  the 
number  of  it's  coffee-houses,  so  rapidly  had 
it  come  into  use ;  and  it  is  thought  that  they 
were  augmented  and  established  more  firmly 
by  the  ill-judged  proclamation  of  Charles  the 
Second,  in  1675,  to  shut  up  coffee-houses  as 
seminaries  of  sedition :  this  act  was  suspended 
in  a  few  days. 

The  first  mention  of  coffee  in  our  statute 
books,  is  in  i860,  (xn.  Char.  II.  cap.  24.) 
by  which,  a  duty  of  fourpence  was  laid  upon 
every  gallon  of  coffee  bought  or  sold. 

The  Arabs  seem  to  have  been  very  jea- 
lous of  letting  this  tree  be  known,  and  in  order 
to  confine  the  commodity  to  themselves,  they 
destroyed  the  vegetable  quality  of  the  seeds  ; 
but  Nicholas  Witsen,  burgomaster  of  Am- 
sterdam and  governor  of  the  East-India 
Company,  desired  Van  Hoorn,  governor 
of  Batavia,  to  procure  from  Mocha,  in 
Arabia  Felix,  some  berries  of  the  cof- 
fee-tree, which  were  obtained  and  sown 
at  Batavia ;  and  about  the  year  1690, 
several  plants  having  been  raised  from  seeds, 
Van  Hoorn  sent  one  over  to  Governor 
Witsen,  who  presented  it  to  the  garden  at 
Amsterdam.  It  there  bore  fruit,  which  in  a 
short  time  produced  many  young  plants: 
from  these  the  East  Indies  and  most  of  the 


114 

gardens  in  Europe  have  been  furnished.     In 
1696,  it  was  cultivated  at  Fulham,  by  Bishop 
Compton,  and  in   1714,    the  magistrates  of 
Amsterdam  presented  Louis  the  Fourteenth 
with   a  coffee-tree,    which  was   sent  to  the 
royal  garden  at  Marli.     In  1718,  the  Dutch 
colony,    at   Surinam,    began   first   to   plant 
coffee ;  and  in  1722,  M.  de  la  Motte  Aigron, 
governor  of  Cayenne,  contrived   by  an  ar- 
tifice to  bring  away  a  plant  from  Surinam, 
which,  by  the  year  1725,  had  produced  many 
thousands.     The  French  authors  affirm  that 
it  was  planted  in  the  Isle  of  Bourbon,  in  the 
year  1718,  having  been  obtained  from  Mocha : 
this  seems  doubtful;  but  it  is  ascertained  that 
M.   Clieux    carried  the  first  coffee-plant  to 
Martinico,  in  1720.     M.  Fusee  Aublet  states 
that  one  tree  only  survived  in  the  Isle  of 
Bourbon,  which  bore  fruit  in  1720.     From 
Martinico    it    spread   to   the    neighbouring 
islands.    Sir  Nicholas  Laws  first  introduced  it 
into  Jamaica,  in  the  year  1728,  and  planted 
it  at  Townwell  Estate,  now  called  Temple 
Hall,  in  Liguanea :  the  first  berries  produced 
from  this  tree  sold  at  a  bit  each,  which  is 
equal  to  6d.     In  the  year  1752  the  export  of 
coffee  from  Jamaica  was  rated  at  60,000  Ibs. ; 
and  it  has  continued  regularly  to  increase 
since  that  time,  except  when  additional  duties 


115 

have  been  laid  on,  which  have  as  regularly 
lessened  the  exports  and  the  revenue  also ; 
an  important  proof,  among  others,  how  fre- 
quently heavy  taxation  defeats  its  own 
purpose. 

In  1808,  the  exports  from  Jamaica  were 
29,528,273  Ibs  ;  the  next  year  they  were  less- 
ened about  four  millions  of  pounds  ;  in  1812, 
the  export  was  18,481,986  Ibs. 

Every  gentleman  who  has  stoves  should 
raise  this  tree  for  the  beauty  of  its  appear- 
ance.    It  is  an  evergreen  whose  leaves  con- 
tinue three  years ;  and  being  of  a  fine  dark 
green,    make  a  beautiful  contrast  with  the 
clusters  of  pure  white  blossoms,  which  per- 
fume the   air  with  an   odour  like  jasmine. 
Nothing  can  be  conceived  more  delightful 
and  grateful  than  the  appearance  and  per- 
fume of  a  field  of  coffee-trees  when  in  full 
bloom :  it  has  the  resemblance  of  a  shower 
of  snow,  which  nearly  obscures  the  dark  green 
branches.     The  tree,    like  the  walnut,  pro- 
duces smaller  fruit,  and  better  flavoured,  as 
it  becomes  older. 

The  Turkey  coffee  is  the  smallest  berry, 
and  is  more  esteemed  for  its  flavour  than 
that  which  grows  in  the  West  Indies.  I 
conclude  that  one  great  cause  of  the 
American  coffee  being  inferior  in  point  of 

j  2 


116 

flavour,  is  owing  to  the  practice,  in  that  part 
of  the  world,  of  gathering  the  berries  before 
they  are  quite  ripe,  whereas  the  Arabians 
shake  their  trees,  and  by  this  means  obtain 
the  berries  in  full  perfection.  Mr.  Lunan 
observes,  that  the  West-Indian  berries  being 
considerably  larger  than  those  of  the  Turkey 
coffee,  require  much  longer  keeping;  but  Mr. 
Miller,  the  celebrated  gardener,  is  of  opinion, 
that  coffee  does  not  require  long  keeping, 
and  that  it  loses  a  part  of  its  flavour.  He 
states  that  two  gentlemen,  who  resided  some 
years  in  Arabia,  assured  him  that  the  berries, 
when  first  ripe,  were  very  superior  to  those 
which  had  been  kept:  he  also  states,  that 
from  plants  brought  from  the  West  Indies, 
and  raised  in  English  hot-houses,  coffee-ber- 
ries have  been  produced,  which,  at  a  proper 
age,  were  found  to  surpass  the  very  best 
Mocha  that  could  be  produced  in  Great 
Britain.  Jamaica  coffee  is  often  sold  as 
Turkey  coffee  in  London,  and  there  have 
been  many  samples  sent  from  thence,  that 
have  proved  quite  equal  to  any  Arabian 
berries.  As  coffee  readily  imbibes  the  smell 
or  flavour  of  any  article  it  comes  in  con- 
tact with,  it  is  often  injured  in  the  voyage 
home,  by  being  stowed  near  sugar,  rum, 
pimento,  <kc.  &c. ;  and  the  flavour  which  it 


117 

thus  contracts,  cannot  be  separated  again, 
even  by  roasting. 

The  most  eminent  physicians  of  every 
country  have  recommended  the  use  of 
coffee  for  various  complaints.  It  greatly 
relieves  the  head-ache,  and  is  recommended 
to  those  of  constitutional  weak  stomachs, 
as  it  accelerates  the  process  of  digestion, 
takes  away  languor  and  listlessness,  and 
affords  a  pleasing  sensation. 

Coffee  is  often  found  useful  in  quieting 
the  tickling  vexatious  cough.  Sir  John 
Floyer,  who  had  been  afflicted  with  the 
asthma  for  sixty  years,  was  relieved  by 
strong  coffee. 

The  great  use  of  coffee  in  France  is  sup- 
posed to  have  abated  the  prevalency  of  the 
gravel;  for  where  coffee  is  used  there  as  a 
constant  beverage,  the  gravel  and  the  gout 
are  scarcely  known. 

Voltaire  lived  almost  on  coffee,  and  said 
nothing  exhilarated  his  spirits  so  much  as  the 
smell  of  it ;  for  which  reason,  he  had  what 
he  was  about  to  use  in  the  day  roasted  in 
his  chamber,  every  morning,  when  he  lived 
at  Fernai. 

A  friend  writes  me  from  Constantinople, 
that  many  of  the  Turks  will  subsist  almost 
entirely  on  coffee,  except  during  the  rigid 


118 

fast  of  the  Ramadan,  or  Turkish  Lent, 
which  lasts  forty  days;  during  which  time 
they  neither  eat,  drink,  or  smoke,  while  the 
sun  is  over  the  horizon;  and  the  use,  of 
coffee  is  then  so  strictly  forbidden,  that 
those  who  have  even  the  smell  of  coffee  on 
them,  are  deemed  to  have  violated  the  in- 
junctions of  their  prophet. 

Among  the  various  qualities  of  coffee, 
that  of  it's  being  an  antidote  to  the  abuse  of 
opium  must  make  it  an  invaluable  article 
with  the  Turks. 

Those  who  use  opiates  at  night  would 
find  the  advantage  of  taking  strong  coffee 
in  the  morning. 

An    interesting    analysis   of    coffee   was 
made  by  M.  Cadet,  apothecary  in  ordinary  to 
the  household  of  Napoleon,  when  emperor; 
from  which  it  appears,  that  the  berries  con- 
tain  mucilage  in   abundance,    much    gallic 
acid,  a  resin,  a  concrete  essential  oil,  some 
albumen,  and  a  volatile  aromatic  principle, 
with  a  portion  of  lime,  potash,  charcoal,  iron, 
&c.     Roasting  develops  the   soluble  princi- 
ples.     Mocha   coffee  is,   of  all   kinds,    the 
most  aromatic    and    resinous.       M.   Cadet 
advises  that  coffee  be  neither  roasted  nor  in- 
fused till  the  day  it  be  drunk,  and  that  the 
roasting  be  moderate. 


119 

Dr.  Moseley,  in  his  learned  and  inge- 
nious Treatise,  states,  that  "  the  chemical 
analysis  of  coffee  evinces  that  it  possesses 
a  great  portion  of  mildly  bitter,  and  lightly 
astringent  gummous  and  resinous  extract, 
a  considerable  quantity  of  oil,  a  fixed  salt, 
and  a  volatile  salt.  These  are  it's  medicinal 
constituent  principles.  The  intention  of 
torrefaction  is  not  only  to  make  it  deliver 
those  principles,  and  make  them  soluble  in 
water,  but  to  give  it  a  property  it  does  not 
possess  in  the  natural  state  of  the  berry. 
By  the  action  of  fire,  it's  leguminous  taste, 
and  the  aqueous  part  of  it's  mucilage,  are 
destroyed ;  it's  saline  properties  are  created, 
and  disengaged,  and  it's  oil  is  rendered  em- 
pyreumatical.  From  thence  arises  the  pun- 
gent smell,  and  exhilarating  flavour,  not  found 
in  it's  natural  state. 

"  The  roasting  of  the  berry  to  a  proper 
degree,  requires  great  nicety.  If  it  be  under- 
done, it's  virtues  will  not  be  imparted,  and 
in  use  it  will  load  and  oppress  the  stomach  : 
if  it  be  overdone,  it  will  yield  a  flat,  burnt, 
and  bitter  taste;  it's  virtues  will  be  destroyed, 
and  in  use  it  will  heat  the  body,  and  act  as 
an  astringent.  The  closer  it  is  confined,  at 
the  time  of  the  roasting,  and  till  used,  the 
better  will  it's  volatile  pungency,  flavour,  and 
virtues,  be  preserved. 


120 

66  The  influence  which  coffee,  judiciously 
prepared,  imparts  to  the  stomach,  from  it's 
invigorating  qualities,  is  strongly  exemplified 
by  the  immediate  effect  produced  on  taking 
it  when  the  stomach  is  overloaded  with 
food,  or  nauseated  with  surfeit,  or  debili- 
tated by  intemperance,  or  languid  from  ina- 
nition. 

"  In  vertigo,  lethargy,  catarrh,  and  all 
disorders  of  the  head,  from  obstructions  in 
the  capillaries,  long  experience  has  proved 
it  to  be  a  powerful  medicine;  and  in  cer- 
tain cases  of  apoplexy,  it  has  been  found 
serviceable  even  when  given  in  clysters,  where 
it  has  not  been  convenient  to  convey  it's 
effects  to  the  stomach.  Mons,  Malebranche 
restored  a  person  from  apoplexy  by  repeated 
clysters  of  coffee. 

"  Du  Four  relates  an  extraordinary  in- 
stance of  the  effect  of  coffee  in  the  gout: 
he  says,  Mons.  Deverau  was  attacked  with 
the  gout  at  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  had 
it  severely  until  he  was  upwards  of  fifty, 
with  chalk  stones  in  the  joints  of  his  hands 
and  feet:  he  was  recommended  the  use  of 
coffee,  which  he  adopted,  and  had  no  return 
of  the  gout. 

"  A  small  cup  or  two  of  coffee,  immedi- 
ately after  dinner,  promotes  digestion. 

,,With   a   draught   of  water   previously 


drunk,  according  to  the  eastern  custom,  coffee 
is  serviceable  to  those  who  are  of  a  costive 
habit." 

The  generality  of  English  families  make 
their  coffee  too  weak,  and  use  too  much 
sugar,  which  often  causes  it  to  turn  acid  on 
the  stomach.  Almost  every  housekeeper  has 
a  peculiar  method  of  making  coffee ;  but  it 
never  can  be  excellent,  unless  it  be  made 
strong  of  the  berry,  any  more  than  our 
English  wines  can  be  good,  so  long  as  we 
continue  to  form  the  principal  of  them  on 
sugar  and  water. 

Count  Rumford  says,  "Coffee  may  be  too 
bitter;  but  it  is  impossible  that  it  should 
ever  be  too  fragrant.  The  very  smell  of  it 
is  reviving,  and  has  often  been  found  to  be 
useful  to  sick  persons,  and  to  those  who 
are  afflicted  with  the  head-ache.  In  short, 
every  thing  proves  that  the  volatile,  aromatic 
matter,  whatever  it  may  be,  that  gives  fla- 
vour to  coffee,  is  what  is  most  valuable  in 
it,  and  should  be  preserved  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  that,  in  estimating  the  strength 
or  richness  of  that  beverage,  its  fragrance 
should  be  much  more  attended  to,  than  either 
its  bitterness  or  its  astringency.  This  aro- 
matic substance,  which  is  supposed  to  be 
an  oil,  is  extremely  volatile,  and  escapes  into 


122 


the  air  with  great  facility,  as  is  observed  by 
it's  filling  a  room  with  it's  fragrance,  if  suffered 
to  remain  uncovered,  and  at  the  same  time 
losing  much  of  it's  flavour/' 


CRANBERRY.-VACCINIUM 
MACROCARPUM. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Octandria  Monogynia 

Class. 


Tins  fruit,  which  is  so  much  esteemed  in 
tarts,  or  with  cream,  is  a  native  of  England, 
and  is  found  growing  in  the  peaty  bogs  of 
Sussex,  Cumberland,  Norfolk,  Lancashire, 
and  in  other  marshy  lands.  Gerard  calls  the 
fruit  fen-berries:  "  they  grow,"  says  he,  "  in 
fennie  places,  in  Cheshire  and  Staffordshire, 
where  I  have  found  them  in  great  plentie." 
Valerius  Cord  us  called  them  oxycoccon;  the 
Dutch  term  them  fen  grapes. 

Dr.  Withering  states,  that  at  Longton,  in 
Cumberland,  there  is  a  considerable  traffic 
carried  on  in  cranberries ;  that  on  the  market 
days,  during  the  gathering  season,  the  sale  of 
these  berries  amounts  to  from  twenty  to  thirty 
pounds  sterling  per  day :  many  people  in 


124 

that  neighbourhood  make  wine  from  cranber- 
ries ;  but  never  having  tasted  this  liquor,  I 
can  give  no  account  of  it's  quality.  The 
English  cranberries,  which  are  preserved  in 
bottles  with  no  other  care  than  keeping  them 
dry,  are  very  superior  to  those  large  cran- 
berries imported  from  the  northern  parts  of 
America,  which  are  now  so  common  in  the 
shops  of  London.  These  berries,  being  pack- 
ed in  large  casks,  must  undergo  a  fermenta- 
tion during  the  voyage,  which  consequently 
deprives  them  of  a  part  of  their  natural  fla- 
vour. Cranberries  are  also  imported  from 
Russia  and  Germany ;  and  during  this  last 
year  great  quantities  have  been  brought  from 
New  Holland,  which  are  smaller,  and  darker 
coloured,  than  those  brought  from  America, 
and  very  superior  in  flavour.  Cranberries  are 
found  growing  in  many  parts  of  Spain  and 
Hungary.  They  are  the  produce  of  damp 
swampy  lands  only :  but  the  idea  that  they 
will  not  bear  transplanting,  is  erroneous,  the 
late  Sir  Joseph  Banks  having  planted  some 
near  a  pond  in  his  grounds  at  Spring  Grove, 
which  have  produced  fruit  beyond  calcula- 
tion. This  information  may  be  worth  the 
attention  of  those  who  have  marshy  or  brook 
land,  as  a  matter  of  profit ;  and  to  those  who 
have  ornamental  water  in  their  gardens  or 


125 

parks,  it  would  be  found  an  embellishment  to 
the  banks ;  it  being  an  elegant  little  fruit  on 
the  ground,  where  it  trails,  and  spangles  the 
grass  with  its  red  and  variegated  berries. 

Sweden  produces  abundance  of  cranber- 
ries, but  they  are  only  used  for  cleansing  plate 
in  that  country. 

'A  new  species  of  cranberry  is  now  culti- 
vated in  this  kingdom,  which  has  been  called 
snowberry,  on  account  of  the  colour  of  the 
fruit :  it  was  brought  from  Nova  Scotia  in  the 
year  1760  by  Mr.  Jonathan  Laycock,  and  is 
stated  to  be  found  in  the  swamps  of  Cyprus 
also.  This  berry  has  a  perfumed  taste,  like 
eau  de  noyau,  or  bitter  almonds  :  it  is  reared 
by  Mr.  Joseph  Knight,  of  Little  Chelsea,  and 
several  other  nurserymen  near  the  metropolis. 
Another  variety  was  brought  from  Madeira  in 
1777 '9  which  requires  the  shelter  of  the  green- 
house ;  and  the  Jamaica  cranberry,  which  was 
introduced  the  following  year,  will  not  thrive 
in  this  country  except  in  the  stove. 

Cranberries  are  of  an  astringent  quality, 
and  esteemed  good  to  restore  the  appetite : 
they  were  formerly  imagined  efficacious  in 
preventing  pestilential  diseases. 


CUCUMBE  R.-CUCUM  IS. 


In  Hot  any  i  a  Genus  of  the  Moncecia  Synge- 
nesia  Class. 


THE  cucumber,  which  is  one  of  the  coldest 
fruits,  is  evidently  a  native  of  a  warm  cli- 
mate ;  and  by  all  the  researches  I  have  been 
able  to  make,  I  conclude  it  belongs  to  the 
soil  of  some  parts  of  Asia  and  Africa.     It 
was  known  to  the  Grecians,  as  their  earliest 
writers  on  natural  history   have  mentioned 
it,   and    in   particular   recommend   that   the 
seeds  should  be  steeped  for  two  days  in  milk 
and  honey  before  they  are  set,  to  make  the 
fruit  sweeter  and   pleasanter.      Pliny  men- 
tions the  great  quantities  that  grew  in  some 
parts  of  Africa,  and  particularly  in  Barbary. 
All  vegetables   are    so   formed    as   to    per- 
petuate  themselves  by  seed  in  the  climate 
where   they   originate;   for  if  this   was  not 
the  case,  every  species  of  plant  that  is   not 


127 

cultivated,  would  soon  cease  to  exist;  and 
the  cucumber  has  never  been  found  to  grow 
in  the  natural  state  in  any  part  of  Europe. 

Columella  is  the  oldest  author  who  gives 
any  direction  for  forwarding  cucumbers  by 
artificial  means.  "  Those  who  wish  for 
them  early/'  says  he,  "  should  plant  the 
seeds  in  well  dunged  earth,  put  into  osier 
baskets,  that  they  may  be  carried  out  of 
the  house,  and  placed  in  warm  situations 
when  the  weather  permits;  and  as  soon  as 
the  season  is  advanced,  the  plants  may  be 
sunk  in  the  earth  with  the  baskets,  or  wheels 
may  be  put  upon  large  vases,  that  they  may 
be  brought  out  with  less  labour ;  notwith- 
standing they  ought/'  continues  he,  "  to  be 
covered  with  specularia"  which  seem  to  have 
been  transparent  stones,  that  the  Romans  were 
in  the  habit  of  cutting  thin,  so  as  to  admit 
light,  and  keep  out  the  air,  glass  being  un- 
known at  that  period. 

It  is  related  by  Pliny,  "  that  Tiberius 
the  emperor  was  so  fond  of  cucumbers,  and 
took  such  pleasure  and  delight  in  them, 
that  there  was  not  a  day,  throughout  the 
year,  passed  over  his  head,  but  he  had  them 
served  up  at  his  table.  The  beds  and 
gardens  wherein  they  grew,  were  made*upon 
frames,  so  as  to  be  removed  every  way  with 

2 


128 

wheels  ;  and  in  winter,  during  the  cold  and 
frosty  days,  they  could  be  drawn  back 
into  certain  high  covered  buildings,  ex- 
posed to  the  sun,  and  there  housed  under 
roof."  These  appear  to  be  the  earliest  ac- 
counts of  the  forcing  of  plants  which  we 
read  of  in  ancient  times.  It  is  probable,  also, 
that  artificial  heat  was  used  ;  as  we  find,  by 
the  remains  of  their  villas  in  this  country,  how 
perfectly  the  Romans  were  acquainted  with 
the  method  of  warming  their  rooms  with 
flues. 

Pliny  says,  "  To  make  a  delicate  salad  of 
cucumbers,  boil  them  first,  then  peel  them 
from  the  rind,  and  serve  them  up  with  oil, 
vinegar,  and  honey/' 

Mr.  Alton  mentions  the  cucumber  as  be- 
ing first  cultivated  here  in  the  year  1575,  in 
the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  This  appears 
to  be  an  error,  as  cucumbers  were  very  com- 
mon in  this  country  in  the  reign  of  Edward 
the  Third;  but  being  unattended  to  during 
the  wars  of  York  and  Lancaster,  they  soon 
after  became  entirely  unknown,  until  the 
reign  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  when  they  were 
again  introduced  to  this  kingdom.  (Gough's 
British  Topography,  vol.  I.  p.  134.,) 

Gerard  gives  the  earliest  directions  for 
making  hot  beds  for  cucumbers  in  this 


129 

country,  which  was  in  1597*  when  gardening 
was  in  it's  infant  state.  He  directs,  that 
they  should  be  covered  with  mats  over  hoops, 
as  glasses  were  riot  then  known. 

Lord  Bacon,  who  wrote  about  the  same 
period,  says,  "  cucumbers  will  prove  more  ten- 
der and  dainty  if  their  seeds  be  steeped 
(little)  in  milk  :  the  cause  may  be,  for  that 
the  seed  being  mollified  in  uiilk,  will  be  too 
weak  to  draw  the  grosser  juices  of  the  earth, 
but  only  the  finer :"  he  adds,  "  cucumbers 
will  be  less  watery  if  the  pit  where  you  set 
them  be  filled  up  half  way  with  chaff  or 
small  sticks,  and  then  pour  earth  upon  them ; 
for  cucumbers,  as  it  seemeth,  do  exceedingly 
affect  moisture,  and  over-drink  themselves, 
which  this  chaff  or  chips  forbiddeth."  This 
great  author  also  states,  that  "  it  hath  been 
practised  to  cut  off  the  stalks  of  cucumbers, 
immediately  after  bearing,  close  by  the  earth  ; 
and  then  to  cast  a  pretty  quantity  of  earth 
upon  the  plant  that  remaineth,  and  they  will 
bear  the  next  year  fruit,  long  before  the  or- 
dinary time.  The  cause  may  be,  for  that 
the  sap  goeth  down  the  sooner,  and  is  not 
spent  in  the  stalk  or  leaf,  which  remaineth 
after  the  fruit ;  where  note,  that  the  dying  in 
the  winter  of  the  roots  of  plants  that  are 
annual,  seemeth  to  be  partly  caused  by  the 

K 


130 

over-expence  of  the  sap  into  stalk  and  leaves; 
which  being  prevented,  they  will  superannuate, 
if  they  stand  warm."  Miller  informs  us,  that 
the  cuttings  of  cucumbers,  taken  off  about 
five  or  six  inches  long,  from  healthy  plants 
in  the  summer  crop,  at  the  end  of  September 
or  beginning  of  October,  planted  in  pots  of 
rich  mould,  plunged  into  the  bark  bed  and 
shaded  until  they  have  struck,  will  produce 
fruit  before  Christmas.  It  is  also  recorded  in 
Miller's  Gardener's  Dictionary,  that  Thomas 
Fowler,  gardener  to  Sir  Nathaniel  Gould,  at 
Stoke  Newington,  presented  King  George 
the  First  with  a  brace  of  well-grown  cucum- 
bers, on  New  Year's  Day,  1721.  The  seeds 
from  which  they  were  raised  were  sown  on 
the  25th  of  September. 

His  late  revered  Majesty  had  his  table 
supplied  with  cucumbers,  at  all  seasons  of 
the  year,  by  Mr.  Aiton,  under  whose  care  the 
Royal  Gardens  of  this  kingdom  have  pro- 
duced, in  the  highest  perfection,  nearly  all  the 
known  fruits  of  the  world. 

Cucumbers  are  much  less  used  in  their  na- 
tural state  than  formerly,  among  wealthy  fami- 
lies, but  they  are  in  great  request  for  stews  and 
made  dishes,  and  when  preserved  they  are  es- 
teemed one  of  the  most  agreeable  sweetmeats. 
As  a  pickle,  girkins  have  been  long  admired  ; 


131 

but  whoever  purchases  them,  should  be  care- 
ful to  get  them  free  from  any  substance  that 
may  have  been  used  to  colour  them. 

Lunan,  in  his  account  of  the  sativus,  or  cul- 
tivated cucumber,  says,  "  although  cucumbers 
are  neither  sweet  nor  acid,  they  are  consi- 
derably acescent,  and  so  produce  flatulency, 
cholera,  diarrhoea/'  &c.  Their  coldness  and 
flatulency  may  be  likewise  in  part  attributed 
to  the  firmness  of  their  texture. 

They  have  been  discharged,  with  little 
change,  from  the  stomach,  after  having  been 
detained  there  for  forty-eight  hours.  By  this 
means,  therefore,  their  acidity  is  greatly  in- 
creased; hence  oil  and  pepper,  the  condi- 
ments commonly  employed,  are  very  useful 
to  check  their  fermentation.  Another  condi- 
ment is  sometimes  used;  viz.  it's  skin,  which  is 
bitter,  and  may  therefore  supply  the  place  of 
aromatics ;  but  it  should  only  be  used  when 
young. 

Brookes  states,  that  the  cucumber  is  unfit 
for  nourishment,  and  is  generally  offensive  to 
the  stomach,  especially  if  not  corrected  with 
a  good  deal  of  pepper  as  well  as  vinegar. 
The  seeds,  he  states,  are  reckoned  among  the 
four  greater  cold  seeds,  therefore  emulsions 
of  them  have  been  prescribed  in  burning 
fevers,  &c. 

K  2 


132 

Cowper    has    beautifully    described    the 
method 

To  raise  the  prickly  and  green  coated  gourd, 
So  grateful  to  the  palate ;  and  when  rare, 
So  coveted ;  else  base  and  disesteem'd, 
Food  for  the  vulgar  merely. 

The  Rev.  Griffith  Hughes,  in  his  Natural 
History  of  Barbadoes,  mentions  the  wild  cu- 
cumber-vine as  indigenous  to  that  part  of  the 
world.  It  is  called  by  Father  Plumier,  an- 
guria  fructu  echinato  eduli:  he  describes  the 
fruit  as  a  small  cucumber,  whose  surface  is 
covered  with  many  soft  pointed  prickles : 
it  is  sometimes  eaten ;  but  is  esteemed  to  be 
of  too  cold  a  nature  to  be  wholesome. 

Lunan,  in  his  Hortus  Jamaicensis  men- 
tions the  small  wild  cucumber  as  being  a 
native  of  Jamaica,  where  it  grows  very  plen- 
tifully, and  is  often  used  with  other  herbs 
in  soups,  and  is  a  very  agreeable  ingredient : 
the  rind  is  thickly  beset  with  blunt  prickles. 
Sloane  mentions  it  as  a  pale  green  oval  fruit, 
as  big  as  a  walnut,  and  says  it  is  eaten  very 
greedily  by  sheep  and  cattle. 

The  ancients  used  the  wild  cucumber  as 

a  sovereign  remedy  in  various   complaints. 

"  The  best  kind,"  says  Pliny,  "  was  found  in 

Arabia,    and    the    next    about  Cyrene    and 

Arcadia/' 


133 

It  was  from  the  juice  of  these  cucumbers 
that  they  procured  the  medicine  called  elate- 
rium,  .which,  Theophrastus  states,  could  be 
kept  good  two  hundred  years ;  and  for  fifty 
years  it  would  be  so  strong  and  full  of  virtue, 
that  it  would  put  out  the  light  of  a  candle  or 
lamp.  Pliny  says,  "  to  try  good  elaterium,  it 
is  set  near  to  a  lighted  candle,  which  it  causes 
to  sparkle  upwards  and  downwards." 

Elaterium  was  used  not  only  as  a  pur- 
gative, but  against  the  sting  of  scorpions, 
and  for  the  dropsy :  with  honey  and  oil,  it 
was  used  for  the  quinsy  and  diseases  of  the 
windpipe:  it  was  said  to  cure  dimness  and 
other  imperfections  of  the  eyes,  the  ring- 
worm, tetter,  &c.  as  well  as  the  swelling 
kernels  behind  the  ears. 

The  juice  of  wild  cucumber  leaves  dropped 
with  vinegar  into  the  ears,  was  thought  a  good 
remedy  for  deafness.  A  decoction  of  the 
fruit  being  sprinkled  in  any  place,  will  drive 
away  mice;  it  was  also  said  to  cure  the 
gout,  &c.;  indeed,  so  many  virtues  were 
attributed  to  it  by  the  ancients,  that  if  we 
were  inclined  to  give  credit  to  them,  it  would 
cause  our  wonder  to  find  they  had  any  com- 
plaint uncured. 

The  Romans  had  also  many  superstitious 
opinions  respecting  these  wild  cucumbers. 


134 

Wives  who  wished  for  children  wore  them 
tied  round  their  bodies;  and  they  were 
brought  into  houses  by  the  midwife,  but 
carried  out,  in  the  greatest  haste,  after  child- 
birth. 

Columella  has  recorded  a  variety  of 
wonderful  stories  respecting  the  garden- 
cucumber;  and  some  English  authors,  of 
great  celebrity,  have  stated,  that  when  a 
cucumber  vine  is  growing,  if  you  set  a 
pot  of  water,  about  five  or  six  inches  distance 
from  it,  it  will  shoot  so  much  in  twenty- 
four  hours  as  to  touch  it:  but  that  it  will 
shrink  from  oil,  and  turn  fairly  away  from 
it. 


The  gourd 


And  thirsty  cucumber,  when  they  perceive 
Th'  approaching  olive,  with  resentment  fly 
Her  fatty  fibres,  and  with  tendrils  creep 
Diverse,  detesting  contact. 

Phillips. 


CURRANT-TREE.— RIBES. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Pentandria 
Monogynia  Class. 


THIS  agreeable  and  wholesome  fruit  is  un- 
doubtedly a  native  of  our  country :  it  was 
formerly  found  growing  in  the  wild  state,  in 
woods  and  hedges  in  Yorkshire,  Durham, 
and  Westmorland,  as  well  as  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tay  and  other  parts  of  Scotland.  As 
a  further  proof  of  its  being  a  northern  fruit, 
we  have  no  account  of  its  having  been  at  all 
known  to  the  ancient  Greeks  or  Romans, 
who  have  been  very  accurate  in  describing 
all  the  fruits  known  in  their  time.  It  seems 
not  to  have  grown  so  far  south  as  France ;  for 
the  old  French  name  of  groseilles  d'outremer 
evidently  bespeaks  it  not  'to  have  been  a 
native  of  that  country,  and  even  at  the  pre- 
sent time  their  language  has  no  appropriate 


136 

name  for  it  distinct  from  the  gooseberry.  The 
Dutch  also  acknowledge  it  not  to  have  been 
indigenous  to  Holland,  where  it  was  called 
besskins  over  zee.  Whether  the  Dutch  first 
procured  this  fruit  from  Britain,  or  from  any 
other  northern  countries,  we  must  acknow- 
ledge ourselves  indebted  to  the  gardeners  of 
that  country  for  so  improving  the  size,  if  not 
the  flavour  of  this  fruit. 

The  English  name  of  currant  seems  to 
have  been  taken  from  the  similitude  of  the 
fruit  to  that  of  the  small  Zante  grapes,  which 
we  call  currants,  or  Corinths,  from  Corinth, 
where  this  fruit  formerly  grew  in  great  abund- 
ance, and  which  are  so  much  used  in  this 
country  for  cakes,  puddings,  &c. 

The  Italians  seem  to  have  no  other  name 
for  the  currants  than  uvette,  little  grapes. 
At  Geneva  they  are  called  raisins  de  Mars. 
The  currant  does  not  appear  in  the  list  of 
fruits  published  by  Thomas  Tusser  in  1557, 
which  I  have  transcribed  to  shew  what  fruits 
were  cultivated  in  the  latter  part  of  Queen 
Mary's  reign. 

Apples  of  all  sorts,  apricots,  barberries ; 
boollesse,  black  and  white ;  cherries,  red  and 
black  ;  chesnuts ;  cornet  plums ;  damisens, 
white  and  black;  filberts,  red  and  white; 
gooseberries ;  grapes,  white  and  red ;  green 


137 

or  grass  plums ;  hurtil  berries ;  rnedlers,  or 
ineles  ;  mulberries ;  peaches,  white  and  red  ; 
peeres  of  all  sorts ;  peer  plums,  black  and 
yellow;  quince-trees;  raspis;  reisons;  small 
nuts ;  strawberries,  red  and  white ;  service 
trees ;  wardens,  white  and  red ;  walnuts ; 
wheat  plums. 

Currants  were  not  distinguished  from 
gooseberries  by  any  particular  name  at  that 
period  ;  and  even  in  Gerard's  time,  they  were 
considered  as  a  species  of  the  gooseberry.  He 
says,  in  his  account  of  the  latter  fruit,  "  We 
have  also  in  our  London  gardens  another 
sort  altogether  without  prickes,  whose  fruit 
is  verie  small,  lesser  by  much  than  the  com- 
mon kinde,  but  of  a  perfect  red  colour,  where- 
in it  differeth  from  the  rest  of  his  kinde/' 

Lord  Bacon,  who  wrote  about  fifty  years 
after  Tusser,  has  noticed  them :  he  says, 
"  The  earliest  fruits  are  strawberries,  cherries, 
gooseberries,  corrans,  and  after  them  early 
apples,  early  pears,  apricots,  rasps,  and  after 
them  damisons,  and  most  kinds  of  plums, 
peaches,  &c. ;  and  the  latest  are  apples,  war- 
dens, grapes,  nuts,  quinces,  almonds,  sloes, 
brierberries,  hops,  medlers,  services,  corne- 
lians, &c/' 

Currants  are  a  fruit  of  great  importance 
in  this  country :  they  are  so  easily  propa- 


1S8 

gated,  that  every  cottage  gardener  can  rear 
them ;    and  they  are  likewise  so  regular  in 
bearing,  that  it  is  seldom  they  are  injured  by 
the  weather.    At  the  dessert,  they  are  greatly 
esteemed,  being  fo.und  cooling  and  grateful 
to  the  stomach ;  and  they  are  as  much  ad- 
mired for  their  transparent  beauty,    as  for 
their  medicinal  qualities,    being  moderately 
refrigerant,   antiseptic,   attenuant,   and  ape- 
rient.    They  may   be  used   with  advantage 
to  allay  thirst  in  most  febrile  complaints,  to 
lessen  an  increased  secretion  of  bile,  and  to 
correct  a  putrid  and  scorbutic  state  of  the 
fluids,  especially  in  sanguine  temperaments: 
but  in  constitutions  of  a  contrary  kind,  they 
are  apt  to  occasion  flatulency  and  indiges- 
tion.    Brookes  says,  they  strengthen  the  sto- 
mach, excite  appetite,  and  are  good  against 
vomiting. 

Besides  the  red  and  the  white  currant, 
the  salmon  colour,  or  champaigne,  is  culti- 
vated for  variety.  The  currant  is  a  fruit  that 
will  ripen  early,  when  planted  in  a  warm 
situation,  and  may  be  retarded  so  as  to 
be  gathered  in  good  condition  in  the  month 
of  November,  when  they  are  planted  in  a 
northern  aspect :  thus,  with  care,  a  skilful  gar- 
dener will  furnish  a  dessert  of  this  fruit  for 
-six  months,  without  the  aid  of  artificial  heat. 


139 

Currants  will  keep  for  years  in  bottles,  re- 
taining all  their  qualities  for  tarts,  &c.  if 
they  are  gathered  perfectly  dry,  and  not  too 
ripe.  They  only  require  to  b^  kept  from  the 
air,  and  in  a  dry  situation.  I  have  found  it 
an  advantage  to  pack  them  in  a  chest,  with 
the  corks  downwards ;  and  if  the  vacua  be 
filled  up  with  dry  sand,  it  would  insure  their 
preservation. 

The  red  currant  gives  the  finest  flavour  for 
jelly. 

The  wine  made  from  the  white  currants, 
if  .rich  of  the  fruit,  so  as  to  require  little 
sugar,  is,  when  kept  to  a  proper  age,  of  a 
similar  flavour  to  the  Grave  and  Rhenish 
wines ;  and  I  have  known  it  preferred  as  a 
summer  table  wine.  Even  in  London  this 
agreeable  beverage  may  be  made  at  less  ex- 
pence  than  moderate  cider  can  be  bought  for. 
Diluted  in  water,  this  wine  is  an  excellent 
drink  in  the  hot  season,  particularly  to  those 
of  feverish  habits.  It  makes  an  excellent 
shrub;  and  the  juice  is  a  pleasant  acid  in 
punch,  which,  about  thirty  years  back,  was 
a  favourite  beverage  in  the  coffee-houses  in 
Paris. 

The  best  English  brandy  I  have  tasted, 
was  distilled  from  weak  currant  wine,  by  a 
gentleman  at  Windsor ;  and  I  have  no  doubt 


140 

but  it  could  be  made  superior  to  the  common 
brandies,  imported  from  France,  were  it  en- 
couraged, and  certain  restrictions  taken  from 
the  distiller. 

The  black  currants,  which  were  formerly 
called  squinancy  berries,  on  account  of  their 
great  use  in  quinsies,  are  natives  of  Sweden 
and  the  northern  parts  of  Russia,  as  well  as 
the  northern  counties  of  England,  where 
they  have  been  found  in  their  natural  state, 
growing  in  alder  swamps,  and  in  wet  hedges 
by  the  banks  of  rivers.  In  some  parts  of 
Siberia,  the  black  currants  are  said  to  grow 
to  the  size  of  hazel-nuts.  The  inhabitants 
of  that  country  make  a  drink  of  the  leaves : 
in  Russia  a  wine  is  made  of  the  black  cur- 
rants; and  it  is  also  made  in  some  parts  of 
England. 

The  jelly  made  from  these  currants  is 
recommended  in  most  complaints  of  the 
throat :  they  are  also  esteemed  cleansing,  pel- 
lent,  and  diuretic :  an  infusion  of  the  roots  is 
useful  in  fevers  of  the  eruptive  kind. 

The  inner  bark  of  all  the  species  of  the 
currant  tree,  boiled  in  water,  is  a  popular 
remedy  in  jaundice ;  and  some  medical 
men  have  recommended  it  in  dropsical  com- 
plaints. 

The  currant-tree  that  was  brought  from 


141 

the  isle  of  Zante,  by  our  Levant  traders,  and 
first  planted  in  England  in  the  year  1533, 
I  conclude  was  the  vine  that  produces  the 
small  grapes  which  we  call  currants,  and  of 
which  the  English  use  more  than  all  the  rest 
of  the  world  together.  This  fruit  grows  in 
great  abundance  in  several  places  in  the  Ar- 
chipelago. We  have  a  factory  at  Zante, 
from  whence  we  import  them  so  closely 
pressed  by  treading,  that  they  are  often 
obliged  to  be  dug  out  with  an  iron  instru- 
ment, the  natives  thinking  we  use  them  as  a 
dye. 

Currant  trees  produce  their  fruit  on  small 
snags,  that  come  out  of  the  former  year's 
wood :  in  pruning,  care  should  be  taken  not 
to  injure  that  part;  but  the  shoots  may  be 
shortened  or  thinned  as  soon  as  the  leaves 
are  off.  They  require  least  room,  and  have 
a  neat  appearance,  in  private  gardens,  when 
planted  as  espaliers;  and  the  fruit  is  thought 
to  ripen  better. 


DATE.-DACTYLUS. 


A  Species  of   the   Palma,    or  Palm  Tree.— 
Date  Tree,  Phamix  Dactylifera.     In  Bo- 
tany,  of  the  Dicecia  Triandria  Class. 


THE  palm-tree  is  a  native  of  the  eastern 
countries,  and  has  been  known  to  grow  in 
the  deserts  of  Arabia  and  Syria  from  the 
earliest  ages.  Dates  appear  to  have  been 
the  first  food  which  the  Israelites  found 
in  the  wilderness  of  Shur.  "  And  they 
came  to  Elim,  where  were  twelve  wells  of 
water,  and  threescore  and  ten  palm-trees; 
and  they  encamped  there  by  the  waters/' 
(Exodus,  chap.  xv.  verse  27-)  The  ancients 
esteemed  dates  next  to  the  vine  and  olive. 

The  palm-trees  are  very  lucrative  to  the 
Arabs  and  other  inhabitants  of  the  desert, 
where  the  fruit  forms  a  principal  part  of 
their  food,  particularly  in  all  that  part  of  the 
Zaara  which  is  near  Mount  Atlas,  where 
they  grow  but  little  corn,  and  chiefly  depend 


143 

on  this  fruit  for  subsistence.  In  this  part 
of  the  world,  forests  of  date-trees  may  be 
seen,  some  of  which  are  several  leagues  iri 
circumference.  The  Grecian  and  Roman 
authors  have  given  full  accounts  of  this 
fruit.  It  is  related  that  Alexander's  army 
having  met  with  dates  of  such  a  delicious 
quality,  many,  who  could  riot  forbear  eat- 
ing too  plentifully,  died.  There  is  one 
kind  of  date  described  by  the  ancient 
authors,  that  would  inebriate  and  overturn 
the  brain. 

The  Babylonian,  or  Royal  Dates,  were 
most  esteemed :  these,  in  ancient  times, 
were  reserved  for  the  kings  of  Persia,  and  are 
said  to  have  grown  only  in  one  hortyard  or 
park  at  Babylon,  which  was  annexed  to  the 
Persian  crown.  The  dates  at  Jericho,  in 
Jewry,  were  also  in  high  estimation  with 
the  ancients,  who  made  both  bread  and 
wine  of  them.  Pliny,  who  has  written  at 
great  length  upon  this  fruit,  mentions  forty- 
nine  kinds  of  dates,  varying  according  to  the 
country  where  they  grew;  some  of  which 
were  white,  black,  or  brown,  some  were 
round,  others  in  the  shape  of  a  finger,  some 
very  small,  and  others  he  describes  as  being 
as  large  as  the  pomegranate.  One  species 
of  the  date,  the  Lotus,  was  much  cultivated 
2 


144 

in  Italy,  and  is  by  some  supposed  to  be  the 
fruit  by  which  the  companions  of  Ulysses 
were  enchanted,  and  forgot  their  native 
country. 

Italy,  and  the  coast  of  Spain,  have  been 
renowned  for  palm-trees  more  than  two  thou- 
sand years :  "  but  the  dates/'  says  Plinj', 
"  never  come  to  maturity  or  ripeness,  nor 
were  they  ever  known  to  grow  without  being 
planted  :"  this  caused  him  to  state  that  they 
were  foreign  trees. 

The  Arabs  eat  dates  without  seasoning, 
for  they  have  a  very  agreeable  taste  when  they 
are  fresh,  and  afford  wholesome  nourishment. 
These  people  dry  and  harden  them  in  the 
sun,  to  reduce  them  to  a  kind  of  meal,  which 
they  preserve  for  food  when  they  undertake 
long  journeys  across  the  deserts;  and  they 
will  subsist  a  considerable  time  on  this  simple 
nourishment :  pieces  of  the  date-bread  di- 
luted in  water  afford  a  refreshing  beverage. 
The  Arabs  likewise  strip  the  bark  and  fi- 
brous parts  from  the  young  date-trees,  and 
eat  the  substance  that  is  in  the  centre.  It 
is  very  nourishing,  and  has  a  sweet  taste, 
and  they  call  it  the  marrow  of  the  date- 
tree  :  they  also  eat  the  leaves  when  they 
are  young  and  tender,  mixed  with  lemon- 
juice,  as  a  salad.  The  male  flowers  are  also 


145 

eaten,  when  tender,  in  the  same  manner. 
The  fruit  before  it  is  ripe  is  somewhat  as- 
tringent, but  when  thoroughly  mature,  is  of 
the  nature  of  the  fig.  A  white  liquor, 
known  by  the  name  of  date-milk,  is  drawn 
from  the  palm-tree.  To  obtain  it,  all  the 
branches  are  cut  from  the  summit  of  one  of 
these  trees ;  and  after  several  incisions  have 
been  made  in  it,  they  are  covered  with  leaves, 
in  order  that  the  heat  of  the  sun  may  not 
dry  it:  the  sap  then  drops  into  a  vessel 
placed  to  receive  the  liquor.  The  milk  of 
the  date-tree  has  an  agreeable  sweet  taste 
when  new :  it  is  very  refreshing,  and  is 
given  even  to  sick  people.  Thus  has 
Providence  reared  a  blessing  in  the  sanely 
desert  for  the  wanderer. 

Even  the  stones  of  dates,  though  very 
hard,  are  not  thrown  away  :  they  are  bruised 
and  laid  in  water  to  soften,  when  they 
become  good  food  for  sheep  and  camels. 

The  Egyptians  make  an  agreeable  con- 
serve of  the  fresh  dates  and  sugar.  The 
Arabs  weave  mats  and  other  things  of  the 
same  kind  from  the  old  leaves;  and  from 
the  filaments  which  arise  from  the  stumps 
of  the  branches,  they  fabricate  both  ropes 
and  sails. 

Among  the  trees  of  Egypt,  there  is  none 

L 


14(5 

more  common  than  the  date-tree,  both  onffle 
sands  as  well  as  on  the  cultivated  districts. 
It  requires  no  attention,  and  is  very  pro- 
fitable, the  fruit  being  in  great  demand,  par- 
ticularly that  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ro- 
setta,  which  is  delicious.  The  branches 
are  cut  off  with  the  dates  upon  them  before 
they  are  thoroughly  ripe,  and  thrust  into 
baskets  made  for  the  purpose,  which  have 
no  other  aperture  than  a  hole,  through  which 
the  branches  project.  The  dates  thus  packed 
up,  ripen  in  succession,  and  boats  are  laden 
with  them,  and  sent  to  Cairo. — Could  they 
not  be  brought  to  England  in  this  state  ? 

The  timber  is  so  durable,  that  it  is  thought 
incorruptible  by  the  natives.  It  is  used  for 
making  beams  and  implements  of  husbandry, 
as  also  for  javelins,  and  the  trees  often  grow 
to  a  hundred  feet  in  height.  There  are 
but  few  trees  which  are  used  for  so  many 
valuable  purposes,  and  I  know  of  none  where 
the  sexual  distinctions  are  so  evident.  It 
is  the  female  tree  which  produces  the  fruit, 
and  on  which  account  it  is  cultivated  in 
greater  numbers ;  but  in  order  to  obtain  the 
fruit,  the  orientalists,  who  live  upon  it, 
plant  male  trees  also ;  and  it  is  no  uncommon 
practice  for  their  enemies,  in  time  of  war, 
to  cut  down  the  male  trees,  which  prevents 


147 

the  others  from  producing  dates,  and  causes 
famine*  The  number  of  female  trees  cul- 
tivated in  Asia,  is  much  greater  than  that 
of  the  males,  the  former  being  more  profit- 
able. 

The  sexual  organs  of  the  date-tree  grow 
upon  different  stalks;  and  when  they  are  in 
flower,  the  Arabs  cut  the  male  branches  to 
impregnate  the  female  blossoms :  for  this 
purpose,  they  make  incisions  in  the  trunk  of 
each  branch  which  they  wish  to  produce 
fruit,  and  place  in  it  a  stalk  of  male  flowers: 
without  this  precaution,  the  date-tree  would 
produce  only  abortive  fruit.  In  some  parts 
the  male  branches  are  only  shaken  over  the 
female  blossoms.  This  practice  was  known 
to  the  ancients,  and  is  accurately  described 
by  Pliny,  who  says,  "  if  the  male  tree  be  cut 
down,  his  wives  will  afterwards  become  bar- 
ren, and  bear  no  more  dates,  as  if  they 
were  widows.  So  evident  is  the  copulation 
of  the  sexes  in  the  date-trees/'  says  he,  "that 
men  have  devised  to  make  the  females 
fruitful,  by  casting  upon  them  the  blooms 
and  down  that  the  male  tree  bears,  and 
sometimes  by  strewing  the  powder  which  he 
yields  upon  them/' 

Linnaeus,  in  his  Dissertation  on  the  Sexes 
of  Plants,    speaking   of  the  date-tree,  says, 

L  2' 


148 

"  A  female  date-bearing  palm,  flowered  many 
years  at  Berlin,  without  producing  any  seeds ; 
but  the  Berlin  people,  taking  care  to  have 
some  of  the  blossoms  of  the  male  tree,  which 
was  then  flowering  at  Leipsic,  sent  them 
by  the  post;  they  obtained  fruit  by  these 
means ;  and  some  dates,  the  offspring  of  this 
impregnation,  being  planted  in  my  garden, 
sprung  up,  and  to  this  day  continue  to  grow 
vigorously/' 

Pfere  Labat,  in  his  Account  of  America, 
mentions  a  tree  which  grew  near  a  convent  in 
Martinique,  that  produced  a  great  quantity 
of  fruit,  which  came  to  maturity  enough  for 
eating :  but  as  there  was  no  other  tree  of 
the  kind  in  the  island,  it  was  desirable  to 
propagate  it,  but  none  of  the  seeds  would 
grow.  He  conjectures  that  the  tree  might 
probably  be  so  far  impregnated  by  some 
neighbouring  palm-tree,  as  to  render  it  ca- 
pable of  bearing  fruit,  but  not  sufficient  to 
make  the  seeds  prolific. 

M.  Geoffrey  cites  a  story  from  Jovicus 
Pontanus,  who  relates,  "  that,  in  his  time, 
there  were  two  palm-trees,  the  one  a  male, 
the  other  a  female,  in  the  wood  Otranto, 
fifteen  leagues  apart;  that  this  latter  was 
several  years  without  bearing  any  fruit;  till 
at  length,  rising  above  the  other  trees  of 


149 

the  forest,  so  as  it  might  see/'  says  the 
poet,  "  the  male  palm-tree  at  Brindisi,  it 
then  began  to  bear  fruit  in  abundance/' 
M.  Geoffrey  makes  no  doubt  but  that  the  tree 
then  only  began  to  bear  fruit,  because  it  was 
in  a  condition  to  catch  on  it's  branches  the 
farina  of  the  male  brought  thither  by  the 
wind. 

It  may  appear  to  many  persons  almost 
incredible,  that  the  pollen  of  the  male  flower 
should  be  conveyed  to  so  great  a  distance ; 
but  that  it  should  be  attracted  by  a  tree  of 
it's  own  species,  will  not  create  so  much  our 
wonder,  when,  with  the  least  reflection,  we 
must  be  satisfied  that  the  glutinous  moisture 
on  the  stigmata  of  flowers,  has  an  attraction 
for  the  pollen  of  the  anthera  of  it's  kind  only; 
else,  when  a  variety  of  flowers  were  blossoming 
at  the  same  time,  we  should  have  the  rose 
impregnating  the  lily,  and  the  wheat  giving 
it's  generating  powder   to  the  poppy.     All 
animals    and   insects,    when   left  to  nature, 
couple  with  their  kinds.     Vegetables  do  the 
same,  although  it  is  now  clearly  ascertained 
that  it  is  possible  to  make  the  stigma  of  one 
blossom  receive  the  pollen  of  another,  if  it  is 
prevented  from  taking  that  of  it's  own  spe- 
cies ;  and  thus  we  have  within  these  last  few 


150 

years  so  great  a  variety  of  new  flowers  and 
fruits. 

The  date-tree  grows  very  rapidly,  and 
will  produce  fruit  in  some  countries  in  the 
third  year,  while  in  others  it  is  from  four  to 
six  years  before  it  begins  to  bear :  when  ar- 
rived at  maturity,  it  makes  no  change,  but 
remains  in  the  same  state  for  three  genera- 
tions, according  to  the  account  of  the  Arabs. 
Like  most  other  fruits,  the  date  requires 
cultivation  to  have  it  good,  as  the  fruit  which 
is  produced  from  trees  which  have  been 
raised  from  seed  is  poor  and  ill-tasted, 
while  those  trees  which  are  reared  from  the 
shoots,  give  dates  of  a  good  quality. 

The  flowers  of  both  sexes  come  out  in 
very  long  bunches  from  the  trunk  between 
the  leaves,  and  are  covered  with  a  spatha 
which  opens  and  withers :  those  of  the  male 
have  six  short  stamina,  with  narrow  four- 
cornered  anthers  filled  with  farina.  The 
female  flowers  have  no  stamina. 

Dates  are  imported  into  this  country 
in  a  dried  state,  similar  to  dried  figs: 
when  in  good  condition,  they  are  much 
esteemed,  and  fetch  a  high  price.  At  the 
present  time,  they  are  sold  for  five  shillings 
the  pound,  although  interior  kinds  may  be 


151 

bought  much  cheaper  for  medicinal  purposes, 
for  which  they  are  principally  used  in 
England,  being  considered  hard  of  diges- 
tion, and  often  causing  the  head-ache  to  those 
who  eat  them  in  quantities,  and  they  create 
scorbutic  complaints  as  well  as  the  loss  of 
teeth.  In  medicine,  the  qualities  of  dates 
are  to  soften  the  asperities  of  the  throat,  to 
assuage  all  immoderate  fluxes  of  the  stomach, 
and  to  ease  disorders  of  the  reins,  &c. 
The  oil  and  phlegm  render  them  moistening 
and  good  to  assuage  coughs.  They  stop 
vomitings  and  fluxes,  and  are  good  for  the 
piles  when  taken  in  red  wine.  (Barham.) 

They  are  principally  brought  from  Africa, 
Egypt,  and  Syria,  but  the  finest  come  from 
Tunis. 

Near  Elete,  in  Spain,  there  is  a  wood 
consisting  of  two  hundred  thousand  palm- 
trees,  bearing  dates.  These  trees  furnish  a 
curious  traffic :  the  branches  of  them  are 
bound  up  in  mats  to  bleach  the  leaves, 
which  in  time  become  white ;  they  are  then 
cut  off,  and  sent  in  ship-loads  to  Genoa  and 
other  parts  of  Italy,  for  the  grand  procession 
of  Palm  Sunday.  There  is  a  great  trade 
in  them  with  Madrid  also,  where  every 
house  has  it's  blessed  palm-branch.  The 


152 

dates  seldom  ripen  so  thoroughly  as  to  keep 
well. 

Hughes,  in  his  Natural  History  of  Bar- 
badoes,  speaking  of  the  date-tree,  says,  "  The 
straightest  and  youngest  branches,  which 
grow  near  the  summit  of  the  tree,  are  much 
used  here  by  the  Jews,  upon  their  Feast  of 
Tabernacles:  these  they  usually  gild,  and 
adorn  with  various  flowers,  and  then  carry 
them  in  procession  to  their  synagogue/'  He 
adds,  "  whether  this  is  the  same  kind  of 
palm  that  was  used  by  the  Israelites,  we 
know  not,  or  whether  it  is  not  here  succe- 
daneously  used  as  bearing  the  nearest  re- 
semblance to  it/ 


ELDER.— SAMBUCUS. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Pentandria 
Trigynia  Class. 


THE  common  elder-tree  is  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, and  is  found  also  in  most  parts  of 
Europe,  as  it  will  grow  on  any  soil,  and  in 
situations  where  few  other  trees  would  live. 

The  elder  thrives  near  wet  ditches,  and 
is  often  seen  growing  on  the  ruins  of  old 
walls,  or  from  the  hollow  of  decayed  trees : 
so  hardy  is  this  valuable  and  neglected  tree, 
that  it  is  found  both  in  sheltered  swamps 
and  on  the  bleak  tops  of  church  towers. 

The  elder  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
used  medicinally  by  the  ancients,  but  the 
berries  were  employed  by  the  Romans  to  dye 
the  hair  of  the  head  black.  If  they  be  boiled 
in  water,  says  Pliny,  they  are  as  good  and 
wholesome  to  be.eaten  as  other  pot-herbs. 

Sir  J.  E.   Smith  has  remarked,  that  this 


154 

tree  is,  as  it  were,  a  whole  magazine  of  physic 
to  rustic  practitioners. 

The  bark,  leaves,  flowers  and  berries,  are 
used  with  advantage  in  medicine.  The  leaves 
are  said  to  be  purgative  and  emetic,  and 
are  applied  externally  for  the  piles  and  inflam- 
mations; an  ointment  is  made  also  with  them 
as  well  as  the  flowers  :  the  latter  are  used 
inwardly  as  a  carminative.  Infusions  made 
from  the  flowers  while  fresh,  are  gentle,  laxa- 
tive, and  aperient;  when  dry,  they  are  found 
to  promote  the  cuticular  secretion,  and  to 
be  particularly  serviceable  in  erysipelatous 
and  eruptive  disorders.  Sydenham  directs 
three  handfuls  of  the  inner  bark  to  be  boiled 
in  a  quart  of  milk  and  water,  till  only  a 
pint  remains,  of  which  one  half  is  to  be  taken 
at  night  and  the  other  in  the  morning ;  and 
this  repeated  every  day  for  those  afflicted 
with  the  dropsy.  Boerhaave  recommends 
the  expressed  juice  of  the  middle  bark, 
given  from  a  drachm  to  half  an  ounce,  as  the 
best  of  hydragogues  when  the  viscera  are 
sound. 

Elder-flower  water,  the  oil  of  elder,  and 
elder  syrup,  are  all  used  as  medicines. 

The  berries  are  esteemed  cordial,  and  use- 
ful in  hysteric  disorders  ;  and  are  often  put 
into  gargarisms  for  sore  mouths  and  throats. 


155 

The  fungous  excrescences,  which  are  often 
found  growing  on  the  trunk  of  the  elder-tree, 
bearing  the  resemblance  of  an  ear,  black  in 
the  inside  and  of  a  whitish  colour  on  the  out- 
side, (called  auricula  Judaorwn)  are  accounted 
good  for  inflammations  and  swellings  of  the 
tonsils,  sore  throats,  and  quinsies. 

The  wine  made  from  elder-berries  is  too 
well  known  by  families  in  the  country  to 
require  any  encomiums  :  it  is  the  only  wine 
the  cottager  can  procure,  and,  when  well 
made,  is  a  most  excellent  and  wholesome 
drink,  taken  warm  before  going  to  bed.  It 
causes  gentle  perspiration,  and  is  a  mild 
opiate ;  and  may  be  taken  safely,  and  with 
advantage,  by  those  of  costive  habits. 

If  a  rich  syrup  be  made  from  ripe  elder- 
berries and  a  few  bitter  almonds,  when  added 
to  brandy  it  has  all  the  flavour  of  the  very 
best  cherry-brandy. 

The  white  elder-berries,  when  ripe,  make 
wine,  much  resembling  rich  grape-wine. 

The  buds  and  the  young  tender  shoots 
are  greatly  admired  as  a  pickle. 

The  leaves  of  the  elder-tree  are  often  put 
into  the  subterraneous  paths  of  moles,  to 
drive  those  noxious  little  animals  from  the 
garden.  If  fruit-trees,  flowering  shrubs,  corn, 
*>r  other  vegetables,  be  whipped  with  the 


156 

green  leaves  of  the  elder  branches,  insects 
will  not  attach  to  them.  An  infusion  of  these 
leaves  in  water  is  good  to  sprinkle  over  rose 
buds,  and  other  flowers,  subject  to  blights 
and  the  devastations  of  caterpillars. 

The  wood  of  old  elder-trees  is  so  hard, 
and  takes  so  good  a  polish,  that  it  is  often 
used  as  a  substitute  for  the  box- tree.  From 
its  toughness,  it  is  used  for  tops  for  fishing 
rods,  needles  for  weaving  nets,  butchers' 
skewers,  &c.  I  find  it  was  used  by  the  Ro- 
mans to  make  pipes  and  trumpets,  as  Pliny 
says,  "  the  shepherds  were  thoroughly  per- 
suaded that  the  elder-tree,  growing  in  a  by- 
place  out  of  the  way,  and  where  the  crowing 
of  cocks  from  any  town  cannot  be  heard, 
makes  more  shrill  pipes  and  louder  trumpets 
than  any  other/' 


FIG.-FICUS.-CARICA. 


Natural  Order,  Scabridce.     In  Botany,  a  Ge- 
nus of  the  Polygamia  Tricecia  Class. 


THE  fig-tree  is  evidently  a  native  of  that  part 
of  Asia,  where  the  garden  of  Eden  is  gene- 
rally said  to  have  been  situated,  as  it  is  the 
only  tree  particularly  named  in  those  pas- 
sages of  the  Bible  which  relate  to  the  creation 
and  fall  of  man.  "  And  they  sewed  fig- 
leaves  together,  and  made  themselves  aprons/' 
It  is  a  fruit  that  appears  to  have  been  highly 
esteemed  by  the  Israelites,  who  brought  figs 
out  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  when  they  were 
sent  by  Moses  to  ascertain  the  produce  and 
strength  of  that  country. 

The  fig-tree  is  often  mentioned,  both  in 
the  Old  and  New  Testament,  in  a  manner 
to  induce  us  to  conclude  that  it  formed  a 
principal  part  of  the  food  of  the  Syrian  nation. 
In  the  25th  chapter  of  the  first  book  of 


158 

Samuel,  we  read,  that  when  Abigail  went 
to  meet  David,  to  appease  him  for  the  affront 
given  by  Nabal  her  husband,  she  took  with 
her,  amongst  other  provisions,  a  present  of 
two  hundred  cakes  of  figs. 

When  Lycurgus  banished  luxury  from 
Sparta,  and  obliged  the  Spartan  men  to  dine 
in  one  common  hall,  to  enforce  the  practice 
of  temperance  and  sobriety,  every  one  was 
obliged  to  send  thither  his  provisions  month- 
ly, which  consisted  of  about  one  bushel  of 
flour,  eight  measures  of  wine,  five  pounds  of 
cheese,  and  two  pounds  and  a  half  of  figs. 

The  Athenians  were  so  choice  of  their 
figs,  that  it  was  forbidden  to  export  them 
out  of  Attica.  Those  who  gave  information 
of  this  fruit  being  sold  contrary  to  law, 
were  called  sykophantai,  from  two  Greek 
words  signifying  the  discoverers  of  figs ;  and 
as  they  sometimes  gave  malicious  informa- 
tion, the  term  was  afterwards  applied  to  all 
informers,  parasites,  liars,  flatterers,  impostors, 
&c.  from  whence  the  word  sycophant  is  de- 
rived. 

The  story  of  Romulus  and  Remus  being 
suckled  by  a  wolf  under  a  fig-tree,  proves 
that  this  fruit  must  have  been  early  known  in 
Italy. 

The  Egyptians  and  Greeks  held  this  fruit 


159 

in  great  estimation  :  it  was  their  custom  to 
carry  a  basket  of  figs  next  to  the  vessel  of 
wine  used  in  the  Dionysia,  or  festivals  in 
honour  of  Bacchus ;  and  it  is  related  to  have 
been  the  favourite  fruit  of  Cleopatra,  who 
was  the  most  luxurious  queen  the  world  ever 
produced.  The  asp  with  which  she  termi- 
nated her  life,  was  conveyed  to  her  in  a 
basket  of  figs. 

Saturn,  one  of  the  Roman  deities,  was 
represented  crowned  with  new  figs ;  he  being 
supposed  to  have  first  taught  the  use  of 
agriculture  in  Italy.  There  was  a  temple  in 
Rome  dedicated  to  this  god,  before  which, 
grew  a  large  fig-tree.  The  Vestals,  when  they 
removed  this  tree  in  order  to  build  a  chapel 
on  the  spot,  offered  an  expiatory  sacrifice : 
this  happened  about  two  hundred  and  sixty 
years  after  the  foundation  of  the  city. 

The  fig  was  a  fruit  much  admired  by 
the  Romans,  who  brought  it  from  most  of 
the  countries  they  conquered,  and  had  so  in- 
creased the  varieties  in  Italy,  by  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Christian  era,  that  Pliny 
has  furnished  us  with  a  description  of  twenty- 
nine  sorts  that  were  familiar  to  him.  He 
says,  "  figs  are  restorative)  and  the  best  food 
that  can  be  taken  by  those  who  are  brought 
low  by  long  sickness,  and  are  on  the  recovery." 


160 

He  adds,  "  that  figs  increase  the  strength  of 
young  people,  preserve  the  elderly  in  better 
health,  and  make  them  look  younger,  and 
with  fewer  wrinkles.  They  are  so  nutritive, 
as  to  cause  corpulency  and  strength :  for  this 
cause/'  continues  he,  "  professed  wrestlers 
and  champions  were  in  times  past  fed  with 
figs/'  This  naturalist  mentions  the  African 
figs  as  being  admired ;  but  says,  "  it  is  not 
long  since  they  began  to  grow  figs  in  Africa." 
— These  appear  to  have  been  of  an  early 
kind;  for  we  find  when  Cato  wished  to  sti- 
mulate the  senators  to  declare  war  against 
Carthage,  he  took  an  early  African  fig  in  his 
hand ;  then,  addressing  the  assembly,  he  said, 
"  I  would  demand  of  you  how  long  it  is  since 
this  fig  was  gathered  from  the  tree?"  and 
when  they  all  agreed  that  it  was  fresh  ga- 
thered, "  Yes,"  answered  Cato,  "  it  is  not 
yet  three  days  since  this  fig  was  gathered  at 
Carthage;  and  by  it,  see  how  near  to  the 
Avails  of  our  city  we  have  a  mortal  enemy/' 
With  this  argument  he  prevailed  upon  them 
to  begin  the  third  Punic  war,  in  which  Car- 
thage, that  had  so  long  been  a  rival  to  Rome, 
was  utterly  destroyed.  "  The  Lydian  figs/' 
says  Pliny,  "  are  of  a  reddish  purple  colour; 
the  Rhodian,  of  a  blackish  hue;  as  is  the 
Tiburtine,  which  ripens  before  others.  The 


161 

• 

white  figs  were  from  Herculaneum, 
rate,  and  Aratian ;  the  Chelidonian  figs  ard 
the  latest,  and  ripen  against  the  winter :  some 
bear  twice  a  year,  and  some  of  the  Chalcidian 
kind  bear  three  times  a  year/'  The  Romans 
had  figs  from  Chalcis  and  Chios,  &c. ;  and 
many  of  their  varieties,  it  appears,  were 
named  from  those  who  first  introduced  or 
cultivated  them  in  Italy.  The  Livian  fig  was 
so  named  after  Livia,  wife  to  the  Emperor 
Augustus,  who,  it  is  said,  made  an  unnatural 
use  of  it  to  poison  her  husband. 

If  the  fig-tree  was  ever  brought  to  this 
country  by  the  Romans,  it  was,  in  all  pro- 
bability, confined  to  the  southern  counties ; 
and  not  being  generally  cultivated,  was  de- 
stroyed when  their  villas  were  demolished. 
It  is  generally  supposed  that  it  was  not  plant- 
ed in  England  before  the  reign  of  Henry  the 
Eighth,  when  luxury  and  the  arts  began  to 
be  encouraged,  and  noblemen's  houses  first 
put  on  the  air  of  Italian  magnificence.  There 
are,  at  the  present  time,  some  fig-trees,  of  the 
white  Marseilles  kind,  growing  in  the  garden 
of  the  Episcopal  Palace,  at  Lambeth,  which 
are  said  to  have  been  planted  by  Cardinal 
Pole,  who  brought  them  from  Italy  during 
the  reign  of  Henry  the  Eighth.  There  is 
also  a  fig-tree  of  the  white  sort,  at  Mitcham, 

Tlf 


162 

in  the  garden  of  the  manor-house,  formerly 
the  private  estate  of  Archbishop  Cranmer ; 
and  it  is  confidently  stated  to  have  been 
planted  by  that  prelate  :  the  stem  measures 
thirty  inches  in  girth. 

At  Oxford,  in  the  botanic  garden  of  the 
Regius  Professor  of  Hebrew,  is  a  fig-tree, 
which  was  brought  from  the  East,  and  planted 
by  Dr.  Pocock,  in  the  year  1648.  Of  this 
tree,  the  following  anecdote  is  related :  Dr. 
Kennicott,  the  celebrated  Hebrew  scholar 
and  compiler  of  the  Polyglot  Bible,  was  pas- 
sionately fond  of  this  fruit;  and  seeing  a 
very  fine  fig  on  this  tree  that  he  wished  to 
preserve,  wrote  on  a  label,  "  Dr.  Kenni- 
cott's  fig/*  which  he  tied  to  the  fruit.  An 
Oxonian  wag,  who  had  observed  the  trans- 
action, watched  the  fruit  daily,  and  when 
ripe,  gathered  it,  and  exchanged  the  label  for 
one  thus  worded :  "  A  fig  for  Dr.  Kenni- 
cott." 

We  may  conclude  that  the  fig-trees, 
which  are  stated  to  have  been  planted  in  the 
time  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  either  had  not 
fruited,  or  were  but  little  known  at  that 
period ;  as  Tusser,  who  has  furnished  us  with 
a  list  of  the  fruits  which  were  grown  in  Eng- 
land in  the  succeeding  reign,  has  not  men- 
tioned the  fig-tree ;  and  Lord  Chancellor 


163 

Bacon,  who  wrote  still  later,  never  mentions 
it  as  being  cultivated  in  England,  though, 
from  the  exalted  situation  he  filled,  and  the 
circles  in  which  he  moved,  he  must  have  had 
great  opportunities  of  knowing  the  earliest 
introduction  of  trees  and  plants,  which  occu- 
pied a  part  of  his  attention.     The  almond, 
which  was  not  introduced  until  the  days  of 
Elizabeth,  is  particularly  mentioned  by  him 
as  one  of  our  fruits ;  but  the  fig  is  not  in 
his   list.      He   says,  "  there   be   divers   fruit 
trees  in  the  hot  countries,  which  have  blos- 
soms, and  young  fruit,  and  ripe  fruit,  almost 
all  the  year,  succeeding  one  another/'     And 
it  is  said,  the  orange  hath  the  like  with  us 
for  a  great  part  of  summer ;  and  so  also  hath 
the  fig. 

The  Hortus  Kewensis  informs  us,  that  the 
fig-tree  was  planted  in  this  country  in  1548; 
and  we  find,  in  Turner's  Herbal,  that  the  fig- 
tree  was  cultivated  here  previous  to  1562. 
Gerard  says,  in  15.97,  that  "  the  fruit  of  the 
fig-tree  never  cometh  to  maturity  with  us, 
except  the  tree  be  planted  under  a  hot  wall/' 
Parkinson  also,  in  1629,  says,  that  "  if  you 
plant  it  not  against  a  brick  wall,  it  will  not 
ripen  so  kindly ;"  but  much  must  depend  on 
the  situation  of  the  country. 

There  is  an  orchard  of  fig-trees  at  Tarring, 


164 

near  Worthing,  in  Sussex,  where  the  fruit 
grows  on  standard  trees,  and  ripens  as  well 
as  in  any  part  of  Spain;  these  trees  are  so 
regularly  productive,  as  to  form  the  principal 
support  of  a  large  family.  Although  the  or- 
chard does  not  exceed  three-quarters  of  an 
acre,  there  are  upwards  of  100  trees,  that 
are  about  the  size  of  large  apple-trees,  the 
branches  extending  near  twenty  feet  each 
way  from  the  trunk.  Mr.  Loud,  the  pro- 
prietor of  this  little  figgery,  informs  me,  that 
he  gathers  about  100  dozen  per  day,  during 
the  season,  and  that  he  averages  the  trees  to 
produce  him  about  20  dozen  each :  the  fruit 
ripens  in  August,  September,  and  October,  a 
part  of  the  year  when  the  neighbouring  wa- 
tering places  are  frequented  with  fashionable 
company,  that  insures  a  ready  sale  for  this 
agreeable  fruit,  at  good  prices. 

The  second  crop  I  find  has  occasionally 
ripened:  the  fruit,  which,  although  smaller,  is 
exceedingly  sweet,  ave  of  the  white  and  pur- 
ple varieties.  Two  of  these  trees  are  now 
about  seventy-five  years  old,  having  been 
planted  in  the  year  1745  by  John  Long,  who 
raised  them  from  some  old  ones  in  an  ad- 
joining garden,  near  the  ruins  of  the  palace 
of  Thomas-a-Becket  in  that  town,  who,  tra- 
dition says,  brought  these  trees  from  Italy, 


165 

and  planted  them  himself.     The  soil  of  the 
garden  is  a  deep  black  loam  on  chalk. 

The  trees  are  but  seldom  and  sparingly 
pruned,  which  I  conclude  is  the  cause  of  their 
being  so  prolific,  as  I  have  remarked  that  fig- 
trees  rarely  produce  much  fruit  where  the 
knife  is  regularly  used.  When  they  grow 
too  luxuriantly,  it  has  been  found  better  to 
destroy  a  part  of  their  roots,  and  to  fill  up  the 
space  with  stones  or  broken  bricks,  than  to 
prune  the  branches  too  much.  Mr.  Knight, 
the  president  of  the  Horticultural  Society, 
observes,  that  there  cannot  be  a  more  defec- 
tive manner  of  cultivating  the  fig-tree  than 
that  which  is  generally  practised  by  gardeners, 
— of  training  them  against  walls,  with  their 
branches  perpendicular  upwards;  the  wood, 
by  this  means,  becomes  too  luxuriant  to  pro- 
duce fruit. 

The  ancients  believed  that  there  existed  a 
sympathy  between  plants,  and  they  therefore 
planted  rue  near  their  fig-trees,  which  was 
said  to  make  the  fruit  sweeter;  and  that  the 
rue  not  only  grew  more  luxuriantly,  but  more 
bitter,  by  being  thus  neighboured  by  the  fig- 
tree.  I  think  this  is  very  probable,  without 
having  any  thing  to  do  with  sympathy,  as 
trees  and  plants  will  naturally  draw  juices 
from  the  earth  most  congenial  tc  their  nature: 


166 

the  rue  may  therefore  exhaust  the  earth  of 
those  properties  suitable  for  the  nourishment 
of  bitter  plants,  and  leave  the  fig-tree  to  thrive 
from  a  soil,  which  the  former  has  qualified,  by 
consuming  the  particles  of  the  earth  that  are 
pernicious  to  sweet  fruits.  Shakspeare  seems 
to  have  been  of  this  opinion  when  he  wrote — 

u  And  wholesome  berries  thrive,  and  ripen  best, 
Neighboured  by  fruit  of  baser  quality." 

We  have  now  in  this  country  a  great  va 
riety  of  this  most  delicious  and  wholesome 
fruit,  which  is,  I  believe,  the  only  kind  we 
possess  that  has  sweetness,  without  acidity  or 
oiliness.  It  is  nourishing,  easy  of  digestion, 
and  grateful  to  the  stomach;  and  is  much 
esteemed  in  the  countries  where  it  is  culti- 
vated: but  in  England,  it  seems  to  please 
only  the  refined  palates  of  the  higher  order  of 
society.  In  some  parts  of  the  coast  of  Sussex, 
where  this  fruit  ripens  in  perfection,  I  have 
known  it  not  only  neglected  by  the  middle 
and  lower  classes,  but  even  mentioned  with 
derision  in  their  disputes. 

The  fig-tree  is  distinguished  from  all  other 
trees  we  know  of,  by  it's  bearing  two  succes- 
sive and  distinct  crops  of  fruit  in  one  year, 
each  crop  being  produced  on  a  distinct  set  of 
shoots.  This  climate  rarely  allows  the  second 


167 

crop  to  come  to  maturity,  except  where  they 
are  housed.  At  the  Royal  Gardens  at  Kew, 
there  is  a  fig-house  fifty  feet  in  length,  where, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Aiton,  this 
fruit  has  been  forced  to  the  highest  pitch  of 
perfection:  Mr.  Alton's  chief  reliance  has 
been,  I  understand,  on  the  second  crop.  In 
the  year  1810,  the  royal  tables  were  supplied 
with  more  than  two  hundred  baskets  of  figs 
from  that  fig-house,  fifty  baskets  of  which 
were  from  the  first  crop,  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  baskets  from  the  second.  In  one 
instance,  Mr.  Alton  had  this  fruit  ripe  in 
January,  and  sent  excellent  figs  to  the  palace 
on  the  late  Queen's  birthday,  the  18th  of  that 
month. 

The  caprification  of  figs  was  practised  by 
the  ancients  in  the  same  manner  as  it  is  now 
attended  to  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Archi- 
pelago; and  it  is  described  by  Theophrastus, 
Plutarch,  Pliny,  and  other  authors  of  antiqui- 
ty. It  is  too  curious  a  circumstance  in  the 
history  of  the  fig-tree  to  be  omitted,  as  it  fur- 
nishes a  convincing  proof  of  the  reality  of  the 
sexes  of  plants.  The  flowers  of  the  fig-tree  are 
situated  within  the  pulpy  receptacle,  which 
we  call  the  fruit.  Of  these  receptacles,  in  the 
wild  fig-tree,  some  have  male  flowers  only, 
and  others  have  male  and  female. 


168 

In  the  cultivated  fig,  these  are  found  to 
contain  only  female  flowers,  that  are  fecun- 
dated by  means  of  a  kind  of  gnat  bred  in  the 
fruit  of  the  wild  fig-trees,  which  pierces  that 
of  the  cultivated,  in  order  to  deposit  its  eggs 
within;  at  the  same  time  diffusing  within  the 
receptacle  the  farina  of  the  male  flowers: 
without  this  operation,  the  fruit  may  ripen, 
but  no  effective  seeds  are  produced.  Hence 
it  is  that  we  can  raise  no  fig-trees  from  the  fruit 
of  our  own  gardens,  having  no  wild  figs  to  as- 
sist the  seed.  They  are  consequently  raised 
by  cuttings,  or  by  layers. 

In  many  parts  of  the  Grecian  islands,  the 
inhabitants  pay  such  attention  to  the  caprifi- 
cation  of  the  cultivated  figs,  that  they  attend 
daily  for  three  months  in  the  year  to  gather 
these  little  flies  from  the  wild  fig-trees,  and  to 
place  them  on  the  fig-trees  in  their  gardens, 
by  which  means  they  not  only  get  finer  fruit, 
but  from  ten  to  twelve  times  the  quantity: 
thus  one  of  the  most  minute  insects  is,  by  the 
attention  of  man,  made  a  principal  cultivator 
of  fruit. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  fresh-killed  veni- 
son, or  any  other  animal  food,  being  hung  up 
in  a  fig-tree  for  a  single  night,  will  become  as 
tender,  and  as  ready  for  dressing,  as  if  kept 
for  many  days  or  weeks  in  the  common  man- 


169 

ner.  A  gentleman,  who  lately  made  the  expe* 
riment,  assured  me  that  a  haunch  of  venison 
which  had  lately  ^been  killed,  was  hung  up  in 
a  fig-tree  when  the  leaves  were  on,  at  about 
ten  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  was  removed 
before  sun-rise  in  the  morning,  when  it  was 
found  in  a  perfect  state  for  cooking ;  and  he 
adds,  that  in  a  few  hours  more  it  would  have 
been  in  a  state  of  putrefaction. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  Argenteuil,  near 
Paris,  are  immense  fields  covered  with  fig- 
trees  :  the  inhabitants  of  the  former  town 
derive  their  chief  support  from  the  culture 
of  this  fruit;  and  I  feel  confident  that  there 
are  many  situations  on  the  coast  of  Sussex, 
between  the  towns  of  Arundel  and  Shoreham, 
where,  if  figs  were  cultivated,  the  London 
markets  could  be  amply  supplied  with  this 
nutritious  fruit. 

We  import  the  best  dried  figs  from  Turkey, 
Italy,  Spain,  and  Provence.  In  the  south  of 
France,  they  are  prepared  by  dipping  them 
in  scalding  hot  lye  made  of  the  ashes  of  the 
fig-tree,  and  then  dried  in  the  sun. 

For  medical  purposes,  figs  are  chiefly  used 
in  emollient  cataplasms  and  pectoral  decoc- 
tions. 

The  wood  of  the  fig-tree  is  of  a  spongy 
texture,  and,  when  charged  with  oil  and 


170 

emery,  is  much  used  on  the  continent  by 
locksmiths,  gunsmiths,  and  other  artificers 
in  iron  and  steel,  to  polish  their  work.  This 
wood  is  considered  almost  indestructible,  and 
on  that  account  was  formerly  used  in  Egypt 
and  other  eastern  countries,  for  embalming 
bodies. 

I  shall  conclude  my  account  of  the  fig- 
tree,  by  the  well-known  story  of  Timon  of 
Athens,  who  was  called  misanthrope,  for  his 
aversion  to  mankind  and  to  all  society.  He 
once  went  into  the  public  place,  where  his 
appearance  as  an  orator  soon  collected  a 
large  assembly,  when  he  addressed  his  coun- 
trymen, by  informing  them  that  he  had  a 
fig-tree  in  his  garden,  on  which  many  of  the 
citizens  had  ended  their  lives  with  a  halter ; 
and  that,  as  he  was  going  to  cut  it  down,  he 
advised  all  those  that  were  inclined  to  leave 
the  world,  to  hasten  and  go  hang  themselves 
in  his  garden. 


FILBERT.-CORYLUS. 


A  Species  of  the  Hazh-Tree.     In  Botany,  a 
Genus  of  the  Mon&cia  Polyandria  Class. 


FILBERTS  were  originally  brought  out  of 
Pontus  into  Natolia  and  Greece,  and  were 
therefore  called  Pontic  nuts :  from  thence 
they  were  procured  by  the  Romans,  and 
brought  into  Italy,  where  they  acquired  the 
name  of  Abellani,  or  Avellana  nuts,  from 
Abella  or  Avellins,  a  town  of  Campania; 
where  the  best  were  cultivated,  (Plin.  b.  xv. 
c.  22.)  and  from  thence  arose  the  French 
name  Aveline. 

These  nuts  still  continue  to  be  cultivated 
in  the  same  situation ;  and,  according  to  Mr. 
Swinburn's  account,  the  whole  face  of  the 
neighbouring  valley  is  covered  with  them, 
and  which,  in  good  years,  brings  in  a  profit  of 
60,000  ducats  (£l  1,250.) 

Fuller,  who  wrote  in  the  year  1660,  says, 
"  gardening  was  first  brought  into  England, 


172 

for  profit,  seventy  years  ago/'  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Elizabeth.  He  adds,  "  gardening 
crept  out  of  Holland  into  Kent/' 

It  is  supposed,  that  within  a  few  miles 
round  Maidstone  in  that  county,  there  are 
more  filberts  growing  at  the  present  time, 
than  in  all  England  besides,  there  being  se- 
veral hundred  acres  planted  with  filbert-trees 
in  the  vicinity  of  that  town.  The  London 
market  is  entirely  supplied  from  thence  with 
these  nuts,  which  are  excellent  in  quality, 
and,  if  quite  ripe,  will  keep  good  for  several 
years  placed  in  a  dry  room. 

Filberts  are  not  only  much  more  agree- 
able than  the  common  nuts,  but  are  esteemed 
wholesome  and  nourishing  when  taken  with 
moderation.  The  cream  of  these  nuts  is  good 
for  the  stone  and  heat  of  urine.  Emulsions 
may  also  be  made  of  them.  The  Romans 
used  them  with  vinegar  and  wormwood  seed 
for  the  yellow  jaundice. 

Filberts  are  not  found  to  answer  well  but 
on  very  few  soils  :  they  seem  to  like  a  stony, 
sandy  loam ;  for  in  rich  soils  they  grow  too 
luxuriantly  to  produce  fruit,  but  'much  de- 
pends on  the  skill  and  management  in  prun- 
ing these  trees.  In  Kent,  they  are  not  suf- 
fered to  grow  above  five  or  six  feet  high,  and 
are  kept  with  a  short  stem,  like  a  goose- 


173 

berry-bush,  and  very  thin  of  wood,  somewhat 
in  the  shape  of  a  punch-bowl. 

From  the  class  in  which  the  tree  is 
ranged  in  botany,  it  will  be  observed,  that  the 
male  and  female  flowers  grow  quite  distinct. 
The  male  flower  is  a  scaly  catkin,  resembling 
the  bullion  in  fringe  ;  it  appears  in  autumn, 
and  waits  for  the  expansion  of  the  female 
blossom  in  the  spring,  from  whence  the  nut 
arises :  this  is  very  diminutive,  but  of  a  fine 
crimson  colour;  therefore  the  pruner  should 
make  himself  acquainted  with  the  wood  that 
produces  each  blossom,  and  not  destroy  too 
many  of  the  male  flowers  that  will  fall  from 
the  tree  after  they  have  discharged  their  pol- 
len, to  the  benefit  of  the  future  fruit. 

To  preserve  filberts,  they  should  be  ga- 
thered quite  ripe,  and  laid  for  some  days  on 
the  floor  of  a  room,  where  the  sun  can  get  in, 
to  dry  them  effectually. 

The  Byzantium  nut,  although  much  es- 
teemed for  it's  flavour  and  size,  is  but  little 
cultivated  in  this  country,  and  very  rarely 
seen  in  our  markets.  This  nut  was  brought 
from  Constantinople,  before  Constantine  had 
given  his  name  to  that  city ;  and  I  am  much 
inclined  to  think,  that  the  Greeks  procured 
it  from  more  eastern  countries.  They  were 
first  cultivated  in  this  country  by  Mr.  John 


174 

Ray,  in  1665,  and  are  generally  called  Cob* 
nuts. 

Pliny  informs  us,  that  Vitellius  brought 
the  nuts,  called  fistichs,  into  Italy,  a  little 
before  the  death  of  Tiberius,  and  that  Flac- 
cus  Pompeius,  who  served  in  the  wars  with 
Vitellius,  carried  them  into  Spain.  Nuts 
are  now  grown  in  that  country  in  such  quan- 
tities, according  to  the  account  of  Mr.  Swin- 
burn,  that  from  a  single  wood,  near  Recus, 
sixty  thousand  bushels  have  been  collected  in 
one  year,  and  shipped  from  Barcelona,  whence 
they  are  called  Barcelona  nuts. 

It  was  the  custom  among  the  Romans 
for  the  bridegroom,  on  the  night  of  his  mar- 
riage, to  scatter  nuts  among  the  boys,  inti- 
mating that  he  dropt  boyish  amusements,  and 
thenceforth  was  to  act  as  a  man.  (Serviw. 
Pliny.) 

Columella  states,  that  if  nuts  be  steeped 
in  water  and  honey  before  they  are  planted, 
they  will  grow  more  speedily,  and  produce 
sweeter  fruit. 


GOOSEBERRY.-GROSSU- 
LARIA. 


In  Botany,  a  Species  of  the  Ribes,  of  the  Class 
Pentandria  Monogynia. 


THE  gooseberry,  which  is  now  so  much  and 
so  justly  esteemed,  is  a  native  of  Europe; 
and  as  it  grew  in  the  woods  and  hedges 
about  Darlington,  Cambridgeshire,  Norfolk, 
and  other  northern  counties,  in  the  wild 
state,  I  consider  it  indigenous  to  this  coun- 
try, although  Drs.  Smith  and  Miller  both 
entertained  doubts  of  its  being  truly  so.  It 
appears  not  to  have  been  known  to  the  an- 
cients, either  in  Greece  or  Rome,  as  their 
authors  have  made  no  mention  of  it ;  but  it 
is  noticed  by  the  earliest  naturalists  who 
have  written  in  this  country,  notwithstanding 
it  was  a  fruit  much  neglected,  according  to 
Allioni's  account,  who  says,  "  they  are  eat- 
able, but  somewhat  astringent/'  Gerard  says, 


176 

"  it  is  called  feaberry-bush,  in  Cheshire,  my 
native  country/'  and  I  find  that  it  had  the  same 
name  in  Lancashire  and  Yorkshire.  In  Nor- 
folk it  was  abbreviated  into  feabes.  It  ap- 
pears to  have  taken  the  name  of  gooseberry, 
from  its  being  used  as  a  sauce  for  young  or 
green  geese. 

Gerard  says,  "  These  plants  do  grow  in 
our  London  gardens,  and  elsewhere,  in  great 
abundance.  The  fruit  is  used  in  divers 
sawces  for  meate :  they  are  used  in  brothes 
insteade  of  veriuice,  which  maketh  the  broth 
not  onely  pleasant  to  the  taste,  but  is  greatly 
profitable  to  such  as  are  troubled  with  a  hot 
burning  ague." 

Parkinson  says,  that  "  the  berries,  whilst 
they  are  small,  green,  and  hard,  are  much 
used  to  be  boiled  or  scalded,  to  make  sauce 
for  fish  or  flesh  of  divers  sorts/'  Green  goose- 
berries have  continued  to  be  used  as  a  sauce 
for  mackerel  since  my  memory,  in  many 
parts  of  the  country ;  and  they  are  often 
mentioned  by  the  French  as  groseilles  aux 
maquereaux. 

The  gooseberry,  which  was  but  a  small 
berry  in  the  wild  state,  has,  like  the  apple, 
been  multiplied  in  it's  variety,  and  brought 
to  it's  present  size  by  the  art  and  industry  of 
the  English  and  Dutch  gardeners ;  and  it  is 


17? 

now  deemed  one  of  our  most  valuable  fruits, 
being  so  easily  propagated,  and  so  regular 
in  it's  production,  furnishing  our  tables,  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year,  with  a  wholesome 
and  agreeable  diet.  It  is  the  earliest  as 
well  as  one  of  the  best  fruits  for  spring 
tarts;  and,  when  ripe,  the  gooseberry  is 
regarded  by  all  classes  of  society  at  the  des- 
sert, where  it  appears  from  July  to  Novem- 
ber, by  those  who  have  well-regulated  varie- 
ties, as  some  kinds  ripen  early,  while  others 
are  not  only  later,  but  have  the  quality  of 
hanging  on  the  bushes  until  near  Christinas: 
among  the  last,  the  Warrington  gooseberry 
is  considered  the  best.  I  have  not  attempted 
to  give  even  the  names  of  all  the  varieties 
of  this  fruit,  finding  them  so  numerous,  that 
one  nurseryman  furnished  me  with  his  list, 
and  obliged  me  with  a  sight  of  300  varieties, 
the  largest  of  which  in  weight  was  equal  to 
three  guineas  and  a  half. 

Gooseberries  are  preserved  in  the  green 
state  with  little  trouble  or  expense,  so  as 
to  retain  their  natural  flavour  for  tarts  or 
cream,  &c. ;  and,  when  ripe,  they  make  ex- 
cellent jam,  and  a  delicious  and  ornamental 
sweetmeat. 

To  procure  gooseberries  large  for  the 
table,  it  is  desirable  to  cut  off  with  a  pair 

N 


178 

of  scissars  all  the  small  berries,  which  are 
equally  good  for  the  purpose  of  tarts. 

The  wine  made  from  green  gooseberries, 
if  properly  managed,  is  but  a  shade  below 
champaign  ;  and  the  black  gooseberry,  when 
ripe,  affords  a  luscious  wine. 

The  pale  gooseberry  was  first  brought 
from  Flanders  in  the  year  that  Henry  the 
Eighth  received  the  title  of  Defender  of  the 
Faith.  This  monarch,  and  his  daughter 
Queen  Elizabeth,  seem  to  have  encouraged 
the  art  of  gardening,  as  during  their  reigns, 
most  of  our  best  fruits  and  vegetables  were 
first  introduced  and  cultivated  in  this  king- 
dom; but  even  during  the  reign  of  these 
sovereigns,  gooseberry  leaves  were  used  as  a 
salad  by  those  who  could  not  afford  to  send 
to  Holland  for  a  lettuce. 

The  gooseberry  is  but  little  esteemed  on 
the  continent,  for  want  of  being  more  known ; 
and  foreigners  seem  astonished  at  the  size 
and  flavour  of  this  fruit  in  England.  It 
cannot  be  propagated  with  success  in  the 
warmer  parts  of  the  world ;  but  in  this  happy 
island  we  procure,  by  the  aid  of  stoves,  the 
finest  fruits  of  the  hottest  climes;  we  may 
therefore  justly  say  with  the  poet — 

On  foreign  mountains  may  the  sun  refine 
The  grape's  soft  juice,  and  mellow  it  to  wine; 


179 

With  citron  groves  adorn  a  distant  soil, 
And  the  fat  olive  swell  with  floods  of  oil ; 
We  envy  not  the  warmer  clime,  that  lies 
In  ten  degrees  of  more  indulgent  skies. 

It  has  been  a  question  agitated  among 
physicians,  whether  fruits  be  safer  before 
or  after  meals.  The  answer  to  this  seems 
to  depend  on  a  knowledge  of  the  stomach. 
In  a  weak  stomach,  they  are  more  apt  to 
be  noxious  when  empty,  than  when  dis- 
tended with  animal  food.  Here  likewise 
they  cannot  be  taken  in  such  quantity  as 
to  hurt.  In  strong  stomachs  there  is  little 
difference ;  there  they  would  seem  to  promote 
appetite.  In  weak  stomachs  even  when 
full,  if  taken  in  too  great  quantity,  they 
may  be  very  hurtful,  by  increasing  the  ac- 
tive fermentation  of  the  whole.  The  ancients 
alleged,  that  the  mild  fruits  should  be  taken 
before,  and  the  acerb  after  meals,  as  being 
fitter  to  brace  up  the  stomach,  and  promote 
digestion.  (Lectures  on  the  Materia  Medica.) 

The  gooseberry  bush  is  propagated  by 
cuttings  or  suckers;  but  the  former  way  is 
preferable,  as  the  roots  are  less  likely  to  shoot 
out  suckers.  Straight  shoots  should  be  se- 
lected about  eight  inches  long,  and  planted 
about  half  the  length,  in  good  mould  or  light 
earth.  The  best  time  for  planting  them  is 

M    9, 


180 

in  the  autumn,  just  before  the  leaves  begin 
to  fall.  It  is  desirable  to  sow  the  seeds  of 
ripe  gooseberries,  as  by  this  means  you  have 
the  chance  of  new  varieties ;  and  the  bushes 
generally  grow  in  a  better  shape  than  either 
by  cuttings  or  suckers. 

In  pruning  these  bushes,  observe  to  keep 
the  stem  quite  free  from  shoots,  at  least  that 
from  ten  or  twelve  inches  from  the  ground, 
there  be  but  one  regular  stem.  I  have 
seen  them  trained  on  trellis  work,  where  the 
fruit  has  grown  and  ripened  well;  and  it 
is  a  most  desirable  method  for  small  gardens, 
as  they  have  a  neat  appearance,  take  but 
little  room,  and  form  a  good  back  ground 
to  flower-borders. 


GOURD -CUCURBITA. 


In  Botany,  ef  the  Mon&cia  Syngcnesia  Class. 
Natural  Order,  Cucurbit  acece. 


THE  plants  of  this  genus  are  very  nearly 
allied  to  those  of  cucumis,  and  of  them 
there  is  a  great  variety. 

Gourds  were  more  esteemed  by  the  an- 
cients, than  either  melons  or  cucumbers. 
Pliny  has  minutely  described  them  as  dif- 
ferent from  the  pompion  or  cucumber.  He 
says,  "  they  are  employed  for  more  purposes, 
and  are  more  useful  than  the  former  fruit 
When  properly  dressed/'  he  says,  "  they  are 
a  light,  mild,  and  wholesome  food.  The 
young  and  tender  stalks/'  he  states,  "  were 
dressed  and  served  up  to  table  as  a  good 
dish ;  and  the  fruit  of  those  that  climbed 
up  trees,  or  walls,  or  on  the  frames  of  ar- 
bours, were  better  food  than  those  which 
crept  on  the  ground.  They  have  of  late/' 


182 

says  this  author,  "  been  much  used  for  pots 
and  pitchers ;"  but  long  before,  they  had  been 
used  as  barrels  to  keep  wine  in.  Both  the 
wild  and  the  garden-gourd  was  much  used  in 
medicine  by  the  Romans,  who  also  employed 
the  seeds  as  a  charm  to  cure  the  ague. 
(Pliny,  1.  xx.  c.  3.) 

Gerard  says,  "  the  pulp,  or  meat  of  the 
gourd,  used  as  a  poultice,  mitigates  all  hot 
swellings,  and  takes  away  the  head-ache  and 
the  inflammation  of  the  eyes/' 

The  bottle-gourd,  (lagenaria,)  grows  in 
many  parts  of  the  world  to  near  six  feet 
long,  and  two  feet  thick.  The  rinds  or  shells 
are  used  by  the  negroes  in  the  West-India 
islands  as  bottles,  holding  from  one  pint  to 
many  gallons.  Barham  speaks  of  one  that 
held  nine  gallons ;  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Griffith 
Hughes  mentions  them,  in  his  History  of  Bar- 
badoes,  as  holding  twenty-two  gallons.  The 
shells  are  cleared  of  the  pulp  and  seeds  by  the 
negroes  in  the  following  manner : — they  make 
a  hole  at  one  end,  into  which  they  pour  hot  wa- 
ter, in  order  to  dissolve  the  pulp,  which  after- 
wards is  extracted  with  a  stick,  and  the  inside 
rinsed  with  sand  and  water,  to  loosen  and 
clear  away  the  fibres  that  remain  ;  they  are 
then  dried  and  become  fit  for  use,  and  will  con- 
tain water  or  other  liquids  for  a  length  of  time. 


183 

Sloane  mentions  one  of  these  gourds  as 
large  as  the  human  body.  Brown  says, 
"  the  decoction  of  the  leaves  is  recommended 
much  in  purging  clysters,  and  the  pulp  of 
the  fruit  is  often  employed  in  resolutive  poul- 
tices." He  adds,  that  "  it  is  bitter  and 
purgative,  and  may  be  used  instead  of  the 
common  coloquintida."  Sloane  and  Bar- 
ham  describe  a  sweet  gourd,  which,  the  lat- 
ter says,  "grow  two  or  three  feet  long,  as 
big  as  a  man's  thigh,  is  full  of  sweet  pulp 
that  makes  a  pleasant  sort  of  sweetmeat  or 
preserve/'  He  says,  "  the  distilled  water  is 
good  in  fevers,  and  the  pulp  applied  to  the 
eyes  abates  their  inflammation."  Sloane  says 
"  the  seeds  are  diuretic,  and  made  into 
emulsions,  temper  and  take  off  the  acrimony 
of  urine." 

Lunan  describes  the  squash  (melopeps)9 
a  small  gourd,  not  exceeding  the  size  of  a 
moderate  fist,  and  which,  he  says,  "  when 
young  and  properly  boiled  and  dressed 
with  butter  and  black  pepper,  is  a  deli- 
cious vegetable."  Louriero  says,  "  this  fruit 
is  of  great  use  in  long  voyages,  as  it  may  be 
kept  several  months  fresh  and  sweet." 

The  Gourd,  called  Vegetable  Marrow,  is 
of  a  pale  yellow  colour.  Those  I  have  seen 
did  not  exceed  from  seven  to  nine  inches  in 


184 

length.  It  has  only  been  known  a  few 
years  in  this  country;  and,  I  believe,  was 
not  sold  in  the  shops  and  markets  before  the 
summer  of  1819;  and  although  they  are  of 
so  late  an  introduction,  the  accounts  are 
very  imperfect :  but  it  seems  most  probable 
that  the  seeds  were  brought  in  some  East- 
India  ships,  and  likely  from  Persia,  where 
it  is  called  deader.  It  is  cultivated  in  the 
same  manner  as  cucumbers,  and  is  said  by 
those  who  have  grown  them  to  be  very 
productive.  This  fruit  is  used  for  culinary 
purposes  in  every  stage  of  it's  growth.  When 
very  young,  it  is  good  fried  with  butter; 
when  half-grown,  it  is  said  to  be  excellent, 
either  plainly  boiled,  and  served  up  sliced  on 
toasted  bread,  as  asparagus ;  or  stewed  with 
rice  sauce,  for  which  purpose  it  is  likewise 
sliced.  It  is  often  sent  to  table  mashed  like 
turnips :  when  full-grown,  it  is  used  for  pies. 
It  has  been  highly  recommended  to  me  by 
many  persons  who  have  grown  it,  while 
others  speak  of  it  as  but  little  superior  to 
the  pompion. 


GRAPE-VINE.-VITIS. 


In  Botany,   a  Genus  of  the  Pentandria  Mo- 
nogynia  Class.  Natural  Order,  Hederacea. 


THE  generic  name  is  derived  from  vincire, 
to  bind. 

The  cultivation  of  the  vine  appears  to 
have  attracted  the  attention  of  man  from  the 
earliest  times  of  which  we  have  any  account. 
Every  part  of  the  Scripture,  from  the  Flood 
to  the  crucifixion  of  our  Saviour,  mentions 
the  vine  as  being  held  in  the  highest  esti- 
mation. The  book  of  Genesis  informs  us, 
that  "  Noah  planted  vineyards,  and  made 
wine/'  It  is  mentioned  among  the  blessings 
of  the  promised  land,  "  a  land  of  wheat,  and 
barley,  and  vines,"  &c. 

The  answer  of  the  vine  to  the  trees  in 
Jotham's  parable,  shows  in  what  high  esteem 
men  held  this  fruit : — 

"  And  the  vine  said  unto  them,  Should  I 


186 

leave  my  wine,  which  cheereth  God  and  man, 
and  go  to  be  promoted  over  the  trees  ?' 

The  patriarchs  and  prophets  frequently 
represent  in  scripture  the  flourishing  state  of 
a  nation,  a  tribe,  or  a  family,  under  the 
emblem  of  a  vine.  "  Thou  hast  brought  a 
vine  out  of  Egypt,  thou  hast  cast  out  the 
heathen,  and  planted  it;  thou  preparedst 
room  before  it,  and  didst  cause  it  to  take 
deep  root,  and  it  filled  the  land/'  Psalm  Ixxx. 
— Again  the  Psalmist  mentions  it,  "  Thy  wife 
shall  be  as  the  fruitful  vine,  upon  the  walls 
of  thine  house/' 

The  heathens,  likewise,  held  the  vine  in 
the  highest  estimation.  Bacchus  was  eleva- 
ted to  the  rank  of  a  god,  for  having  taught 
men  the  use  of  the  vine.  As  the  god  of 
vintage,  of  wine,  and  of  drinkers,  he  is  ge- 
nerally represented  as  crowned  with  the  vine ; 
and,  according  to  Pliny,  to  have  been  the 
first  who  ever  wore  a  crown, — 


the  grapy  clusters  spread 


On  his  fair  brows,  and  dangle  on  his  head. 

Ovid. 

Bacchus  was  sometimes  represented  as 
an  infant  holding  a  cluster  of  grapes  with  a 
horn,  and  he  has  often  been  depicted  as  an 
old  man,  whose  head  was  encircled  with  the 


187 

vine,  to  teach  us  that  wine  taken  immode- 
rately, will  enervate  us,  consume  our  health, 
and  render  us  loquacious  and  childish,  like 
old  men. 

Juno's  crown  was  also  made  of  the 
vine.  The  vine,  with  grapes,  is  still  selected 
as  a  proper  ornament  in  all  bacchanalian 
devices. 

Wine  was    chiefly  used   by   the   ancient 
Romans  in  the  worship  of  their  gods.  Young 
men  under  thirty,  and  women  all  their  life- 
time, were  forbidden  to  drink  wine.     Egna- 
tius  Macennius  killed  his  wife  with  a  cud- 
gel, having  caught  her  drinking  wine  out  of 
a  tun,  for  which  he  was  tried  by  Romulus, 
and  acquitted  of  murder.     Fabius  Pictor,  in 
his  Annals,  reports,  that  a  Roman  lady  was 
starved  to  death  by  her  own  relations   for 
opening  a  cupboard  which  contained  the  keys 
of  the  wine-cellar.     Cato   records,  that  the 
custom  of  kinsfolks  kissing  of  women  when 
they  met,  was  to  know  by  their  breath  if 
they  had  been  drinking  wine,  but  these  re- 
strictions were  removed  when  wine  became 
more  plentiful ;  and  the  use  of  it  was  then 
carried  to  such  an  excess,  that  even  females 
would  drink  wine,  and,  by  the  aid  of  a  vomit, 
throw  it  up  again,  in  order  to  sharpen  their 
appetites  for  supper. 


188 

Plato,  who  strictly  restrains  the  use  of 
wine,  and  severely  censures  the  excess,  says 
that  "  nothing  more  excellent  or  valuable 
than  wine  was  ever  granted  by  God  to 
man:"  the  greatest  philosophers,  legislators, 
and  physicians,  give  it  due  praise,  when  tem- 
perately taken. 

Amphitryon  is  said  by  the  Athenians 
to  have  been  the  first  who  diluted  wine  with 
water;  and  on  this  account  the  fable  was 
invented  of  Bacchus  having  been  struck  by 
a  thunderbolt,  and,  being  all  inflamed,  was 
presently  cast  into  the  nymphs'  bath,  to  be 
extinguished. 

At  what  exact  period  the  vine  was  first 
cultivated  in  England  is  uncertain ;  but  I 
conclude  it  was  as  early  as  about  the  tenth 
year,  A.  D.,  as  at  that  time  the  Romans 
had  possession  of  great  part  of  this  island, 
and  had  introduced  the  luxuries  of  Italy 
wherever  they  settled.  Augustus  was  then 
emperor,  and  it  was  common  to  send  the 
sons  of  the  English  nobles  to  Rome  to  be 
educated  ;  from  this  intercourse  it  seems  un- 
likely that  the  culture  of  the  vine  should 
have  been  neglected  at  this  time,  though 
many  authors  are  of  opinion  that  the  vine 
was  not  introduced  into  this  country  until 
about  the  year  280,  when  Probus,  who 


189 

greatly  encouraged  agricultural  pursuits  in 
all  the  provinces  under  Rome,  was  em- 
peror. 

Again,  we  are  informed  that  the  planting 
of  vineyards  in  Italy  had  so  much  increased 
about  A.  D.  85,  that  agriculture  was  thereby 
neglected;  on  which  account  Domitian  is- 
sued an  edict  prohibiting  any  new  vineyards 
to  be  planted  in  Italy,  and  ordered  at  least 
one  half  of  those  in  the  provinces  to  be  cut 
down.  It  therefore  appears  highly  impro- 
bable that  the  vine  should  not  have  been 
planted  in  Britain  previous  to  the  year  280, 
when  in  85  all  the  other  Roman  provinces 
were  over-run  with  vineyards. 

That  we  are  indebted  to  the  Romans  for 
the  first  introduction  of  the  vine,  is  generally 
allowed ;  although  it  is  possible  it  might 
have  been  introduced  at  a  much  earlier  pe- 
riod than  I  have  stated,  as  the  Phoenicians 
are  said  to  have  planted  the  vine  in  the  isles 
of  the  Mediterranean  sea,  as  well  as  in  seve- 
ral parts  of  Europe  and  Africa ;  and  as  we 
have  accounts  of  their  trading  to  Britain  for 
tin,  they  might  have  planted  it  on  the  Eng- 
lish coast  also :  but  this  must  remain  a  matter 
of  conjecture,  any  further  than  it  confirms 
the  vine  to  have  been  originally  brought 
from  Palestine.  In  the  Book  of  Numbers  we 


190 

find  that  the  men,  whom  Moses  had  sent  to 
spy  the  Land  of  Canaan,  returned  with  a 
bunch  of  grapes,  which  they  bare  between 
two,  upon  a  staff.  The  Damascus  grapes, 
at  the  present  time,  are  often  found  to  weigh 
upwards  of  twenty-five  pounds  the  bunch. 
In  the  accounts  of  ./Egidius  Van  Egmont, 
envoy  from  the  States  to  the  King  of  Naples, 
and  John  Heyman,  professor  of  the  oriental 
languages  in  the  university  of  Leyden,  who 
have  published  their  observations  of  the  pre- 
sent state  of  Asia  Minor,  it  is  mentioned 
that,  in  the  town  called  Sidonijah,  which  is 
four  hours'  journey  from  Damascus,  some  of 
the  grapes  were  as  large  as  pigeons'  eggs,  and 
of  a  very  exquisite  taste.  From  these  cir- 
cumstances, we  may  fairly  conclude  that  the 
vine  is  a  native  of  Syria.  That  we  do  not 
hear  more  of  the  enormous  clusters  of  grapes 
growing  in  the  eastern  parts,  is  owing  to  that 
country  having  been  in  the  hands  of  the 
Saracens  since  the  seventh  century,  when 
Abubeker  over-run  it;  and  these  people 
being  Mahomedans,  a  religion  that  prohibits 
the  use  of  wine,  it  is  natural  to  suppose  that 
the  management  and  culture  of  the  vine 
should  be  greatly  neglected. 

Although  wine  is  not   made   in   Egypt, 
vines  are  much  cultivated,  and  the  grapes 


191 

have  a  delicious  perfume :  the  greater  part 
of  those  that  are  eaten  there,  are  of  that  spe- 
cies, of  which  the  fruit  contains  only  a  single 
seed. 

The  leaves  of  the  vine  are  of  great  utility 
in  the  kitchens  of  Egypt :  they  serve  to  en- 
velop large  balls  of  hashed  meat,  one  of  the 
dishes  most  commonly  presented  at  good 
tables.  It  is  necessary  that  the  leaves  should 
be  young :  and  they  are  frequently  sold  at  a 
dearer  rate  than  the  grapes  themselves.  (Son- 
nini's  Travels  in  Egypt.) 

In  this  country,  vine-leaves  are  used  in 
roasting  those  delicious  little  birds  called 
wheat-ears. 

Pliny  concludes,  that  the  vine  was  very 
rare  in  Italy  in  the  time  of  Numa,  who  or- 
dered that  no  libations  of  wine  should  be 
made  at  funerals;  and  to  encourage  the 
pruning  of  vines,  he  prohibited  the  use  of 
any  wines,  in  sacrifices  to  the  gods,  that 
were  cut  from  vines  which  had  not  been 
pruned, 

Pliny  says,  "  M.  Varro  writes,  that  Me- 
zentius,  the  King  of  Tuscany,  aided  the 
Rutilians  of  Ardea,  in  their  wars  against  the 
Latins,  for  no  other  hire  but  the  wine  and 
the  vines  which  were  in  the  territories  of 
the  Latins/'  He  adds,  "  that  wines  did 


192 

not  come  into  much  repute  until  600  years 
after  the  foundation  of  Rome/' 

Julius  Caesar  found  vines  growing  in  Lan- 
guedoc  and  Provence;  but  other  parts  of 
Gaul  were  totally  without  vines  at  that  time. 
Strabo  remarks,  that  Languedoc  and  Pro- 
vence produced  the  same  fruit  as  Italy  ;  but 
it  was  not  until  about  the  year  270,  that  the 
vine  was  planted  in  the  northern  parts  of 
Gaul,  and  about  the  rivers  Rhine,  Maine,  and 
Moselle ;  and  in  Hungary. 

The  varieties  of  the  grape-vine  are  very 
numerous  :  and  we  have  accounts  of  some 
of  them  growing  to  an  extraordinary  size, 
and  producing  such  fruit  as  appears  almost 
incredible  to  our  northern  conception  of 
grapes. 

Strabo,  who  lived  in  the  reign  of  Au- 
gustus, testifies  that  the  vines  of  Margianay 
and  in  other  places,  were  so  big,  that  two 
men  could  scarcely  compass  them  with  their 
arms,  and  that  they  produced  bunches  of 
grapes  two  cubits,  or  a  yard,  in  length.  Co- 
lumella  states,  that  Seneca  had  a  vine  which 
produced  him  two  thousand  clusters  of  grapes 
in  a  year.  Theophrastus  mentions  a  vine 
that  grew  so  large,  that  a  statue  of  Jupiter, 
and  the  columns  in  Juno's  temple,  were  made 
of  it.  At  the  present  time,  the  great  doors 


193 

of  the  cathedral  at  Ravenna  may  be  seen, 
which  are  made  of  vine-tree  planks,  some  of 
them  twelve  feet  long  and  fifteen  inches 
broad. 

At  Ecoan,  at  the  Duke  of  Montmorency's 
house,  is  a  table  of  a  large  dimension,  made 
of  vine  planks.  Pliny  states,  that  vines,  in 
old  times,  were,  on  account  of  their  size, 
ranked  among  trees.  Valerianus  Cornelius 
mentions  a  vine  of  one  stock  that  encom- 
passed and  surrounded  a  good  farm-house 
with  the  branches.  Upon  the  coast  of  Bar- 
bary,  vines  are  now  growing  of  large  dimen- 
sions, some  of  them  being  eight  or  nine  feet  in 
circumference ;  and  in  Persia  there  are  some 
kinds  of  grapes  so  large,  that  a  single  one  is  a 
mouthful.  From  what  we  find  in  Huetius— 
Crete,  Chios,  and  other  islands  in  the  Archi- 
pelago, afford  bunches  of  grapes  from  ten  to 
forty  pounds'  weight  each.  Chios,  now  Scio, 
has  long  been  celebrated  for  its  vineyards,  and 
Virgil  has  immortalized  its  wines  by  his  pen. 

The  ritual  feast  shall  overflow  with  wine, 

And  Chios'  richest  nectar  shall  be  thine  : 

On  the  warm  hearth,  in  winter's  chilling  hour, 

We'll  sacrifice;  at  summer,  in  a  bow'r. —  Warton. 

Pliny  mentions  a  vine,  in  his  time,  that 
was  600  years  old ;  and  Miller  states,  that 

o 


194 

the  vineyards  in  some  parts  of  Italy  hold  good 
above  three  hundred  years. 

It  is  related,  that  Rhemnius  Palaemon, 
who  was  a  renowned  Roman  grammarian, 
bought  a  farm  within  ten  miles  of  Rome, 
for  which  he  gave  600,000  sesterces.  By  cul- 
tivation he  so  improved  it,  that  the  produce 
of  his  vines  in  one  year  sold  for  400,000  ses- 
terces. Pliny  says,  "  many  people  ran  to  see 
the  huge  and  mighty  clusters  of  these  grapes, 
which  his  idle  neighbours  attributed  to  his 
deep  learning,  while  others  accused  him  of 
using  magic  and  the  black  art/' 

We  have,  at  the  present  time,  some  re- 
markable vines  in  England ;  for  since  the  in- 
troduction of  stoves,  no  country  can  rival  us 
in  the  variety  and  perfection  of  this  fruit,  se- 
veral kinds  of  which  ripen  well  in  the  open 
air. 

The  vine,  too,  here  her  curling  tendrils  shoots, 
Hangs  out  her  clusters,  glowing  to  the  south, 
And  scarcely  wishes  for  a  warmer  sky. 

The  Duke  of  Portland  has  upwards  of 
a  hundred  kinds  of  grape-vines  at  his  seat 
at  Welbeck;  and  in  the  year  1781,  his  grace 
made  a  present  to  the  Marquis  of  Rocking- 
ham  of  a  bunch  of  grapes  that  grew  in  his 
vinery,  which  weighed  nineteen  pounds  and 


195 

a  half :  it  was  nineteen  inches  and  a  half  in 
the  greatest  diameter,  four  feet  and  a  half  in 
circumference,  and  twenty-one  inches  and 
three  quarters  in  length.  It  was  conveyed  to 
Wentworth  House,  a  distance  of- twenty  miles, 
by  four  labourers,  who  carried  it  suspended 
on  a  staff,  in  pairs,  by  turns. 

The  vine  at  Hampton-Court  Palace,  which 
was  planted  in  the  year  1769,  has  a  stem  of 
thirteen  inches  in  girth,  and  a  principal 
branch  1 14  feet  in  length,  which,  in  one  year, 
produced  two  thousand  and  two  hundred 
bunches  of  grapes,  each  weighing,  on  an  ave- 
rage, a  pound.  His  late  revered  Majesty  en- 
joyed the  fruit  of  this  vine  half  a  century. 
Fruit  was  the  only  luxury  in  which  he  in- 
dulged himself,  and  that  was  cultivated  in  the 
Royal  Gardens  to  the  highest  perfection,  and 
served  at  table  in  great  abundance. 

Mr.  Eden  planted  a  vine  of  the  black 
Hamburg  sort,  at  Valentine  House,  Essex,  in 
the  year  1758,  which  is  the  parent  of  the  vine 
at  Hampton  Court,  and  has  extended  itself  to 
upwards  of  200  feet  in  length,  being  so  pro- 
ductive, that  it  ripened  two  thousand  bunches 
of  grapes  in  the  year  1819- 

Speechly  describes  a  vine,  which  was 
growing  in  the  open  air  at  Northallerton,  in 
Yorkshire,  in  1789,  that  had  once  covered 


196 

a  space  containing  137  square  yards ;  and  it 
was  judged,  that,  had  it  been  permitted,  it 
would  have  extended  to  three  or  four  times 
the  room.  The  circumference  of  the  stem,  a 
little  above  the  ground,  is  three  feet  eleven 
inches :  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  planted 
150  years. 

In  Jamaica,  and  some  other  of  the  West- 
India  islands,  the  vine  produces  two,  and 
often  three  crops  a  year.  Both  Brown  and 
Lunan  observe,  that  grape-vines  produce 
most  abundantly  in  Jamaica,  particularly 
the  Muscadine,  which  ripens  all  it&  berries 
nearly  at  the  same  time,  and  has  clusters 
of  the  fruit  from  eight  to  ten  pounds  weight ; 
the  pulp  of  which  has  been  found  less  wa- 
tery, and  more  fleshy,  than  the  same  fruit 
in  the  south  of  France,  and  yet  the  making 
of  wine  even  for  the  consumption  of  the 
island  has  never  been  attempted. 

There  are  several  accounts  of  actual 
vineyards  being  in  England  in  an  early  pe- 
riod of  our  history.  Vineyards  are  noticed  in 
the  Doomsday  Book,  as  also  by  Bede,  as 
early  as  the  commencement  of  the  eigath 
century. 

The  isle  of  Ely  was  expressly  denomi- 
nated the  isle  of  vines  by  the  Normans.  The 
Bishop  of  Ely,  shortly  after  the  Conquest, 


197 

Appears  to  have  received  at  least  three  or 
four  tons  of  wine  annually,  as  tithes  from  the 
vines  in  his  diocese ;  and  in  his  leases  he 
made  frequent  reservations  of  a  certain  quan- 
tity of  wine  by  way  of  rent :  many  of  these 
wines  were  little  inferior  to  the  French  wines 
in  sweetness.  Few  ancient  monasteries  were 
without  a  vineyard  attached  to  them.  Malms- 
bury  mentions  the  county  of  Gloucester,  as 
excelling  every  other  part  of  the  country,  in 
his  time,  in  the  number  and  richness  of  its 
vineyards.  In  the  reigns  of  Stephen  and 
Henry  the  Third,  we  meet  with  accounts  of 
vineyards.  The  first  Earl  of  Salisbury  plant- 
ed a  vineyard  in  his  park  adjoining  Hatfield 
House,  Hertfordshire,  which  was  in  existence 
when  Charles  the  First  was  conveyed  there  a 
prisoner  to  the  army. 

Historians  and  antiquarians  appear  remiss, 

in  not  accounting  for  the  total  neglect  of  the 

British   vineyards;    but    we    may   conclude 

that,  as  our  intercourse  increased  with  the 

continent,  it  was  found  more  advantageous 

to  import  wine  than  depend  on  the  product 

of  our  own  crop,  which  must  have  been  an 

uncertain  one,  from  the  variableness  of  our 

climate.     Again,    the   low   price  of  foreign 

wines  must  have  contributed  much  to   the 

neglect  of  making  it  in  England,  as  in  the 


198 

year  1342,  according  to  Stow,  the  price  of 
Gascon  wines  in  London  was  fourpence,  and 
that  of  Rhenish,  sixpence  per  gallon;  and,  in 
1389,  the  price  of  foreign  wine  was  only 
twenty  shillings  per  ton,  for  the  best  sort,  and 
thirteen  shillings  and  fourpence  for  the  second 
quality,  which  was  about  three  halfpence  per 
dozen. 

It  is  stated  by  several  authors,  that  foreign 
wines  were  sold  by  apothecaries  only,  as  a 
cordial,  in  the  year  1300.  I  am  of  opinion, 
that  it  was  Portugal  wine  only  which  the  apo- 
thecaries sold,  and  not  foreign  wine  in  gene- 
ral, for  about  that  time  we  find  that  the  mer- 
chants of  Gascoin  were  settled  in  London  in 
great  numbers;  and  that,  in  the  year  1317,  an 
order  was  made  to  this  effect,  "  That  mer- 
chants, who  are  not  of  the  freedom  of  the 
city,  are  not  to  sell,  by  retail,  wines  or  other 
wares,  within  the  city  or  suburbs.  Witness 
the  King,  at  York,  the  eighth  day  of  June/' 

The  suppression  of  all  the  monasteries  in 
England  must  also  have  contributed  much 
towards  the  loss  of  our  vineyards;  and  the 
present  high  duties  on  wine  could  not  have 
been  anticipated  by  our  forefathers,  when  they 
neglected  their  vines. 

The  first  duty  on  wines  was  one  penny  per 
ton,  which  was  in  the  year  1272,  when  wine 


199 

gaugers  were  first  appointed  at  London  and 
the  principal  sea-ports.  The  new  gauge  duty 
at  London  alone  amounted  to  fifteen  pounds 
sixteen  shillings  and  sevenpence,  which  makes 
the  quantity  imported  amount  to  7,598  pipes. 
The  principal  customs  for  importation,  at  that 
period,  seem  to  have  been  on  wines  chiefly 
French  and  Rhenish,  as  there  is  yet  scarcely 
any  mention  of  Spanish,  or  Portuguese,  or 
Italian  wine.  (Madox's  History  of  the  Ex- 
chequer.) 

In  the  year  1409,  the  duty  on  wine  was 
three  shillings  per  ton. 

Grapes  seem  to  have  become  rare  about 
the  year  1560.  Strype,  in  his  Life  of  Grind- 
all,  Bishop  of  London,  (who  was  one  of  the 
earliest  encouragers  of  botany  in  this  king- 
dom) writes,  that  his  grapes,  at  Fulham, 
"  were  esteemed  of  that  value,  and  a  fruit 
Queen  Elizabeth  stood  so  well  affected  to, 
and  so  early  ripe,  that  the  bishop  used  every 
year  to  send  her  Majesty  a  present  of  them/' 

The  vintage  is  a  season  of  mirth  in  all  the 
wine  countries,  and  seems  to  have  been  equally 
so  in  the  earliest  times.  The  prediction  of 
Isaiah  concerning  Moab  is  particularly  cha- 
racteristic: "  And  gladness  is  taken  away,  and 
joy,  out  of  the  plentiful  field;  and  in  the  vine- 
yards there  shall  be  no  singing,  neither  shall 


200 

there  be  any  shouting :  the  treaders  shall 
tread  out  no  wine  in  their  presses;  I  have 
made  their  vintage  shouting  to  cease. " 

The  Spaniard,  during  the  vintage,  throws 
off  his  stateliness  and  his  cloak,  and  cries 
out  to  his  servants,  "  Let  us  be  merry,  my 
companions ;  wisdom  is  fled  out  of  the  win- 
dow." 

The  various  wines  made  from  the  juice  of 
the  grape  are  so  numerous,  that  to  give  a  short 
description  of  each  would  be  to  write  a  vo- 
luminous work,  and  could  only  be  interesting 
to  those  who  are  in  the  wine  trade.  Pliny 
says,  there  were  eighty  kinds  of  the  best 
wines  in  his  days. 

The  Grecians  were  renowned  for  their 
wines.  Homer  has  celebrated  several :  among 
them,  the  kind  called  Maronean  wine,  which 
was  made  from  grapes  growing  upon  the 
coast  of  Africa;  and  also  thePramnian  wine, 
which,  according  to  Pliny's  account,  was 
made  from  one  vineyard  only  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Smyrna,  near  to  the  temple  of 
Cybele. 

These  wines  were  so  rare  and  expensive  in 
Rome,  in  the  younger  days  of  Lucullus,  that 
only  one  draught  was  allowed  at  a  repast, 
however  sumptuous  the  feast  was  in  other 
respects.  Lucullus  says,  that  "  he  never 


201 

saw  at  his  father's  board  Greek  wines  served 
up  but  once  at  a  meal;  but  when  he  returned 
from  Asia,  he  gave  to  the  people  a  largess 
of  more  than  100,000  gallons  of  this  wine; 
and  Hortensius,  at  his  death,  left  above 
10,000  barrels  full  of  Greek  wines  to  his 
heir." 

I  have  selected  the  following  lines  of  a 
poet,  who  wrote  in  the  fourth  century,  to 
show  of  what  wines  the  Britons  had  know- 
ledge at  that  early  time, 

Ye  shall  have  rumney  and  nialespiue, 
Both  ypocrasse  and  vernage  wyne, 
Mountrese  and  wyne  of  Greek, 
Both  algrade  and  despice  eke; 
Antioche  and  Bastarde, 
Pyment  also,  and  garnarde, 
Wyne  of  Greke  and  Muscadell, 
Both  clare,  pyment,  and  Rochell. 

Some  of  these  liquors,  as  ypocrasse,  py- 
ment, and  clare,  were  compounded  of  wine, 
honey,  and  spices. 

At  the  installation  feast  of  George  Ne- 
ville, Archbishop  of  York,  and  Chancellor  of 
England,  amongst  other  liquors  is  mention- 
ed, "  In  ale,  300  tun ;  in  wine,  100  tun ;  in 
ipocrasse,  1  pipe." 

In  the  year  1311  we  find  Thomas  Earl 
of  Leicester  debited  by  his  cofferer,  or  pay- 


202 

master,  Thomas  Leicester,  amongst  other 
charges,  with  £104.  I7s.  6d.  for  369  pipes  of 
red  wine  and  two  pipes  of  white,  which  is 
about  5s.  lid.  per  pipe.  (Stow's  Survey  of 
London.) 

In  the  year  1322,  when  the  sentence  of 
banishment  against  the  Spencers  was  re- 
moved, the  elder  Spencer's  petition  to  the 
King,  setting  forth  the  damage  he  had  sus- 
tained, amongst  other  things  enumerates  for- 
ty tun  of  wine  and  ten  tun  of  cider.  From 
these  circumstances,  we  may  fairly  judge  that 
wine  was  the  principal  beverage  of  the  Eng- 
lish nobility  at  that  period. 

At  the  present  time,  the  consumption 
of  wine  in  these  dominions  is  immense,  not- 
withstanding the  excessive  high  duties  laid 
on  foreign  wines;  and  in  the  London  Docks 
there  are  eleven  large  vaults  for  housing  of 
wines  until  the  duties  are  paid  on  them:  one 
of  these  vaults  often  contains  near  30,000 
pipes. 

Portugal  supplies  us  with  both  the  red 
and  the  white  port,  which  take  their  name 
from  Oporto,  from  whence  they  are  shipped. 
Lisbon,  which  is  called  after  that  city,  and 
Bucellas,  which  is  a  wine  made  from  the 
fruit  of  vines  that  have  been  brought  from 
the  Rhine,  and  planted  in  the  neighbourhood 


203 

of  Lisbon,  if  not  often  renewed,  degenerate, 
and  become  similar  to  the  produce  of  Lisbon. 
No  wine  improves  more  by  keeping  than  Bu- 
cellas,  if  good  when  bottled. 

Port  wine  is  imported  in  casks,  containing 
138  gallons,  which  is  called  a  pipe,  but  often 
gauges  two  or  four  gallons  over:  upon  this  the 
duty  must  be  paid,  although  the  merchant 
makes  no  charge  for  the  extra  quantity. 

France  has  been  long  famous  for  her  vine- 
yards, and  even  exported  wine  to  Italy  in  the 
reign  of  Vespasian.  Our  traffic  with  Bor- 
deaux for  wine,  commenced  about  the  year 
1172;  and  we  now  obtain  from  France  a 
great  variety  of  delicate  wines,  among  which 
are  the  red  and  white  hermitage,  burgundy, 
claret,  champaigne  of  several  sorts,  frontignac, 
muscadel,  lunel,  barsac,  langon,  vin  de  grave, 
&c.  &c.  The  generality  of  these  wines  do  not 
require  long  keeping,  and,  without  great  care, 
burgundy  and  champaigne  soon  become  ropy 
and  spoiled.  The  most  esteemed  French  wines 
are 

The  claret  smooth, 

The  mellow  tasted  burgundy,  and  quick, 

As  is  the  wit  it  gives,  the  gay  champaigne. 

From  Switzerland  we  procure  neufch£tel, 
vdteline,  la  cote,  reiff,  &c.  &c. 


204 

The  borders  of  the  Rhine  furnish  us  with 
a  variety  of  Rhenish  wines,  the  most  es- 
teemed of  which  is  called  hock,  from  Hock- 
heim,  the  town  where  it  is  made.  This  wine 
cannot  be  kept  too  long,  as  it  obtains  both 
body  and  flavour,  as  well  as  colour,  by  age. 
Hock  wine  is  given  with  the  greatest  advan- 
tage, in  cases  of  the  typhus  fever.  About 
one  half  of  Germany  can  boast  of  having 
good  vineyards,  while  the  other  half  has 
none:  all  the  wines  of  this  country  require 
long  keeping. 

The  advantage  of  keeping  particular  wines, 
was  well  known  to  the  Romans. 

Est  mihi  nonum  superantis  annum, 
Plenus  Albani  cadus. 

Hor. 

Phillis,  this  Alban  cask  is  thine, 
Mellow'd  by  summers  more  than  nine. 

Pliny  mentions  having  met  with  wines  in 
his  time  that  were  made  in  the  consulship  of 
Opimius,  which  was  almost  two  hundred 
years  before.  This  author  says,  "  there  was  a 
wine  made  at  Vienna  which  sold  the  dearest ; 
it  had/'  says  he,  "  the  taste  of  pitch,  and  it 
is  reputed  cooler  than  other  wines,  and  was 
therefore  given  to  allay  fever/' 

The  Hungarian  wines,  if  not  sent  to  us  in 


205 

quantities,  are  made  up  in  quality,  if  we  may 
judge  by  the  price  of  tokay.  At  the  sale  of 
the  Duke  of  Queensberry's  wine,  in  18 — , 
the  tokay  sold  for  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  per  dozen,  which  is  about  a  guinea 
a  glass.  The  tokay  made  at  Johanneski,  in 
Poland,  of  the  vintage  of  1811,  was  sold  on 
the  spot  for  4,000  florins  the  cask  of  8  ohms, 
which  is  equal  to  twenty-seven  shillings  per 
gallon. 

Spain  furnishes  us  with  sherry,  paxeretta, 
mountain,  tent,  &c.  Mr.  Swinburn  men- 
tions, in  his  account  of -Spain,  that  in  plen- 
tiful seasons  the  vineyards  are  so  productive, 
casks  cannot  be  found  to  contain  the  wine ; 
and  that  many  vineyards  remain  ungathered, 
notwithstanding  public  notice  being  stuck  at 
the  church  doors,  that  all  who  choose  may 
gather,  by  paying  a  small  acknowledgment. 
Those  who  are  afflicted  with  bilious  com- 
plaints should  drink  good  sherry,  in  prefer- 
ence to  all  other  wines,  it  being  less  likely  to 
turn  acid  on  the  stomach. 

The  island  of  Madeira  was  planted  with 
the  vine  from  cuttings  brought  from  Cyprus, 
by  Prince  Henry,  son  to  John  the  Eirst  of 
Portugal,  in  the  year  1420,  when  the  island 
was  first  discovered;  and  it  now  affords  about 
30,000  pipes  of  wine  annually.  The  Hhenish 


206 

vfne  has  also  been  planted  in  Madeira,  and 
produces  a  very  superior  wine,  known  by  the 
name  of  Cerciel  Madeira :  this  island  also 
affords  us  a  sweet  wine,  called  Malmsey 
Madeira,  but  the  genuine  Malmsey  wine  is 
the  produce  of  Malvisia,  and  is  now  very  rare. 
The  ancients  sometimes  ripened  particular 
wines,  by  placing  them  in  the  smoke  above  a 
fire,  or  in  an  upper  part  of  their  houses ;  and 
it  is  well  known  to  the  moderns,  who  are  cu- 
rious in  their  Madeira  wines,  how  much  they 
improve  by  being  kept  in  a  garret,  instead 
of  a  vaulted  cellar.  Good  West-India  Ma- 
deira that  has  been  exposed  to  the  frost,  as 
well  as  the  heat  of  summer,  will  be  found  to 
have  ripened,  as  well  as  by  a  voyage  to  the 
East-Indies. 

The  Teneriffe  wine,  when  about  three  years 
old,  can  hardly  be  known  from  Madeira;  but 
as  it  gets  older  it  becomes  sweet  and  mellow, 
like  Malaga.  Formerly  there  was  made  at 
Teneriffe  a  great  quantity  of  canary  sack, 
which  the  French  call  Vin  de  Malvesia,  and 
we,  corruptly  after  them,  Malmsey,  from  Mal- 
vesia, a  town  in  the  Morea,  famous  for  lusci- 
ous wines. 

The  luscious  red  wine  called  Lachryma 
Christi,  is  produced  from  vineyards  on  Mount 
Vesuvius. 

2 


207 

The  Cape  of  Good  Hope  has  been  planted 
with  vines  from  the  Rhine,  Persia,  and  other 
countries ;  and  they  have  so  increased,  that 
there  is  scarcely  a  cottage  without  a  vine- 
yard in  all  the  colony.  It  is  from  the 
Cape  that  we  obtain  those  rich  wines  called 
Constantia,  both  red  and  white,  which  are 
made  on  one  farm  only,  and  the  quantity 
does  not  exceed  sixty  pipes  of  red  and  100 
of  the  white  per  annum.  We  also  receive 
from  thence  large  quantities  of  the  wine 
called  Cape,  which  will  be  good  when  the 
growers  know  their  interest  better,  and  attend 
more  to  the  quality  and  less  to  the  quantity. 
There  is  another  objection  to  this  wine, 
which  must  be  remedied  before  Cape  can 
be  agreeable,  viz.  that  the  vines,  instead 
of  being  staked,  as  in  other  wine  coun- 
tries, are  suffered  to  trail  on  the  ground: 
it  is  natural,  therefore,  to  conclude  that  those 
berries  next  the  earth  will  rot,  and  a  few  un- 
sound grapes  will  give  an  unpleasant  flavour 
to"a  large  quantity  of  wine. 

The  moderate  use  of  wine  has  never  been 
condemned  by  physicians ;  and  in  so  moist 
and  changeable  a  climate  as  England,  a  more 
plentiful  draught  may  be  allowed  than  in 
warmer  countries. 

Sentius,  when  he  was  praetor  of  Rome,  said 


208 

he  never  had  any  wine  of  Chios  in  his  house 
before  the  physician  prescribed  it  for  the 
palpitation  of  the  heart,  a  complaint  he 
laboured  under,  which  is  a  convincing  proof 
of  it's  having  been  used  medicinally  in  those 
days.  On  the  other  hand,  Androcydes,  in  his 
letter  to  Alexander  the  Great,  says,  (to  cor- 
rect his  intemperate  drinking  of  wine,)  "  My 
good  lord,  remember  when  you  take  your 
wine,  that  you  drink  the  very  blood  of  the 
earth ;  hemlock,  you  know,  Sir,  is  poison  to 
man,  even  so  is  wine  to  hemlock/' 

That  an  excess  of  this  reviving  beverage  is 
pernicious  to  the  health,  no  one  will  attempt 
to  deny,  any  more  than  he  would  to  excuse 
repeated  intoxication.  Wine  is  not  so  much 
used  in  this  age  to  debase  man  as  it  was  in 
times  past.  Those  liquors  least  intoxicating 
are  now  preferred ;  and  the  quality  of  the 
wines  given  at  table  is  at  present  more  at- 
tended to  than  the  quantity ;  which  has  in- 
troduced cheerfulness  and  good  sense  around 
the  decanters,  in  exchange  for  boisterous  dis- 
putes. In  an  age  that  has  advanced  so  far 
towards  refinement,  there  can  be  no  need  to 
set  up  the  alarm  of  poison,  or  condemn  all 
the  wine-merchants  as  murderers,  as  has  lately 
become  the  fashion  of  some  authors,  which 
can  answer  no  other  purpose  than  that  of 


209 

alarming  the  timid,  and  bringing  a  respectable 
body  of  men  into  contempt.  I  am  surprised 
that  any  person  should  make  so  severe  an 
accusation  as  that  of  stating  to  the  world 
that  poisonous  drugs  are  employed  by  the 
wine-merchants,  without  giving  one  instance 
to  make  good  their  assertions.  About  the 
year  1426,  when  Sir  John  Rainwell  was 
lord-mayor  of  London,  he  having  received 
an  information  of  the  mal-practices  of  the 
Lombard  merchants  in  adulterating  their 
wines,  to  the  great  prejudice  of  the  health 
of  his  Majesty's  subjects,  caused  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  butts  of  that  pernicious 
liquor  to  be  seized  in  divers  parts  of  the 
city,  the  heads  whereof  being  knocked  out, 
the  wine,  or  putrid  matter,  ran  into  the  street 
channels,  and  emitted  such  a  very  noxious 
smell,  that  it  infected  the  air  to  a  great 
degree.  It  will  be  observed  that  this  was 
an  imposition  practised  by  foreign  merchants, 
and  I  do  not  recollect  having  met  with  any 
instance  where  an  English  wine-merchant 
has  been  detected  in  this  infamous  practice, 
or  of  the  charge  of  mixing  his  wine  with  perry, 
as  has  been  stated  is  often  done,  and  thereby 
defrauding  both  the  revenue  and  his  cus- 
tomers. This  latter  charge  can  be  refuted  by 
the  best  of  all  possible  reasons,  viz. :  it  is 

p 


210 

against  the  interest  of  a  wine-merchant  so 
to  do ;  for  he  has  more  difficulty  in  procuring 
superior  wines  than  he  has  of  obtaining 
ready  sales  at  high  prices.  The  best  wines 
are  always  the  first  sold,  and  afford  the  largest 
profit,  whereas  inferior  wines  are  rarely  dis- 
posed of  without  a  loss.  I  conclude  it  is 
generally  known,  that,  at  the  present  time, 
the  duty  and  other  incidental  charges  on 
foreign  wines  form  the  greater  part  of  the 
price,  and  that  the  worst  pipe  of  Port  or 
Madeira  pays  as  much  duty  as  the  best ;  it 
is  therefore  a  most  material  part  of  the 
business  of  a  wine-merchant  to  import  the 
best  wines  from  the  countries  with  which 
he  trades.  When  the  vintage  proves  rather 
unfavourable,  or  his  importations  are  deficient 
in  flavour,  he  pursues  a  very  different  course 
to  adulteration:  he  is  obliged  to  procure 
the  richest  wines  he  can  obtain  of  the  same 
kind  to  mix  with  them.  This  is  often  done 
at  a  great  expense,  because  he  has  not  the 
means  of  disposing  of  inferior  wines,  even  at 
any  price.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  prac- 
tice to  add  Burgundy  or  Hermitage  to  im- 
prove Port  wine:  this  cannot  be  deemed 
adulteration. 

Solomon,  in  his  Proverbs,  says,  "  Wisdom 
hath  mingled  her  wine/' 


211 

The  fining  of  white  wines  is  so  simple  a 
process,  and  attended  with  so  little  expense, 
that  there  can  be  no  inducement  to  use 
poisonous  drugs,  as  has  been  stated  by 
a  late  publication  to  be  a  common  prac- 
tice. It  is  well  known  to  every  house- 
keeper, that  isinglass  dissolved  in  Hock  or 
Rhenish  wine  will  fine  the  most  obsti- 
nate white  wines.  It  is  correctly  stated, 
that  there  are  persons  who  prepare  finings 
for  the  wine-merchants  at  a  cheap  rate ; 
but  as  this  is  publicly  sold,  any  person  has 
an  opportunity  to  analyze  it,  and  ascertain 
if  it  consists  of  poisonous  drugs :  indeed  it 
would  have  been  more  honourable  to  have 
analyzed  the  wines  of  any  suspected  person, 
and  to  have  exposed  them  to  the  public,  were 
they  guilty  of  so  injuring  the  constitutions 
of  their  benefactors.  A  wine-merchant  sel- 
dom does  more  himself  to  the  fining  of  his 
wines  than  to  give  directions  to  his  cellar- 
man  :  were  he  to  use  pernicious  finings,  how 
often  should  we  hear  of  his  being  betrayed 
by  his  discharged  servants ! 

For  red  wines,  the  whites  of  eggs,  with 
sometimes  a  part  of  the  shells  pulverized,  is 
the  universal  and  only  finings  used.  A  few 
years  back,  when  there  was  so  great  a  demand 
for  pale  sherry,  the  wine-merchants  dis- 
charged the  colour  with  the  assistance  of  a 


212 

small  quantity  of  new  milk.  The  folly  of 
this  fashion  was  no  sooner  seen,  than  good 
brown  sherries  returned  into  favour.  The 
Africans  of  old  used  to  mitigate  and  allay 
the  tartness  of  their  wines  with  a  kind  of  lime 
plaster,  while  the  Greeks  of  the  same  day 
quickened  their's  with  clay  and  marble  pow- 
dered, or  with  sea  water. 

The  Romans  admired  the  flavour  of  pitch, 
which  was  often  added  to  their  wines ;  thus 
we  find  it  has  ever  been  the  study  of  the 
wine-merchant  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  times, 
but  at  no  period  has  it  been  found  necessary 
to  add  baneful  drugs. 

Grapes  furnish  the  French  with  another 
article  of  commerce,  almost  equal  in  import- 
ance to  their  wines;  namely,  brandy.  It  is 
computed  that  their  exportation  in  this 
liquor  is  not  less  than  50,000  pipes  or  pieces 
per  $nn.  which,  at  the  average  of  five  shil- 
lings per  gallon,  produces  them  nearly  two 
millions  sterling  annually. 

The  brandies  imported  into  this  country 
are  principally  from  Bordeaux,  Rochelle,  and 
Cogniac ;  but  they  are  very  inferior  to  those 
made  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Nantes  and 
Poictou,  from  whence  private  families  in  the 
city  and  suburbs  of  Paris  supply  themselves, 
and  they  are  very  careful  to  obtain  the  best 
quality  of  this  spirit.  All  brandies  are  ori- 


213 

ginally  white,  but  by  long  keeping  they  na- 
turally become  a  little  stained  by  the  cask ; 
and  to  give  this  appearance  of  age  to  the 
brandies  shipped  for  England,  burnt  sugar 
and  other  dyes  are  added  to  such  an  excess, 
as  to  destroy  the  natural  flavour  of  the  spirit. 

Private  families  would  do  well  to  buy 
none  but  the  best  pale  brandy,  and  the  im- 
portation of  bad  brandies  would  soon  cease. 

The  fruiterers  of  London  have  a  consi- 
derable trade  in  preserved  grapes,  which  are 
principally  brought  from  Portugal  in  large 
earthen  jars,  closely  cemented  down:  these 
grapes  add  considerably  to  the  luxury  of  our 
winter  desserts,  as  they  are  sold  at  moderate 
prices  for  so  rare  a  fruit. 

This  art  of  preserving  grapes  was  well 
known  to  the  Romans.  Columella  gives  a 
particular  account  of  the  manner  they  were 
preserved,  both  in  his  time,  and  in  the  time 
of  his  uncle  Marcus  Columella.  He  recom- 
mends them  to  be  put  into  small  jars  that 
will  only  contain  one  bunch,  and  that  the 
fruit  should  be  gathered  quite  dry,  when  the 
sun  is  on  it,  and  after  being  cooled  in  the 
shade,  to  be  suspended  in  the  jars,  and  the 
vacua  to  be  filled  up  with  oat  chaff,  after  all 
the  dust  has  been  blown  from  it.  The  jars 
must  be  well  baked  or  burned,  and  not  such 


214 

as  imbibe  moisture :  the  tops  of  the  jars  must 
be  covered  over,  and  pitched,  to  keep  out  the 
air. 

The  process  of  drying  grapes  into  raisins 
is  usually  performed,  by  tying  two  or  three 
bunches  together  before  they  are  cut  from 
the  vine,  and  dipping  them  into  a  hot  lixi- 
vium of  wood  ashes,  with  a  little  olive  oil  in 
it :  they  then  shrivel,  and  partly  dry ;  and  in 
a  few  days  they  are  cut  from  the  vine,  and 
dried  in  the  sun.  We  procure  the  finest 
raisins  from  Damascus.  Sun  raisins  are 
brought  from  Spain,  and  are  so  called  to 
distinguish  them  from  those  that  are  scalded, 
or  dried,  in  ovens.  Large  quantities  are  also 
imported  from  Malaga,  Calabria,  Muscadine, 
Smyrna,  &c. 

The  vinous  latitude  is  said  to  extend 
between  the  25th  and  51st  degree  in  the 
northern  hemisphere. 

It  has  been  observed,  that  all  the  vine- 
yards in  Germany,  beyond  the  51st  degree, 
are  dubious.  This  leaves  the  southern  coast 
of  England  within  the  latitude  for  vines; 
and  1  have  often  been  surprised  that  the 
culture  of  them  should  have  been  so  little 
attended  to,  where  the  shelter  of  the  hills, 
and  the  soil,  seem  to  offer  so  promising  a 
situation. 


215 

There  are  several  flourishing  vineyards 
at  this  time  in  Somersetshire:  the  late  Sir 
William  Basset,  in  that  county,  annually 
made  some  hogsheads  of  wine,  which  was 
palatable  and  well  bodied.  The  idea  that 
we  cannot  make  good  wine  from  the  juice  of 
our  own  grapes  is  erroneous  :  I  have  tasted  it 
quite  equal  to  the  Grave  wines;  and  in  some 
instances,  when  kept  for  eight  or  ten  years, 
it  has  been  drunk  as  Hock  by  the  nicest 
judges.  Grapes  that  are  not  perfectly  ripe, 
and  even  sour,  will  make  good  wine,  but  it 
will  require  longer  keeping. 

If  a  sweet  wine  be  preferred,  raisins  should 
be  used  with  the  grapes;  for  sugar  and 
water  (the  common  addition  to  our  country 
wines)  can  never  produce  a  good  beverage. 

The  following  observations  on  the  eco- 
nomical uses  to  which  the  leaves  and  stalks 
of  the  vine  may  be  applied,  are  taken  from 
a  letter  in  the  Philosophical  Magazine,  No. 
119,  signed  James  Hall. 

"  From  experiments  which  I  have  made, 
I  find  that,  on  being  dried,  which  should 
be  done  in  the  shade,  and  infused  in  a  tea- 
pot, the  leaves  of  the  vine  make  an  excellent 
substitute  for  tea.  I  have  also  found  that, 
on  being  cut  small,  bruised,  and  put  into  a 
vat,  or  mashing-tub,  and  boiling  water  poured 


216 

on  them  in  the  same  way  as  is  done  with 
malt,  the  primings  of  the  vine  produce  liquor 
of  a  fine  vinous  quality,  which,  on  being 
fermented,  makes  a  very  fine  beverage,  either 
strong  or  weak,  as  you  please ;  and  on  being 
distilled,  produces  an  excellent  spirit  of  the 
nature  of  brandy.  In  the  course  of  my  ex- 
periments, I  found  that  the  fermented  liquor 
from  the  prunings,  particularly  the  tendrils, 
when  allowed  to  pass  the  vinous,  and  to  run 
into  the  acetous  fermentation,  makes  uncom- 
monly fine  vinegar/' 

Vine-leaves,  as  well  as  the  tendrils,  have 
an  astringent  taste,  and  were  formerly  used 
in  diarrhoeas,  haemorrhages,  and  other  dis- 
orders requiring  refrigerant  and  styptic  me- 
dicines. The  juice  or  sap  of  the  vine,  called 
lachryma,  has  been  recommended  in  calcu- 
lous  disorders,  and  is  said  to  be  an  excellent 
application  to  weak  eyes  and  specks  of  the 
cornea.  The  tendrils  of  the  vine  were  eaten 
as  a  pickle  by  the  Romans. 

The  expressed  juice  of  the  unripe  fruit 
is  called  verjuice,  and  is  considered  a  very 
useful  external  remedy  for  bruises. 

The  wood  of  the  vine,  reduced  to  charcoal, 
is  used  by  painters  for  drawing  outlines,  and 
is  mentioned  as  good  for  tooth  powder. 

Although  it  forms  no  part  of  my  plan 


217 

in  this  work  to  enter  upon  the  cultivation  of 
trees,  I  cannot  avoid  giving  a  few  remarks  on 
a  fruit  of  so  much  importance. 

In  the  planting  of  vines,  the  first  care 
should  be  to  select  cuttings  of  those  kinds 
which  are  known  to  be  good,  and  suitable  to 
the  situation  and  soil  in  which  they  are  to  be 
placed. 

"  The  grafting  of  vines  upon  vines  is  not 
now  in  use,"  says  Lord  Bacon  in  his  Natural 
History;  and  adds,  "  the  ancients  had  it,  and 
that  three  ways  :  the  first  was  insition,  which 
is  the  ordinary  manner  of  grafting ;  the  second 
was  terebration  through  the  middle  of  the 
stock,  and  putting  in  the  scions  there ;  and 
the  third  was  pairing  of  two  vines,  that  grow 
together,  to  the  marrow,  and  binding  them 
close/' 

Speedily,  in  his  work  on  the  vine,  says, 
"  The  grafting  of  grapes  is  but  little  attended 
to,  although  of  so  much  importance ;  as  a 
bad  vine  may  be  improved  without  loss  of 
time ;"  and  he  states,  that  he  has  had  fine 
grapes  from  the  same  year's  grafts,  which, 
if  permitted,  will  run  from  thirty  to  forty 
feet  the  first  summer.  He  mentions  a  vine 
of  the  Syrian  kind,  in  a  hothouse  at  Welbeck, 
that  produced  sixteen  different  sorts  of  grapes 
from  as  many  graftings. 


218 

Vines  have  ever  been  found  to  thrive  best 
on  the  banks  of  rivers,  or  where  their  roots 
can  draw  moisture  in  abundance. 

The  scripture  often  makes  the  remark ; 
"  It  was  planted  in  a  good  soil  by  great 
waters,  that  it  might  bring  forth  branches, 
and  that  it  might  bring  forth  fruit,  that  it 
might  be  a  goodly  vine/'  (Ezekiel,  c.  xvii.  v.  8.) 

"  Thy  mother  is  like  a  vine  in  thy  blood, 
planted  by  the  waters :  she  was  fruitful  and 
full  of  branches,  by  reason  of  many  waters." 
(Ezekiel,  c.  xix.  v.  10.) 

It  hath  been  stated,  that  the  blood  of 
animals,  applied  about  the  roots,  greatly  nou- 
rishes the  vine :  this  must  be  owing  to  the 
quantity  of  saline  particles  which  it  contains. 

Mr.  Daws,  of  Slough,  near  Windsor,  has 
made  the  experiment  of  painting  one  half 
of  a  wall  black,  that  was  covered  with  a 
vine,  and  leaving  the  other  half  in  it's  com- 
mon state.  That  part  of  the  vine  which 
covered  the  black  wall,  ripened  the  grapes 
earlier,  and  yielded  about  three  times  the 
weight  of  fruit  that  the  other  half  produced. 

Gentlemen,  who  prune  their  own  vines, 
should  observe,  that  the  fruit  is  always  pro- 
duced upon  the  shoots  of  thp  same  year, 
which  are  thrown  out  of  the  buds  of  the  last 
year's  shoots;  and  that  it  is  not  the  old 


219 

wood  that  yields  grapes.  It  is  best  to  prune 
vines  as  soon  as  the  fruit  is  gathered,  as  the 
bearing  shoots  for  the  following  year  cannot 
then  be  mistaken ;  and  it  is  recommended  to 
shorten  them,  so  as  to  leave  but  four  eyes, 
as  by  leaving  too  many,  the  vine  is  exhausted, 
and  yields  but  poor  small  fruit.  The  shoots 
just  above  the  fourth  eye  are  to  be  cut,  and 
the  cutting  to  be  sloped  or  cut  in  such  a 
manner,  that  the  water  discharging  from  the 
shoot  may  not  run  on  the  bud  to  injure  it. 
About  the  beginning  of  May,  all  vines  should 
be  looked  over,  and  the  shoots  from  the  old 
wood  should  be  rubbed  off;  and  if  one  eye 
produces  two  shoots,  the  weakest  must  be 
removed.  Vines  require  frequent  examining, 
after  this  time,  to  rub  off  all  dangling  shoots ; 
and  about  the  latter  end  of  June,  the  ends  of 
the  bearing  branches  are  to  be  nipped  off, 
but  those  intended  for  the  next  year's  fruit, 
may  go  a  month  longer  before  they  are 
topped. 

The  blossoms  of  the  vine  have  an  agree- 
able odour:  the  ancients  used  to  put  them 
into  their  wine,  to  give  it  this  fragrance. 

The  Romans  reared  their  vines  by  fasten- 
ing them  to  certain  trees,  as  the  poplar  and 
the  elm,  &c.,  whence  these  trees  were  said  to 
be  married  to  the  vines,  which  gave  rise  to 


220 

that  elegant  and  entertaining  story  of  Ovid's 
Vertumnus  and  Pomona. 

"  If  that  fair  elm,"  he  cried,  "  alone  should  stand, 
No  grapes  Would  glow  with  gold,  and  tempt  the  hand; 
Or,  if  that  vine  without  her  elm  should  grow, 
'Twould  creep  a  poor  neglected  shrub  below." 

Pliny  states  that  the  vines  in  Italy  would 
climb  to  the  very  top,  and  even  out-top  the 
highest  poplars ;  on  which  account,  the  grape 
gatherers,  in  time  of  vintage,  put  a  clause  in 
the  covenant  of  their  bargains,  when  they 
were  hired,  that  in  case  their  foot  should  slip 
and  their  necks  be  broken,  their  masters 
should  give  orders  for  their  funeral  fire  and 
tomb,  at  their  own  expense. 


HAZEL.-CORYLUS ; 

Or  NUT-TREE. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Monoscia  Polyandria 

Class. 


THE  common  hazel-nut  is  found  growing 
wild  in  most  parts  of  Europe,  as  also  in  every 
part  of  England.  It  is  never  cultivated  for 
the  sake  of  the  nut,  which  is  considered  un- 
wholesome, being  hard  of  digestion,  and 
causing  shortness  of  breath  and  wheezing. 
Many  young  people  have  suffered  by  eating 
too  freely  of  this  fruit ;  and  it  has  caused  the 
death  of  several  who  have  taken  immoderately 
of  it. 

The  pleasure  of  nutting  parties  is  well 
known  in  this  country,  and  much  enjoyed  by 
the  rustics  :  it  is  thus  beautifully  described  by 
Thomson : 

Ye  swains,  now  hasten  to  the  hazel  bank, 
Where  down  yon  dale  the  wildly  winding  brook 


222 

Falls  hoarse  from  steep  to  steep,    In  close  array, 
Fit  for  the  thickets  and  the  tangling  shrub, 
Ye  virgins,  come.     For  you  their  latest  song 
The  woodlands  raise ;  the  clustering  nuts  for  you 
The  lover  finds  amid  the  secret  shade ; 
And  where  they  burnish  on  the  topmost  bough, 
With  active  vigour  crushes  down  the  tree ; 
Or  shakes  them  ripe,  from  the  resigning  husk, 
A  glossy  shower. 

These  nuts  are  not  much  used  in  medicine, 
but  the  cream  of  them  is  good  for  the  stone, 
and  heat  of  urine ;  emulsions  made  of  them 
with  mead,  are  recommended  for  old  dry 
coughs. 

Quercentan  gave  a  drachm  of  the  powder 
of  nut-shells,  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity 
of  prepared  coral,  in  a  glass  of  the  water  of 
carduus  benedictus,  or  corn  poppy,  in  the 
pleurisy. 

The  wood  of  the  hazel-tree  is  used  for 
making  hoops  for  casks,  hurdles,  crates, 
springles  to  fasten  down  thatch,  fishing  rods, 
&c. ;  it  is  also  burnt  for  charcoal ;  and  in  the 
country  where  yeast  is  scarce,  they  twist  the 
slender  branches  of  hazel  together,  and  steep 
them  in  ale  yeast  during  its  fermentation  : 
they  are  then  hung  up  to  dry,  and  at  the  next 
brewing  are  put  into  the  wort  instead  of 
yeast. 


JUNIPER.-JUNIPERUS. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Di&cia  Monadelphia 
Class.     Natural  Order,  Conifers. 


THE  earliest  mention  of  the  juniper-tree  will 
be  found  in  the  first  book  of  Kings,  about 
906  years  before  the  Christian  era,  when  the 
prophet  Elijah  took  refuge  in  the  wilderness 
of  Beersheba,  to  avoid  the  persecution  of 
King  Ahab.  "  He  went  a  day's  journey  into 
the  wilderness,  and  came  and  sat  down  under 
a  juniper-tree:  And  as  he  lay  and  slept  under 
a  juniper-tree,  behold  then  an  angel  touched 
him,  and  said  unto  him,  Arise  and  eat." 

The  juniper  is  also  a  native  of  most  of  the 
cold  mountainous  parts  of  Europe.  Gerard 
says,  "  The  common  juniper-tree  grows,  in 
some  parts  of  Kent,  unto  the  bigness  and 
stature  of  a  fair  great  tree/'  It  is  found 
growing  wild  in  considerable  quantities  on 
many  parts  of  the  Sussex  and  Surrey  hills, 


224 

from  whence  it  is  often  transplanted  into 
shrubberies.  Being  of  a  bluish  evergreen,  it 
contrasts  well  with  the  laurel  and  other 
shrubs  of  that  nature.  The  flowers  are  her- 
baceous, and,  if  viewed  with  a  microscope, 
would  be  found  a  most  beautiful  model, 
either  for  the  jeweller,  or  the  ornamental 
sculptor. 

Juniper  berries,  used  by  distillers  to  flavour 
their  gin,  are  principally  brought  from  Hol- 
land and  Italy.  These  berries  are  carminative ; 
but  their  most  remarkable  properties  are,  in 
scouring  the  viscera,  and  particularly  the 
reins  and  urinary  passages,  for  which  reason 
they  are  of  great  service  in  asthmas,  ca- 
chexies, the  jaundice,  colic,  the  stone  of  the 
bladder  and  kidneys,  as  also  crudities  of  the 
stomach.  The  oil  of  juniper  berries  is  a  very 
stimulating  diuretic:  the  decoction,  inspis- 
sated to  the  consistency  of  a  rob,  or  extract, 
has  a  pleasant,  balsamic,  sweet  taste.  This 
extract  may  be  used  with  advantage,  as  in 
catarrhs,  debility  of  the  stomach  and  intes- 
tines, and  difficulties  of  the  urinary  excretions, 
in  persons  of  advanced  age. 

Etmuller  had  a  vast  opinion  of  juniper 
berries.  The  rob,  made  of  the  expressed  juice 
of  the  green  berries,  has  been  called  by 
many  theriaca  Germanorum,  so  much  are 


225 

they  esteemed  by  that  nation  for  their  alexi- 
pharmic  qualities.  In  many  parts  of  Ger- 
many, they  are  used  as  a  culinary  spice,  and 
the  flavour  of  these  berries  is  esteemed  in  their 
sauer  kraut.  The  heathcock  of  Germany  is 
not  eatable  in  the  autumn,  being  so  strongly 
flavoured  with  juniper  berries,  on  which  this 
bird  feeds.  The  wood  of  this  shrub  is  also  of 
use  in  physic,  as  it  strengthens  the  stomach, 
clears  the  lungs,  removes  obstructions  of  the 
viscera,  and  is  further  said  to  be  sudorific, 
cephalic,  and  hysteric.  So  much  is  the 
flavour  of  the  berries  admired  by  the  lower 
order  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  metropolis, 
th&t  it  would  be  difficult  to  name  any  com- 
plaint, that  they  would  not  be  afflicted  with, 
for  the  sake  of  a  plentiful  supply  of  this  cor- 
dial. 

In  Sweden,  the  juniper-berries  are  made 
into  a  conserve,  and  eaten  at  breakfast.  The 
Swedes  also  prepate  a  beverage  from  them, 
which  they  consider  useful  as  a  medicine.  In 
some  places  they  are  roasted,  and  used  as  a 
substitute  for  coffee. 

Gerard  says,  in  his  3d  book,  "  Divers 
in  Bohemia  do  take,  instead  of  other  drinke, 
the  water  wherein  these  berries  have  been 
steeped,  who  live  in  wonderful  good  health." 

The  wood  of  the  juniper-tree  is  very  hard, 

Q 


326 

beautifully  veined,  susceptible  of  a  very  high 
polish,  and  is  admired,  when  used  as  veneer- 
ing for  cabinet  furniture,  being  fragrant,  and 
of  a  yellow  colour.  Pliny  says,  "  the  juniper 
has  the  same  properties  as  the  cedar/'  adding, 
"  that  it  grew  in  Spain  to  a  great  size,  but 
that  wherever  it  grows,  the  heart  is  found 
more  sound  than  cedar/'  It  has  been  said,, 
that  a  coal  of  juniper  wood,  covered  with 
ashes  of  the  same  kind,  will  keep  on  fire  a 
whole  year. 


LEMON.-LIMON.-CITRUS. 


In  Botany,  of  the  Class  Polyadetphia  Icosan- 
dria  ;   Natural  Order,  Bicornes. 


THIS  fruit  derives  it's  name  from  the  Greek 
word  Afi^wj/,  which  signifies  a  meadow,  "be- 
cause the  leaves  and  the  fruit,  before  they 
are  ripe,  are  of  the  colour  of  a  spring 
meadow. 

The  lemon  and  the  citron-tree  are  nati  es 
of  Asia,  from  whence  they  were  brought  into 
Greece  and  Italy.  They  appear  to  have  been 
well  known  to  the  Romans  in  the  days  of 
Pliny,  although  they  had  failed  in  the  culti- 
vation of  them,  as  that  author  informs  us  in 
his  13th  book,  chap,  iii.,  where  he  says,  speak- 
ing of  foreign  trees,  "  I  will  begin  with  that, 
which  is  of  all  others  the  most  wholesome, 
the  citron-tree,  called  the  Assyrian-tree,  and 
by  some  the  Median-apple:  the  fruit  is  a 
counterpoison,  and  singular  antidote  against 

Q  2 


228 

all  venom ;  the  leaves,"  he  says,  "  are  like 
the  arbutus,  and  it  hath  thorns/'  "  The  pome 
citron,"  he  continues*  "  is  not  good  to  be 
eaten  as  a  fruit,  but  is  very  odoriferous,  as 
are  the  leaves,  which  are  used  to  be  put  in 
wardrobes  among  apparel,  to  give  a  perfume, 
and  to  keep  off  moths  and  spiders/'  "  This 
tree/'  he  adds,  "  bears  fruit  at  all  times  of  the 
year,  for  when  some  fall,  others  begin  to 
mellow,  and  some  to  blossom.  Many  have 
tried  to  transplant  the  trees  into  their  own 
country ;  and  for  this  purpose  they  have  had 
pots  made,  and  enclosed  them  well  with 
earth ;  but  for  all  the  care  and  pains  taken 
about  them,  to  make  these  trees  grow  in 
other  countries,  yet  would  they  not  forget 
Media  and  Persia,  and  liking  no  other  soil, 
would  soon  die." 

Virgil,  in  his  Second  Georgic,  has  ele- 
gantly described  this  fruit,  and  it's  supposed 
medical  powers  against  spells  and  poison. 

Media  fert  tristes  succos  tarduraque  saporem 
Felicis  mail:  quo  non  praesentius  ullum 
(Pocula  si  quando  soevae  infecere  novercae 
Miscueruntque  herbas,  et  non  innoxia  verba) 
Auxilium  venit,  ac  membris  agit  atra  venena. 
Ipsa  ingens  arbos,  faciemque  simillima  lauro : 
Et  si  non  alium  late  jactaret  odorem, 
Laurus  erat :  folia  hand  ullis  labentia  vends : 
Flos  apprime  tenax  :  animas  et  olentia  Medi 
Ora  fovent  illo,  et  senibus  medicantur  anhelis. 


229 

Sharp-tasted  citron  Median  climes  produce, 
Bitter  the  rind,  but  gen'rous  is  the  juice; 
A  cordial  fruit,  a  present  antidote 
Against  the  direful  stepdame's  deadly  draught, 
Who,  mixing  wicked  weeds  with  words  impure, 
The  fate  of  envied  orphans  would  procure. 
Large  is  the  plant,  and  like  a  laurel  grows, 
And,  did  it  not  a  diff'rent  scent  disclose, 
A  laurel  'twere  :  the  fragrant  flow'rs  contemn 
The  stormy  winds,  tenacious  of  their  stem ; 
With  this,  the  Medes  to  laboring  age  bequeath 
New  lungs,  and  cure  the  sourness  of  the  breath. 

Dryden. 

The  lemon-tree  appears  to  have  been 
cultivated  in  this  country  as  early  as  the  reign 
of  James  the  First,  as  Lord  Bacon  mentions 
the  housing  of  hot  country  plants,  as  lemons., 
oranges,  and  myrtles,  to  save  them. 

In  some  parts  of  Devonshire,  lemon-trees 
are  trained  to  the  walls,  and  require  no  other 
care  than  to  cover  them  with  straw  or  mats 
during  the  winter.     Earl  Paulet    presented 
some  of  these  lemons   to  his   late  Majesty 
upwards  of  forty  years  ago,  which  grew  in 
the  garden  of  his  sister,  Lady  Bridget  Bas- 
tard, of  Garston.     The   lemon- tree  is   of  a 
much  hardier  nature  than  the  orange :  it  is 
therefore   brought  to    greater   perfection   in 
this  country  than  the  latter  fruit.     Lemons 
have  long    been    propagated   with  success 
in   Italy,   Spain,   Portugal,   a»d    the   South 
of  France,  as   well   as    in  the  West-India 


230 

islands.  The  lemons  of  St.  Helena  are  the 
most  esteemed,  growing  larger,  and  of  a 
milder  flower  than  other  kinds. 

This  fruit  is  now  become  almost  neces- 
sary in  culinary  purposes,  as  well  as  being 
an  article  of  luxury  in  a  variety  of  shapes : 
it  makes  an  excellent  sweetmeat  when  cleared 
of  it's  pulp,  and  prepared  with  clarified  syrup. 
Lemonade  and  lemon  ices  are  as  well  known 
in  the  present  day  as  punch  was  in  the  last 
age.  The  yellow  peel  of  the  lemon  is  an 
agreeable  aromatic ;  and,  in  cold  phlegmatic 
constitutions,  it  proves  an  excellent  stoma- 
chic and  carminative,  warming  the  habit 
and  strengthening  the  tone  of  the  viscera. 

Lemons  are  cooling  and  grateful  to  the 
stomach,  allaying  thirst,  increasing  appetite, 
and  are  useful  in  fevers,  even  malignant  and 
pestilential.  The  juice,  mixed  with  salt  of 
wormwood,  is  an  excellent  medicine  to  stop 
vomiting,  and  to  strengthen  the  stomach.  The 
efficacy  of  lemon-juice  in  preventing  the  sea- 
scurvy,  has  long  been  recommended.  Sir 
James  Lancaster,  in  his  voyage  in  1601, 
carried  with  him  several  bottles  of  lemon- 
juice,  and,  by  giving  his  sailors  a  few  table- 
spoons-full in  the  morning,  kept  off  this  dis- 
order. 

In  Captain  Cook's  voyages,  great  benefit 
was   derived  from  lemon   and   orange-juice, 


231 

which  were  found  in  the  sea-scurvy  to  be  very 
efficacious. 

Dr.  Willich  states,  that  the  largest  dose 
of  opium  may  be  checked  in  it's  narcotic 
effects,  if  a  proper  quantity  of  citric  acid  be 
taken  with  it;  and  that,  with  this  adjunct, 
it  induces  cheerfulness  instead  of  stupefaction, 
and  is  succeeded  by  gentle  and  refreshing 
sleep. 

In  Sicily,  the  juice  of  lemons  forms  an 
important  article  of  commerce,  it  being  con- 
sidered the  most  valuable  remedy  for  the 
scurvy  in  long  voyages.  It  is  also  very 
extensively  used  by  calico-printers,  as  a  dis- 
charger of  colour,  to  produce,  with  more 
clearness  and  effect,  the  white  figured  parts 
of  coloured  patterns,  dyed  with  colours  formed 
from  iron. 

When  Gibraltar  was  besieged  or  blocked 
up  in  the  autumn  of  1780,  vegetables  had 
become  so  scarce,  that  a  small  cabbage  sold 
for  5s.  which  caused  the  scurvy  to  rage  to 
such  a  degree,  as  threatened  more  fatal 
consequences  than  the  gun-boats  of  the 
Spaniards.  The  women  and  children,  as 
well  as  the  officers,  were  equally  affected 
with  this  dreadful  disorder,  when  happily 
an  antidote  was  procured  by  the  capture  of  a 
Danish  dogger,  from  Malaga,  laden  with 


232 

lemons  and  oranges,  which  the  governor  im- 
mediately purchased  for  the  use  of  the  garri- 
son, and  distributed  among  them,  which  re- 
lieved them  most  wonderfully.  The  juice  was 
given  to  those  in  the  malignant  state  diluted 
with  sugar,  wine,  or  spirits.  Various  antiscor- 
butics had  previously  been  used  without  suc- 
cess, such  as  acid  of  vitriol,  sauer  kraut,  extract 
of  malt,  essence  of  spruce,  &c. 

As  the  juice  of  lemons  and  limes  became 
in  so  much  demand  for  medical  use,  as  well 
as  for  the  purposes  of  luxury,  various  modes 
of  purifying  and  preserving  it  have  been 
adopted  by  our  ingenious  chemists,  who  have 
succeeded  in  procuring  the  acid  in  a  state  of 
purity  in  crystals.  The  liquor  called  shrub, 
is  made  with  lemon  and  lime-juice  added  to 
rum. 

The  fruit  of  the  lime  (lima)  resembles  in 
acidity  the  lemon  ;  and  the  tree,  that  of  the 
orange,  having  winged  leaves.  It  is  much 
smaller  than  the  common  lemon,  and  is  prin- 
cipally brought  to  this  country  from  the  West- 
India  islands,  where,  says  Lunan,  "  thenegros 
take  the  young  fruit,  soon  after  it  is  formed, 
or  when  about  the  size  of  a  small  hazel-nut, 
pare  off  the  rind,  which  they  beat  into  a  fine 
pulp,  and  with  a  hair-pencil  apply  it  carefully 
to  the  lids  of  sore  eyes  for  a  cure.  It  is  sup- 


233 

posed/'  continues  Lunan,  "  this  rawness  of 
the  eye-lids,  accompanied  with  a  humour,  is 
generally  caused  by  worms  which  lodge  in  it, 
and  that  this  application  destroys  them/' 

Lime  punch  is  more  esteemed  than  that 
made  from  lemons,  particularly  for  cold 
punch,  which  is  a  beverage  greatly  esteemed 
by  turtle  eaters. 

The  citron  is  principally  used  as  a  sweet- 
meat. 


The  shaddock-tree:  Aurantium  Friictu 
maximo  India  Orientalis. 

This  fruit  is  also  a  species  of  the  citrus, 
and  takes  its  name  from  Captain  Shaddock, 
who  first  brought  it  from  the  East  Indies, 
where  it  is  a  native.  It  is  now  cultivated  in 
the  West  Indies,  where  the  fruit  often  grows 
to  the  size  of  twenty  inches  in  circumference, 
and  is  known  to  yield  near  half  a  pint  of 
clear  juice.  It  is  described  in  the  Hortus 
Jamaicensis  as  being  often  larger  than  a 
man's  head.  Shaddocks  are  preserved  as  a 
sweetmeat,  and  used  in  making  punch,  as 
well  as  limes  and  lemons. 


LOCUST-TREE.  -HYMENJM. 


In  Botany,  of  the  Class  Decandria  Monogynta. 
Natural  Order,  Lomentacece. 


THIS  is  a  very  large  spreading  tree,  in  shape 
resembling  the  beech.  The  flowers  are 
produced  in  loose  spikes  at  the  end  of  the 
branches,  and  are  succeeded  by  thick,  fleshy, 
brown  pods,  shaped  like  those  of  the  garden- 
bean,  about  six  inches  long,  and  two  and  a 
half  broad,  wherein  there  are  three  or  four 
round,  flat,  blackish  beans  or  stones,  bigger 
than  those  of  the  tamarind,  enclosed  in  a 
whitish  substance  of  fine  filaments,  as  sweet 
as  sugar  or  honey.  The  wild  bees  are  fond 
of  building  their  nests  in  these  trees  :  we  may 
therefore  justly  conclude  that  St.  John  found 
both  the  locust  and  wild  honey  on  the  same 
trees,  and  that  it  was  this  fruit  on  which  he 
fed,  and  not  on  insects,  called  locusts,  as 
some  authors  have  stated. 


235 

The  Indians  eat  this  fruit  with  great 
avidity,  though  it  is  apt  to  purge  when  fresh 
gathered,  but  loses  that  quality  as  it  grows 
older. 

The  juice,  or  decoction  xof  the  leaves,  is 
carminative,  and  eases  the  colic  pain.  The 
inward  bark  destroys  worms.  Between  the 
principal  roots  of  the  tree  exudes  a  fine  trans- 
parent resin,  which  is  collected  in  large  lumps, 
is  called  gum  animi,  and  makes  the  finest 
varnish  that  is  known,  superior  even  to  the 
Chinese  lacca. 

The  tree  is  now  well  known  in  the  West 
Indies ;  and  when  old,  the  timber  is  in  request 
to  make  wheel-work  for  various  machines. 

As  this  tree  is  made  interesting  to  us  by 
the  mention  made  of  it  in  Scripture,  I  shall 
be  excused  in  giving  some  particulars  from 
the  Botanical  Manuscript  of  Mr.  Anthony 
Robinson,  who  writes  thus  : — 

"  On  the  8th  July,  1759,  I  had  the  plea- 
sure of  seeing  the  perfect  flower  of  the  hyme- 
naea  of  Linnaeus  expanded,  from  which  I 
took  this  description :  the  receptacle  of  the 
cup  was  bell-shaped,  permanent;  the  peri- 
anth consisted  of  four  ovate,  coriaceous,  thick 
leaves,  almost  equal,  placed  scalewise,  which, 
for  the  most  part,  dropped  as  soon  as  the 
petals  were  expanded.  The  leaves  of  the 


236 

cup  were  placed  on  the  margin  of  the  recep- 
tacle.    The  petals  were  white,  five  in  number, 
ovate,  erect,  patent,  and  almost  equal,  as  long 
as  the  cup;  the  stamina  were  ten,  subulated, 
erect,    patent    filaments,    one  fourth  longer 
than  the  petals;  the  germen  was  placed  on  a 
receptacle,  arising  out  of  a  hole  in  the  centre 
of  the  receptacle,  compressed  and  small ;  the 
style  subulate,  and  somewhat  longer  than  the 
stamens;  the  stigma  coronated;  the  anthers 
were  large,  oblong,  and  the  flower  has  nothing 
of  a  pyramid  in  it's  form.     There  was  great 
difficulty  in  getting  a  complete  flower,  for  the 
leaves  of  the  cup  dropped  off  with  the  least 
motion.     The  petals  were  considerably  per- 
manent, but  the  stamens  more  so.     Linnaeus 
has  described  the  blossoms  erroneously/'  This 
tree  was  first  cultivated  in  England,  in  the 
year  1688.     (Hortus  Kewensis.) 


LOVE-APPLE.-SOLANUM ; 

Or,  TOMATO-BERRY. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Pentandria  Mono- 
gynia  Class.    Natural  Order,  Luridtf. 


THE  love-apple,  or  tomato,  is  the  fruit  of  the 
ly  copersion,  an  herbaceous  branching  plant,  or 
vine,  with  a  hairy  stem,  and  a  rank  smell. 

It  is  a  native  of  South  America,  and  in  all 
probability  of  Mexico;  from  whence  it  ap- 
pears to  have  been  brought  by  the  Spaniards, 
who,  as  Barham  observes,  use  them  in  their 
sauces  and  gravies;  because  the  juice,  as  they 
say,  is  as  good  as  any  gravy,  and  so  by  its 
richness  warms  the  blood. 

Dodoens,  in  his  Pemptades,  published  at 
Antwerp,  in  1583,  describes  it  as  growing  at 
that  time  in  the  continental  gardehs,  and  says, 
that  it's  fruit  was  eaten  dressed  with  pepper, 
salt,  and  oil. 

Parkinson,  whose  works  were  published 
in  1656,  mentions  it  as  being  cultivated  in 
England  for  ornament  and  curiosity  only. 


238 

Even  at  the  present  time  they  are  grown  in 
many  gardens  in  the  country,  merely  for  the 
singularity  of  their  appearance,  varying  very 
much  in  size  and  shape  as  well  as  colour; 
some  being  of  a  bright  yellow,  and  others  of 
a  fine  red.  It  appears,  by  the  Hortus  Kewen- 
sis,  to  have  been  cultivated  in  England  as 
early  as  the  year  1596;  but  I  conclude  it  was 
introduced  several  years  previous  to  that  date, 
as  Gerard  mentions  it  in  the  early  part  of  his 
voluminous  work,  as  growing  in  his  garden. 
This  author  calls  it  pomum  amoris;  and  says, 
"  apples  of  love  do  growe  in  Spaine,  Italic, 
and  such  hot  countries,  from  whence  myself 
have  received  seedes  for  my  garden,  where 
they  do  increase  and  prosper/' 

"  There  hath  happened  unto  my  handes 
another  sort/'  says  this  author,  "  agreeing 
very  notablie  with  the  former,  onely  the  fruite 
heereof  was  yellow  of  colour/'  (Now  this 
work,  which  was  published  in  1597,  must 
have  taken  some  years  in  compiling  and 
printing,  &c.  as  it  contains  several  thousand 
wood  plates.) 

Miller  says,  in  the  6th  edition  of  his  Gar- 
dener's Dictionary,  "the  Italians  and  Spa- 
niards eat  love-apples  as  we  do  cucumbers, 
with  pepper,  oil,  and  salt,  as  well  as  for 


sauces." 


239 

The  Portuguese  call  this  fruit  tomato,  and 
eat  it  either  raw  or  stewed. 

Lunan  says  of  this  fruit,  "  I  have  eaten 
five  or  six  raw  at  a  time:  they  are  full  of  a 
pulpy  juice,  and  of  small  seeds,  which  you 
swallow  with  the  pulp,  and  have  something 
of  a  gravy  taste.  The  juice  is  cooling,  and 
very  proper  for  defluxions  of  hot  humours  in 
the  eyes,  which  may  occasion  a  glaucoma,  if 
not  prevented:  they  are  also  good  in  the  St. 
Anthony's  fire,  and  all  inflammations ;  and  a 
cataplasm  of  them  is  very  proper  for  burns." 
Miller  also  says,  that  the  love-apple  was  used 
as  a  medicine  in  his  time. 

This  fruit  has  long  been  used  by  the  wealthy 
Jew  families  in  this  country ;  and  within  these 
last  few  years  it  has  come  into  great  use  with 
all  our  best  cooks,  as  it  possesses  in  itself  an 
agreeable  acid,  a  very  unusual  quality  in  ripe 
vegetables,  and  which  makes  it  quite  distinct 
from  all  garden  vegetables  that  are  used  for 
culinary  purposes  in  this  country.  It  makes  a 
good  pickle,  and  is  preserved  in  various  ways 
for  the  winter  use,  and  is  made  into  a  kind 
of  ketchup  also.  When  boiled  in  soups  and 
sauces,  it  imparts  an  acid  of  a  most  agreeable 
flavour:  it  is  also  served  at  table  boiled  or 
roasted,  and  sometimes  fried  with  eggs.  Love- 
apples  are  now  to  be  seen  in  great  abundance 


240, 

at  all  our  vegetable  markets,  but  I  do  not 
find  that  they  are  used  by  the  middle  or  lower 
classes  of  English  families,  who  have  yet  to 
learn  the  art  of  improving  their  dishes  with 
vegetables. 

Mr.  John  Wilmot,  of  Isleworth,  states* 
that  in  1819  he  gathered,  from  600  plants, 
400  half-sieves,  which  is  about  equal  to  133 
bushels,  and  that  he  then  had  many  to  spare. 
He  adds,  that  the  plants  produced  from 
twenty  to  forty  pounds'  weight  each,  and 
that  some  of  the  apples  measured  twelve 
inches  in  circumference. 

Mr.  Wilmot  recommends  them  to  be 
planted  against  a  bank,  as  being  more  con- 
genial to  their  nature  than  a  wall.  There  are 
several  varieties  of  the  tomato;  and  that  which 
produces  fruit  about  the  size  of  a  cherry  is  the 
most  acid,  therefore  the  most  desirable  kind 
for  private  gardens,  alt  hough  not  so  profitable 
for  market. 


MEDLAR.-MESPILUS. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Icosandria   Pen- 
tagynia  Class. 


THIS  fruit  was  known  to  the  ancients  in 
Greece,  as  it  is  mentioned  by  one  of  their 
authors,  Theophrastus,  who  wrote  300  years, 
B.  C. ;  but  it  appears  not  to  have  been  cul- 
tivated in  Italy  so  early,  as  Pliny  states 
that  it  was  not  known  in  Rome  in  Cato's 
days.  Pliny  mentions  three  kinds :  the 
Anthedon,  the  Setanian  Medlar,  which  he 
describes  as  the  largest  and  palest  in  colour, 
and  the  Gallicum,  or  Bastard  French  Med- 
lar. 

Some  authors  affirm  it  to  have  been  ori- 
ginally a  German  fruit ;  but  the  name  An- 
thedon was  doubtless  given  to  it  from 
it's  being  brought  from  a  city  of  that  name 
in  Greece,  while  the  last  is  declared  by  this 
author  to  have  been  from  France :  the  Se- 
tt 


242 

tanian  seems  to  have  derived  it's  name  from 
it's  growing  near  the  marshes  of  Setia.  It 
appears  also  to  have  been  indigenous  to  this 
country,  as  it  is  mentioned  by  all  our  early 
writers.  Tusser  calls  the  fruit  Medlers  or 
Meles.  Gerard  says,  "  The  medlar-tree  often- 
times grows  in  hedges  among  briars  and  bram- 
bles :  being  grafted  on  a  white-thorn,  it 
prospers  and  produces  fruit  three  times  as 
large  as  those  which  are  not  grafted  at  all, 
and  almost  the  size  of  small  apples.  We 
have/*  says  he,  "  divers  sorts  of  them  in  our 
orchards."  He  mentions  the  Neapolitan 
Medlar,  with  leaves  like  the  hawthorn,  and 
the  Dwarf,  growing  naturally  upon  the  Alps, 
and  hills  of  Narbonne  and  Verona. 

The  Dutch  Medlar,  which  is  much  larger 
and  finer  flavoured  than  the  common  sort, 
is  the  only  kind  now  in  request  for  planting 
in  the  garden  or  orchard.  This  fruit  can- 
not be  eaten  when  fresh  gathered,  being  too 
harsh  for  the  palate;  but  after  it  has  been 
laid  up  for  a  few  weeks,  and  undergone 
a  putrefactive  fermentation,  it  becomes 
quite  soft,  and  is  an  agreeable  fruit  for  the 
desserts  in  November  and  December. 

This  fruit  is  cooling,  drying,  and  binding, 
especially  before  it  is  ripe,  and  is  useful  in 
all.  kinds  of  fluxes.  The  lapilli,  or  hard 


243 

seeds,  are  accounted  good  for  the  stone  and 
gravel ;  they  are  an  ingredient  in  the  syrupus 
myrtinus.  (Miller  s  Hot.  Off.) 

The  medlar-tree  is  propagated  by  bud- 
ding or  grafting  on  the  hawthorn,  as  has 
been  noticed  by  Phillips : 

Men  have  gathered  from  the  hawthorn's  branch 
Large  medlars,  imitating  regal  crowns. 

It  is  sometimes  grafted  on  the  pear  stock, 
but  is  more  productive  by  the  former  mode. 

The  pruner  must  observe  not  to  shorten 
any  of  the  branches,  as  the  fruit  is  always 
produced  at  the  extremities  of  the  boughs. 


it  2 


MELON.-MELO.-CUCUMIS. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Monoecia  Syngenesia 
Class.     Natural  Order,  Cucurbit  acecs. 


THE  melon  most  esteemed,  in  every  part  of 
Europe,  is  the  Cantaleupe,  which  takes  it's 
name  from  a  town  so  called,  about  fifteen 
miles  from  Rome,  where  it  has  been  culti- 
vated since  the  Mithridatic  war,  being  one 
of  the  fruits  brought  from  Armenia  by  Lu- 
cullus.  It  grows,  says  Miller,  in  that  part 
of  Armenia,  which  borders  on  Persia,  in  such 
plenty,  that  a  horse-load  is  sold  for  a  Trench 
crown.  The  flesh  of  this  melon,  when  in 
perfection,  is  delicious,  and  does  not  offend 
the  most  tender  stomach,  but  may  be  eaten 
with  safety.  The  outer  coat  of  this  melon 
is  full  of  knobs  and  protuberances  like 
warts :  it  is  of  a  middle  size,  rather  round 
than  long:  that  with  an  orange-coloured 
flesh  is  the  best. 


245 

The  Musk  Melon  appears  to  be  a  native 
of  Tartary,  where  it  is  found  growing  wild. 
It  has   lately   been    found  in   great    abun- 
dance  on   the   sandy   plains   in   the   neigh- 
bourhood of  Jeypoor.     This  kind  of  melon 
has   long   been    cultivated    in    Italy,    from 
whence  I  conclude  it  was  brought  to  Eng- 
land,   as   it   was   first   introduced   into  this 
country  in  the  year  that  Henry  the  Eighth 
received  the  title  of  "  Defender  of  the  Faith/' 
A.  D.  1520:  and  from  Gerard's  account  it 
appears  to  have  been  nearly  confined  to  the 
Royal  Gardens :  he  had  not  grown  it  himself, 
but  says,  "  They  delight  in  hot  regions,  not- 
withstanding I  have  seen,  at  the  Queen's  house 
at  St.  James's,  very  many  of  this  sort  ripe, 
through  the  diligent  and  curious  nourishing 
of  them  by  a  skilful  gentleman,  the  keeper 
of  the  said  house,  called  Master  Fovvle;  and 
in  other  places  neere  unto  the  Right  Honour- 
able, the  Lord  of  Sussex  house,  of  Bermond- 
sey,  by  London,  where  from  yeere  to  yeere 
there  is  verie  great  plenty,  especially  if  the 
weather  be  any  thing  temperate."    "  It  hath," 
adds  Gerard,  "  the  smell  of  musk,  and  from 
which  account  it  is  called  the  Musk  Melon." 

It  is  stated  in  Gough's  British  Topo- 
graphy, that  melons  were  common  in  this 
country  as  early  as  the  time  of  Edward  the 


246 

Third,  but  were  entirely  lost,  as  well  as  the 
cucumber,  during  the  wars  of  York  and  Lan- 
caster. 

Miller  justly  remarks,  that,  in  this  country, 
there  are  too  many  melons  produced  of  no 
value  by  those  who  supply  the  market,  who, 
endeavouring  to  enlarge  their  size,  render 
the  fruit  of  no  value,  and  unworthy  the 
trouble  and  expense,  being  more  fit  for  the 
dunghill  than  the  table.  In  warmer  coun- 
tries, the  melon  is  raised  with  little  or  no 
trouble,  and  the  fruit  attains  a  peculiar  fine 
flavour  ;  but  in  this  climate  it  requires  great 
attention  and  expense  to  rear  it,  therefore — 

Grudge  not,  ye  rich,  (since  luxury  must  have 
His  dainties,  and  the  world's  more  numerous  half 
Lives  by  contriving  delicacies  for  you,) 
Grudge  not  the  cost.     Ye  little  know  the  cares, 
The  vigilance,  the  labour,  and  the  skill, 
That  day  and  night  are  exercised,  and  hang 
Upon  the  ticklish  balance  of  suspense, 
That  ye  may  garnish  your  profuse  regales 
With  summer  fruits  brought  forth  by  wintry  suns : 
Ten  thousand  dangers  lie  in  wait  to  thwart 
The  process. 

Cowper. 

No  country  has  a  greater  variety  of  me- 
lons than  England,  yet  it  is  so  rare  to  find 
them  good  in  the  market,  that  the  demand 


247 

for  them  in  London,  compared  td  that  in 
Paris,  cannot  be  more  than  the  proportion  of 
one  to  a  thousand. 

I  have  observed,  in  other  parts  of  this 
work,  that  the  French  have  particular  places 
where  they  cultivate  peculiar  fruits  only  :  this 
is  the  case  with  melons,  and  where  they  are 
grown  in  such  abundance  as  entirely  to  oc- 
cupy the  attention  of  whole  villages,  the 
culture  must  necessarily  be  better  understood 
than  in  our  gardens,  where  the  same  persons 
have  to  cultivate  every  kind  of  fruit  or  vege- 
table :  the  mind  being  thus  divided  between 
so  many  varieties,  that  none  can  be  so  tho- 
roughly understood.  Another  great  disad- 
vantage arises  in  the  common  mode  of  grow- 
ing melons  in  this  country  ;  that  is,  by  plant- 
ing them  near  to  cucumbers,  and  sometimes 
quite  surrounded  by  them,  and  often  by 
gourds,  which,  it  is  well  known,  will,  by 
their  incestuous  intercourse,  not  only  affect 
the  seeds  for  future  plants,  but  change  the 
nature  of  the  fruit,  which  has  been  pol- 
luted by  the  farina  of  other  species  of  the 
cucurbitacecE. 

When  a  melon  is  perfectly  fine,  it  is  full 
without  any  vacuity  :  this  is  known  by  knock- 
ing upon  it ;  and,  when  cut,  the  flesh  should 
be  dry,  no  water  running  out,  only  a  little 


248 

dew,  which  should  be  of  a  fine  red  colour. 
This  fruit  is  principally  used  at  desserts  in 
England,  and  eaten  with  sugar,  ginger,  pep- 
per or  salt,  agreeable  to  the  taste,  while  in 
France  it  is  chiefly  served  up  at  dinner,  as  a 
sauce  for  boiled  meats.  Miller  says,  "  the 
seeds  should  not  be  sown  before  they  are 
three  years  old,  but  not  older  than  six;" 
although  we  read,  in  the  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions, of  melons  being  raised  from  seeds 
that  were  forty-three  years  old.  Melon-seeds 
are  cooling  and  diuretic  :  they  are  anodyne ; 
and  were  formerly  used  to  take  off  stranguries 
occasioned  by  blisters;  but  sweet  almonds 
are  now  preferred. 

Pliny  writes,  that  "  melons,  being  eaten 
as  meat,  cool  the  body,  and  make  it  soluble : 
the  fleshy  substance  of  them  applied  to  the 
eyes  assuages  pain,  and  restraineth  the  wa- 
terish  and  rheumatic  flux.  The  root  heals 
wens  or  ulcers;  and  being  dried,  stops 
vomits :"  it  was  also  used  by  the  Romans  in 
washing-balls  and  soap,  as  a  good  scourer. 

The  water-melon,  or  cucurbita  citullus, 
is  a  fruit  greatly  appreciated  in  Egypt, 
China,  the  East  Indies,  and  other  hot  cli- 
mates, where  it  is  cultivated  to  a  great 
extent  on  account  of  it's  grateful  coolness 
and  delicious  flavour;  and  the  flesh  of  it  is 


249 

so  succulent,  that  it  melts  in  the  mouth, 
and  its  central  pulp  is  fluid,  like  the  cocoa- 
nut,  and  may  be  sucked,  or  poured  out, 
through  a  hole  in  the  rind,  which  is  a  most 
refreshing  beverage  to  the  inhabitants  of  warm 
countries. 

In  some  parts  of  Upper  Egypt,  whole 
districts  are  covered  with  water-melons. 
They  are  sown  in  the  sand,  on  the  banks 
of  rivers ;  and  it  is  in  this  situation,  where 
the  burning  heat  co-operates  with  the  fresh- 
ness of  the  water,  which  moistens  the  stalks, 
that  this  fruit  acquires  its  agreeable  pulp. 
The  Egyptians  esteem  it  equally  wholesome 
and  agreeable.  Sonnini  says,  their  own 
melons  are  not  so  good  as  those  grown  in 
Europe. 

The  water-melon  is  allowed  to  be  eaten 
in  fevers  and  inflammatory  complaints.  One 
kind  of  the  water-melon  is  pickled  like  gher- 
kins, and  much  used  by  the  French  cooks 
in  their  fricassees;  and  they  are  sometimes 
baked  in  sweet  wine.  Gerard  mentions,  that 
the  surgeons  who  belonged  to  the  fleet, 
brought  home  many  kinds  of  melons  and 
pompions  from  the  shores  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean sea;  but  they  could  not  have  been 
ripened  well  in  this  country,  before  glasses 
were  used  for  that  purpose ;  and  Parkinson 


250 

seems  to  have  been  the  earliest  English 
author,  who  gives  directions  for  making  hot- 
beds for  melons,  and  covering  them  with  bell 
glasses,  which  was  in  1629. 

Madame  de  Genlis  relates,  that,  "  the 
master  of  Lockman,  the  famous  fabulist,  who 
was  a  slave,  having  given  him  a  bitter  melon, 
was  astonished  to  see  him  eat  the  whole  of  it; 
and,  on  naming  his  surprise,  received  this 
answer:  '  I  have  experienced  so  many  benefits 
from  you/  said  Lockman,  '  that  it  cannot  be 
strange  that  I  should  have  eaten  without  com- 
plaint the  first  bitter  fruit  which  you  ever 
presented  me  with/  This  answer  so  affected 
his  master,  that  he  gave  Lockman  his  li- 
berty." 


MULBERRY.-MORUS. 


In  Botany,    a  Genus  of  the  Monacia  Tetan- 
dria  Class. 


THAT  the  mulberry-tree  is  a  native  of  other 
parts  of  Asia  besides  China  and  Persia,  we 
have  the  authority  of  the  Bible,  where,  in 
the  2nd  book  of  Samuel,  we  read  that  David 
came  upon  the  Philistines,  and  smote  them 
over  against  the  mulberry-trees.  Again,  in 
the  Psalms,  we  read,  "  He  destroyed  their 
vines  with  hailstones,  and  their  mulberry- 
trees  with  frost." 

This  fruit  was  first  brought  from  Persia 
into  Greece  and  Rome,  and  was  more  es- 
teemed by  the  Romans,  even  in  their  most 
luxurious  days,  than  any  other  fruit. 

Ovid  has  celebrated  this  tree  in  his  story 
of  Pyramus  and  Thisbe : — 

The  berries,  stain'd  with  bloody  began  to  show 
A  dark  complexion,  and  forgot  their  snow ; 


252 

While,  fattened  with  a  flowing  gore,  the  root 
Was  doom'd  for  ever  to  a  purple  fruit. 
The  pray'r  which,  dying,  Thisbe  had  preferr'd, 
Both  gods  and  parents  with  compassion  heard : 
The  whiteness  of  the  mulberry  soon  fled, 
And,  rip'ning,  sadden'd  in  a  duskyred. 

Pliny  observes  (book  xv.  c.  24),  that 
"  there  is  no  other  tree  that  was  so  neglected 
by  the  wit  of  man,  either  by  grafting,  or 
in  giving  it  names,  except  that  of  making 
the  fruit  large  and  fair/'  "  At  Rome/'  he 
continues,  "  we  make  a  difference  between 
the  mulberries  of  Ostia  and  those  of  Tuscu- 
lum/'  This  author  observes,  in  his  xvith 
book,  c.  25,  that,  "  of  all  the  cultivated 
trees,  the  mulberry  is  the  last  that  buds,  and 
which  it  never  does  until  the  cold  weather 
is  past ;  and  was  therefore  called  the  wisest 
of  all  the  trees;  but  when  it  begins  to 
put  forth  buds,  it  dispatches  the  business 
in  one  night,  and  that  with  so  much  force, 
that  their  breaking  forth*  may  be  evidently 
heard/' 

The  mulberry  was  much  used  in  medi- 
cine by  the  Romans,  particularly  for  the 
diseases  of  the  mouth,  the  windpipe,  the 
uvula,  and  the  stomach.  The  leaves  and  the 
roots  were  also  used  medicinally  by  them. 
(Pliny,  b.  xxiii.  c.  17.) 


253 

The  mulberry-tree  is  stated  to  have  been 
introduced  to  this  country  in  the  year  1548, 
and  it  is  said  that  it  was  first  planted  at 
Sion  House,  where  the  original  trees  still 
thrive,  and  which  I  have  seen  since  the  first 
part  of  this  work  has  been  put  to  press. 
The  interior  of  these  trees  is  so  entirely  de- 
cayed, that  the  timber  has  so  far  returned  to 
its  native  earth  that  it  will  crumble  in  the 
hand ;  yet  its  branches,  that  are  supported  by 
props,  are  so  well  nourished  by  means  of  the 
bark,  that  the  fruit  and  the  foliage  appear  as 
luxuriant  as  those  of  the  youngest  trees  :  a 
strong  proof  of  the  durability  of  the  mulberry- 
tree  in  this  country.  The  first  Duke  of  Nor- 
thumberland said  he  could  trace  these  trees 
back  three  centuries. 

This  fruit  is  mentioned  by  Tusser,  in  1557, 
and  by  Gerard  in  1597,  who  notices  both  the 
white  and  the  black  mulberry,  and  says  they 
grow  in  sundry  gardens  in  England:  he  adds, 
"  that  in  Italy  they  "do  maintain  great  woods 
and  groves  of  them,  that  their  silk-worms 
may  feed  thereon." 

The  planting  of  mulberry-trees  was  much 
encouraged  by  King  James  the  First,  about 
the  year  1605 ;  but  parties  running  so  high  at 
that  period,  the  attention  of  the  nation  was 


254 

occupied  on  political  affairs;  and  the  pro- 
curing of  silk  in  England  was  neglected,  and 
has  never  since  been  attempted,  although  the 
mulberry-tree  has  been  found  to  thrive  ex- 
ceedingly well,  and  the  silk-worms  to  spin  as 
well  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  The 
mulberry-trees  are  now  alive,  and  bearing 
fruit  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  that  were 
planted  in  the  time  of  James  the  First,  which 
is  a  proof  of  their  durability.  I  have  lately 
seen  a  mulberry-tree,  of  the  nigra  species, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  oldest  in 
England,  in  the  garden  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Crumbie,  adjoining  Greenwich  Park;  and, 
notwithstanding  its  neglected  and  dilapidated 
state,  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  curiosities  I 
have  seen  in  the  shape  of  a  fruit-tree  in  this 
country.  It  throws  out  ten  large  branches  so 
near  the  earth,  that  it  has  the  appearance  of 
half  a  score  of  large  trees  rather  than  of  one; 
and  notwithstanding  many  of  the  projecting 
branches  have  been  sawed  off,  still  it  com- 
pletely covers  a  circumference  of  150  feet ; 
and  although  the  elder-trees  have  fixed  their 
abode  in  some  parts  of  the  trunk,  and  other 
parts  are  covered  with  ivy,  yet  it  continues 
to  give  shoots  as  vigorous  as  the  youngest 
tree,  and  produces  the  finest  mulberries  in 


255 

England.  It  is  a  regular  bearer;  and  the 
gardener  assured  me  that  he  gathered  more 
than  eighty  quarts  a  week  during  the  season. 

It  is  observed  in  Evelyn's  Sylva,  that  this 
tree  possesses  the  peculiar  property  of  breed- 
ing no  vermin,  neither  does  it  harbour  any 
caterpillar  except  the  silk-worm.  The  fruit, 
when  ripe,  stains  the  hands;  but  when  un- 
ripe, is  a  good  cleanser. 

It  is  one  of  the  latest  trees  to  blossom,  and 
one  of  the  earliest  to  ripen  its  fruit ;  which, 
when  ripe,  is  of  a  cooling  aperient  nature,  but 
quite  of  an  opposite  quality  when  unripe, 
being  a  strong  astringent;  and  it  has  been 
already  observed  to  harbour  no  insects,  yet  it 
is  the  peculiar  food  of  a  voracious  worm. 

The  root  of  the  mulberry-tree  has  an  acrid 
bitter  taste;  it  is  powerful  in  its  effects;  and 
has  been  used  with  great  advantage  against 
worms,  particularly  the  tape- worm.  The  juice 
of  this  fruit,  mixed  with  cider,  is  esteemed 
the  best  of  all  the  English  vinous  liquors. 

Miller  mentions  eight  varieties  of  this 
agreeable  fruit;  which  appears  to  be  again 
duty  appreciated  at  the  dessert,  as  I  find  it  is 
cultivated  in  a  hothouse  belonging  to  T.  A. 
Knight,  Esq.,  who,  I  believe,  is  the  first  per- 
son that  has  attempted  to  force  this  excellent 
berry.  In  the  garden  of  Thos.  Wm.  Coke,  Esq. 


256 

M.  P.  at  Holkham  Hall,  Norfolk,  there  are 
two  mulberry-trees  trained  to  a  trellis,  upon  a 
south  wall.  These  trees  are  about  16  feet 
high,  and  the  lateral  extent  of  the  branches 
of  one  of  them  is  upwards  of  94  feet,  and  the 
other  exceeds  97  feet.  They  have  been 
planted  about  30  years;  and  it  is  found  that 
the  fruit  is  much  larger  than  that  produced  on 
standard  trees,  and  their  time  of  maturity 
much  earlier,  and  affording  an  abundant  suc- 
cession from  the  middle  of  July  until  October. 
They  are  pruned  twice  a  year,  leaving  spurs 
of  two  inches  long,  which,  at  the  winter 
pruning,  are  shortened  to  about  an  inch  in 
length.  It  is  both  a  common  and  a  bad  prac- 
tice to  make  grass-plats  under  mulberry-trees, 
by  this  means  retarding  the  ripening  of  the 
fruit  by  the  coolness  of  the  grass;  whereas 
the  heat  reflected  from  the  earth  would 
greatly  promote  the  ripening. 

The  mulberry  must  have  been  a  most 
valuable  tree  to  the  Persians  and  Chinese  in 
ancient  times,  on  account  of  it's  leaves  feeding 
the  silk-worms,  which  enabled  them  to  supply 
all  the  known  world  with  silk,  the  price  of 
which,  in  Europe,  was  an  equal  weight  of 
pure  gold,  even  as  late  as  Justinian's  time, 
A.  D.  526.  Madame  de  Genlis  gives  the 
invention  of  silks  to  the  Chinese:  she  relates 


257 

in  her  work,  (La  Botanique,  Historique  et 
Litteraire)  that  the  Empress  Siling  Chi,  wife 
to  Hoamti,  was  desired  by  that  emperor  to 
examine  the  silk-worms,  and  endeavour  to 
turn  their  web  to  some  useful  purpose,  which 
she  did,  after  various  trials  and  experiments; 
and  by  feeding  them  with  mulberry-leaves,  she 
discovered  the  means  of  winding  the  silks,  and 
the  making  of  silk  stuffs,  which  she  embroi- 
dered with  flowers  and  birds.  Voltaire  states, 
that  the  valuable  insect  that  produces  the 
silk,  is  originally  from  China,  from  whence  it 
was  carried  into  Persia,  though  not  until  very 
late,  together  with  the  art  of  weaving  the  down 
in  which  it  is  enveloped. 

Should  a  few  spirited  land-proprietors 
make  the  experiment  of  grubbing  up  their 
hedge-rows,  and  planting  fences  of  mulberry- 
trees,  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  in  a  few  years 
they  would  reap  as  great  a  profit  from  their 
hedges  as  from  their  corn.  It  would  find  im- 
mediate employ  for  many  labourers,  and 
would  in  time  require  the  assistance  of  thou- 
sands of  the  lower  classes  to  gather  the  leaves 
and  attend  to  the  breeding  and  feeding  of  the 
silk-worms,  the  winding  of  the  silk,  &c. :  in>- 
deed,  the  whole  process  is  calculated  as  an 
employ  for  the  aged  and  the  infirm,  who,  be- 
ing uuable  to  do  laborious  work,  must  now, 


258 

of  necessity,  add  to  the  weight  of  the  paro- 
chial taxes.  I  am  fully  of  opinion  that  it 
would  be  the  foundation  of  a  permanent 
reduction  in  the  poor-rates,  which  must  con- 
tinue to  augment,  unless  employ  be  found 
equal  to  the  increase  of  the  population.  It 
is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  trees,  which 
are  planted  for  the  feeding  of  the  silk-worms, 
are  seldom  suffered  to  grow  to  a  height  to 
injure  the  land  ;  but  they  are  kept  as  shrubs 
or  espaliers.  The  great  nurseries  of  mulberry 
plants,  in  the  plain  of  Valencia,  in  Spain,  are 
produced  from  seeds  obtained  by  rubbing  a 
rope  of  esparts  with  ripe  mulberries,  and  then 
burying  the  rope  two  inches  under  ground. 
As  the  young  plants  come  up,  they  are  drawn 
and  transplanted ;  the  trees  are  afterwards  set 
out  in  rows  in  the  fields,  and  pruned  once  in 
two  years. 

It  is  now  2,143  years  since  wrought  silks 
were  first  introduced  into  Greece  from  Per- 
sia ;  and  about  forty-nine  years  afterwards 
the  Grecians  obtained  them  from  India. 

In  Rome  a  law  was  passed  by  the  senate 
in  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  forbidding  men  to 
debase  themselves  by  wearing  silk,  as  being 
fit  only  for  women. 

Heliogabalus  was  the  first  Roman  that 
wore  a  garment  all  silk,  which  must  have 


259 

been  about  the  year  220,  A.  D.  The  Em- 
peror Aurelianus,  who  died  in  275,  denied 
his  empress  a  robe  of  silk,  because  it  was 
too  dear.  In  the  year  555  some  monks,  who 
had  been  in  India,  brought  some  eggs  of  the 
silk-worm  to  Constantinople,  where,  in  time, 
they  produced  raw  silk,  which  was  manufac- 
tured at  Athens,  Thebes,  Corinth,  &c. 

Charlemagne  sent  Offa,  king  of  Mercia,  a 
present  of  a  belt,  and  two  silken  vests,  in  the 
year  780,  which  is  the  earliest  account  we 
have  of  silk  being  seen  in  this  country. 

In  1130  the  Sicilians  were  taught  to  breed 
silk-worms,  and  to  spin  and  weave  silk; 
from  whence  the  art  was  carried  to  Italy, 
Spain,  and  the  south  of  France.  Some  no- 
blemen's ladies  wore  silk  mantles  at  a  ball 
given  at  Kenilworth  Castle,  in  Warwick- 
shire, in  1286;  and  it  was  worn  by  the 
English  clergy  in  1534. 

Stockings  made  of  silk  were  first  worn  by 
Henry  the  Second,  of  France,  in  1543  ;  and 
in  1549  mulberry-trees  were  propagated 
through  all  France  ;  and  the  breeding  of  silk- 
worms was  much  encouraged  by  Henry  the 
Fourth  of  that  country. 

Henry  the  Eighth  of  England  received 
a  few  pair  of  silk  stockings  from  Spain  ;  but 
knit  silk  stockings  were  not  known  until 


260 

they  were  made  by  Mrs.  Montague,  who 
presented  the  first  pair  to  Queen  Elizabeth. 
Thus  silk  has  gradually  come  into  use,  and 
it  is  now  so  common  in  this  country,  that  it 
would  be  difficult  to  find  a  female  servant  in 
the  streets  of  London,  or  any  part  of  the  king- 
dom, who  had  not  some  portion  of  her  dress 
composed  of  silk. 

The  alba,  or  white  mulberry,  is  a  native 
of  China. 

The  nigra,  or  black  mulberry,  is  the  tree 
of  the  largest  size,  and  the  fruit  is  of  a  black- 
ish red  colour,  and  from  it  a  good  wine  is 
made :  this  variety  is  a  native  of  Persia. 

The  rubra,  or  red  mulberry,  is  a  native 
of  Virginia. 

The  Japan  mulberry-tree  is  called  Papy- 
rifera,  from  the  bark  of  which  a  kind  of  paper 
is  made. 

The  mulberry-tree's  seldom  producing  fruit 
until  it  has  arrived  at  a  considerable  age,  has 
been  much  against  it's  cultivation ;  but  it  is 
now  discovered,  that  by  grafting  it  from  the 
aged  trees,  or,  to  use  a  common  phrase,  put- 
ting an  old  head  on  young  shoulders,  it  soon 
becomes  fruitful. 


NECTARINE.-AMYGDALUS, 
MUCPERSCEA. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Icosandria  Mono- 
gynia  Class. 


THIS  fruit  is  thought  to  have  derived  it's 
name  from  Nectar,  a  beverage  supposed  to 
be  drunk  by  the  heathen  gods. 

It  is  a  native  of  Persia,  and  was  brought 
into  this  country,  with  the  peach,  about  the 
year  1524.  It  does  not  appear  at  that  time 
to  have  been  distinguished  by  any  name 
distinct  from  other  peaches  of  which  it  is  a 
species,  as  Gerard  was  living  when  it  was 
first  obtained,  and  published  his  History  of 
Plants  about  thirty-five  years  later,  wherein 
he  describes  four  kinds  of  peaches,  and  says, 
"  they  are  set  and  planted  in  gardens  and 
vineyards :  I  have  them  all  in  my  garden," 
continues  he,  "  with  many  other  sorts," 
which  shows  there  was  a  variety  when  first 
introduced.  He  mentions  one  kind  of  peach 


262 

which  appears  to  have  been  the  Nectarine, 
Persica  rubra.  "  The  fruit  or  peaches/'  says 
Gerard,  "  of  this  sort,  be  round,  of  a  red 
colour  on  the  outside:  the  meat  likewise 
about  the  stone  is  of  a  gallant  red  colour. 
These  kinds  of  peaches  are  very  like  to  wine 
in  taste,  and  therefore  marvellous  pleasant/' 

Pliny  says,  of  all  the  peaches,  the  one 
most  admired  in  Rome  is  that  named  Du- 
racina,  from  the  solid  substance  of  the  meat; 
which  seems  to  agree  with  the  quality  of  the 
nectarine,  the  principal  distinction  of  which, 
from  other  peaches,  consists  in  the  firmness 
and  fineness  of  it's  pulp,  it's  superior  flavour, 
and  smooth  skin. 

There  have  been  many  instances  of  nec- 
tarines having  grown  not  only  on  peach- 
trees,  but  on  branches  bearing  both  peaches 
and  nectarines,  without  either  budding  or 
grafting :  whether  this  is  owing  to  it's  being 
so  nearly  allied  to  the  peach,  or  by  the  pollen 
of  the  nectarine  being  conveyed  by  the  bees 
or  the  wind,  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to 
ascertain,  although  this  circumstance  has  oc- 
curred in  the  gardens  of  persons  eminent  for 
their  knowledge  of  fruits,  as  witness  Mr. 
Wilmot,  of  Isleworth;  James  Wyatt,  Esq., 
Hounslow;  William  Gilpin,  Esq.,  East 


263 

Sheen;    and  in  the  garden  of  the  Earl  of 
Landesborough,  Yorkshire. 

Thomson  has  beautifully  distinguished  it 
from  the  common  peach  in  his  Seasons : — 


As  I  steal  along  the  sunny  wall, 


Where  autumn  basks  with  fruit  empurpled  deep, 
My  pleasing  theme  continual  prompts  my  thought; 
Presents  the  downy  peach,  the  shining  plum, 
The  ruddy,  fragrant  nectarine ;  and,  dark 
Beneath  his  ample  leaf,  the  luscious  fig. 

The  flowers  have  an  aromatic  bitter  taste, 
and,  when  fresh,  an  infusion  of  half  an  ounce 
in  water,  or  a  drachm,  when  dry  and  sweet- 
ened with  sugar,  is  a  useful  laxative  for  chil- 
dren. (Brookes,  vol.  6.) 


OLIVE.— OLEA. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Diandria  Mono- 
gynia  Class. 


OF  this  tree  we  have  very  ancient  mention, 
since  it  is  related,  in  the  Book  of  Genesis, 
that  the  dove  which  Noah  sent  out  of  the 
ark,  returned  with  an  olive  leaf  in  it's  mouth, 
by  which  he  knew  that  the  waters  of  the 
Deluge  had  abated.  Since  this  time  the 
olive-branch  has  been  used  as  an  emblem 
of  peace  by  all  civilized  nations ;  and  it  is 
observed  that  a  green  bough  answers  the 
same  purpose  amongst  the  most  savage 
people  in  every  part  of  the  world. 

That  the  olive-tree  was  anciently  very 
much  esteemed  by  the  Hebrews,  is  proved 
by  the  parable  of  Jotham  : — 

"  The  trees  went  forth  on  a  time  to  anoint 
a  king  over  them ;  and  they  said  to  the 
olive-tree,  Reign  thou  over  us.  But  the 


265 

olive-tree  said  unto  them,  Should  I  leave  my 
fatness,  wherewith  by  me  they  honour  God 
and  man,  and  go  to  be  promoted  over  other 
trees?" — Judges,  chap.  ix.  verse  7. 

David  also  seems  to  have  considered  the 
olive  as  a  blessing  when  he  says,  "  Thy  chil- 
dren like  the  olive-branches  round  about  thy 
table:  Lo!  thus  shall  the  man  be  blessed 
that  feareth  the  Lord/' 

The  Grecians  appear  to  have  thought  no 
less  of  this  tree  and  it's  fruit  than  the  Israelites. 
In  their  fabulous  histories,  we  are  informed, 
that  the  gods  having  been  called  on  to  settle 
a  dispute  between  Neptune  and  Minerva, 
arising  from  the  desire  of  each  of  them  to 
give  name  to  the  new  city  of  Cecrops ;  they 
determined  to  give  the  preference  to  the  one 
who  should  produce  the  most  beneficial  gift 
to  mankind.  Neptune,  striking  the  ground 
with  his  trident,  created  a  horse;  but  Mi- 
nerva, by  causing  an  olive-tree  to  spring  from 
the  earth,  gained  her  point,  and  from  her  was 
the  city  called  Athenae,  now  Athens,  since 
the  olive,  the  emblem  of  peace  or  agriculture, 
was  much  preferable  to  th$  horse,  the  sym- 
bol of  war  and  bloodshed.  Minerva  and  the 
Graces  are  also  represented  as  crowned  with 
olive-branches. 

A  contribution  of  olives  was  given  by  all 

1 


266 

the  Grecians  who  attended  the  Panathenssa, 
a  festival  held  at  Athens  in  honour  of  Mi- 
nerva. Those  who  excelled  in  any  of  the 
games  during  this  festival,  were  crowned  with 
a  wreath  of  olives,  which  grew  in  the  grove 
of  Academus,  a  place  near  the  city,  with 
spacious  and  shady  walks,  belonging  to  a 
man  of  that  name.  Plato  having  here  opened 
a  school  of  philosophy,  all  places  of  learning 
have  been  since  called  Academies. 

As  to  the  soil  of  the  olive-tree,  we  may 
conclude,  from  several  passages  in  Scripture, 
that  it  grew  naturally  in  Syria ;  but  particu- 
larly near  Jerusalem,  if  we  may  judge  by 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  so  often  mentioned  in 
the  New  Testament.  It  was  first  planted 
in  Italy  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  the  reign 
of  Servius  Tullius,  the  sixth  king  of  Rome ; 
and  in  that  very  year  was  Nebuchadnezzar 
restored  to  his  understanding  and  his  king- 
dom, after  having  spent  seven  years  among 
the  beasts  of  the  field. 

The  olive  seems  to  have  been  highly  ap- 
preciated by  the  Romans ;  as  Pliny  says, 
"  except  the  vine,  there  is  not  a  tree  bearing 
fruit  of  so  great  account  as  the  olive.  Fe- 
nestella  informs  us,"  says  this  author,  "  that 
during  the  reign  of  Tarquinius  Priscus.  which 
was  about  the  183d  year  from  the.  fbunda 


267 

tion  of  Rome,  there  were  no  olive-trees  either 
in  Italy,  Spain,  or  Africa,  which  is  a  strong 
presumption  that  they  grew  originally  only 
in  Syria."  Theophrastus  states,  that  in  the 
440th  year  of  the  city,  there  were  no  olive- 
trees  in  Italy,  but  on  the  coast,  and  within 
forty  miles  of  the  sea ;  but  Pliny  says,  in  his 
time,  they  were  to  be  found  in  the  very 
heart  of  Spain  and  France,  but  that  the 
olives -pf  Syria,  although  smaller,  produced 
the  best  oil.  Virgil  mentions  but  three 
kinds  of  olives  :  Columella  mentions  ten  va- 
rieties, but  says  he  believes  they  were  much 
more  numerous. 

The  olive-tree  was  first  introduced  into 
England  in  the  year  1570;  but  there  is  little 
inducement  for  us  to  cultivate  it,  since  it 
is  by  no  means  handsome,  and  we  have  no 
desire  for  its  ripe  fruit.  Besides,  the  climate 
in  general  is  not  sufficiently  warm  to  assure 
us  of  a  crop,  though  I  have  no  doubt  but  it 
would  flourish  in  many  situations  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Sussex  Downs,  where  the  fig-tree 
thrives  :  indeed,  in  some  parts  of  Devonshire 
it  is  found  as  a  standard  tree,  and  is  seldom 
injured  by  the  frost. 

According  to  Columella,  this  tree  flou- 
rishes best  in  dry  hills  that  are  full  of  white 
clay;  for  in  moist  and  fat  fields  it  produces 


268 

plenty  of  leaves,  but  no  fruit.  Though  this 
author  contradicts  the  idea  that  the  olive 
will  not  grow  sixty  miles  from  the  sea,  he 
states,  that  where  an  oak  has  stood  it  cannot 
be  raised. 

The  olive-tree  requires  but  little  care 
in  the  cultivation,  and  produces  fruit  but 
once  in  two  years.  This  fruit  the  modern 
Greeks  during  Lent  eat  in  its  ripe  state, 
without  any  preparation,  but  a  little  pepper, 
or  salt  and  oil. 

We  receive  it  from  the  south  of  France, 
from  Spain,  and  Portugal,  pickled  in  the 
following  manner  :  it  is  gathered  unripe,  and 
suffered  to  steep  in  water  some  days,  and  af- 
terwards put  into  a  ley  of  water  and  barilla, 
or  kali,  with  the  ashes  of  olive-stones  calcined, 
or  with  lime.  It  is  then  bottled  or  barrelled 
with  salt  and  water,  and  in  this  state  do  we 
meet  with  it  at  the  desserts  of  our  most 
wealthy  tables,  where  fashion  has  done  much 
in  having  introduced  and  given  a  fondness  for 
olives,  which  seems  to  be  an  acquired  taste: 
however,  they  are  grateful  to  the  stomach, 
and  are  considered  good  to  promote  digestion 
and  appetite. 

But  olives  are  chiefly  cultivated  for  the 
sake  of  the  oil  that  they  produce,  which  is  not 
only  a  profitable  article  of  commerce,  but 


269 

forms  a  principal  one  of  food  to  the  inha- 
bitants of  the  places  where  these  trees  are 
found.  This  oil  is  contained  in  the  pulp  only, 
whereas  other  fruits  have  it  in  the  nut  or  ker- 
nel. It  is  obtained  by  simple  pressure,  in 
the  following  manner:  the  olives  are  first 
bruised  by  a  mill-stone,  and  afterwards  put 
into  the  trough  of  a  press  for  the  purpose, 
which,  by  means  of  turning  a  strong  screw, 
forces  all  the  liquor  out,  which  is  called  virgin 
oil.  A  coarser  kind  is  obtained  afterwards, 
by  adding  hot  water  to  the  bruised  fruit. 

The  oil  of  olives  seems  to  have  been  of 
great  utility  to  the  ancients,  since  Aristaeus, 
son  of  Apollo  by  Gyrene,  was  regarded  as  a 
rural  deity  for  having  taught  mankind  to  ex- 
tract it,  and  also  to  make  honey,  cheese,  and 
butter.  The  wrestlers  were  anointed  with  it ; 
and  it  was  made  a  substitute  for  butter,  which 
among  the  Romans  was  used  as  a  medicine. 

We  find,  in  the  book  of  Leviticus,  that  oil 
formed  a  principal  part  of  the  meat  offerings, 
which  the  Israelites  presented  to  the  Lord  : 
"  If  thou  bring  an  oblation  of  a  meat  offer- 
ing baken  in  the  oven,  it  shall  be  unleavened 
cakes  of  fine  flour  mingled  with  oil,  or  un- 
leavened wafers  anointed  with  oil.  And  if 
thy  oblation  be  a  meat  offering,  baken  in  the 


270 
frying  pan,  it  shall  be  made  of  fine  flour  with 

"1  *> 

Oil. 

Pliny  informs  us,  that  in  the  500th  year  of 
the  city,  when  Appius  Claudius  and  L.  Junius 
were  consuls  together,  a  pound  of  oil  was  sold 
for  twelve  ases ;  but  that  in  the  year  680,  ten 
pounds  of  oil  sold  for  one  as,  and  that,  in 
twenty-two  years  after  that  time,  Italy  was 
able  to  furnish  the  provinces  with  oil;  and  it 
was  much  used  at  their  baths,  having,  as  they 
supposed,  the  property  of  warming  the  body, 
and  defending  it  against  the  cold. 

The  best  olive-oil  at  present  is  obtained 
from  Provence. 

Olive-oil  is  esteemed  good  for  the  breast 
and  lungs ;  it  tempers  the  sharp  choleric 
humours  in  the  bowels,  is  useful  against  all 
corrosive  mineral  poisons,  as  arsenic,  &c.; 
opens  the  urinary  passages ;  and  is  good  for 
the  stone  and  gravel. 

The  wood  of  the  olive-tree  is  used  by  cabi- 
net-makers, from  it's  being  beautifully  veined, 
and  admitting  an  excellent  polish. 


ORANGE.-CITRUS.-AU11AN- 
TIUM. 

In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Polyadelphia  Ico- 

sandria  Class.     Natural  Order,  Bicornes. 

• 


THE  China,  or  sweet  oranges,  with  which 
this  country  is  now  so  amply  supplied,  and 
at  such  moderate  prices,  that  all  classes  of 
society  enjoy  them  as  perfectly  as  if  they  had 
been  indigenous  to  the  climate,  were  not  known 
to  the  ancient  Europeans.  They  were  first 
brought  into  Europe  by  Jean  de  Castro,  a 
celebrated  Portuguese  warrior,  who  made 
them  a  present  to  the  Conde  Mellor,  the  king 
of  Portugal's  prime  minister,  who  was  only 
able  to  raise  one  plant  from  a  great  number 
that  were  brought  to  Europe.  This  tree, 
which  was  planted  in  1548,  and  from  which 
all  the  European  orange-trees  of  this  sort 
were  produced,  is  said  to  be  now  alive  at 
Lisbon,  in  the  garden  of  Count  S.  Laurent. 
The  Romans  had  endeavoured  to  culti- 


i 


272 

vate  the  citrus  before  the  Christian  era,  for 
the  beauty  of  the  tree  and  it's  medicinal  qua- 
lities ;  but,,  as  it  has  already  been  observed 
in  the  history  of  the  lemon,  they  could  not 
succeed  in  the  time  of  Pliny,  who  says, 
(book  xvi.  c.  32)  "  The  Assyrian  pome-citron- 
tree  will  not  bear  fruit  out  of  Syria/'  The  same 
author,  in  his  12th  book,  c.  3,  informs  us  that 
th(3  Romans  were  acquainted  with  the  Per- 
sian and  Median  pome-citron;  but  he  never 
mentions  it  as  a  fruit  to  be  eaten :  the  ker- 
nels, he  states,  were  in  particular  employed 
by  the  Parthians,  to  sweeten  the  breath.  In  , 
his  13th  book,  chap.  15,  we  are  informed  that 
the  Romans  had  tables  made  of  the  citron 
wood,  which  they  procured  from  Mauritania 
and  Cyrenaica,  in  Africa. 

Some  authors  are  of  opinion  that  the 
orange  was  the  golden  apple  of  the  Hespe- 
rides ;  and  as  the  ancient  Europeans  could  not 
propagate  it,  was  said  to  have  been  taken 
back  by  Minerva.  The  fable  states,  that  Her- 
cules, to  obtain  information  of  this  garden,, 
seized  Nereus,  god  of  the  sea,  in  his  sleep, 
who  directed  him  to  Africa.  If  he  had  to 
cross  the  deserts  of  that  country  to  obtain  this 
fruit,  the  allusion  of  it's  being  guarded  by  a 
dragon,  is  both  natural  and  just. 

About  the  eleventh  or  twelfth  century 


273 

several  varieties  of  the  orange  were  cultivat- 
ed in  Italy,  from  whence  they  were  taken 
to  Spain  and  Portugal ;  therefore  the  sweet 
orange,  soon  after  it  was  introduced,  became 
plentiful  in  these  countries,  where  there  were 
already  abundance  of  stocks  to  graft  on. 
Gerald  notices  in  his  work,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  1597,  that  orange  and  lemon-trees 
grew  on  the  coast  of  Italy,  and  in  the  islands 
of  the  Adriatic ;  and  on  the  coast  of  Spain 
they  were,  says  he,  in  great  quantities,  as 
well  as  in  certain  provinces  of  France,  which 
lie  upon  the  midland  coast.  At  the  present 
time,  these  trees  are  cultivated  in  Italy  to 
so  great  an  extent,  that  there  are  almost 
forests  of  them.  Prince  Antonius  Borghese, 
at  his  palace  near  Rome,  has  upwards  of 
seventy  sorts  of  orange  and  lemon-trees, 
among  which  are  some  very  rare  kinds :  it 
is  a  fruit  so  much  esteemed  in  Italy,  where 
it  thrives  well,  that  apples,  pears,  and 
cherries,  have  almost  become  extinct  in  that 
country. 

The  delightful  perfume  of  an  orange- 
grove  is  such  as  to  scent  the  air  for  miles; 
and  the  tree  gives  a  succession  of  flowers 
during  the  whole  summer,  on  which  account 
it  is  cultivated  in  all  green-houses,  and  large 
orangeries  have  been  built  for  the  express 

T 


274 

purpose  of  housing  these  trees:  the  most 
magnificent  one  is  that  of  Versailles,  built  by 
Louis  the  XlVth. 

Oranges  were  known  in  this  country  in 
the  time  of  Henry  the  Vlllth,  but  I  find 
no  account  of  the  orange-tree  being  cultivat- 
ed in  England  prior  to  Queen  Elizabeth's 
reign.  The  Seville  orange-tree  appears  to 
have  been  first  planted  the  year  before  the 
East  India  Company  was  incorporated,  and 
two  years  previous  to  the  return  of  Sir 
Francis  Drake,  our  first  circumnavigator.  It 
is  said  to  have  been  introduced  by  Sir  Francis 
Carew,  and  first  planted  at  his  seat  at  Bed- 
dington  in  Surrey.  Chancellor  Bacon,  who 
wrote  about  twenty  years  after  this  time, 
mentions  the  housing  of  orange  and  lemon- 
trees  in  this  country  to  keep  them  in  the 
winter.  He  also  states,  that  if  the  seeds 
of  oranges  be/sown  in  April,  they  produce  an 
agreeable  salad. 

Henrietta  Maria,  queen  of  Charles  the 
1st,  had  an  orange-house  and  orange-garden 
at  her  mansion,  Wimbleton  Hall,  in  the  pa- 
rish of  Wimbleton,  in  the  county  of  Surrey; 
and  by  an  estimate  and  survey  which  was 
made  in  the  month  of  November,  l649?  for 
the  sale  of  that  property,  by  order  of  the 
Parliament,  we  find  how  highly  orange-trees 


275 

wore  estimated  even  in  those  turbulent  days. 
It  is  described  as  follows: — 

"  In  the  north  side  of  which  sayd  oringe- 
garden,  there  stands  one  large  garden-house ; 
the  outwalls  of  brick,  fitted  for  the  keepinge 
of  oringe-trees,  neatly  covered  with  blue 
slate,  and  ridgejd  and  guttered  with  lead;  the 
materials  of  which  house,  with  the  greate 
doores,  and  the  iron  thereof,  with  a  certeine 
stone  pavement  lying  before  these  doores, 
in  nature  of  a  litle  walke,  four  foote  broad, 
and  seventy-nine  foote  long,  wee  valew  to 
bee  worth  £66.  13s.  4*d. 

"  In  which  sayd  garden-house  there  are 
now  standing,  in  squared  boxes  fitted  for 
that  purpose,  fortie-two  oringe  trees  bearing 
fay  re  and  large  oringes,  which  trees,  with 
the  boxes,  and  the  earth  and  materials  therein 
feeding  the  same,  wee  valew  at  ten  poundes 
a  tree,  pne  tree  with  another,  in  to  to,  amount- 
ing unto  £420.  05.  Od. 

"  In  the  sayd  garden-house  there  now  all- 
soe  is  one  lemon-tree,  bearing  greate  and  very 
large  lemons,  which,  together  with  the  box 
that  it  grows  in,  and  the  earth  and  mate-' 
rialls  therein  feeding  the  same,  wee  valew  at 
£20.  05.  Od. 

"  In  the  sayd  garden-house  there  no\y  all- 
soe  is  one  pome  citron-tree,  which,  togeather 

T  2 


276 

with  the  box  that  it  growes  in,  and  the  earth 
and  materialls  feeding  the  same,  wee  valew  at 
£10.  05.  Od. 

"There  are  also  belonginge  to  the  said 
oringe-garden  six  pomegranet-trees,  bearing 
faire  and  large  fruits,  which,  togeather  with 
the  square  boxes  they  growe  in,  and  the 
earth  and  materialls  therein  feeding  the  same, 
wee  valew  at  three  poundes  a  tree,  one  with 
another,  in  toto,  £18.  Os.  Qd." 

There  were  also  eighteen  orange-trees 
that  had  not  borne  fruit,  which,  with  their 
boxes,  were  valued  at  £5  a  tree,  one  with 
another,  £90. 

A  white  marble  fountain,  with  a  statue 
of  Diana  upon  it,  and  "  a  fayer  led  cestern 
belonging  to  it,  and  a  chanelled  pavement," 
were  esteemed  to  be  worth  £7- 

"  Another  fountain  of  white  marble,  with 
a  statue  of  a  mermaid,  with  the  cestern,  &c." 
were  valued  at  £10. 

Orange-trees  have  been  grown  in  the 
southern  parts  of  Devonshire  for  more  than 
100  years  past.  When  trained  to  walls,  they 
produce  large,  handsome  fruit,  but  not  of 
equal  value  to  the  lemons  grown  in  the  same 
situation.  Most  of  these  were  raised  in  this 
country  from  seeds,  and  they  are  thought 
to  be  more  hardy  than  trees  imported ;  but 


277 

the  orange-trees  which  are  brought  every 
year  from  Italy,  and  sold  principally  at  the 
Italian  warehouses  in  London,  are  as  large  as 
those  of  our  own  growth  would  be  in  twenty 
years.  With  proper  care,  these  trees  will  have 
good  heads,  and  produce  fruit  in  about  three 
years.  The  Mandarin  orange  was  not  culti- 
vated in  England  until  1805. 

We  have  lately  seen  orange-trees  import- 
ed from  the  south  of  France,  which  have 
arrived  in  small  tubs;  and  so  well  packed, 
that  the  fruit  and  blossoms  remained  on  the 
trees  when  they  reached  the  neighbourhood 
of  London. 

In  the  Philosophical  Transactions,  No. 
114,  there  is  a  very  remarkable  account  of  a 
tree  standing  in  a  grove  near  Florence,  having 
an  orange  stock,  which  had  been  so  grafted 
on,  that  it  became  in  it's  branches,  leaves, 
flowers,  and  fruit,  three-formed;  some  emu- 
lating the  orange,  some  the  lemon  or  citron, 
and  some  partaking  of  both  forms  in  one. 
These  mixed  fruits  never  produce  any  perfect 
seeds:  sometimes  there  are  no  seeds  at  all 
in  them,  and  sometimes  only  a  few  empty 


ones. 

rn 


The  Maltese  graft  their  orange-trees  on 
the  pomegranate-stock,  which  causes  the 
juice  to  be  of  a  red  colour,  and  the  flavour 


278 

to  be  more  esteemed.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Hughes, 
in  his  Natural  History  of  Barbadoes,  men- 
tions the  golden-orange  as  growing  in  that 
island.  He  describes  the  fruit  as  a  large 
fine  orange,  of  a  deep  colour  within,  from 
whence  it  derives  the  name  Golden  Orange. 
He  adds,  "  This  fruit  is  neither  of  the  Seville 
or  China  kind,  though  it  partakes  of  both, 
having  the  sweetness  of  the  China  mixed  with 
the  agreeable  bitterness  and  flavour  of  the 
Seville  orange/' 

The  juice  of  oranges  is  a  pleasing  acid, 
and  good  in  inflammatory  and  putrid  disor- 
ders, both  acute  and  chronical.     The  juice 
contains  an  essential  acid  salt,   mixed  with 
much  mucilage.     The  salt  may  be  obtained 
in  crystals,  by  diluting  the  juice,  clarifying 
it  with  whites  of  eggs,  and  using  evaporation. 
In  this  way  a  saline  extract  may  be  made, 
capable  of  being  preserved,  and  possessed  of 
the   same   medicinal  qualities  as  the  juice, 
which  is   said   to   be  very  powerful   in   the 
scurvy.     When    Commodore    Anson    sailed 
round  the  world,  his  men,  who  were  afflicted 
with  the  scurvy,  were  surprisingly  recovered 
from  that  disorder  by  the  oranges  they  found 
in  the  island  of  Tinian. 

Orangeade,  an  agreeable  drink  made  of 
orange-juice,    water,    and    sugar,    may    be 


279 

given,  says  Lemery,  to  people  in  the  height  of 
a  fever. 

The  Seville  orange  is  esteemed  far  pre- 
ferable for  medicinal  purposes,  and  the  blos- 
soms of  this  species  are  the  most  odoriferous: 
the  leaves  are  also  used  in  medicine.  The 
yellow  rind  of  these  oranges,  separated  from 
the  white  fungous  matter  under  it,  is  a  grate- 
ful, warm,  aromatic  bitter,  often  used  as  a 
stomachic  and  corroborant.  It  is  warmer 
than  the  peel  of  lemons,  of  a  more  durable 
flavour,  abounds  more  with  a  light,  fragrant 
essential  oil,  which  is  lodged  in  distinct  cells 
on  the  surface  of  the  peel.  The  rind  of  the 
China  orange  has  a  weak  smell,  and  is  sel- 
dom employed  for  medicinal  purposes.  Se- 
ville oranges  also  produce  the  best  marma- 
lade, and  the  richest  wine :  it  is  from  the 
flowers  of  this  kind  of  orange,  that  orange- 
flower  water  is  distilled.  These  oranges  are 
often  preserved  whole  as  a  sweetmeat,  and 
are  justly  admired. 

The  seeds  of  the  orange  kind  will  be 
found,  on  nice  examination,  different  from  the 
seed  of  any  other  fruit.  They  have  been 
anatomized  by  the  curious,  and,  with  the  aid 
of  a  good  microscope,  are  found  to  be  almost 
as  wonderful,  in  their  formation,  as  the  human 
frame  when  dissected. 


280 

Signior  Francesco  Lana,  in  his  Prodromus 
to  some  philosophical  discoveries,  tells  us, 
that  there  is  a  way  of  producing  oranges, 
without  sowing  or  planting  the  trees,  only  by 
infusing  the  flowers  in  oil  of  almonds;  for 
that  this  oil  will,  every  year  afterwards,  at 
the  proper  season,  produce  both  flowers  and 
ripe  oranges. 


PEACH.-PERSICA,   or   AMYG- 
DALUS. 

— 

In  Botany,    a  Genus  of  the  Icosandria  Mo- 
nogynia  Class. 


ALL  the  ancient  authors  agree  that  the 
peach-tree  is  a  native  of  Persia ;  and  it  ap- 
pears that  the  fruit  was  thought  to  be  of  a 
poisonous  nature.  It  is  evident  there  had 
formerly  been  traditionary  tales  of  this  fruit 
having  been  sent  into  Egypt  to  poison  the 
inhabitants.  Columella  says,  in  his  10th 
book : — 

And  apples,  which  most  barbarous  Persia  sent, 
With  native  poison  arm'd  (as  fame  relates)  : 
But  now  they've  lost  their  pow'r  to  kill,  and  yield 
Ambrosian  juice,  and  have  forgot  to  hurt; 
And  of  their  country  still  retain  the  name. 


Pliny,  in  his   15th  book,  chap.  13,  men- 
tions, that  they  had  been  stated  to  have  pos- 


282 

sessed  venomous  qualities,  and  that  this  fruit 
was  sent  into  Egypt  by  the  tings  of  Persia, 
by  way  of  revenge,  to  plague  the  natives ;  but 
he  treats  this  story  as  a  mere  fable,  adding, 
that  the  name  of  Persica  evidently  bespeaks 
them  a  Persian  -fruit.  Cato  has  not  men- 
tioned them;  and  Pliny  adds,  that  it  was 
not  long  since  peaches  were  known  in  Rome, 
and  there  was  great  difficulty  in  rearing  them. 
He  informs  us  they  were  brought  from  Egypt 
to  the  isle  of  Rhodes,  where  they  could  never 
be  made  to  produce  fruit;  and  from  thence 
to  Italy.  He  says,  moreover,  that  it  was 
not  a  common  fruit  in  Greece  or  in  Natolia. 
This  author  states  again,  in  book  23,  chap.  7» 
that  he  considered  it  the  most  harmless  fruit 
in  the  world  ;  that  it  had  the  most  juice  with 
the  least  smell  of  any  fruit,  add  yet  caused 
thirst  to  those  who  ate  of  it. 

Peaches  were  evidently  cultivated  in 
France  at  an  early  period,  as  Columclla  con- 
tinues his  account  of  this  fruit,  by  stating,— 


Those  of  small  size  to  ripen  make  great  haste  ; 
Such  as  great  Gaul  bestows  observe  due  time, 
And  season,  not  too  early,  nor  too  late. 

Pliny  says,  book  15,  chap.  12,  "  as  for  the 
French  and   Asiatic  peaches,   they  bear  the 


283 

name  of  the  regions  and  nations  from  whence 
they  come/' 

It  is  stated  that  the  peach-tree  was  not 
cultivated  in  England  before  the  year  1562  ; 
and  by  whom  it  was  first  introduced,  or  from 
what  country  it  was  procured,  we  have  no 
authentic  account,  although  Gerard  wrote  his 
work  soon  after,  which  was  published  in  1597, 
wherein  he  describes  the  white  peach,  the  red 
peach,  the  yellow  peach,  and  the  d'avant 
peach,  and  adds,  "  I  have  them  all  in  my 
garden,  with  many  other  sorts." 

The  peach-tree,  he  continues,  "  soone 
commeth  vp  ;  it  beareth  fruit  the  third  or 
fourth  yeer  after  it  is  planted,  and  it  soone 
decaieth ;  and  is  not  of  long  continuance." 
From  this  account,  and  finding  it  in  the  list 
of  fruits,  published  in  the  year  15575  by 
Thomas  Tusser,  who  mentions  peaches, 
white  and  red,  there  can  be  little  doubt  but 
that  it  was  introduced  as  early  as  the  reign 
of  Henry  the  Eighth.  I  am  decidedly  of 
opinion  that  it  was  brought  into  England, 
from  Italy,  by  Wolf,  the  king's  gardener,  in 
the  year  1524,  as  at  this  time  we  find  that 
he  brought  the  apricot  from  the  latter 
country. 

Of  this  deliciously  melting  fruit  we  have 
now  a  great  variety,  from  the  small  nutmeg 


284 

peach  which  ripens  in  July,  to  the  large 
October  peach,  which  is  more  agreeable  to 
the  sight  than  the  palate.  This  fruit  has  been 
almost  equally  multiplied  in  its  varieties  with 
the  apple,  by  sowing  the  stones,  and  lately 
by  the  ingenious  method  of  impregnating 
the  blossoms.  T.  H.  Knight,  Esq.  President 
of  the  Horticultural  Society,  has  procured  a 
new  peach  by  this  operation  :  he  impregnated 
the  pistillum  of  the  blossom  on  an  almond- 
tree,  with  the  pollen  of  the  peach-flower;  and 
this  almond,  when  planted,  produced  a  peach- 
tree  instead  of  one  of  its  own  kind,  and  has 
since  ripened  peaches. 

The  peach  varies  so  much  in  quality,  that 
many  sorts  are  not  worth  the  growing ;  it 
is  therefore  to  be  hoped  that  we  shall  soon 
have  them  exploded,  and  the  better  varieties 
cultivated  in  situations  most  congenial  to 
their  tender  nature.  At  Montreuil,  a  village 
near  Paris,  the  whole  population  is  exclusively 
employed  in  the  cultivation  of  peaches,  which 
has  maintained  the  inhabitants  for  several 
ages  ;  and  the  consequence  is,  that  they  raise 
better  peaches  than  any  other  part  of  France 
affords. 

I   have   often  observed,    that    the    finest 
flavoured   peaches  have  been  gathered  from 
trees  of  the  greatest  age ;  and  I  have  met  with 
1 


285 

many  instances  of  these  trees  bearing  amply 
when  they  have  been  from  forty  to  sixty  years 
old.  These  trees  generally  yield  a  crop,  when 
younger  ones  fail. 

Father  Hennepin,  a  religious  missionary, 
who  first  described  the  regions  of  Louisiana 
in  his  voyage  down  the  Mississippi,  gives 
an  account  of  the  numerous  peach-trees 
which  he  observed  in  every  direction  in  that 
part  of  America ;  and  as  the  latitude  is  the 
same  as  that  part  of  Asia,  of  which  these 
trees  are  the  natural  production,  there  can 
be  no  doubt  but  they  are  indigenous  to 
Louisiana  as  well  as  to  Persia,  although  in 
many  parts  of  America  the  peach  is  regarded 
as  a  foreign  fruit,  it  having  been  introduced 
from  Europe  before  Louisiana  had  been 
explored. 

This  fruit  is  now  cultivated  with  such  suc- 
cess in  some  parts  of  North  America,  that  it 
is  not  uncommon  to  see  orchards  containing 
1,000  standard  peach-trees,  which  are  so  pro- 
ductive, that  the  fruit  is  used  to  fatten  swine: 
from  a  single  orchard  have  been  procured, 
after  the  pulp  is  fermented  and  distilled,  100 
barrels  of  peach  brandy. 

Peaches  are  forced  with  considerable  suc- 
cess. These  of  necessity  must  bear  a  high 
price  in  the  market,  so  long  as  glass  continues 


286 

an  object  of  heavy  taxation.  The  expense 
of  fuel,  it  appears,  will  not  be  so  excessive, 
since  the  heating  of  flues  by  steam  promises 
to  answer. 

It  is  observed,  that  the  best  peaches  of 
every  kind  are  red  next  the  sun,  and  of  a 
yellowish  cast  towards  the  wall :  the  pulp 
should  also  be  of  a  yellowish  tint,  and  juicy  ; 
the  skin  thin,  and  the  stone  small.  To  have 
them  in  perfection,  they  should  not  be  ga- 
thered until  they  will  fall  into  the  hand  by  the 
slightest  touch  of  the  finger. 

This  is  one  of  the  fruits  in  particular 
which  is  recommended  to  be  eaten  in  the 
morning,  in  preference  to, the  usual  time  of 
dessert.  Brookes  says,  "  peaches  agree  well 
with  persons  of  hot  constitutions  and  costive 
habits,  especially  if  they  are  eaten  in  a  morn- 
ing fasting/' 

The  flowers  of  the  peach-tree  are  used  in 
medicine :  when  made  into  a  syrup,  they  are 
given  as  an  aperient  to  children,  and  are  re- 
commended as  a  great  destroyer  of  worms. 

It  should  be  observed  not  to  get  the  flowers 
from  those  peach-trees  that  have  been  grafted 
upon  almond-stocks,  as  the  flowers  partake  of 
the  property  of  the  stock,  which  greatly  alters 
their  virtue.  The  plum  is  a  purgative,  the 
almond  not  at  all  so. 


287 

Gerard  also,  says,-  "the  leaves  of  the  peach- 
tree  boiled  in  milk,  will  destroy  the  worms  in 
young  children/' 

The  young  leaves  are  used  by  cooks  to 
flavour  blant>mange,  custards,  puddings,  &c.; 
and  a  liquor  resembling  noyau  is  made  by 
steeping  peach-leaves  in  white  brandy,  and, 
when  sweetened  with  sugar-candy,  and  fined 
with  milk,  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  flavoured  cordial  of  Martinique. 

Michaelmas  is  the  time  recommended  for 
the  winter  pruning  of  the  nectarine,  as  well 
as  the  peach-tree,  when,  with  little  attention, 
the  blossom-buds  will  be  known  from  the 
wood-buds  ;  the  latter  being  less  turgid,  lon- 
ger, and  narrower,  than  the  blossom-buds. 
In  shortening  the  branches,  observe  to  leave 
a  wood-bud  at  the  end  instead  of  the  fruit- 
bud.  Care  should  be  taken  to  nip  off  the 
ends  of  the  strong  shoots  in  the  month  of 
May,  which  will  cause  them  to  throw  out  new 
boughs  in  every  part  of  the  tree,  as  it  pro- 
duces its  fruit  from  the  young  wood,  either 
of  the  same,  or  at  the  most  of  the  former 
year's  shoot. 

Peach-trees  are  often  injured  by  a  desire 
to  retain  too  full  a  crop  on  the  branches, 
which  not  only  prevents  the  present  fruit  from 
coining  to  maturity,  but,  by  exhausting  the 


288 

tree,  prevents  its  fruiting  in  future  years. 
When  the  peach  has  attained  the  size  of  a 
small  gooseberry,  the  trees  should  be  carefully 
thinned,  leaving  the  fruit  not  nearer  than 
from  four  to  six  inches  to  each  other. 

From    the  wood   of  the  peach-tree   the 
colour  called  rose-pink  is  procured. 


PEAR.-PYRUS. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Icosandria  Penta- 
gynia  Class. 


THE  accounts  we  have  of  this  fruit  are  of 
great  antiquity,  as  the  pear-tree  was  conse- 
crated to  Minerva  previous  to  the  olive. 

The  earliest  writers  mention  it  as  a  fruit 
growing  abundantly  in  Syria  and  Egypt,  as 
well  as  in  Greece;  and  it  appears  to  have 
been  brought  into  Italy  from  these  places, 
about  the  time  that  Sylla  made  himself  master 
of  the  latter  country ;  although  there  is  no 
doubt  but  the  Romans  had  several  kinds  of 
this  fruit  before  that  time.  Virgil  speaks  of 
pears  which  he  had  from  Cato ;  and  Colu- 
mella  mentions  a  considerable  variety  of 
pears.  Pliny  writes  of  them  in  his  15th  book, 
chap.  2,  as  being  then  exceedingly  numerous 
in  Italy :  "  some  have/'  says  he,  "  no  other 
name  than  the  country  from  when  ce  they  caine, 

v 


290 

as  the  Syrian,  the  Alexandrine,  the  Numi- 
dian,  the  Grecian,  the  Picentine,  the  Numan- 
tine,  &c.  &c.:"  but  of  all  the  pears,  he  men- 
tions the  Crustumine  as  the  most  delicate 
and  agreeable;  next  to  that  the  Falernian 
pear  was  esteemed,  and  so  called  for  the 
abundance  of  juice  it  produced,  which  he 
compares  to  wine.  The  Tiberian  pears  were  so 
named  because  they  were  the  sort  Tiberius  the 
emperor  preferred ;  others  were  named  after 
the  persons  who  had  introduced  or  cultivated 
them;  some  from  the  season  when  they 
ripened,  as  the  barley  pear,  &c. ;  and  many 
from  their  odour,  as  the  aromatic  and  laurel 
pears.  "  Some  are  reproached,"  says  he, "  with 
the  name  of  proud  pears,  because  they  are 
earliest  ripe,  and  will  not  keep  :"  there  were 
winter  pears,  and  pears  for  baking,  &c. 
"  Both  pears  and  apples/'  continues  this  author, 
"  have  the  properties  of  wine,  on  which  ac- 
count physicians  are  careful  how  they  give 
them  to  their  patients;  but  when 'sodden  in 
wine  and  water,  they  are  esteemed  whole- 
some/' Again  he  states,  book  xxiii.  chap.  7> 
"  all  pears  whatsoever  are  but  a  heavy  meat, 
even  to  those  in  good  health,  and  the  sick 
are  debarred  from  eating  of  them ;  and  yet, 
if  they  are  well  boiled  or  baked,  they  are 
exceedingly  pleasant,  and  moderately  whole- 


291 

some :  when  sodden  or  baked  with  honey? 
they  agree  with  the  stomach." 

Some  pears  were  used  as  a  counterpoison 
against  the  venomous  mushrooms ;  the  ashes 
of  the  pear-tree  wood  are  also  used  for  the 
same  medicinal  purpose. 

The  wild  pear-tree,  as  well  as  the  crab- 
apple,  appears  to  be  a  native  of  this  country, 
where  it  is  often  found  growing,  particularly 
in  Somersetshire  and  Sussex. 

At  what  period  the  cultivated  pear  was 
first  brought  into  this  country  we  have  no 
account ;  but  we  may  surmise  that  the  Ro- 
mans did  not  neglect  the  propagation  of  this 
fruit  when  they  were  masters  of  Britain. 
The  pear  is  mentioned  by  all  our  early 
writers.  Gerard  says,  in  his  time,  to  write 
of  pears  and  apples  would  require  a  parti- 
cular volume :  every  country,  says  he,  "  hath 
his  peculiar  fruit ;  myselfe  knowe  some  one 
curious,  who  hath  in  one  peece  of  ground, 
at  the  point  of  three  score  sundrie  sorts  of 
pears,  and  those  exceeding  good  ;  not  doubt- 
ing but,  if  his  minde  had  been  to  seek  after 
multitudes,  he  might  have  gotten  togither  the 
like  number  of  those  of  worsse  kindes.  Mas- 
ter Richard  Pointer/'  he  says,  "  has  them  all 
growing  in  his  ground  at  Twicknam,  near 
London,  who  is  a  most  cunning  and  curious 


392 

grafter  and  planter  of  all  manner  of  rare 
fruits;  and  also  in  the  ground  of  an  excellent 
grafter  and  painful  planter.  Master  Henry 
Banbury,  of  Touthill  Street,  neere  vnto  West- 
minster; and  likewise  in  the  ground  of  a 
diligent  and  most  affectionate  louer  of  plants, 
Master  Warner,  neere  Hornsey  Down,  by 
London ;  and  in  divers  other  grounds  about 
London." 

Miller  mentions  eighty  varieties  of  the  pear 
in  his  day,  and,  at  the  present  time,  they 
are  so  much  increased,  that  Mr.  Lee,  of  Ham- 
mersmith, assured  me  that  he  possessed  213 
kinds  of  pear-trees.      We  trust  that,  while 
the  Horticultural  Society  are  seeking  for  new 
varieties,    those    of    established    fame    will 
not  be  neglected.     It  is  desirable  to  have  our 
orchards  planted  with  a  variety,  that  we  may 
have  some  for  all  seasons  and  for   various 
purposes ;  but  it  is  equally  to  be  wished,  that 
the  best  of  each  sort  should  be  selected,  not 
only  of   the   dessert  kinds,    but   those   for 
baking  and  preserving,  as  well  as  those  for 
making  perry,  which  is  one  of  the  justly  ad- 
mired British  beverages. 


-And  taste  revived, 


The  breath  of  orchard  big  with  bending  fruit 

Obedient  to  the  breeze  and  beaten  ray, 

From  the  deep  loaded  bough  a  mellow  shower 


293 

Incessant  melts  away.     The  juicy  pear 
Lies,  in  a  soft  profusion,  scattered  round. 
A  various  sweetness  swells  the  gentle  race, 
By  nature's  all-refining  hand  prepared, 
Of  tempered  sun,  and  water,  earth,  and  air, 
In  ever-changing  composition  mixed. 

Thomson. 

Perry  is  considered  the  best  liquor  that 
can  be  drunk  after  a  surfeit  of  mushrooms. 

An  agreeable  wine  is  made  from  the  wild 
pears  and  crab-apples. 

In  general  pears  are  windy,  and  improper 
for  weak  stomachs :  those  are  best  that  are 
quite  ripe,  and  have  a  sweet  juice,  and  then 
they  are  seldom  noxious ;  unless  eaten  to  ex- 
cess. (Brooks.) 

The  pear-tree  is  liable  to  be  much  injured, 
if  pruned  by  those  who  do  not  understand 
the  nature  of  it.  The  blossoms  are  com- 
monly produced  from  buds  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  last  year's  shoots,  and,  as 
these  are  often  cut  off  by  the  unskilful  pru- 
ner,  it  prevents  their  producing  fruit,  and 
causes  the  boughs  to  send  out  new  branches, 
which  overfill  the  tree  with  wood.  The  sum- 
mer is  the  best  time  to  look  over  pear-trees, 
and  to  remove  all  superfluous  and  foreright 
shoots,  which  would  too  much  shade  the 
fruit.  If  this  be  carefully  done,  they  will 
require  but  little  pruning  in  the  autumn. 


294 

Pears  that  are  to  be  kept  for  the  winter 
use,  should  hang  as  long  on  the  trees  as  the 
state  of  the  weather  will  allow.  They  should 
then  be  put  in  a  heap,  in  an  open  and  dry 
situation,  for  about  ten  days;  then  wiped 
dry  with  a  woollen  cloth,  and  packed  close 
from  the  air  and  moisture.  But  to  keep  this 
fruit  in  it's  greatest  perfection,  small  earthen 
jars  should  be  selected,  about  the  size  of 
the  pear,  which  should  be  packed  separately 
in  clean  oat  chaff,  and  tied  down  with  skin, 
or  brown  paper  cemented  with  pitch.  These 
jars  should  then  be  packed  in  a  chest,  or 
dry  closet,  with  the  bottom  upwards.  Pears 
are  found  more  generally  productive  when 
grafted[on  quince  stocks,  than  upon  those  of 
their  own  kind  or  the  white  thorn. 

The  timber  of  the  pear-tree  is  of  a  yel- 
lowish colour,  and  is  used  for  making  car- 
penters'tools,  measuring  rulers,  picture  frames, 
and  a  variety  of  purposes.  Gerard  says,  "  the 
timber  of  the  wild  pear  is  very  firm  and 
solid,  and  good  to  be  cut  into  moulds/'  The 
plates  in  his  book  were  cut  out  of  this  wood, 
as  were,  says  he,  "  breastplates  for  English 
gentlewomen/' 


PINE-APPLE  PLANT.- 

ANANAS. 


A  Species  of  the  Bromelia,  and  of  the  Class 
Ilexandria    Monogynia.       Natural    Order, 

Coronaritf, 


THIS  delicious  fruit  takes  its  name  of  pine-ap- 
ple from  the  resemblance  it  bears  to  the  cones 
of  the  pine-tree.  It  is  considered  the  king  of 
fruits,  being  second  to  none  in  flavour,  and 
always  appearing  at  table  with  a  crown. 

The  ananas  is  an  herbaceous  plant,  with 
leaves  somewhat  resembling  those  of  the 
aloe.  It  grows  wild,  in  vast  abundance,  in 
many  parts  of  Africa  and  South  America; 
and  is  cultivated  in  the  hotter  islands  of  the 
West  Indies,  where  it  requires  but  little  at- 
tention to  procure  this  elegant  fruit  in  per- 
fection and  plenty. 

In  Jamaica,  pine-apples  have  become 
so  prolific,  that  they  are  often  used  to  flavour 
rum,  and  a  wine  is  made  from  the  fermented 
juice  of  the  sweeter  sorts,  nearly  equal  to 


296 

Malmsey.  Lunan  observes,  in  his  Hortus 
Jamaicensis,  that  these  plants  grow  most  luxu- 
riantly when  they  are  associated  together; 
and  the  suckers  from  them  are  stronger  and 
finer,  than  when  the  plants  are  separated  at  a 
distance  from  each  other :  by  this  their  roots 
are  likewise  kept  cooler  and  moister. 

It  is  stated,  that  the  first  pine-apples 
raised  in  Europe,  were  by  M.  la  Cour  of 
Leyden;  and  the  Sloanean  manuscripts  in 
the  British  Museum  inform  us,  that  the  Earl 
of  Portland  had  the  honour  of  introducing 
this  plant  into  England  from  Holland,  in  the 
year  1690. 

In  the  Fitzwilliam  Museum,  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Cambridge,  is  a  painting  by  Nets- 
cher,  of  a  landscape  with  a  pine-apple,  and 
there  stated  to  be  the  first  that  ever  fruited 
in  England,  which  was  in  Sir  Matthew  Dec- 
ker's garden  at  Richmond,  in  Surry,  grand- 
father to  the  late  Lord  Fitzwilliam.  Gough 
says  also,  that  it  was  Sir  Matthew  Decker, 
Bart  who  first  introduced  the  culture  of  the 
ananas. 

Brookshaw  relates,  that  when  the  pine- 
apple first  produced  fruit  in  England,  it  was 
deemed  so  great  a  curiosity,  and  of  so  much 
importance,  that  persons  of  rank  came  from 
France,  Holland,  and  Germany,  to  see  it, 


297 

but  he  omits  to  say,  when  and  where  it  was 
first  fruited.  I  conclude  it  must  have  been 
very  rare,  even  had  it  in  any  instance  pro- 
duced fruit,  before  the  year  1716;  as  Lady 
Mary  Montague,  on  her  journey  to  Constan- 
tinople in  that  year,  remarks  the  circum- 
stance of  pine-apples  being  served  up  in  the 
dessert,  at  the  electoral  table  at  Hanover,  as 
a  thing  she  had  never  before  seen  or  heard 
of;  and  from  her  ladyship's  rank,  we  may 
conclude  that  she  would  naturally  have  met 
with  them  at  the  English  tables,  had  they 
not  been  very  uncommon. 

This  fruit  must  have  been  known  in 
England  long  before  it  was  attempted  to  be 
grown  here,  as  Lord  Bacon  mentions  it  in  his 
Essay  on  Plantations  or  Colonies,  which  was 
published  near  a  century  before  the  intro- 
duction of  the  ananas  plant  by  the  Earl 
of  Portland;  but  I  am  strongly  persuaded 
that  the  pine-apple  had  been  cultivated  in 
this  country  at  a  much  earlier  period  than 
that  mentioned  by  Sloane ;  and  this  opinion 
has  been  strengthened  by  a  curious  old  pic- 
ture, which  the  Earl  of  Waldegrave  obli- 
gingly showed  me,  in  the  breakfast-room  of 
his  beautiful  residence  of  Strawberry  Hall, 
Twickenham.  The  painting  represents  King 
Charles  the  Second  in  a  garden  before  his 


298 

palace  at  Ham,  attended  by  two  of  his 
favourite  breed  of  spaniels,  where  Rose,  the 
royal  gardener,  is  presenting  his  Majesty  with 
the  first  pine-apple.  This  picture  was  in 
the  collection  of  the  celebrated  Horace  Wai- 
pole,  whose  descriptive  account  informs  us, 
that  it  was  bequeathed  by  Mr.  London  to 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Pennicott,  of  Ditton,  by  whom 
it  was  presented  to  himself.  He  adds,  the 
painting  is  supposed  to  be  by  Daneker.  It 
is  probable  that  the  method  of  raising  the 
ananas  not  being  correctly  understood,  the 
plants  were,  by  some  accident,  lost  in  this 
country,  until  they  were  introduced  a  second 
time. 

By  an  engraving  of  the  pine-apple,  which 
was  published  by  Robert  Furber,  gardener, 
at  Kensington,  in  the  year  1733,  we  may 
judge  that  the  raising  of  pines  was  not  then 
brought  to  any  degree  of  perfection,  as  the 
fruit  is  represented  short,  having  not  more 
than  four  or  five  protuberances  in  height,  and 
the  crown  appears  small  and  weak.  From 
the  drawings  of  the  other  fruits,  which  seem 
to  be  from  fine  specimens,  it  is  natural  to 
suppose  that  this  fruit  was  also  copied  from 
the  best  pine  then  produced. 

We  have  now  a  considerable  variety  of 
this  exquisite  fruit,  and  new  kinds  are  fre- 


299 

quently  procured  by  the  curious  from  the 
seed,  which  is  very  small,  of  a  kidney  shape, 
and  lodged  like  the  seeds  of  berries  in  the 
tubercles ;  but  the  pine  is  chiefly  propagated 
by  planting  the  crowns  or  suckers,  which 
latter  come  more  quickly  to  maturity,  and 
are  therefore  more  generally  preferred.  The 
most  rare  kind  is  the  green  pine,  which  was 
brought  from  Barbadoes ;  the  black  pine  is 
of  late  introduction.  Of  the  older  varieties, 
the  sugar-loaf  pine,  with  a  yellowish  flesh,  is 
greatly  preferred  to  the  oval-shaped  fruit  of 
a  paler  colour.  The  Welbeck-seedling  is  a 
pine  justly  admired,  as  is  the  blood-pine,  a 
variety  grown  by  Mr.  Wilmot  of  Isleworth, 
who  makes  the  following  just  remark  :  "  like 
the  strawberry,"  says  he,  "  pines  would  be 
better  reduced  to  four  or  five  varieties/' 

Dr.  Wright  says,  pines  have  a  detersive 
quality,  and  are  better  fitted  to  cleanse  the 
mouth  and  gums  than  any  gargle  whatever. 

This  fruit  was  long  confined  to  the  tables 
of  the  rich  and  the  luxurious,  on  account  of 
the  expense  of  raising  it  in  stoves,  but  the 
cultivation  of  the  pine-apple  is  now  so  well 
understood  in  this  country,  that  notwith- 
standing the  bar  made  by  the  high  price  of 
glass,  and  the  expense  of  fuel,  this  fruit  is 
seen  in  our  markets,  at  one  fourth  of  the  price 


300 

they  produced  a  few  years  back ;  and  pine- 
apple ices  are  already  become  as  common  as 
those  of  raspberry,  in  the  shops  of  the  London 
confectioners. 

Should  the  heating  of  stoves,  by  steam, 
answer  to  the  expected  extent,  and  the  duty 
on  garden  glass  be  relinquished,  we  shall  soon 
have  African  gardens  of  great  extent  on  the 
banks  of  the  Thames,  and  pine-apples  cried 
through  our  streets  two  for  a  crown. 

The  late  Sir  Joseph  Banks  says,  that  it 
does  not  require  the  foresight  of  a  prophet  to 
foretell,  that  in  less  than  half  a  century  we 
shall  have  forcing  houses  of  such  an  extent, 
that  our  markets  will  be  supplied  with  the 
aki,  and  the  avocado  pear  of  the  West  Indies, 
the  flat  peaches,  the  mandarine  orange,  and 
the  Litchi  of  China ;  the  mango,  (which  has 
already  been  ripened  at  Kew,  in  the  autumn 
of  1808),  the  mangostan,  and  the  durion  of 
the  East  Indies,  and  possibly  other  valuable 
fruits. 

Since  writing  the  above  account,  this  fruit 
has  for  the  first  time  been  imported  as  an 
article  of  commerce  from  the  Bermuda  islands. 
The  importation  consisted  of  about  400  pine- 
apples of  the  species  called  the  Green  Pro- 
vidence. These  were  purchased  by  Mr.  Mart, 
of  Oxford  Street,  fruiterer,  who  informed  me, 


301 

that  about  two  thirds  of  the  quantity  arrived 
in  good  condition.  As  this  experiment  has 
been  found  to  answer,  we  may  in  future  ex- 
pect a  regular  supply  of  pine-apples,  not  only 
from  the  Bermudas,  but  also  from  the  West 
India  islands.  I  observed,  that  those  pines 
which  were  packed  with  the  roots,  arrived  in 
a  better  state  than  others  that  were  cut  off  in 
the  usual  manner. 


PLANTAIN.-MUSA  PARA 
DISIACA. 


In  'Botany,  of  the  Petygamia  Mon&cia  Class. 
Natural  Order,  Scitamencce. 


THIS  tree  received  its  generic  name  in  me- 
mory of  Antonius  Musa,  the  freedman  and 
physician  of  Augustus,  who  for  curing  his 
imperial  master  of  a  dangerous  disease,  by 
recommending  to  him  the  use  of  the  cold 
bath,  was  honoured  by  the  senate  with  a 
brazen  statue,  which  was  placed  near  that  of 
^Esculapius.  Antonius  was  a  botanist,  and 
is  supposed  to  be  the  author  of  the  treatise, 
De  Herbd  BotanicA. 

The  plantain  is  a  native  of  Guinea,  from 
whence  it  was  brought  to  the  Canary  Islands, 
and  from  thence  carried  to  the  West  Indies ; 
where  it  is  cultivated  with  much  care  in 
all  the  islands,  the  fruit  being  regarded  among 
the  greatest  blessings  bestowed  upon  the  in- 


303 

habitants  of  that  climate.  Dr.  Wright  says, 
the  island  of  Jamaica  would  scarcely  be  habi- 
table without  this  fruit,  as  no  species  of  provi- 
sion could  supply  it's  place:  even  flour,  or 
wheaten  bread  itself,  would  be  less  agreeable, 
and  less  able  to  support  the  laborious  negro, 
so  as  to  enable  him  to  do  his  business,  or  to 
keep  up  his  health. 

The  fruit  of  the  plantain-tree  is  about  a 
foot  long,  and  two  or  three  inches  in  dia- 
meter ;  it  forms  a  principal  part  of  the  food 
of  the  negros,  who  either  roast  or  boil  it, 
when  it  becomes  a  palatable  and  strengthen- 
ing diet :  it  is  often  boiled  in  their  mess  of 
salt  beef,  pork,  or  fish,  &c.;  many  Europeans, 
when  accustomed  to  it,  prefer  it  to  bread. 
When  ripe,  it  is  lusciously  sweet,  and  makes 
good  tarts.  The  Spaniards  dry  and  preserve 
it  as  a  sweetmeat,  and  it  is  thought  to  be  the 
most  wholesome  of  all  confectionary.  It  is 
one  of  the  very  best  foods  to  fatten  domestic 
animals  and  fowls,  giving  a  firmness  and  ex- 
quisite flavour  to  their  flesh. 

The  plantain  is  cultivated  in  Egypt,  and 
most  other  hot  countries,  where  it  grows  to 
perfection  in  about  ten  months  from  it's  first 
planting,  to  the  ripening  of  it's  fruit.  This 
tree  is  only  perennial  by  it's  roots,  and  dies 
clown  to  the  ground  when  it  has  fruited,  after 


S04 

which,  it  is  cut  down :  several  suckers  then 
soon  come  up  from  the  roots,  which  in  six  or 
eight  months  produce  fruit,  so  that  by  cutting 
down  the  stalks  at  different  times,  there  is  a 
constant  succession  of  fruit  all  the  year. 

When  the  plantain  is  grown  to  it's  full 
height,  the  spikes  of  flowers  appear  in  the 
centre,  which  is  about  four  feet  long.  The 
flowers  come  out  in  bunches,  those  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  spike  being  the  largest; 
each  of  these  buriches  is  covered  with  a 
sheath  of  a  fine  purple  colour,  which  drops 
off  when  the  flowers  open.  The  upper  part 
of  the  spike  is  made  up  of  male  flowers, 
which  are  succeeded  by  the  fruit,  that  is  of 
a  pale  yellow  colour  when  ripe ;  and  the 
spikes  of  fruit  often  weigh  upwards  of  forty 
pounds.  This  plant  has  been  reared  in  our 
stoves  since  the  year  1690. 


The  Banana  Tree:  Musa  Sapientum. — 
This  tree  so  much  resembles  the  plantain, 
that  it  is  only  known  at  first  by  the  dark 
spots  on  its  stem,  which  the  other  has  not. 
This  is  a  wholesome  fruit,  and  is  used  at 
desserts.  From  it  a  pleasant  drink  is  made, 
exceeding  our  cider.  When  baked  in  tarts, 
or  boiled  in  dumplings,  this  fruit  tastes  like 


305 

the  apple :  when  dried  in  the  sun,  it  re- 
sembles a  delicious  fig.  It  also  makes  a  good 
marmalade,  which  is  recommended  as  a  great 
relief  for  coughs.  The  fruit  of  the  banana- 
tree  is  said  to  comfort  the  heart,  is  cooling, 
and  refreshes  the  spirits.  Labat  states,  that 
when  the  natives  of  the  West  Indies  under- 
take a  voyage,  they  make  part  of  their  provi- 
sion to  consist  of  a  paste  of  banana,  which, 
in  case  of  need,  serves  them  for  nourishment 
and  drink.  For  this  purpose  they  take  ripe 
bananas,  and  having  scjueezed  them  through 
a  fine  sieve,  form  the  solid  fruit  into  small 
loaves,  which  are  dried  in  the  sun,  or  in  hot 
ashes,  after  being  previously; wrapped  in  the 
leaves  of  Indian  flowering  reed. 

The  fruit  of  the  banana-tree  is  about  four 
or  five  inches  long,  of  the  size  and  shape  of  a 
middling  cucumber;  it  generally  grows  in 
bunches,  weighing  upwards  of.  twelve  pounds. 
The  Spaniards  have  a  conceit,  that  if  you  cut 
this,  or  the  fruit  of  the  plantain  athwart,  or 
crossways,  there  appears  a  cross  in  the  middle 
of  the  fruit,  and  therefore  they  will  not  cut 
any,  but  break  them.  The  Franciscans  de- 
dicate this  fruit  to  the  Muses,  and  therefore 
call  it  musa.  The  Portuguese  call  it  jftcus 
derta.  Lodovicus  Romanus,  and  Brocard, 
who  wrote  a  Description  of  the  Holy  Land, 

x 


306 

call  the  bananas  Adam's  Apples,  supposing 
them  to  be  the  fruit  that  Eve  took  and  gave 
to  Adam,  which  is  as  erroneous  as  the  ac- 
count of  the  Abb6  Poyart  and  others,  who 
state  the  leaves  to  be  those  of  the  tree  from 
which  our  first  parents  made  themselves 
aprons,  as  from  their  size,  which  is  from  five 
to  seven  feet  in  length,  and  from  one  to  two 
feet  in  breadth,  they  could  not  have  required 
sewing  together  for  that  purpose.  These 
leaves  are  said  to  be  as  strong  as  parchment. 
The  leaves  of  the  plantain,  as  well  as  the 
banana,  grow  so  rapidly,  that  by  placing  a 
thread,  they  will  be  found  to  grow  an  inch  in 
an  hour.  The  young  leaves  are  so  soft,  that 
the}r  are  employed  in  dressings  for  blisters, 
&c.  When  full  grown,  they  are  so  large  that 
they  are  used  as  substitutes  for  napkins  and 
table-cloths  :  when  dried,  they  are  made  into 
mats  and  stuffings  for  mattresses,  &c. 

If  a  knife  be  thrust  into  a  plantain-tree, 
there  will  come  out  a  great  quantity  of  clear 
water,  which  is  very  rough  and  astringent, 
stopping  all  sorts  of  fluxes. 

The  fruit  of  the  banana-tree  has  been 
ripened  in  our  hothouses;  but  as  the  tree 
grows  very  tall,  the  size  of  the  leaves  requires 
more  room  than  most  gardeners  are  willing 
to  allow  it  in  the  stove. 


307 

From  the  rapidity  of  the  growth  of  the 
banana,  it  is  of  too  porous  a  nature  to  merit 
the  name  of  wood*  and  the  Indians  have 
ever  been  accustomed  to  make  cordage,  and 
a  kind  of  cloth, -from  its  fibres.  The  cele- 
brated circumnavigator,  Dampier,  notices 
the  process  more  than  a  century  ago,  as 
follows : — 

"  They  take  the  body  of  the  tree,  clear  it 
of  it's  outward  bark  and  leaves,  cut  it  into 
quarters,  put  it  into  the  sun,  when  the  mois- 
ture exhales;  they  then  take  hold  of  the 
threads  at  the  ends,  and  draw  them  out : 
they  are  as  big  as  brown  thread ;  and  of  this 
they  make  cloth  in  Mindanas,  called  sag- 
gen." 

In  Jamaica,  there  have  been  upwards  of 
£200  given  by  an  order  of  the  Assembly,  for 
the  best  specimens  of  this  hemp.  Dr.  Stew- 
art West  gained  a  premium,  and  his  process 
may  be  seen  in  the  Hortus  Jamaicensis. 

From  experiments  tried  on  the  hemp 
made  from  the  plantain-tree  fibre,  which  was 
manufactured  into  rope  at  his  Majesty 's  dock- 
yard, Port  Royal,  in  Jamaica,  the  following 
results  were  obtained : — 

Cwt.  qr.  Ib. 
King's  nine-thread  inch-rope  broke 

by  the  weight  of 6     1   14 

x  2 


308 

Cwt.  qr.  Ib. 
Dr.  West's  specimen  broke  by  the 

weight  of 6    2    0 

Specimen  from  the  parish  of  St.  An- 
drew   6     1     0 

Do.         Do.        Portland   ...  4    2     0 
Do.        Do.        St.  George  ..320 
The  above  specimens  were  all  made  of  the 
same  size  as  the  king's  rope. 


PLUM.-PRUNUS. 


In  Botany,   of  the  Icosandria  Monogynia 
Class. 


PLUMS  are  so  numerous  in  their  varieties* 
that  to  describe  them  separately  would  be 
endless,  as  not  only  every  country,  but  almost 
every  district,  has  its  peculiar  sorts  of  this 
fruit. 

The  Grecians  added  to  their  native  plums 
those  of  Syria,  Egypt,  and  Persia,  and  the 
Romans  not  only  possessed  themselves  of 
the  plums  of  all  the  known  world,  but  em- 
ployed their  ingenuity  in  making  additional 
varieties.  Columella,  in  his  tenth  book, 
speaking  of  this  fruit,  says — 


then  are  the  wicker  baskets  cramm'd 


With  Damask  and  Armenian,  and  wax  plums. 

Pliny  states,  in  his  fifteenth  book,  chap. 


310 

13,  that  there  was  a  great  variety  of  this  fruit 
in  Italy ;  and  it  is  not  long,  says  he,  since 
the  country  about  Grenada  and  Andalusia 
began  to  graft  plums  upon  apple  stocks, 
which  were  called  apple  plums ;  others  upon 
almond  stocks,  which  he  calls  a  clever  device, 
as  it  produced  both  fruits,  the  stone  being  like 
the  kernel  of  an  almond.  Those  grafted  upon 
nut-stocks,  he  states,  retained  the  form  of  the 
mother  graft ;  but  they  got  the  taste  of  the 
stock  wherein  they  were  set. 

The  wild  sloe  and  bullace  are  indigenous 
to  this  country,  and  in  all  probability  the 
only  kinds  that  are  natives ;  but,  like  the 
wild  crab-apple,  they  have  furnished  stocks 
for  every  variety  of  their  own  species ;  and 
this  fruit  appears  to  have  been  attended  to 
in  early  days,  if  we  may  judge  from  the 
variety  that  Gerard  had  in  his  garden  at 
Holborn,  in  1597-  "  I  have,"  says  he,  "  three 
score  sorts  in  my  garden,  and  all  strange  and 
rare :  there  be  in  other  places  many  more 
common,  and  yet  yeerely  comrneth  to  our 
handes  others  not  before  knowne.  The  great- 
est varietie  of  these  rare  plums,  are  to  be 
found  in  the  grounds  of  Master  Vincent 
Pointer,  of  Twicknam." 

The  Damson,  or  Damascene  plum  takes  its 
name  from  Damascus,  where  it  grows  in  great 


311 

quantities,  and  from  whence  it  was  brought 
into  Italy  about  114  years  B.  C.  Pliny  says, 
this  plum  required  the  warmer  sun  of  Syria : 
we  may  therefore  conclude,  it  is  still  more  in- 
ferior in  our  climate. 

The  Orleans  plum  takes  it's  name  from 
the  part  of  France  so  called.  This  is  a  hand- 
some but  an  indifferent  fruit,  and  not  equal 
to  the  common  Muscle  plum  in  flavour, 
although  it  is  more  cultivated  than  even  the 
Green  Gage,  which  is  not  only  the  most 
agreeable,  but  also  the  most  wholesome  of 
all  the  plums.  This  latter  plum  was  called  the 
Heine  Claude,  from  having  been  introduced 
into  France  by  Queen  Claude,  wife  to  Francis 
the  1st  of  that  country,  but  it  bears  various 
names  in  different  parts  of  France.  It  is  often 
called  damas  verd;  at  Tours  it  is  named 
abricot  verd;  at  Rouen,  where  it  grows  abun- 
dantly, they  call  it  la  verte  bonne.  This 
plum  received  the  name  of  Green  Gage  from 
the  following  accident : — The  Gage  family, 
in  the  last  century,  procured  from  the  mo- 
nastery of  the  Chartreuse  at  Paris,  a  col- 
lection of  fruit-trees.  When  these  trees  ar- 
rived at  the  mansion  of  Hengrave  Hall,  the 
tickets  were  safely  affixed  to  all  of  them, 
excepting  only  to  the  Reine  Claude,  which 
was  either  omitted  to  have  been  put  on,  or 


312 

was  rubbed  off  in  the  package.  The  gar- 
dener, therefore,  being  ignorant  of  the  name, 
called  it,  when  it  first  bore  fruit,  the  Green 
Gage.  The  compliment  was  justly  due  to 
the  family  for  the  introduction  of  this  excel- 
lent plum,  which  is  more  acceptable  to  the 
country  at  large,  than  the  trifling  respect  can 
be  to  the  family  of  Gage.  Lord  Cromwell 
brought  several  sorts  of  plums  from  Italy  into 
this  country,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VII. : 
among  them  was  the  Perdrigoq. 

The  Bonurn  Magnum  is  our  largest  plum, 
and  greatly  esteemed  for  preserves  and  cu- 
linary purposes.  A  plum  of  the  same  size 
and  shape,  but  of  a  yellower  hue,  has  lately 
beeh  introduced  by  a  Mr.  Coe,  of  Brompton, 
and  is  called  Coe's  Golden  Drop.  In  flavour 
it  partakes  both  of  the  Green  Gage  and  the 
Apricot.  I  have  several  standard  trees  in  my 
garden  at  Bayswater,  which  are  very  pro- 
ductive; and  the  fruit  has  the  quality  of 
keeping  perfectly  sound  and  good  until  near 
Christmas,  if  it  be  gathered  with  the  stalk 
or  a  part  of  the  branch,  and  suspended  in  a 
dry  room. 

Plums  are  now  forced  in  the  highest 
perfection,  which  enables  the  gardener  to 
supply  the  spring  desserts  with  the  autumnal 
fruits. 


313 

Dried  plums  are  principally  imported 
from  Portugal,  and  the  neighbourhood  of 
Marseilles  in  France;  from  whence  also  prunes 
are  brought :  this  latter  variety  is  mostly 
used  in  medicine. 

Plums  of  all  kinds  are  considered  more 
agreeable  than  wholesome,  but  like  the  pear, 
they  lose  their  bad  qualities  by  baking. 
Plums  in  general  are  moistening,  laxative, 
and  emollient,  except  the  bullaces  and  sloes, 
which  are  astringent.  They  are  cooling, 
quench  thirst,  and  create  an  appetite,  and 
therefore  agree  best  with  hot  constitutions; 
but  they  do  not  sit  easy  with  those  that  have 
weak  stomachs.  In  years  that  plums  are  very 
plentiful,  and  consequently  much  eaten, 
fluxes  generally  abound;  hence  it  appears 
that  they  ought  always  to  be  eaten  very  mo- 
derately, and  then  they  should  be  quite  ripe 
and  sound.  (Brookes.)  The  damson  plum 
produces  a  tolerably  pleasant  wine,  and  an 
exceedingly  agreeable  kind  of  jelly  called  dam- 
son cheese.  The  wild  plum  was  used  in  me- 
dicine by  the  ancients,  and  the  bark  of  the 
tree  is  thought  to  be  equal  to  the  Peruvian 
bark  in  cases  of  intermitting  fevers. 


POMEGRANATE.-PUNICA. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Icosandria  Mono- 
gynia  Class.     Natural  Order,  Pomacetf. 


IT  takes  it's  name  from  pomum  granatum,  a 
kernelled  apple. 

The  early  part  of  the  Bible  notices  the 
pomegranate  as  a  native  of  Syria.  It  is  men- 
tioned as  one  of  the  fruits  discovered  in  the 
Land  of  Promise ;  previous  to  which  disco- 
very, while  the  Israelites  sojourned  in  the 
wilderness,  it  was  selected  as  the  ornament  to 
the  robe  of  the  Ephod. 

"  And  beneath,  upon  the  skirts  of  it,  thou 
shalt  make  pomegranates  of  blue,  and  of 
purple,  and  of  scarlet,  round  about  the  hem 
thereof;  and  bells  of  gold  between  them  round 
about.  A  golden  bell  and  a  pomegranate,  a 
golden  bell  and  a  pomegranate,  upon  the  hem 
of  the  robe  round  about." 

The  sacred  history  also  informs  us,  that 
1 


315 

the  two  large  pillars  of  brass,  made  by  Hiram 
for  the  porch  of  Solomon's  temple,  were  or- 
namented with  carvings  of  the  pomegranate; 
and  by  the  writings  of  Solomon  we  may  con- 
clude, that  a  choice  wine  was  made  from  it  in 
Judea : — 

"  I  would  cause  thee  to  drink  of  spiced 
wine  of  the  juice  of  my  pomegranates/' 

Again  it  is  mentioned  by  the  Prophet 
Joel: — 

"  The  vine  is  dried  up,  and  the  fig-tree 
languisheth ;  the  pomegranate-tree,  the  palm- 
tree  also,  and  the  apple-tree;  even  all  the 
trees  of  the  field  are  withered/' 

The  Grecians  esteemed  this  fruit,  and 
mentioned  it  in  their  fabulous  stories  as 
growing  in  the  Elysian  Fields.  When  Ceres 
earnestly  entreated  Jupiter  for  the  restitution 
of  her  daughter  Proserpine,  who  had  been 
carried  off  by  Pluto,  he  promised  to  grant  it 
on  condition  that  she  had  tasted  no  food  in 
the  infernal  regions.  Unfortunately  she  had 
gathered  a  pomegranate  from  a  tree,  and 
eaten  a  few  of  the  seeds,  as  she  was  walking 
in  the  Elysian  Fields.  This  was  made  known 
by  Ascalaphus,  who  alone  had  seen  it;  and 
the  enraged  mother  turned  him  into  an  owl 
for  his  unseasonable  information. 

The  pomegranate-tree  was  first  brought 


316 

to  Rome  from  Carthage,  in  the  days  of  the 
murderous  Sylla;  and  about  thirty-three  years 
after  this  celebrated  city  was  totally  destroyed 
by  Scipio,  the  second  Africanus.  Pliny  says, 
in  the  21st  chapter  of  his  13th  book,  that 
"  the  territory  of  Carthage  claims  to  itself  the 
Punic  apple,  which  some  call  pomegranate; 
from  the  flowers  of  which  we  get  the  colour 
to  dye  cloth,  called  puniceus  (pink  or  light 
red)/'  He  speaks  of  nine  varieties,  book  23, 
chap.  6;  and,  in  the  former  book,  he  de- 
scribes the  sweet  sort,  the  sour,  the  tem- 
perate, the  styptic  or  austere,  and  one  kind 
tasting  of  wine.  "  The  difference/'  he  says, 
"  between  the  pomegranate  of  Samos  and 
that  of  Egypt,  consists  in  their  flowers;  the 
one  being  white  and  the  other  red.  The 
rind  of  the  sour  kind,"  he  says,  "  is  the  best 
for  tanners  and  curriers  to  dress  their  leather 
with/'  This  author  recommends  pomegra- 
nates to  be  divided  into  quarters,  and  steep- 
ed in  rain-water  for  three  days;  which  he 
states  makes  a  good  drink  for  those  who 
are  troubled  with  weak  habits.  The  flowers, 
rind,  and  every  part  of  the  fruit,  were  used 
medicinally  by  the  Romans;  on  which  sub- 
ject he  has  written  at  large,  book  6,  chap. 
23. 

Some  authors  affirmed,  that  Grenada,  in 


317 

Spain,  owes  it's  name  to  this  fruit,  which 
was  brought  from  Africa,  and  planted  in  that 
part.  The  capital  of  this  province  has  a  split 
pomegranate  for  its  arms,  which  is  seen  on 
the  gate-posts  of  the  public  walks,  and  is  re- 
presented in  carving,  or  by  painting,  on  all 
the  public  buildings. 

The  pomegranate-tree  was  first  cultivated 
in  England  in  the  year  1548,  during  the 
reign  of  Henry  the  Eighth;  and  I  find  it 
mentioned  among  the  trees  that  fruited  in 
the  orange-house  of  the  unfortunate  Charles 
the  First. 

The  pomegranate-tree  blossoms  well  in  the 
warmer  counties  of  England;  but  the  fruit 
comes  to  no  perfection  in  the  open  air.  The 
kind  generally  planted  for  ornament  is  the 
double  scarlet,  which  is  very  beautiful  when 
in  blossom. 

Gerard  writes  on  the  medicinal  qualities 
of  this  tree,  and  informs  us,  that  he  reared 
several  plants  from  the  seeds  previous  ,  to 

1597. 

The  pomegranate  has  been  planted  in  the 
West-India  islands,  where  the  fruit  grows 
larger  and  finer  flavoured  than  in  Europe. 
The  French,  in  the  island  of  St.  Vincent,  had 
a  riddle  on  the  pomegranate,  on  account  of 


318 

the  resemblance  which  the  calix  bears  to  a 
crown. 

"  Quelle  est  la  reine,  qui  porte  tout  son 
royaume  dans  son  sein?" 

Lord  Bacon  notices  this  fruit,  and  re- 
commends the  use  of  the  wine  of  the  sweet 
pomegranates  for  complaints  of  the  liver,  or, 
if  that  cannot  be  had,  the  juice  of  them 
newly  expressed.  He  says,  "let  it  be  taken 
in  the  morning,  with  a  little  sugar;  and  into 
the  glass  into  which  the  expression  is  made, 
put  a  small  piece  of  green  citron-peel,  and 
three  or  four  whole  cloves :  let  this  be  taken 
from  February  till  the  end  of  March/'  The 
juice  of  the  pomegranate  is  preferred  even  to 
that  of  oranges  in  cases  of  fever.  The  rind 
of  the  fruit  and  the  flowers  are  the  parts 
directed  for  medicinal  uses:  they  are  both 
powerful  astringents,  and  have  long  been  suc- 
cessfully employed  as  such,  both  internally 
and  externally  for  gargles,  and  in  diarrfioeas, 
&c.  The  dose  in  substance  is  froHn  half  a 
drachm  to  a  drachm,  in  infusion  or  decoction, 
to  half  an  ounce.  (Woodvilk.) 

As  an  astringent,  the  rind  of  the  fruit, 
boiled  in  water  with  cinhamon,  port-winr 
and  guacJa  jelly  to  be  added,  is  recommended 
in  Dancer's  Medical  Assistant. 


319 

The  rind  also  produces  as  good  ink  as 
that  made  from  galls. 

Sloane  says,  that  the  leaves  beaten  with 
oil  of  roses,  applied  to  the  head,  cures  it's  ach- 
ing. The  rind  of  the  fruit,  together  with  the 
bark  of  the  tree,  is  still  used  in  some  parts  of 
Germany,  in  the  preparation  and  dyeing  of 
red  leather, in  imitation  of  Morocco. 


PUMPKIN,  or  POMPION.- 
PEPO. 


In  Botany,  of  the  Mon&cia  Syngene$ia  Class. 
Natural  Order,  Cucurbitacecs. 


THE  pompion  is  a  coarse,  inferior  kind  of 
melon,  which  has  long  been  known  in  Eu- 
rope, as  Pliny  mentions  it  in  his  IQth  book, 
chap.  v.  where  he  says,  cucumbers  of  an  ex- 
ceeding large  size  are  called  pompions. 
Again,  in  his  20th  book,  chap.  ii.  he  says,  "  as 
for  the  fruit,  called  pompions  or  melons,  be- 
ing eaten  as  meat  to  cool  the  body,  and  the 
fleshy  substance  applied  to  the  eyes  assuaging 
their  pain,"  &c. 

Aiton  states  it  to  be  a  native  of  the  Levant, 
and  says  it  was  first  introduced  into  this 
country  in  1570.  Gerard  says,  "  as  there 
is  a  wild  sort  of  cucumbers,  of  melons,  citruls, 
and  gourds,  so  likewise  there  be  certaine 
wild  pompions,  which  grow  in  Barbaric, 
Africa,  and  most  parts  of  the  East  and  West 


321 

Indies/'  This  author  says,  "  the  pulpe  of 
the  pompion  is  neuer  eaten  raw,  but  boiled 
in  milk  and  buttered ;  is  not  onely  a  good 
wholesome  meate  for  man's  bodie,  but,  being 
so  prepared,  is  also  a  most  phisicall  medicine 
for  such  as  have  an  hot  stomacke,  and  the  in- 
ward parts  inflamed  :"  he  continues,  "  the  flesh 
or  pulpe  of  the  same  sliced,  and  fried  in  a  pan 
with  butter,  is  also  a  good  and  wholesome 
meate :"  but  he  condemns  the  method  of  using 
it  with  apples  in  pies. 

This  fruit  has  lately  been  raised  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  London  to  an  extraordinary 
size,  weighing  nearly  two  hundred  weight* 
These  are  sold  in  the  shops  of  the  metropolis, 
more  as  a  curiosity  than  for  use.  I  have  found 
them,  when  boiled  in  their  own  moisture,  viz* 
without  water,  an  excellent  vegetable  with 
meat,  having  a  taste  resembling  artichokes : 
with  the  addition  of  the  peel  and  juice  of 
lemons,  they  make  an  agreeable  pudding. 

Pompions  are  used  by  the  Jews  in  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles,  when  they  form  a  kind 
of  cradles  into  which  they  put  a  great  number 
of  pompions. 

In  Hughes's  Natural  History  of  Barbadoes, 
he  says,  "  Pumpkins  make  a  great  part  of 
the  food  of  the  poorer  sort,  in  the  summer- 
time, as  well  in  Asia  and  Africa  as  in  Ame- 


322 

i 

rica."  He  adds,  that  they  are  distinguished 
in  Barbadoes  by  the  names  of  the  White,  the 
Blue,  the  Marbled,  and  the  Garden  Pumpkin. 
The  latter  differs  from  all  the  rest  by  having 
no  seed,  but  is  propagated  by  slips.  He  says, 
also,  that  they  are  boiled  and  eaten  with 
flesh  meat,  and  much  used  by  the  poorer  sort 
in  soups. 

The  jugglers,  or  quacks,  in  some  parts  of 
America,  extract  the  pulp  out  of  pompions, 
and  fill  them  with  flint  stones,  with  which 
they  make  a  great  noise,  and  pretend  to 
frighten  away  all  the  complaints  of  their  su- 
perstitious patients. 


QUINCE.-CYDONIA. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Icosandria  Pen- 
tagynia  Class. 


has  joined  this  genus,  as  well  as 
the  apple,  to  the  pear,  while  Miller  separates 
it  on  this  account :  he  says,  "  the  pear  will 
take  upon  the  quince  by  grafting  or  budding, 
and  so  vice  versd ;  but  neither  of  these  will 
take  upon  the  apple,  nor  that  upon  either  of 
these/'  But  we  have  a  particular  account 
transmitted  to  us  by  Pliny,  that  quinces  were 
grafted  upon  apple-stocks  in  his  time,  (book  xv. 
chap.  14) :  he  says,  "  as  for  the  quince-apples 
that  come  of  a  quince  grafted  upon  an  apple- 
stock,  they  are  called  Appiana,  after  Appius, 
who  was  of  the  Claudian  House,  and  who  first 
devised  and  practised  this  mode  of  grafting; 
these  apples/'  continues  he,  "  have  the  smell 
of  the  quince,  are  of  a  red  colour,  and  the  size 
of  the  Claudian  apple/' 

Y  2 


324 

The  Quince  was  called  Cydonia,  after 
an  island  in  the  Mediterranean,  now  named 
Candia.  It  is  a  fruit  that  the  ancients  held 
in  high  estimation:  they  considered  it  as  the 
emblem  of  happiness,  of  love,  and  of  fruit- 
fulness:  it  was  dedicated  to  Venus,  and  the 
temples  of  Cyprus  and  Paphos  were  deco- 
rated with  it.  The  statues  of  the  gods  also 
who  presided  at  the  nuptial  bed,  were  orna- 
mented with  this  fruit ;  and  the  bride,  before 
she  entered  into  the  marriage-bed,  used  to 
eat  of  the  quinces.  Columella  says,  quinces 
not  only  yield  pleasure  but  health  also :  he 
speaks  of 'three  kinds;  the  Struthian,  the 
Must  Quinc£9  and  the  Orange  or  Golden 
Quince. 

The  learned  Goropins  maintains  that 
quinces  were  the  golden  apples  of  the  Hespe- 
rides,  and  not  oranges, as  sbme  commentators 
pretend.  In  support  of  his  argument,  he 
states,  that  it  was  a  fruit  much  revered  by  the 
ancients,  and  he  assures  us  that  there  has 
been  discovered  at  Rome  a  statue  of  Hercules, 
that  held  in  it's  hand  three  quinces  ;  this,  he 
says,  agrees  with  the  fable  which  states,  that 
Hercules  stole  the  golden  apples  from  the  gar- 
dens of  the  Hesperides. 

Pliny  speaks  of  quinces  in  his  1 5th  book, 
llth  chap,  and  says,  "  there  are  many  kinds 


325 

of  this  fruit  in  Italy,  some  growing  wild  ia 
the  hedge-rows,    others   so   large   that   they 
weigh  the  boughs  down  to  the  ground,  some 
of  a  green   hue,    others    inclining    to   gold 
colour:    these  were  called  chrysomda,  which 
seems  to  give  authority  to  the  above  account 
ofGoropius.     The:  only  kind  that  was  eaten 
raw,  he  states,  to  have  been  raised  by  graft- 
ing  the  large  quince  upon  the    stock   of  a 
small  kind,  called  struthea  (the  pear-quince). 
He  adds,  "  all  kinds  of  this  fruit  are  in  use 
now-a-days,   within  the  waiting  Or  presence 
chambers  of  our  great  personages,,  where, men 
give  attendance  to  salute  .them  as  they  come 
forth  eyery  morning/'     He  also  states,  that 
they  were;! used  to.  garnish  the  images  which 
stand  :about  the  bed's  head  and  sides. 

The  same  author,  in  his  23d  book,  chap. 
6th,  writes  much  on  the  medicinal  qualities 
of  this  fruit.  "  Quinces,"  says  he,  "  when 
eaten  raw,  if  quite  ripe,  are  good  for  those 
that  spit  blood,  or  are  troubled  with  he- 
morrhage/' The  juice  .of  raw  quinces,  he 
states  to  be  a  sovereign  remedy  for  the  swoln 
spleen,  the  dropsy,  and  difficulty  of  taking 
breath,  particularly  to  those  who  cannot  draw 
their  breath  but  in  an  upright  position.  The 
flowers,  either  fresh  or  dried,  he  tells  us, 


326 

are  good  for  the  inflammation  of  the  eyes. 
The  root  of  the  tree  was  used  more  as  a 
charm  than  a  medicine  for  those  afflicted 
with  the  scrofula. 

Quince-trees  grow  wild  on  the  banks  of 
the  Danube,  and  they  are  stated  to  have 
been  brought  into  this  country  from  the  island 
of  Crete,  now  called  Candia.  They  have 
long  been  cultivated  in  this  kingdom,  as  our 
earliest  authors  on  this  subject  mention  them. 
Gerard  says,  they  were  often  planted  in 
hedges  and  fences  to  gardens  and  vineyards 
in  his  time.  By  the  Hortus  Kewensis  it 
appears  that  the  quince  was  first  introduced 
in  the  reign  of  Henry  the  VHIth,  1537, 
which  is  evidently  an  error,  from  the  circum- 
stance above  related  by  Gerard,  who  was 
then  an  old  man. 

Quinces  are  used  in  medicine,  being  of 
an  astringent  and  stomachic  quality.  The 
expressed  juice  of  this  fruit,  in  small  quanti- 
ties, as  a  spoonful  or  two,  is  of  service  in 
nausea,  vomiting,  &c.  Lord  Bacon  says,  "  It 
is  certain  that  the  use  of  quinces  is  good 
to  strengthen  the  stomach ;  but  we  take  them 
to  be  better  if  they  be  used  in  that  which 
they  call  quiddeny  of  quinces,  than  in  the 
bodies  of  quinces  themselves,  because  they 


327 

lie  heavy  in  the  stomach;  but  those  quid- 
denies  are  best  taken  after  meals,  alone; 
before  meals,  dipped  in  vinegar/' 

Quinces  grow  in  such  abundance  in  some 
parts  of  the  Wealds  of  Sussex,  as  to  enable 
private  families  to  make  quince-wine  in  quan- 
tities of  from  1  to  200  gallons  in  a  season. 
It  is  an  agreeable  wine,  that  improves  much 
by  keeping,  and  is  greatly  esteemed  by 
asthmatic  persons.  A  gentleman  residing 
at  Horsham,  in  Sussex,  assured  me,  that 
he  was  not  only  relieved  in  an  asthmatic 
complaint  of  long  standing,  but  completely 
restored  to  his  health  by  the  use  of  this 
wine,  which  was  made  after  the  following 
receipt: — 

"  Cut  large  quinces  in  quarters,  and  core 
them,  as  the  seeds  give  the  wine  an  unplea- 
sant flavour;  grind  them  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  apples  for  cider,  and  put  to  every 
gallon  of  pummis  a  gallon  of  water ;  let  it 
stand  a  day  or  two,  then  strain  it  off. 
Should  the  pummis  smell  very  strong  of  the 
fruit,  it  will  bear  a  little  more  water,  and 
to  every  gallon  put  three  pounds  and  a 
quarter  of  moist  sugar ;  tun  it  and  stop  it 
quite  close  in  the  following  March ;  rack  it 
off;  cleanse  the  cask  from  the  sediment,  and 
put  it  back  again;  and  in  the  second  year 


328 

bottle  it  off/'     Quince-marmalade  is  greatly 
admired  by  those  who  are  fond  of  the  fruit. 

The  Portugal  quince  is  the  most  es- 
teemed. In  the  pruning  of  the  quince-tree 
little  is  required,  except  to  keep  the  stem 
free  from  suckers,  and  to  cut  all  branches 
that  rub  each  other. 


RASPBERRY-BUSH.-RUBUS 
ID.EUS. 


Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Icosandria  Poly- 
gynla  Class. 


THE  raspberry  was  .but  little  noticed  by  the 
ancients,  and  that  principally  on  account  of 
it's  medical  virtues.  Pliny  does  not  consider 
it  of  so  much  importance  as  the  bramble,  in 
mentioning  which  he  says,  "there  is  a  third 
sort  of  bramble,  which  the  Greeks  call 
Idcea,  after  Mount  Ida.  This  fruit  is 
smaller  than  the  other  bramble-berries,  with 
less  thorns  on  the  stem,  and  these  not  so 
sharp  or  hooked.  The  flowers  of  this  ras- 
pis,"  he  continues,  "  being  tempered  with 
honey,  are  good  to  be  laid  to  watery  and 
blood-shotten  eyes,  as  also  the  Erysipelas. 
Being  taken  inwardly,  and  drunk  with 
water,  it  is  comfortable  medicine  to  a  weak 
stomach/' 

The   red-raspberry  is  indigenous  to   this 
2 


330 

country,  and  is  often  found  wild  in  the 
northern  counties.  I  have  also  seen  it  in 
the  wild  state  growing  freely  in  some  woods 
on  the  South  Downs  of  Sussex.  It  is  a  fruit 
that  appears  to  have  been  much  improved 
by  cultivation,  as  Gerard  writes  on  it,  pre- 
vious to  1597?  as  not  being  equal  to  the  black- 
berry, although  he  says  it  is  planted  in  gar- 
dens. He  calls  it  Raspis,  or  Hindberry : 
"  the  fruit,"  he  adds,  "  is  in  shape  and  propor- 
tion like  that  of  the  bramble :  red,  when  it  is 
ripe,  and  covered  over  with  a  little  downi- 
ness, of  taste  not  very  pleasant/'  He  does 
not  mention  the  white  raspberry,  nor  has 
Tusser,  who  wrote  in  the  previous  reign. 

The  large  kinds  of  raspberries,  both  red 
and  yellow,  were  brought  from  Antwerp  to 
this  country. 

The  yellow  or  white  raspberry  is  most 
admired  at  dessert:  indeed  all  the  white  fruits 
of  the  berry  kind,  are  sweeter  than  the  co- 
loured, but  other  fruits  that  are  coloured  are 
generally  sweeter  than  the  white. 

The  red  raspberry  is  considered  the  finest 
for  flavouring  ices,  jams,  &c.  A  third  kind 
is  cultivated,  which  produces  two  crops  a 
year,  but  I  have  seldom  met  with  the 
October  raspberry  possessing  much  fla- 
vour. 


331 

Raspberries  are  much  cultivated  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Isleworth  and  Brentford ; 
from  whence  those  are  sent  to  London  in 
swing  carts,  which  are  used  by  the  distillers  for 
making  raspberry  brandy,  raspberry  vinegar, 
&c.  as  also  those  used  by  confectioners  and 
pastry-cooks ;  but  the  raspberries  which  are 
intended  for  the  table,  are  brought  by  women 
on  their  heads:  their  load  consists  of  a  round, 
or  basket,  containing  twelve  gallons,  of  three 
pints  to  a  gallon ;  and,  although  the  distance 
is  ten  miles  from  Isleworth  to  Covent-Garden 
market,  they  regularly  perform  the  journey 
in  two  hours ;  for  which  they  are  paid  three 
shillings  and  sixpence.  From  Hammersmith 
these  industrious  women  will  take  a  load 
three  times  a  day,  for  which  they  receive 
eigh teen-pence  per  load.  These  female  fruit 
porters  come  to  the  vicinity  of  London  for 
the  season,  from  Wiltshire,  Shropshire,  and 
Wales :  in  their  long  journies  they  seldom 
walk  at  a  less  pace  than  five  miles  per  hour. 

The  dietetic  and  medicinal  virtues  of 
raspberries  being  the  same  as  those  of  the 
strawberry,  will  be  noticed  in  the  history  of 
that  fruit. 

"  Raspberry  and  strawberry  wines,"  says 
Dr.  Short,  "  are  of  all  made-wines  the  most 
delicious  to  the  taste ;  they  lightly  and  plea- 


332 

santly  stimulate  the  nerves  of  the  mouth  and 
nose  with  a  most  agreeable  smell  and  taste, 
which  proceeds  from  a  mixture  of  their  es- 
sential salt  and  fine  oil."  This  author  recom- 
mends these  wines  in  scorbutic  disorders  as  a 
purifier  and  swetener  of  the  blood.  "  Mixed 
with  water,"  he  says,  "they  make  a  good 
reviving  draught  in  ardent  fevers," 

The  wood  of  the  raspberry-bush  produces 
fruit  but  one  year,  therefore  j  that  should  be 
carefully  cut,  down  below  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  and  the  young  shoots  should  be  short- 
ened to  about  two  feet. in  height:  the  middle 
or  end.  of  October  is  the  proper  time  for  this 
pruning.  The  fruit  is  produced  from  young 
branches  out  of  the  last  year's  shoots  or 
suckers. 


STRAWBERRY  PLANT.— 
FRAGARIA. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the ,  Icosamlria  Poly- 
gynia  Class. 


THIS  most  agreeable  fruit  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  cultivated  by  the  ancients ;  and 
it  seems  only  to  have  grown  in  the  moun- 
tainous parts  of  Greece  and  Italy,  the  climate 
being  too  warm  in  the  other  parts  of  these 
countries.  It  is  slightly  mentioned  by  Virgil, 
Ovid,  and  Pliny,  and  even  the  latter  author 
does  not  mention  the  fruit  as  a  diet  or  medi- 
cine. In  speaking  of  the  arbutus-tree,  book 
15,  chap.  24,  he  saysj  "  the  tree  is  termed  the 
strawberry-tree ;'  and  .there  is  not  any  other 
tree  that  gives  fruit'  which  resembles  the  fruit 
of  an  herb  growing  by  the  ground/'  Again 
he  says,  speaking  of  the  bramble-berry,— 
"  as  the  ground  strawberry  differs  in  carnosity 
from  the  fruit  of  the  arbutus-tree/' 


334 

The  red-wood  strawberry  is  a  native  of 
this  country ;  and  several  modern  writers 
state,  that  the  white  strawberry,  as  well  as 
the  green  strawberry,  are  indigenous  to  these 
kingdoms.  The  latter  is  often  called  the 
pine-apple  strawberry,  from  its  excellent  fla- 
vour. 

Gerard  seems  to  consider  only  the  red 
strawberry  as  a  native  of  this  climate.  He 
says,  "  strawberries  do  grow  upon  hills  and 
valleys,  likewise  in  woods,  and  other  such 
places  that  bee  something  shadowie.  They 
prosper  well  in  gardens :  the  red  strawberry 
euery  where ;  and  the  other  two,  white  and 
green,  more  rare,  and  are  not  to  be  founde 
saue  onely  in  gardens." 

Shakespeare  says : 

"  The  strawberry  grows  underneath  the  nettle ; 
And  wholesome  berries  thrive,  and  ripen  best, 
NeigbbourM  by  fruit  of  baser  quality." 

The  scarlet  strawberry  is  a  native  of 
Virginia,  where  it  grows  wild ;  and  was 
brought  to  this  country  in  1629-  It  is  the 
earliest  sort,  and  is  the  best  strawberry  for 
forcing. 

The  hautboy-strawberry  was  procured  also 
from  America;  from  which  we  have  raised 
the  improved  kind,  called  the  globe-hautboy. 


335 

The  Chili  strawberry  takes  it's  name 
from  that  part  of  America  so  called,  from 
whence  it  was  brought  by  M.  Frazier, 
engineer  to  the  French  king.  It  was  culti- 
vated in  the  royal  gardens  at  Paris,  from 
whence  some  of  the  plants  were  conveyed 
to  Holland,  and  from  the  latter  place  they 
were  brought  to  England,  by  Mr.  Miller,  in 
the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  King  George  the 
Second,  1727. 

The  Alpine  strawberry  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  was  planted  in  England  in  the 
year  1768. 

The  varieties  of  the  strawberry  have,  like 
those  of  other  fruits,  been  so  increased,  that, 
to  describe  them  distinctly,  would  be  almost 
impossible,  even  with  the  assistance  of 
coloured  drawings.  The  President  of  the 
Horticultural  Society,  Thomas  Andrew 
Knight,  Esq.,  states,  that  he  has  at  this  time 
not  less  than  400  varieties  of  this  fruit  in 
his  garden.  Among  those  which  he  has 
raised,  is  one  from  the  white  Chili  strawberry 
and  the  pollen  of  the  black  strawberry. 

Mr.  Keen  of  Isleworth,  in  the  county  of 
Middlesex,  who  is  one  of  the  greatest  grow- 
ers of  strawberries  for  the  London  market, 
has  obligingly  furnished  me  with  his  ob- 
servations on  the  culture  of  this  fruit,  which 
1 


336 

furnishes  a  strong  instance  of  the  advantage 
of  botanical  knowledge.     Mr.  Keen  states, 
that  the  want  of  education  deprived  him  of 
the  benefit  of  written  information ;  but  it  will 
be  found  that  he  has  studied  the  book  of 
nature  to  advantage.     I  observed,  says  Mr. 
Keen,  that   some  of  my   strawberry   plants 
g&ve  out  abundance  of  male  blossoms,  but 
produced  no  fruit.     I  therefore,  in  the  year 
1809,    had   all  these  plants  taken  from  my 
beds,  and  had  other  beds,  made  with  the  fruit 
bearing,  or  female  plants  only ;  but  finding 
my    crop   entirely  fail,   and   suspecting   the 
error   I   had   made,   I  procured  some .  blos- 
soms of  the  male  plants,  which  having  put 
into  a  bottle  of  water,  I   placed  on  one  of 
my  beds,  and  in  a  few  clays  perceived  the 
fruit   began  to  swell  and  thrive  on  all  the 
plants  contiguous  to  the  bottle. 

Having  tried  the  same  experiment  in  se- 
veral parts  of  my  garden  with  the  like  effect, 
I  was  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  the  male 
plants  in  producing  fruit,  since  which  time, 
I  have  planted  about  one  male  plant  to 
ten  female  plants,  which  I  find  to  be  the 
most  profitable  proportion,  as  my  beds  have 
since  been  so  productive,  that  it  has  been 
scarce  possible  to  gather  the  fruit  without 
bruising  others.  Some  strawberry  plants 


,       337 

have  both  male  and  female  flowers  on  the 
same  plant.  These  are  not  so  profitable ;  and 
I  find  it  more  advantageous  to  raise  my  plants 
from  seed  than  by  suckers.  When  the  fruit 
is  quite  ripe,  I  sow  them  in  a  rich  moist  soil, 
and  in  one  year  the  Alpines  produce  fruit, 
but  the  other  kinds  require  two  years."  From 
the  seed,  Mr.  Keen  has  procured  a  new 
variety  of  this  fruit,  to  which  he  has  given 
the  name  of  Imperial  Strawberry ;  it  is  of  a 
dark  ruby  colour,  and,  in  appearance,  the 
most  beautiful  of  all  the  strawberries ;  but  I 
find  the  flavour  of  it  is  not  superior  to  that  of 
other  kinds.  Mr.  Keen  recommends  the 
month  of  March,  as  the  best  season  for  mak- 
ing new  beds. 

The  strawberry  is  our  earliest  fruit,  arid, 
as  the  harbinger  of  the  fructus  hortei,  its  ap- 
pearance is  as  welcome,  as  its  flavour  is 
agreeable. 

I  find  that  the  old  custom  of  putting  clean 
straw  round  strawberry  plants,  is  still  conti- 
nued in  some  parts  of  Suffolk.  The  late  Sir 
J.  Banks  concludes,  that  their  English  name 
was  derived  from  the  practice  of  putting  straw 
under  them  when  the  fruit  began  to  swell, 
as  the  plant  has  no  relation  to  straw  in  any 
other  way ;  and  no  other  European  language 
applies  the  idea  of  straw  in  any  other  shape 

z 


338 

to  the  name  of  the  berry,  or  to  the  plant.  Sir 
Joseph  adds,  although  the  custom  of  putting 
straw  round  the  plants  is  now  very  little 
attended  to,  it's  utility  is  very  evident,  as  in 
dry  parching  weather  it  would  be  the  means 
of  keeping  the  plants  moist,  and,  in  wet 
showery  weather,  it  would  both  keep  the  fruit 
clean,  and  prevent  its  rotting  so  rapidly. 

As  a  dietetic  fruit,  the  strawberry  affords 
but  little  nourishment ;  the  moderate  or  even 
plentiful  use  of  it  is  salubrious,  and  recom- 
mended to  those  of  inflammatory  or  bilious 
habits.  Boerhaave  considers  the  continued 
use  of  this  fruit,  as  one  of  the  principal  re- 
medies in  cases  of  obstruction  and  viscidity, 
and  in  putrid  disorders.  Hoffman  furnishes 
instances  of  some  obstinate  diseases  being 
cured  by  strawberries,  and  other  mild  sweet 
subacid  fruits.  Strawberries  should  be  taken 
sparingly  by  those  of  a  cold  inactive  dis- 
position, where  the  vessels  are  lax,  the  circu- 
lation languid,  or  digestion  weak. 

This  fruit  is  generally  sent  to  dessert  in 
its  natural  state,  although  often  with  cream 
and  sugar:  but  it  is  more  esteemed  when 
Burgundy  or  claret  wine  is  substituted  for  the 
cream.  Strawberry  jam  is  much  admired; 
and  for  ice  creams  the  flavour  is  generally 
preferred  to  that  of  raspberries. 


339 

The  pine  strawberries  make  an  agreeable 
dessert  wine,  equally  rich  as  mountain ;  but 
possessing  greater  fragrance  and  acidity :  the 
latter  quality  is  generally  too  predominant  in 
our  English  made-wines,  which  proceeds  more 
from  the  want  of  attention  in  the  making  of 
wines,  than  from  the  quality  of  the  fruits. 

In  the  monastery  of  Bathalla,  in  Por- 
tugal, is  the  tomb  of  Don  John,  son  of  King 
John  the  First,  of  Portugal ;  which  is  orna- 
mented by  the  representation  of  strawberries, 
this  prince  having  chosen  them  for  his  crest, 
to  show  his  devotion  to  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
who  lived  on  fruits. 


z  2 


SERVICE-TREE.-SORB  US. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Icosandria  Tri- 
gynia  Class. 


THIS  fruit,  which  is  a  native  of  England, 
is  now  as  little  known,  and  as  rare  in  the 
London  market,  as  the  fruits  of  the  most 
distant  parts  of  the  world;  and  the  service- 
berry-tree  is  now  so  thinly  scattered  over  the 
country,  that  many  farmers  do  not  even  know 
its  existence. 

Pliny  writes  of  it  as  a  fruit  held  in 
estimation  by  the  Romans.  He  mentions 
four  sorts,  some  round,  resembling  apples, 
others  shaped  like  pears,  others  like  an  egg, 
and  one  variety  which  was  only  used  me- 
dicinally. He  states,  that  Cato  would  have 
service-berries  preserved,  (book  xv.  c.  21), 
and  in  the  17th  chapter  of  the  same  book 


341 

he  gives  directions  for  preserving  them  in 
two  different  ways :  again  he  mentions  them 
in  his  23d  book,  Ylth  chap,  and  says  their 
medicinal  virtues  are  the  same  as  those  of  the 
medlar. 

Gerard  describes  two  kinds,  and  says, 
"  they  are  found  in  woods  and  groves  in  most 
places  of  England.  There  be  many  small 
trees  thereof,  in  a  little  wood  a  mile  beyond 
Islington :  in  Kent  it  groweth  in  great  abun- 
dance, especially  about  Southfleete  and 
Gravesend." 

The  service-tree  is  still  occasionally  to  be 
met  with  in  the  hedge-rows  in  Kent,  and 
in  the  Wealds  of  Sussex,  of  the  size  of  a 
moderate  oak-tree ;  as  also  in  the  north  of 
England  and  Wales. 

The  service-berry,  which  is  an  umbilicated 
fruit,  partakes  of  the  quality  of  the  medlar, 
both  in  the  green  and  in  the  ripe  state.  It 
is  gathered  in  bunches,  and  put  into,  or 
hung  on,  a  cleft  stick  of  about  a  yard  long, 
which  becomes  a  mass  of  berries :  in  this 
state  the  fruit  is  sold  by  the  country  people, 
and  then  hung  up  in  a  garden  to  receive  the 
damp  air  of  the  night,  which  causes  it  to 
undergo  a  kind  of  putrefactive  fermentation, 
and  in  this  soft  state  it  is  eaten,  and  has  a 


342 

more  agreeable  acid  than  the  medlar.  Chan- 
cellor Bacon  speaks  of  service-berries  in  his 
time  as  a  garden  fruit.  In  Italy  and  the 
south  of  France,  they  are  still  served  up  in 
the  dessert. 

I  conclude,  that  the  great  size  of  the 
service-tree  has  been  the  cause  of  excluding 
this  fruit  from  our  gardens :  but  it  is,  from 
it's  beauty,  particularly  when  in  blossom,  a 
desirable  tree  for  planting  in  parks  or  pad- 
docks ;  and  as  the  timber  is  so  valuable,  and 
now  become  so  rare,  I  hope  to  see  it  more 
cultivated.  There  is  a  remarkable  fine  tree  of 
this  kind  now  growing  at  Kingsfold  farm,  in 
the  parish  of  Rusper,  near  Horsham  in  Sussex. 

I  know  many  noblemen  and  gentlemen 
object  to  fruit-bearing  trees  being  planted  on 
their  estates,  on  the  principle  that  it  encou- 
rages depredators  to  injure  their  plantations ; 
but  this  seems  but  a  poor  excuse  for  depriving 
themselves  and  the  public  of  the  beauty  and 
variety  which  the  blossoms  give  at  one  season 
of  the  year,  and  the  fruit  at  another,  particu- 
larly to  those  who  have  park-keepers  or 
bailiffs  on  the  premises. 

Furber  of  Kensington,  who  in  1733  pub- 
lished his  twelve  engravings  of  fruits  for  the 
desserts  of  each  month,  gives  a  representation 


343 

of  the  Italian  services  for  October,  and  the 
English  maple-leaved  service-berries  for  the 
month  of  November. 

This  fruit  is  reckoned  to  be  very  restrin- 
gent,  and  useful  for  all  kinds  of  fluxes;  but 
when  ripe  it  is  not  altogether  so  binding. 

The  timber  of  the  service-tree  is  of  a  fine 
hard  grain,  and  the  variations  pleasing  when 
wrought  into  cabinet  goods :  it  is  esteemed 
by  the  turner  and  carver,  as  well  as  for  the 
making  of  gun-stocks.  It  is  used  by  mill- 
wrights for  cogs  to  wheels,  &c.  in  preference 
to  any  other  wood :  it  is  also  a  very  durable 
wood  for  buildings  that  are  exposed  to  a 
northern  aspect. 


TAMARIND.-TAMARINDUS. 


In  Botany,  of  the  Monadelphia  Triandria  Class, 
and  not  of  the  Triandria  Monogynia,  as 
classed  by  Linnaus.  Natural  Order,  io- 
mentacecB. 


THIS  name  is  derived  from  tamar,  the  Arabic 
name  for  the  date ;  and  it  is  to  the  Arabians 
that  we  owe  a  knowledge  of  the  use  of  this 
fruit  in  medicine.  The  ancient  Greeks  knew 
nothing  of  it,  and  the  first  authors  who  pre- 
scribe the  tamarind  are  Serapion,  Mesue,  and 
Avicenna. 

The  tamarind- tree  is  a  native  of  both 
Indies,  and  thrives  also  in  Egypt,  Palestine, 
Arabia,  and  other  parts  of  Asia ;  and  it 
appears,  by  Johnson's  edition  of  Gerard, 
to  have  been  cultivated  in  England  previous 
to  1633.  Miller  states,  that  he  has  had 
it  grow  upwards  of  three  feet  high  in  one 
summer,  and  produce  flowers  the  same  year 


345 

it  was  sown ;  but  this  must  have  been  acci- 
dental, for  none  of  his  older  plants  blossomed, 
although  he  had  them  twelve  feet  high,  and 
eighteen  years  old.  There  is  a  fine  healthy 
tree  of  this  species  now  in  the  Royal  Botanic 
Gardens  at  Kew,  which  flowered  a  few  years 
back  for  the  first  time. 

The  tree  grows  to  a  great  size,  with  large 
spreading  branches,  and  a  thick  and  beau- 
tiful foliage.  The  leaves  are  pinnate,  com- 
posed of  sixteen  or  eighteen  pairs  of  leaflets, 
without  a  single  one  at  the  end  :  they  are 
ovate-oblong,  quite  entire,  smooth,  sessile, 
of  a  bright  green,  spreading  during  the  day, 
but  closing,  so  as  to  lie  over  each  other  in 
the  night :  they  have  an  acid  taste.  The 
flowers  come  out  from  the  sides  of  the 
branches,  on  a  long,  upright,  common  pe- 
duncle, six  or  eight  together,  in  loose  bunches, 
of  a  yellow  colour,  veined  with  a  reddish 
purple. 

What  we  style  the  fruit  of  the  tamarind 
is  only  the  pistil  of  the  flowers,  which  be- 
come pods,  that  are  thick  and  compressed, 
from  two  to  five  inches  in  length,  with  from 
two  to  four  or  six  seeds  :  these  pods  become 
of  a  reddish  brown  as  they  ripen.  The  fruit 
is,  properly  speaking,  composed  of  two  pods: 
the  outer  pod  is  fleshy,  and  the  inner  one 


346 

thin  as  the  finest  parchment;  between  these 
two  there  is  a  space  of  about  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  all  the  way,  which  is  filled  up  with  a 
soft  pulpy  substance,  of  a  tart  but  agreeable 
taste,  which  is  what  we  use  as  the  fruit:  this, 
and  the  stones  which  are  enclosed  in  the  inner 
pod,  are  fastened  together  by  a  great  many 
slender  fibres  from  the  woody  stalk  which 
runs  through  the  pod,  and  conveys  the  vinous 
juice,  that  afterwards  hardens,  into  the  viscous 
matter  of  the  pulp.  Lunan  says,  the  tree  is 
exceedingly  common  in  Jamaica,  where  it 
grows  to  vast  bulk;  and  he  gives  the  follow- 
ing account  of  preparing  the  fruit.  "  The 
pods  are  gathered  when  full  ripe,  which  is 
known  by  their  fragility,  or  easy  breaking 
on  a  small  pressure  between  the  finger  and 
the  thumb.  The  fruit  is  taken  out  of  the  pod, 
cleared  from  the  shelly  fragments,  and  placed 
in  layers  in  a  cask;  and  the  boiling  syrup 
from  the  teache,  or  first  copper  in  the  boiling- 
house,  just  before  it  begins  to  granulate,  is 
poured  in  till  the  cask  is  filled:  the  syrup 
pervades  every  part  quite  to  the  bottom,  and, 
when  cool,  the  cask  is  headed  for  sale.  The 
more  elegant  method  is  with  sugar,  well  cla- 
rified with  eggs,  till  a  clear  transparent  syrup 
is  formed,  which  gives  the  fruit  a  much  plea- 
santer  flavour. 


347 

The  East-India  tamarinds  are  preserved 
generally  without  sugar,  and  are  better  adapt- 
ed for  an  ingredient  in  medical  compositions. 
The  best  method  of  preserving  them  is  said  to 
be  by  putting  alternate  layers  of  tamarinds 
and  powdered  sugar  in  a  stone  jar :  by  this 
means  the  tamarinds  preserve  their  colour  and 
taste  more  agreeably. 

In  the  Indies,  and  in  some  parts  of  Africa, 
tamarinds  are  used  as  food,  and  are  made 
into  a  sort  of  confection  with  sugar,  and 
eaten  as  a  delicacy,  which  in  the  violent 
heats  of  these  climates  is  cooling,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  keeps  the  bowels  in  a  proper 
state  of  laxity.  The  fruit  is  also  frequently 
made  an  ingredient  in  punch,  and  seldom 
fails  to  open  the  body.  A  very  agreeable 
cooling  drink  is  made  by  simply  mixing 
water  with  a  few  spoonfuls  of  it  when  pre- 
served. Dr.  Cullen  was  of  opinion,  that  it 
was  best  to  preserve  tamarinds  in  the  pods. 
They  contain  a  larger  proportion  of  acid, 
with  saccharine  matter,  than  is  usually  found 
in  the  acid  dulcet  fruits,  and  are  therefore 
not  only  employed  as  a  laxative,  but  also 
for  abating  thirst  and  heat  in  various  in- 
flammatory complaints,  and  for  correcting 
putrid  disorders,  especially  those  of  a  bilious 
kind,  in  which  the  cathartic,  antiseptic,  and 


348 

refrigerant  qualities  of  the  fruit  have  been 
found  equally  useful.  When  intended  merely 
as  a  laxative,  it  may  be  of  advantage  to  join 
them  wih  manna,,  or  purgatives  of  a  sweet 
kind,  by  which  their  use  is  rendered  safer  and 
more  effectual.  Three  drachms  of  the  pulp 
are  usually  sufficient  to  open  the  body;  but 
to  prove  moderately  cathartic,  one  or  two 
ounces  are  required.  The  leaves  are  some- 
times used  in  sub-acid  infusions;  and  Alpinus 
says,  a  decoction  of  them  kills  worms  in  chil- 
dren. (Wright.)  Dr.  Zimmerman  prescribes 
tamarinds  in  putrid  dysentery. 

The  sour  taste  of  tamarinds  proves  that 
acid  particles  abound  greatly  in  them,  and  a 
chemical  analysis  gives  further  proof  of  this. 
There  is  indeed  no  alkali  to  be  obtained  from 
this  fruit,  otherwise  than  by  distilling  it  in 
a  retort  with  quicklime.  A  simple  analysis 
of  it  yields  no  other  principle  but  acid  and 
sulphur. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  an  essential 
salt  crystallized  on  the  branches  of  the  tama- 
rind-tree, which  greatly  resembles  cream  of 
tartar  in  all  respects,  and  is  no  other  than 
the  genuine  salt  of  the  plant,  formed  by  the 
sun's  drying  up  the  accidental  extravasated 
juices. 

The  leaves  of  the  sycamore,  in  hot  sea- 


349 

sons,  are  often  found  thus  covered  with  crys- 
tals of  their  essential  salt,  which  is  sweet, 
and  very  much  of  the  nature  of  sugar.  The 
lime-tree  produces  a  like  saccharine  matter, 
which,  being  given  to  a  person  to  drink,  will 
be  found  of  the  same  purgative  virtue  as 
manna. 

Tamarinds  are  an  ingredient  in  the  well- 
known  medicine  called  lenitive  electuary. 


WALNUT.-JUGLANS. 


In  Botany.,  a  Genus  of  the  Moimcia  Polyandria 

Class. 


THE  walnut-tree  is  evidently  a  native  of  the 
northern  parts  of  Persia  and  China,  where 
it  grows  wild;  and  the  Grecian  names  for 
this  fruit,  Persicon  and  Basilicon,  Persian  or 
Royal  Nut,  bespeak  it  to  have  been  brought 
from  Persia,  either  by  the  monarchs  of 
Greece  themselves,  or  sent  thither  from  the 
kings  of  Persia.  According  to  Pliny's  ac- 
count, book  15,  chap.  22,  "  the  Greeks  after- 
wards called  them  caryon,  on  account  of  the 
heaviness  of  the  head  which  their  strong  smell 
caused." 

"  Walnuts  were  first  brought  into  Italy  by 
Vitellius,  a  little  before  the  death  of  Tiberius 
the  emperor;  and  the  Romans,"  continues 
Pliny,  "honoured  them  with  the  name  of 


351 

Juglamles,  viz.  Jupiter's  nuts/'     They  were 
much  used  at  weddings  by  this  people. 

This  author  has  written  much  on  their 
medical  virtues,  book  23,  chap.  18,  wherein 
he  says,  that  "  the  more  walnuts  one  eats, 
with  more  ease  will  he  drive  worms  out  of 
his  stomach ;  and  that,  eaten  before  meals, 
they  lessen  the  effects  of  any  poisonous  food ; 
eaten  after  onions/'  he  states,  "  they  keep 
them  from  rising,  and  prevent  the  disagree- 
able mell." 

The  bark  of  the  walnut-tree  was  consi- 
dered a  sovereign  remedy  for  the  ringworm. 
The  leaves  bruised  and  stamped  with  vinegar, 
and  so  applied,  put  away  the  pain  of  the 
ears. 

After  Mithridates  was  vanquished,  Cneius 
Pompeius  found  in  his  secret  closet  or  cabinet, 
among  many  precious  jewels,  the  receipt  of 
a  certain  antidote  against  poison,  written  in 
the  hand-writing  of  Mithridates,  in  his  private 
note-book,  as  follows  : — 

"  Take  two  dry  walnut  kernels,  as  many 
figs,  of  rue  twenty  leaves ;  stamp  all  these 
together  into  one  mass,  with  a  grain  or  corn 
of  salt/'  Under  which  was  written,  "  who- 
ever accustoms  himself  to  eat  of  this  confec- 
tion in  a  morning,  next  his  heart  there  shall 
no  poison  hurt  him  that  day/' 


352 

Walnuts  are  considered  stomachic :  their 
oil  is  a  good  medicine  for  the  stone  and 
gravel.  The  bark  of  the  tree  is  a  strong 
emetic,  either  green,  or  dried  and  powdered. 
The  unripe  fruit  is  used  in  medicine  for  the 
destruction  of  worms,  and  is  administered 
in  the  form  of  an  extract.  I  find,  if  the  water 
in  which  the  outside  covering  of  walnuts  has 
been  steeped,  be  thrown  on  the  ground,  the 
worms  will  immediately  come  out  of  the 
earth :  anglers  often  use  this  means  to  obtain 
bait  for  fishing. 

The  ancients  considered  that  walnuts 
chewed  by  a  person  fasting,  would,  if  applied, 
cure  the  bite  of  a  mad  dog. 

The  green  nuts  are  cordial,  alexipharmic, 
and  said  to  be  of  great  use  in  all  contagious, 
malignant  distempers,  and  the  plague  itself. 

The  nuts,  preserved  young,  are  an  excel- 
lent sweetmeat,  and  are  good  to  be  eaten  in  a 
morning,  in  time  of  pestilential  distempers,  to 
prevent  infection.  I  have  been  favoured  by 
the  following  receipt  for  preserving  young 
walnuts,  by  a  family  who  assure  me  that  they 
have  known  them  succeed  in  obstinate  cos- 
tiveness  when  all  other  remedies  have  failed : 
even  a  small  part  of  one  of  these  sweetmeats 
will  give  relief. 

Take  green  walnuts,  in  the  proper  state 


353 

for  pickling,  and  boil  them  till  tender;  take 
them  out,  and  stick  a  piece  of  lemon-peel  to 
every  nut;  and  to  every  fifth  one,  a  clove  and 
a  small  piece  of  mace.  To  every  pound  of 
nuts,  add  one  pound  of  moist  sugar  with  water 
enough  to  make  a  good  syrup ;  put  in  the 
nuts,  and  simmer  them  till  the  syrup  is  thick, 
and  let  them  stand  ten  days;  then  clarify  half 
the  above  quantity  of  sugar,  and  boil  as  be- 
fore; and,  when  cold,  cover  them  close  for 
use.  By  keeping,  the  syrup  will  shrink,  so 
that  after  a  year  or  two  a  little  more  syrup 
will  be  required  to  be  added. 

Gerard  says,  "  the  green  and  tender  nuts, 
boyled  in  sugar,  and  eaten  as  suckarde,  are  a 
most  pleasant  and  delectable  meate,  comfort 
the  stomache,  and  expell  poyson." 

The  effluvia  of  walnut-trees  is  hurtful  to 
the  head,  on  which  account  it  is  not  safe  to 
sit  uncovered  beneath  them,  nor  is  it  desirable 
to  plant  them  too  near  dwelling-houses.  Pliny 
says,  "  the  oak  will  not  thrive  near  the  wal- 
nut-tree;" and  Mr.  Keen,  who  is  so  justly  ce- 
lebrated for  growing  of  strawberries,  informs 
me,  that  the  walnut-tree  is  so  injurious  to 
strawberry  beds,  that  they  seldom  bear  fruit 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  that  tree. 

These  trees  require  but  little  pruning; 
A  A 


354 

and  they  are  often  injured  by  cutting  and  lop- 
ping the  branches  while  growing. 

The  largest  plantation  of  walnut-trees  in 
England,  at  the  present  time,  is  in  the  county 
of  Surry. 

Gerard  says,  "  the  walnut-tree  groweth  in 
fields  neere  common  highwaies,  in  a  fat  and 
fruitful  ground,  and  in  orchards/'  It  there- 
fore appears  to  me,  that  it  must  have  been  in- 
troduced earlier  than  the  date  mentioned  in 
the  Hortus  Kewensis  (1562),  as  this  was  only 
about  thirty  years  before  Gerard  wrote  his 
account,  when  these  trees  seem  to  have  been 
very  common  in  the  fields. 

The  walnut-tree  was  formerly  cultivated 
in  England  for  the  sake  of  the  wood,  which 
was  in  great  esteem  for  cabinet  goods,  before 
mahogany  and  other  curious  woods  were 
imported  from  America  into  this  kingdom, 
which  was  about  the  beginning  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  when  the  use  of  mahogany 
was  discovered  by  the  following  chance  :— 
Dr.  Gibbons,  an  eminent  physician,  was 
building  a  Jhouse  in  King  Street,  Cownt 
Garden.  His  brother,  who  was  a  West-India 
captain,  brought  over  some  planks  of  this 
wood  as  ballast,  which  he  thought  might  be 
of  service  in  his  brother's  building ;  but  the 


355 

carpenters  finding  the  wood  too  hard  for  their 
tools,  it  was  laid  aside  as  useless.  Soon  after, 
Mrs.  Gibbons  wanting  a  candle-box,  the  Doc- 
tor called  on  his  cabinet-maker  (Wollaston,  in 
Long  Acre)  to  make  him  one  of  some  wood 
that  lay  in  his  garden.  Wollaston  also  com- 
plained that  it  was  too  hard  ;  but  the  Doctor 
insisted  on  having  it  done;  and,  when  fin- 
ished, it  was  so  much  liked,  that  the  Doctor 
ordered  a  bureau  to  be  made  of  the  same 
wood,  which  was  accordingly  done;  and  the 
fine  colour,  polish,  &c.  were  so  pleasing,  that 
he  invited  all  his  friends  to  see  it.  Among 
them  was  the  Duchess  of  Buckingham.  Her 
Grace  begged  some  of  the  same  wood  of  Dr. 
Gibbons,  and  employed  Wollaston  to  make 
her  a  bureau  also.  On  tfeis  the  fame  of  ma- 
hogany and  Mr.  Wollaston  was  much  raised  ; 
and  furniture  made  of.  this  wood  became  ge- 
neral. 

The  timber  of  the  walnut-tree  is  much 
esteemed  by  £aachnhuUd^,and  also  for  mak- 
ing gun-stocks. 


A  A 


WHORTLE-BERRY.-VACCI 
NIUM: 

Often  called  HURTS,  or  HURTLE-BERRY,  and 
BILBERRY. 


In  Botany,  a  Genus  of  the  Octandria  Mono- 
gynia  Class. 


THERE  are  several  varieties  of  this  fruit, 
some  of  which  are  black,  others  red,  and  some 
white.  The  whortle  shrub  is  a  native  of  this 
country,  and  grows  on  most  of  our  wild 
heathy  commons  and  uncultivated  hills :  it  is 
found  in  great  abundance  on  Leith  Hill,  which 
is  the  most  elevated  part  of  Surry.  The  fruit 
seldom  reaches  the  London  market,  although 
it  is  much  admired  by  many  people  either  in 
tarts  or  with  cream.  The  berries  are  gathered 
by  the  children  of  the  cottagers,  and  by  them 
carried  to  the  nearest  market  towns,  and  often 
in  quantities  that  load  several  asses. 


357 

Gerard  says,  they  formerly  grew  in  Finch- 
ley  Wood,  near  Highgate,  and  on  Hampstead 
Heath.  The  red  kind,  which  makes  the  fine 
purple  dye,  is  found  abundantly  in  several 
parts  of  Westmoreland,  and  the  white  whortle- 
berries principally  in  Lancashire ;  but  most 
of  our  northern  hills  abound  with  some  of  the 
varieties.  From  their  growing  in  high  bleak 
situations,  they  are  often  called  wind-berries. 

I  have  never  seen  this  shrub  cultivated, 
although  it  is  more  ornamental  than  many  fo- 
reign shrubs  that  are  raised  with  great  diffi- 
culty. The  berry,  which  is  a  size  larger  than 
that  of  the  juniper,  is  covered  with  a  fine  blue 
powder,  similar  to  the  bloom  of  our  finest 
purple  plums. 

There  is  also  another  species  of  heath-berry, 
growing  on  the  mountainous  parts  of  the 
northern  counties,  as  well  as  in  Scotland,  on 
which  the  heathcocks  and  grouse  feed. 

There  have  been  no  less  than  fifteen  va- 
rieties of  the  whortle-berry  brought  into  this 
country  from  North  America,  between  the 
years  1761  and  1796.  (Hortus  Kewensis.) 


THE 


FRUIT  OF  THE  LOTUS-TREE 


OP 


THE  ancients  has  been  made  so  interesting 
to  us,  by  the  inimitable  pens  of  Homer  and 
Ovid,  as  well  as  the  mention  made  of  it  by 
Herodotus,  Strabo,  Pliny,  and  other  authors 
of  antiquity,  that  I  am  induced  to  give  their 
accounts  of  this  celebrated  fruit ;  although  it 
is  now  either  entirely  lost,  or  so  much  dege- 
nerated, as  not  to  be  known  by  their  descrip- 
tions. 

Some  authors  suppose  it  to  have  been  a 
fabulous  fruit,  and  only  to  be  found  in  the 
poet's  imagination.  This  idea  is  absurd. 
Ovid  has  described  it  as  particularly,  or  more 
so,  than  any  other  fruit  mentioned  in  his  Me- 
tamorphoses. 

The  Lotus-tree  was  evidently  a  native  of 
Africa ;  and  in  all  probability  was  improved, 
by  being  cultivated  on  the  sands  of  the 
coast,  where,  not  being  indigenous,  it  has 
been  lost  from  the  neglect  of  the  inhabitants, 


359 

during  the  revolutions  which  that  part  of  the 
world  has  undergone.  If  this  fruit  has  not 
already  been  discovered  under  some  other  ap- 
pellation, we  may  still  expect  that  our  re- 
searches in  the  interior  of  Africa  will  restore 
the  lost  treasure.  It  is  now  about  2700  years 
since  Homer  related  the  enchanting  effects 
this  fruit  had  on  the  followers  of  Ulysses  : 

Nine  days  our  fleet  th'  uncertain  tempest  bore, 
Bar  in  wide  ocean,  and  from  sight  of  shore  ; 
The  tenth  we  touch'd,  by  various  errors  tost, 
The  land  of  Lotus  and  the  flowery  coast. 
We  climb'd  the  beach,  and  springs  of  water  found, 
Then  spread  our  hasty  banquet  on  the  ground. 
Three  men  were  sent,  deputed  from  the  crew, 
(An  herald  one)  the  dubious  coast  to  view, 
And  learn  what  habitants  possess  the  place. 
They  went,  and  found  a  hospitable  race ; 
Not  prone  to  ill,  nor  strange  to  foreign  guest. 
They  eat,  they  drink,  and  nature  gives  the  feast ; 
The  trees  around  them  all  their  fruit  produce, 
Lotos  the  name,  divine,  nectareous  juice! 
(Thence  called  Lotophagi),  which  whoso  tastes, 
Insatiate  riots  in  the  sweet  repasts, 
Nor  other  home,  nor  other  care  intends, 
But  quits  his  house,  his  country,  and  his  friends  : 
The  three  we  sent  from  off  th'  enchanting  ground 
We  dragg'd  reluctant,  and  by  force  we  bound ; 
The  rest  in  haste  forsook  the  pleasing  shore, 
Or,  the  charm  tasted,  had  return'd  no  more. 

Horn.  Odyss. 


360 

From  Ovid's  elegant  fable  of  Dryope,  we 
learn  from  whence  this  tree  is  supposed  to  have 
derived  its  name. 

Not  distant  far  a  wat'ry  lotus  grows; 

The  spring  was  new,  and  all  the  verdant  boughs, 

Adorn'd  with  blossoms,  promis'd  fruits  that  vie, 

In  glowing  colours  with  the  Tyrian  dye. 

#######* 

Upon  the  tree  I  cast  a  frightful  look, 

The  trembling  tree  with  sudden  horror  shook. 

Lotis  the  nymph  (if  rural  tales  be  true,) 

As  from  Priapus*  lawless  lust  she  flew, 

Forsook  her  form ;  and  fixing,  there  became 

A  flow'ry  plant,  which  still  preserves  her  name. 

Theophrastus  mentions  the  lotus  fruit  in 
his  4th  book,  where  he  says,  that  it  is  of 
the  size  of  a  bean,  and  changes  it's  colour  as 
it  ripens.  This  author  affirms,  that  the  tree 
is  by  it's  nature  everlasting. 

Strabo,  in  his  17th  book,  informs  us,  that 
Syrtis  as  well  as  Menynx  was  said  to  be 
Lotophagitis.  The  compass  of  the  gulph, 
says  this  geographer,  where  the  lotus  grows, 
is  almost  1600  furlongs;  the  breadth  of  the 
mouth  600:  by  the  capes  there  are  islands 
near  to  the  main  land.  It  is  thought,  con- 
tinues he,  that  Menynx  was  the  country 
of  the  Lotophagi,  or  those  that  feed  on  the 
lotus-trees,  of  which  country  Homer  makes 
mention;  and  there  are  certain  monuments 


361 

seen,  and  Ulysses's  altar,  as  well  as  abundance 
of  lote-trees,  the  fruit  of  which  is  exceedingly 
sweet. 

Pliny  has  furnished  us  with  an  account 
of  the  lotus-tree,  in  his   13th  book,  c.  17- 
According  to   this   author,   the   finest  trees 
of  this  kind  grew  on  two  large  sand  banks 
on  the  Mediterranean  coast  of  Africa,  not 
far  from  Leptis  and  Carthage.     He  mentions 
them   as  being   the   size  of  pear-trees,   but 
states  that  Nepos  Cornelius  described  them 
as  shrubs.     The  leaves,  says  Pliny,  are  thick, 
cut,  and  indented:   otherwise  they  are  like 
those  of  the  ilex  or  holm-tree.     There  are 
many  varieties  of  this  fruit,  but  he  describes 
the  generality  of  them  as  being  the  size  of 
a  bean,  and  of  the  colour  of  saffron,  yet, 
says  he,   before  it  is   quite  ripe  the  fruit 
changes  into  a  variety  of  colours  like  grapes. 
It  grows  thick  among  the  branches  of  the 
tree,  in  the  manner  of  myrtle-berries,  and  not, 
says  he,  like  cherries.     This  fruit  in  Africa, 
continues  Pliny,  is  so  sweet  and  pleasant,  that 
it  has  given  the  name  both  to  a  nation  and 
country,  as  the  people  are  called  Lotophagi ; 
and  so  welcome  are  all  strangers  there,  and 
so  well  contented  with  their  entertainment, 
that  they  forget  their  own  native  soil,  for  the 
love  they  have  for  this  fruit,  when  once  they 


362 

have  taken  to  it.  By  report,  (adds  this  au- 
thor,) those  who  eat  of  it,  are  free  from  all 
diseases  of  the  stomach. 

Those  lotuses  were  accounted  the  best  that 
had  no  kernels  within;  for  there  is  a  kind, 
says  Pliny,  that  has  a  kernel  as  hard  as  a  bone. 
From  this  fruit  was  pressed  a  wine  similar  to 
mead,  which  he  states,  on  the  authority  of 
Nepos,  would  not  keep  above  ten  days.  The 
Lotophagi  pressed  the  berries  of  this  fruit, 
with  wheat  or  frumenty,  into  a  paste ;  and  so 
put  it  up  in  great  barrels  or  vessels  for  food. 
We  have  heard,  says  Pliny,  that  whole  armies 
passing  to  and  fro  through  Africa  have  fed 
upon  it,  having  no  other  food. 

The  wood  of  the  lotus-tree,  according  to 
the  account  of  Pliny,  was  of  a  black  colour, 
and  was,  says  he,  much  sought  after  for 
making  musical  pipes.  Shafts  of  daggers 
and  knives,  &c.  were  made  of  the  roots. 
This  author  says,  "  it  is  growing  in  Italy,  but 
with  the  change  of  soil  it  has  changed  it's 
nature;"  but  in  his  I6th  book,  chap.  30th, 
he  says,  "  the  lotus-tree  is  planted  about  the 
finest  houses  in  the  court-yards,  because  the 
boughs  spread  so  large.  Although  the  body 
is  short  and  small,  it  affords  much  shade;  yet 
there  is  not  a  tree  that  gives  shade  for  so  short 
a  time,  as  the  loaves  fall  at  the  approach  of 


363 

winter,  when  it  admits  the  sun/'  The  bark  is 
described  as  of  a  pleasing  hue,  and  was  used 
to  colour  skins  and  leather ;  the  root  to  dye 
wool. 

"  The  fruit,"  says  he,  "  resembles  the 
snouts  or  muzzles  of  wild  beasts,  and  many 
of  the  smaller  berries  seem  to  hang  to  those 
that  are  larger/' 

The  same  author,  in  writing  on  the  age 
of  trees,  (book  I6th9  chap.  24£/*,)  says,  "  at 
Rome,  in  the  court-yard  belonging  to  the 
chapel  of  the  goddess  Diana  Lucina,  there 
is  yet  to  be  seen  a  lote-tree  standing  before 
the  chapel,  which  was  built  in  the  year  of 
the  Anarchy,  when  Rome  was  desolate  of  all 
magistrates,  which  was  369  years  after  the 
foundation  of  the  city ;  but  how  much  more 
ancient  this  tree  is  than  the  chapel,  God 
knows!  for  older  it  is  without  all  question, 
as  from  the  trees  there  growing,  which  the 
Latins  call  Lucus,  the  goddess  Diana  took 
her  name  Lucina,  which  was  about  450  years 
back,  and  doubtless  this  tree  is  so  old." 

"  Another  lote-tree  there  is,"  says  he, 
"  still  older,  but  the  age  of  it  is  likewise  un- 
certain: it  is  known  by  the  name  of  Capil- 
lata  (hairy),  and  so  called,  because  the  hair 
of  the  vestal  virgins'  heads  is  usually  brought 
thither  to  be  consecrated.  There  is  a  third 


364 

lotus  at  Rome,  in  the  court-yard  and  cloister 
about  the  temple  of  Vulcan,  which  Romulus 
built  for  a  perpetual  monument  and  memorial 
of  a  victory,  and  defrayed  the  charge  out  of 
the  tenth  of  the  pillage  and  spoil  that  he  ob- 
tained from  his  enemies ;  and  this  tree  is  at 
least  as  old  as  the  city  of  Rome." 

Pliny  writes  on  the  medicinal  qualities 
of  the  lotus,  in  his  24<th  book,  chap.  2d, 
and  says  his  countrymen  called  it  the  Greek 
bean.  He  says  the  fruit  is  sweet,  but  that 
nothing  is  more  bitter  than  the  shavings  of 
the  wood. 

Mr.  Mungo  Park  discovered  what  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  lotus  of  the  ancients,  and  says 
it  abounds  in  all  parts  of  the  interior  of  Afri- 
ca. Agreeable  to  his  account,  it  is  rather 
a  thorny  shrub  than  a  tree.  The  fruit  is  a 
small  farinaceous  berry,  which  being  pounded 
and  dried  in  the  sun,  is  made  into  excellent 
cakes,  resembling  in  flavour  and  colour  the 
sweetest  gingerbread.  This  traveller  observes, 
that  a  sweet  liquor  is  obtained  from  the  lotus, 
which,  we  may  conclude,  had  the  bewitching 
qualities  described  by  the  ancients. 

A  species  of  the  lotus,  or  nettle-tree,  eel- 
tis,  has  long  been  cultivated  in  this  country: 
as  Gerard  says,  "  this  is  a  rare  and  strange 
tree  in  both  the  Germanics :  it  was  brought 


365 

out  of  Italy,  where  there  is  found  store  there- 
of, as  M athiolus  testifieth :  I  have,"  says  he, 
"  a  small  tree  in  my  garden :  there  is  likewise 
a  tree  thereof  in  the  garden  vnder  London- 
wall,  sometime  belonging  to  M.  Gray,  an 
apothecary  of  London;  and  another  great 
tree  in  the  garden  neere  Colman  streete, 
being  the  garden  of  the  queen's  apothecary, 
called  Mr.  Hugh  Morgan,  a  curious  coseruer 
of  rare  simples.  The  lote-tree  doth  also  grow 
in  Affricke,  but  it  some  what  differeth  from 
the  Italian  lote  in  fruit."  Gerard  adds,  that 
the  fruit  ripens  in  September:  the  berries,  he 
says,  are  round,  and  hang  on  stalks  like  cher- 
ries, and  not  like  the  African  lotus.  "  They 
are,"  says  he*  "  of  a  yellowish  white  colour 
at  the  first,  and  afterwards  red,  but  when  they 
be  ripe  they  be  somewhat  blacke." 

The  lotus-flower,  that  is  now  become  so 
fashionable  in  ornamenting  furniture,  from 
the  circumstance  of  it's  having  been  selected 
as  the  decoration  of  the  superb  Chinese  chan- 
deliers made  for  his  Majesty's  Pavilion  at 
Brighton,  is  not  the  blossom  of  the  lotusT 
tree,  but  of  the  Nymphtea  Nelumbo,  or  Chi- 
nese water-lotus.  This  water-lily  is  called 
Nymphcza,  from  it's  growing  in  the  water, 
which  the  poets  feign  to  be  the  residence 
of  the  Nymphs.  In  China,  where  it  was 


366 

always  held  in  such  high  value,  that  at  length 
it  has  become  regarded  as  sacred,  it  is  called 
Lien-wha.  Puzza,  a  Chinese  divinity,  is  re- 
presented as  seated  on  the  flowers  of  the  lotus. 
The  gods  of  Japan,  which  are  exhibited  of  a 
gigantic  figure,  are  also  seated  on  the  blossoms 
of  this  plant.  The  ponds  in  China  are  gene- 
rally covered  with  this  beautiful  aquatic  blos- 
som, which  is  also  grown  in  large  vases  in 
the  houses  of  the  Mandarins.  The  roots  and 
seeds  are  served  up  on  ice  at  their  break- 
fasts as  a  delicacy,  mixed  with  the  kernels  of 
fruits. 

The  Romans  made  repeated  efforts  to  raise 
this  plant,  without  success,  which  the  ancients 
have  celebrated  iu  their  writings.  Homer  Men- 
tions it  with  other  flowers,  as  composing  the 
genial  bed  of  Jupiter  and  Juno;  and  the  lotus- 
herb  is  said  to  have  formed  the  green  food  of 
Achilles's  horses. 

Antiquarians  assure  tts,  that  they  recognise 
this  flower  oil  the  head  of  Harpocrates. 

Pliny  describes  the  Egyptian  lotus  as  a 
plant  which  grows  in  the  marshes  of  that 
country,  and  which  came  up  io  ttae  flats 
whfca  the  waters  of  the  Nile  je&tf  ned  to  theft 
iratural  channel.  "  They  foave  heads,"  says 
he,  "like  those  of  the  poppy,  within  which 
are  seeds  resembling  millet,  of  which  the 

1 


367 

inhabitants  make  bread/'  He  relates,  that 
"  it  is  reported  that  when  the  sun  goes  down, 
those  heads  close  up  with  leaves,  and  sink 
under  the  water,  where  they  remain  shut 
until  the  morning,  when  they  appear  above 
the  surface  and  open,  continuing  this  course 
until  they  are  ripe,  when  the  flowers  (that 
are  white)  fall  off  of  themselves.  This  lotus," 
says  he,  "  has  a  root  as  big  as  a  quince,  co- 
vered with  a  black  rind  or  bark,  much  like 
the  husk  of  a  chesnut.  The  substance 
within  is  white,  and  delicious  to  eat,  par- 
ticularly boiled  in  water  or  roasted  in  embers. 
The  bread  made  from  the  seeds  of  this  lotus/' 
says  Pliny,  "  is  worked  with  water  or  milk. 
There  is  not  any  bread  in  the  world  (says 
report)  more  wholesome  and  lighter  than  this, 
so  long  as  it  is  hot;  but  once  cold,  it  is 
hard  of  digestion,  and  becomes  weighty/' 

This  plant  was  introduced  into  this 
country  by  the  late  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  in 
1787,  and  is  of  the  Polyandria  Monogynia 
Class. 


AN  EXPLANATION 

OF  THE 

TECHNICAL   TERMS 

Kn  Botany, 

USED  IN  THIS  WORK. 


1  THE  Sexual  System,  as  invented  and  given 
to  the  world  by  Linnaeus/'  says  Miller,  "  is 
built  or  founded  on  the  male  and  female 
parts  of  fructification.  By  fructification 
is  meant  flower  and  fruit;  and  is  disposed 
according  to  the  number,  proportion,  and 
situation  of  the  stamens  or  pistils,  or  the 
male  and  female  organs. 

"  For  the  sake  of  brevity  of  expression, 
he  has  had  recourse  to  the  Greek  language. 
Aner,  a  husband,  he  has  applied  to  the  sta- 
men ;  and  Gyne9  a  wife,  to  the  pistil.  The 
stamen  consists  of  two  parts.  The  1st.  Fila- 
ment, is  that  part  which  elevates  the  anthera. 
2d.  The  anthera  is  the  part  that  bears  the 
pollen,  or  ferina  fecundans,  that  impregnates 
the  pistillum  or  germen. 


369 

"  First,  the  pistillum  consists  of  three 
parts  : — the  germen,  or  embryo,  of  a  future 
fruit.  2d.  The  style,  which  elevates  the 
stigma.  3d.  The  stigma  or  summit,  which 
is  covered  with  a  moisture,  that  dissolves  the 
farina  fecundans  of  the  anthera;  fitting  it 
for  vivification. 

"  The  orders  are  taken  from  the  females  or 
pistils,  as  the  classes  are  from  the  males  or 
stamens/' 


Androgynous  plant. — Bearing  male  and  fe- 
male flowers  on  the  same  root,  without 
any  mixture  of  hermaphrodites. 

Anther. — A  part  of  the  flower,  big  with 
pollen  or  farina,  which  it  emits  or  ex- 
plodes when  ripe ;  or,  big  with  granu- 
lated pollen,  and  that  with  favilla.  It 
forms  a  part  of  the  stamen,  and  is 
placed  on  the  top  of  the  filament. 

Calyx. — The  outward  covering  of  the  flower, 
or  the  first  of  the  seven  parts  of  fructi- 
fication. 

Chive. — Properly  the  stamen. 

Decandria. — Ten  stamened. 

Diwcia. — The   twenty-second    class   in    Lin- 
naeus's    system,    comprehending    those 
plants   which    have    no   hermaphrodite 
B  B 


370 

flowers ;  but  male  and  female  flowers  on 
distinct  plants  of  the  same  species. 

Favilla. — A  fine  substance,  imperceptible  to 
the  naked  eye,  exploded  by  the  pollen 
in  the  anthers  of  flowers. 

Hermaphrodite  flowers. — Having  both  anther 
and  stigma.  An  hermaphrodite  plant  is 
that  which  has  only  hermaphrodite 
flowers. 

Hexandria. — The  name  of  the  sixth  class  in 
Linnaeus's  system;  comprehending  those 
plants  which  have  hermaphrodite  flowers 
with  six  equal  stamens.  This  is  a  natural 
class. 

Icosandria. — The  name  of  the  twelfth  class 
in  the  Linnaean  system  ;  comprehending 
those  plants  which  have  hermaphrodite 
flowers,  with  twenty  or  more  stamens, 
growing  on  the  inside  of  the  calyx,  not 
on  the  receptacle :  the  situation,  and 
not  the  number  of  the  stamens,  is  here 
to  be  attended  to.  The  calyx  also  is 
monophyllous  and  concave  in  this  class ; 
and  the  claws  of  the  petals  are  fixed  into 
the  inside  of  the  calyx. 

Monacia. — The  name  of  the  twenty-first  class 
in  the  Linnaean  system;  comprehend- 
ing the  androgynous  plants,  or  such  as 
produce  male  and  female  flowers  on  the 


371 

same  individual,  without  any  mixture  of 
hermaphrodites. 

Monogynia. — The  name  of  the  first  order  in 
each  of  the  thirteen  first  classes  of  the 
Linnaean  system;  comprehending  such 
plants  as  have  no  pistil,  or  stigma  only, 
in  a  flower. 

Monophyllum. — A  monophyllus,  or  one-leafed 
perianth.  All  in  one  ;  if  cut,  not  sepa- 
rated to  the  base. 

Octandria. — The  name  of  the  eighth  class  in 
the  Linnaean  system ;  comprehending 
those  plants  which  have  hermaphrodite 
flowers  with  eight  stamens. 

Pentagynia.  —  Comprehends  those  plants 
which  have  five  pistils  in  a  hermaphro- 
dite flower. 

Pentandria. — The  name  of  the  fifth  class  in 
Linnaeus's  system ;  comprehending  those 
plants  which  have  hermaphrodite  flowers 
with  five  stamens. 

Pistillum. — Pistil  or  pointal ;  a  viscus  or 
organ  adhering  to  the  fruit,  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  pollen.  It  is  the  fourth  part 
of  the  fructification.  It's  appearance  is 
that  of  a  column,  or  set  of  columns,  in 
the  centre  of  the  flower ;  and  when  per- 
fect, it  consists  of  three  parts, — 1st.  Ger- 
B  B  2 


372 

men,  germ,  or  ovary;    2d.    Stylus,   the 
style;  3d.  Stigma. 

Pet  alum. — A  petal :  the  corollaceous  integu- 
ment of  the  flower. 

Polyandria. — The  name  of  the  thirteenth 
class  in  the  Linnaean  system :  compre- 
hending those  plants  which  bear  herma- 
phrodite flowers  with  many  stamens 
(from  twenty  to  a  thousand)  growing 
single  on  the  receptacle. 

Polyadelphia. — The  name  of  the  eighteenth 
class  in  the  Linnaean  system;  compre- 
hending those  plants  which  bear  herma- 
phrodite flowers  with  three  or  more  sets 
of  united  stamens. 

Polygamia. — The  name  of  the  twenty-third 
class  in  the  Linnaean  system  ;  compre- 
hending those  plants  which  bear  herma- 
phrodite flowers,  accompanied  with  male 
or  female  flowers,  or  both ;  not  inclosed 
within  the  same  common  calyx,  but 
scattered  either  on  the  same  plant,  or  on 
two,  or  on  three  distinct  individuals : 
whence  the  three  orders  of  this  class,— 
1.  Mon&cia,  %.  Diaecia,  3.  Tricecia. 

Polygynia. — The  name  of  one  of  the  orders 
in  the  fifth,  sixth,  twelfth,  and  thirteenth 
classes  in  the  Linnaean  system;  compre- 


373 

bending  those  plants  which  have  flowers 
with  many  pistils. 

Ribcs. — See  currant-tree. 

Receptacu/um.- — A  receptacle;  the  base  by 
which  the  other  parts  of  the  fructification 
are  connected. 

Stamen. —  An  organ,  or  viscus,  for  the  pre- 
paration of  the  pollen;  and  formed  from 
the  wood.  It  is  the  third  in  the  fructi- 
fication, and  consists  of  the  filament  and 
anther. 

Syngeucsia. — The  name  of  the  nineteenth  class 
in  Linnseus's  artificial  system ;  compre- 
hending those  plants  which  have  the  an- 
thers united  into  a  cylinder. 

The  following  anecdote,  as  related  by  Ray, 
will  prove  how  necessary  it  is  for  all  classes  of 
men  to  be  in  some  measure  acquainted  with 
botany  :  the  counsellor  who  would  be  a  judge, 
the  student  who  would  be  a  pleader,  the  jury- 
man who  would  give  an  honest  verdict,  and 
the  defendant  who  would  gain  his  cause,  will, 
in  this  instance,  see  the  importance  of  botani- 
cal information. 

"  Baal,  who  was  a  gardener  at  Brent- 
ford, in  Middlesex,  having  cultivated  a  re- 
markable fine  cabbage,  sold  a  large  quantity 
of  the  seeds  to  several  gardeners  about  the 


374 

suburbs  of  London.     They  committed  them 
to  the  ground  after  the  usual  manner;  but 
instead  of  the  sort  Baal  had  made  them  be- 
lieve  would    spring  up,  they  proved    to  be 
chiefly  the  brassica  longifolia,  instead  of  the 
florida.     His  incensed  customers,  in  a  body, 
instantly  commenced,  in  Westminster  Hall, 
a  prosecution  against  him.     The  unfortunate 
man  being  unable  to  prove  his  innocence  be- 
fore the  judges,  the  Court  found  him  guilty 
of  fraud  ;  and  he  was  condemned,  not  only 
to  restore  the  price  given   for  the  seeds,  but 
was  likewise  obliged  to  pay  each  gardener  for 
the  loss  of  time,  and  for  the  ground  that  had 
been  uselessly  occupied.     His  character  and 
circumstances    were     consequently    ruined ; 
which  impaired  his  health,  and  caused  him 
to  pay  an  untimely  debt  to  nature.     Had  the 
judges  been  at  all  apprized  of  the  sexual  hypo- 
thesis, or  had  this  honest  man  known,  from 
careful  observation,  the  use  of  the  farina  in 
rendering    the    pistillum    productive,     Baal 
would  not  have  been  found  guilty  of  a  crime, 
but  the  accident  would  have  been  attributed 
to  the  true  cause, — the  fortuitous  impregna- 
tion of  the  brassica  florida  by  the  farina  of  the 
brassica  longifolia  growing  in  the  neighbour- 
hood." 

FINIS. 


Y«*«  / 


THE      APPIiE       BLOSSOM 


00 


THE  STAMEN 


\ 


THE  Pis*m*i,uM 


Monandna   3>ian3ria      TriaTicJria  Xetranciria 


Heacatxdria 


O  ctanctria 


Dec  andr  i  a 


Dodecanclrra  Icosadria  TolyanJria 


1 


JDitfynia  Tri^ynia        Tetraoynia 


xU/v 

^v 


Pen.tacfyuia 
o- 


Hexagynm 


Dioecia 


ami  a 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Acorn     -----------11 

Almond 32 

Apple    -----------37 

Apricot       ----------27 

Banana      ----------  304 

Barberry     ----------60 

Beech 64 

Bilberry      - 356 

Blackberry       -- 69 

Botffe  Gourd   -    -    - 182 

Brandy  -    -     -    - 212 

Byzantium-nut      --------  173 

Cacas,  or  Chocolate    -------72 

Cashew-nut       ---------78 

Cherry   -----------84 

CAwwttf       ----- 93 

Ceder      ---- 55 

Citron 233 

Cocoa-nut    - 102 


376 


PAGE 


Coffee     -    .     .     -  -  .......  109 

Cranberry  ----...---123 
Cucumber  ---..-.-..  i%Q 
Currant  -------.-_  135 

Damson       -------     -..310 

Date      -----..«_..  142 

Dewberry   ---------     -71 

Elder     ...........  153 


Filberts  --------... 

Gooseberry  ---.---.-.175 
Gourd    ----------.]  si 

Grope    ..........     .185 

Green-gage      -     -     -     -     -     -     -     .,     -311 

Hazel-nut   ---------    -  221 

Horse-chesnut  ---------99 

Hurtleberries   ---------  356 

Juniper       ----------  223 

Lemon     -----------  227 

Lime        -----------  232 

Locust      ------     .....  234 

iotas        -     -     -     -     .......  358 

Love-apple     ----------  237 

Mahogany    -     -  •    -     .-     --     -     -    -  354 

Medlar    .....     ------  241 

Melon     -    -     -     .     ......     -  244 

Mithridate       -----      .-..351 

Mulberry   ----      ......  251 


377 

PAGE 

Nectarine     -     -     -     - -261 

Oak        -     - -     -     -     -     11 

Oil -     -  268 

Olive 264 

Orange 271 

Orleans  Plum 311 

Palm 124 

Peach -     -  281 

Pear       -     - 290 

Perry -----  292 

Pine-apple        ---------  295 

Pippins         ----- 40 

Plantain       - 300 

Plum -     -     -  309 

Pomegranate     -     - 314 

Pumpkin       ----- 320 

Quince 323 

Quince  Wine      ---------  327 

Raspberry 329 

Scurvy  cured  by  Oranges       -     -     -     -     -  231 

Service-berry      -     - --  340 

Seville  Orange        --------  279 

Shaddock 233 

Silk 258 

Squash-gourd    - 183 

Snowberry     --.- 125 

Strawberry    ----------  338 

Sympathy  of  Plants    -     - 89 


Books  just  published  by  T.  and  J.  Allman. 


6.  STATE  of  the  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS,  being  an  Histo- 
rical, Statistical,  and  Descriptive  Account  of  that  interesting  portion 
of  the  Indian  Archipelago.  By  THOMAS  DE  COMYN.  (Madrid, 
1820.)  Translated  from  the  Spanish,  with  Notes,  and  a  Prelimi- 
nary Discourse.  By  WM.  WALTON,  Esq.  in  1  large  vol.  8vo.  with 
a  Map.  Price  12s.  boards. 


Journal  of  a  &oldter  of  tfie 

7.  The  PERSONAL  NARRATIVE  of  a  PRIVATE  SOL- 
DIER, who  served  in  the  42d  Highlanders  for  twelve  Years,  dur- 
ing the  late  War.   Neatly  printed  iri  foolscap  8vo.  Price  6s.  in  bds. 

tlogt 

8.  LOST  VALENTINES  FOUND,  with  Verses,  by  the  Edi- 
tor, added.     Elegantly  printed  in  foolscap  8vo.     Price  4s.  Qd. 


Cape  of  ©ood  ^ope  Calender* 

9.  The  CAPE  of  GOOD  HOPE  CALENDER,  and  AGRI- 
CULTURISTS' GUIDE  ;  containing  a  correct  Account  of  all 
the  Public  Offices,  Military  Forces,  and  other  Establishments  in 
that  Colony.  Together  with  a  brief  Description  of  its  Soil,  Agri- 
culture, and  Commerce.  Intended  for  the  Use  of  those  Persons 
who  may  become  Settlers  there.  As  compiled  by  G.  Ross,  super- 
intendant  of  the  Government  Press  in  that  Settlement.  Illustrated 
with  a  correct  Map  of  the  Colony.  Price  5s. 


Cambridge  prise 

10.  CAMBRIDGE  PRIZE  POEMS;  being  a  Complete  Col- 
lection of  the  English  Poems,  which  have  obtained  the  Chancellor's 
Gold  Medal,  in  the  University  of  Cambridge.  Third  Edition,  con- 
siderably enlarged,  and  brought  down  to  July,  1820.  Elegantly 
printed  in  foolscap  8vo.  Price  6s. 


11.  NOVUM  TESTAMENTUM  GR/ECUM.  EditioNova, 
recognita  et  emendata.  Elegantly  printed  in  a  thick  Volume,  8vo. 
Price  only  12s.  boards. 


America* 

12.  VOYAGE  to  SOUTH  AMERICA,  performed  by  order 
of  the  American  Government,  in  the  Years  1817  and  1818,  in  the 
Frigate  Congress,  by  H.  M.  BRACKENREGE,  Esq.  Secretary  to  the 
Mission.  In  2  vols.  8vo.  Price  I/.  4s.  boards. 


Booh  just  published  by  T.  and  J.  Alltnan. 


13.  AN  HISTORICAL  ACCOUNT  of  all  INVENTIONS 
and  DISCOVERIES  in  those  ARTS  and  SCIENCES,  &c.  which 
are  of  utility  or  ornament  to  Man  ;  traced  from  their  origin,  with 
every  subsequent  improvement.  By  J.  F.  LAKE  WILLIAMS.  In  2 
vols.  8vo.  Plate  and  wood  Engravings.  Price  I/.  4s.  boards. 


34.  The  TRAGEDIES  of  SOPHOCLES;  translated  from  the 
Greek;  with  Notes,  Historical,  Moral,  and  Critical.  To  which  is 
prefixed,  a  Preface,  containing  a  Defence  of  Tragic  Poetry,  an 
Historical  Account  of  its  Rise  and  Progress,  and  a  Comparison  of 
the  Ancient  Tragedians  with  each  other.  By  GEORGE  ADAMS,  A.B. 
late  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge.  A  new  Edition,  hand- 
somely printed  in  8vo.  Price  12s.  boards. 


15.  ANT.  RICCOBONI,  PARAPHRASIS  IN  RHETO- 
RICAM  ARISTOTELES.  Ad  Editionem  hanc  accesserunt  li- 
brorum  primi,  secundique,  M.  A.  Mureti  summee  breviores.  8vo. 
Price  7s.  boards  —  only  250  printed. 


(Drammar* 

16.  A  Work  on  an  entirely  new  Principle,  entitled  PRACTI- 
CAL CHESS  GRAMMAR;  illustrated  with  Ten  Copper-plate 
Engravings,  highly  finished;  the  whole  designed  to  amuse  and 
instruct  the  Learner,  remove  the  Difficulties  of  this  elegant  and 
scientific  Game,  and  render  it  attainable  by  the  lowest  Capacity. 
By  W.  S.  KENNY.  Fourth  Edition,  handsomely  printed  in  4to. 
Price  7s. 

Texuntque  fugus  et  praelia  ludo.  —  VIRG.  JEtt. 


17.  CHESS  EXERCISES;  intended  as  a  Companion  and 
Sequel  to  the  PRACTICAL  CHESS  GRAMMAR.  By  W.  S. 
KENNY.  Elegantly  printed  in  foolscap  8vo,  embellished  with  nu- 
merous plates.  Price  7s.  boards. 


18.  STRATAGEMS  of  CHESS;  or,  a  Collection  of  critical 
and  remarkable  Situations,  selected  from  the  Works  of  eminent 
Masters,  illustrated  on  120  Plates,  describing  the  ingenious  Moves 
by  which  the  Game  is  either  won,  drawn,  or  Stalemate  obtained. 
Taken  from  the  celebrated  French  Work,  entitled  "  Stratagemes 
des  Echecs."  Carefully  revised  and  improved.  To  which  is  pre- 


Books  just  published  by  T.  andj.  Allman. 

reduction  to  the  Game  of  Chess.     Handsoi 

)lscap  8vo.     Price  7s.  boards.     The  Four 

***  One  hundred  Copies  are  printed  on  large  Paper,  price  12s. 
i  Companions  to  Philidor  and  Sarratt. 


fixed  an  Introduction  to  the  Game  of  Chess.     Handsomely  printed 
in  1  vol.  foolscap  8vo.     Price  7s.  boards.     The  Fourth  Edition. 


on 

19.  ANALYSIS  of  CHESS;  by  A.  D.  PHILIDOR,  with  Critical 
Remarks  and  Notes,  by  the  Author  of  the  Stratagems  of  Chess  ;  and 
further  illustrated  with  Notes  ;  by  W.  S.  KENNY.  Elegantly  printed 
in  foolscap  8vo.;  portrait  of  Philidor,  and  40  Diagrams.  Price  7s. 

&tamma  on  €$*$& 

20.  STAMMA  on  the  GAME  OF  CHESS;  containing  nu- 
merous openings  of  Games,  and  100  critical  Situations.   Illustrated 
on  coloured  Diagrams.    A  new  and  improved  Edition,  with  Notes 
and  Remarks  by  W.  LEWIS.      Second  Edition,  elegantly  printed 
in  crown  8vo.  100  coloured  Diagrams.    8s.  boards. 

Bob 

21.  A  TREATISE  on  the  GAME  of  WHIST;    with  the 
Laws  of  the  Game,  as  established  at  Bath  and  London  ;  by  BOB 
SHORT,  with  a  beautiful  Vignette,  price  6d. 


IBofc 

22.  A  TREATISE  on  the  GAME  of  DRAUGHTS  ;  with 
Laws  of  the  Game  and  Exercises;  by  BOB  SHORT,  jun.  with  a 
beautiful  Vignette,  price  Qd. 


Bob  S>Sort'g  Backgammon, 

23.  A  TREATISE  on  the  GAME  of  BACKGAMMON; 
with  the  Laws  of  the  Game  and  Exercises  ;  by  BOB  SHORT,  jun. 
with  a  beautiful  Vignette,  price  6d. 

(fclementg  of  pgilogopfip* 

24.  The  ELEMENTS  of  NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY,  il- 

lustrated throughout  by  Experiments  which  may  be  performed 
without  regular  Apparatus.  By  JAMES  MITCHELL,  M.  A.  Ele- 
gantly printed  in  12mo.  with  one  Copper  and  five  Wood  En- 
gravings. Price  8s.  boards. 

"  Thig  volume  is  deserving  of  strong-  recommendation  for  goodness  of  de- 
sign and  ingenuity  of  execution.  Every  elementary  book  which  has  hitherto 
fallen  in  our  way,  even  when  we  were  ourselves  engaged  in  the  labour  of 
instruction,  is  so  incumbered  with  references  to  plates  and  machinery,  the 
former  ill  constructed,  and  the  latter  either  ill  explained  or  totally  unat- 
tainable, that  it  is  no  wonder  young  students  have  the  most  confused  notions 
of  even  ordinary  phenomena. 

"  In  the  present  compendium,  the  principles  of  Natural  Philosophy  are 
illustrated  by  familiar  experiments,  which  any  person  has  it  in  his  power 
easily  to  perform,  or  may  see  every  day  in  common  use,  without  being  at 


Books  just  published  by  T.  and  J.  All-man. 

the  trouble  of  attending  a  cumbrous  course  of  lectures,  from  which  more 
amusement  is  gained  than  knowledge  acquired.  The  language  is  flowery 
and  perspicuous, freed  from  unnecessary  technology, and  perfectly  adapted 
to  a  didactic  work,  the  object  of  which  is  to  render  abstruse  subjects  simple 
to  the  plainest  understanding.  To  young  persons  of  both  sexes  the  book 
must  be  a  most  valuable  present;  and  all  teachers  who  undertake  the 
pleasing  office  of  making  their  pupils  acquainted  with  the  laws  which  go- 
vern the  universe,  will  find  their  task  greatly  relieved  and  their  object  faci- 
litated by  the  use  of  this  excellent  guide." 

New  Monthly  Magazine,  June,  1819. 

(fclemetttg  of  #0trottomp. 

25.  The  ELEMENTS  of  ASTRONOMY,  Illustrated  by  Ob- 
servations,  which  the  Student  may  make  on  the  Heavens,  and  by 
the  Celestial  Globe ;  to  which  is  added,  an  Essay  on  the  Plurality 
of  Worlds.  By  JAMES  MITCHELL,  M.  A.  Uniform  with  the 
above.  Price  6s.  boards. 


dfclememg  of 

26.  An  EASY  SYSTEM  of  SHORT-HAND,  upon  an  en- 
tirely New  Plan,  founded  on  long  practical  experience  ;  from  its 
simplicity  and  facility  of  acquirement,  peculiarly  calculated  for 
persons  who  study  by  themselves,  by  which  Short-Hand  may  be 
learned  in  half  the  time  it  could  by  any  other  Publication.  Illus- 
trated with  four  Copper-plates.  By  JAMES  MITCHELL,  M.  A. 
Very  neatly  printed  in  12mo.  Price  4s.  boards.  The  Third 
Edition. 


27.  A  HISTORY  of  the  ISLAND  of  NEWFOUNDLAND; 

containing  a  Description  of  the  Island,  the  Banks,  the  Fisheries, 
and  the  Trade  of  Newfoundland,  and  the  Coast  of  Labrador. 
Illustrated  with  two  Maps.  By  the  Rev.  LEWIS  AMADEUS  AN- 
SPACH,  late  a  Magistrate  of  that  Island,  and  Missionary  for  the 
District  of  Conception  Bay.  In  one  large  Volume,  8vo.  Price  16s. 


amptttag. 

28.  AMYNTAS,  a  TALE  of  the  WOODS  ;  from  the  Italian 
of  Torquato  Tasso.  By  LEIGH  HUNT.  Elegantly  printed  in 
Foolscap  8vo.  With  a  Portrait  of  Tasso,  and  Wood-cuts. 
Price  7s.  6d. 


29.  SCRAPIANA,  or  Elegant  Extracts  of  Wit  ;  being  a  com- 
plete Collection  of  Humorous  Pieces,  in  Prose  and  Verse,  on  an 
entire  new  Arrangement,  and  containing  many  Original  Pieces,  by 
Eminent  Men,  now  first  published.  Fourth  Edition,  enlarged, 
and  handsomely  printed  in  one  thick  Volume  ISmo..,  embellished 
with  an^elegant  engraved  Title.  Price  6s.  boards. 


Books  just  published  by  T.  and  J.  Allman. 

#wtqwtatt0  Curia  gae. 

30.  ANTIQUITATES  CURIOS^;  or  the  Etymology  of 
many  remarkable  Old  Sayings,  Proverbs,  and  Singular  Customs. 
Explained  by  JOSEPH  TAYLOR.  Second  Edition,  one  Volume 
foolscap  8vo.  Price  5s.  boards. 


31.  NATURALES  CURIOS^  ;  Curiosities  in  Natural  His- 
tory.     By  JOSEPH  TAYLOR.     Foolscap  8vo.     Price  5s.  boards. 


32.  A  complete  Collection  of  ENGLISH  PROVERBS  ;  also 
the  most  celebrated  Proverbs  of  the  Scotch,  Italian,  French,  Span- 
ish and  other  Languages.  Reprinted  verbatim  from  the  best  edi- 
tion of  1788.  In  one  thick  Volume  12mo.  Price  7s.  boards. 


33.  GNOMOLOGIA;  Adages  and  Proverbs,  Wise  Sentences 
and  Witty  Sayings,  in  number  6500;  Ancient  and  Modern,  Fo- 
reign and  British.    Compiled  by  THOMAS  FULLER,  M.  D.    In  one 
Volume  1.2mo.  7s.  boards. 

dfcton  j?rencfi  (Grammar, 

34.  An  INTRODUCTION  to  the  FRENCH  TONGUE  ;  or 
A  French  Parsing  Grammar,  on  the  Plan  of  the  Eton  Latin  Gram- 
mar.    By  W.  S.  KENNY,  Author  of  the  Eton  French  Exercises, 
&c.  12mo.  3s.  bound. 


Gfcttm  JFrewfi 

35.  EXERCISES,  or  Minor  Examples;  to  correspond  with 
the  French  Parsing  Grammar,  on  the  plan  of  the  Latin  work  called 
"  Exempla  Minora."  By  W.  S.  KENNY,  Author  of  the  French 
Parsing  Grammar,  on  the  Plan  of  the  Eton  Latin  Grammar.  12mo. 
2s.  6d.  bound. 


3ln  tge 

1.  A    MORAL    DEMONSTRATION    of    a    FUTURE 
STATE.     By  ROBERT  FELLOWES,  M.A.  Oxon.     In  1  vol.  8vo. 

2.  A  TREATISE  on  the  GAME  of  CHESS;  including  the 
Games  of  the  Anonymous  Modenese,  and  the  Traite  des  Amateurs, 
and  containing  many  very  extraordinary  Situations,  original  and 
selected.     One  large  vol.   8vo.  with  a  Frontispiece.     By  JOHN 
COCHRANE,  Esq. 


* 


5      2  1  ft  9/1? 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON   THE   LAST  DATE 
STAMPED   BELOW 


BOOKS   REQUESTED   BY  ANOTHER   BORROWER 
ARE  SUBJECT  TO  RECALL  AFTER  ONE  WEEK. 
RENEWED   BOOKS  ARE  SUBJECT  TO 
IMMEDIATE   RECALL 


LIBRARY,   UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  DAVIS 

D4613  (12/76) 


1175  00377  3788