Component Bouillon-Lagrange and by dry dis tillation, 4. The hepatic differs from the succotrine aloes in containing some albuminous animal matter, and less resin. 5. It does not dissolve completely in boiling water, because the heat coagulates the albumen. 6. Neither is it totally soluble in alcohol. This readily distinguishes it from succotrine aloes. 7. The saponaceous principle and resin appear to be of the same nature in both kinds. 8. Succotrine aloes consists of 75 parts of bitter saponaceous principle, 25 parts resin, and a trace of gallic acid. 9. Hepatic aloes contain 81.25 saponaceous principle, 6.25 of resin, 12.5 of albumen, and a trace of gallic acid. Messrs. Lagrange and Vogel experimented on much larger quantities than either Braconnot or Trommsdorff. They Vogel's analysis distilled a kilogramme [near 2 lbs avoird.] of each kind in a large glass retort. Toward the end of the process a shining black substance sublimed, which was nothing but aloes. The water from the dry distillation of the hepatic aloes they say was perceptibly ammoniacal; that from the succotrine merely exhibited a white vapour with muriatic acid, after the addition of a little pure potash. and by wet. Succotrine aloes. Hepatic. Saponaceous principle of plants. They afterward distilled a similar quantity of each, previously diluted with a quart of water. The succotrine aloes yielded a liquid not acid, of a very sweet and pleasing smell, on which floated a volatile oil of a greenish yellow colour, and smelling like that of melilot. It also contained some other substance, as Trommsdorff observed, for after some time it grew cloudy. The water from the hepatic aloes was not pleasing to the smell, but rather nauseous, approaching a little to that of prussic acid. There was no trace of oil on its surface or in solution. The author having dissolved a portion of aloes by boiling in 12 parts of water, a fourth part of the aloes separated on cooling. The aqueous solution being evaporated to dryness, a bitter substance resembling aloes remained, which was completely soluble in alcohol, but altogether insoluble in ether. Hence he supposes it to be the saponaceous principle of Hermbstaedt, seifenstoff, or pflanzenseif, which is thus characterized, and occurs in various vegetables, as saffron, rhubarb, &c. He supposes there are different species of it, more or less bitter to the taste. They They did not find aloes soluble in cold water like Mr. Only in part dissolved by Braçonnot. On a quantity of succotrine aloes in powder cold water. they poured water at 8° R. [50°F], assisting its action by frequent stirring. The clear supernatant liquor, after settling, was decanted off, and another quantity of water poured on the residuum. This was repeated, till the water, after standing on the residuum four and twenty hours, was found destitute both of taste and colour. The glutinous matter remaining was then worked between the fingers under a stream of water. The first liquor poured off was very brown, and strongly impregnated with the aloes; the second and third were much less so, the rest growing weaker in succession, till the last was clear water. When the aloes had been sufficiently Insoluble part. washed, and thus exhausted by water at 8° [50°F.], there remained a soft grayish mass, very elastic, which, when wet with water, did not stick to the fingers. 1 substances in The aqueous solution of aloes, as Trommsdorff ob. Two different served, evaporated gently to dryness, leaves a substance aloes soluble in water and alcohol, but scarcely at all in ether. The resinous matter of aloes, on the contrary, is soluble in alcohol and in ether, but not in water at 10° [54.5°F.] The former dissolves readily in cold nitric acid at 36°, and forms a green liquid, which is scarcely rendered turbid on the addition of a little water, and becomes perfectly clear when farther diluted. The resinous part is more difficultly acted on by this acid, and produces a red solution, which, though much weaker than the former, throws down a resinous, sticky, insoluble substance, on the addition of a little water. acid. Nitric acid heated on aloes produced a fine yellow powder, Action of nitric and nearly the same phenomena as those observed by Mr. Braconnot. This powder, diffused in a little water, communicated to it a superb purple, very rich in colour. A Fine purple dye. single atom will tinge a very large quantity of water. This colour is so permanent, that the skin remains dyed with it for several days, particularly if an alkaline salifiable base have been previously added to the powder. muriatic acid Messrs. B. L. and V. likewise passed a current of oxi- Aciion of oximuriatic acid gas into a concentrated solution of aloes in VOL. XXVII.-SUPPLEMENT. Bb cold gas on the part cold water. A large quantity of the gas was absorbed, soluble in water converted it into a kind of resin. Component parts of aloes, The and the solution became yellow, and coagulated like animal jelly, so as to become almost one entire mass. coagulum, when separated, was of a whitish yellow, but soon turned brown. After being washed, it was very elastic, insoluble in water at 8° R. [50°F], but very readily soluble in alcohol, and this solution was copiously pre cipitated by water. The oximuriatic acid gas therefore appears in some sort to have resinified the portion of aloes soluble in water. According to them, succotrine aloes consists of 68 parts extract, and 32 resin: and hepatic aloes is composed of 52 extract, 42 resin, and 6 insoluble matter, which Trommsdorff calls albumen. (To be continued.) Cultivation of the pepper plant at St. Vincent's. Success of the black pepper plant in the West Indies. VIII. Communications concerning the Royal Botanical Garden at St. Vincent, from its Superintendant DR. ALEXANDER ANDERSON, to DR. C. TAYLOR *, I Am DEAR SIR, Am honoured with your letter of the 26th and 28th of April, with the 21st and 24th volumes of the Transactions of the Society of Arts; also the publication on the Culture of Black Pepper, for which I feel great obligation to the Society. From Mr. Martyn's account of the pepper plant, I am in hopes that it will succeed in this garden; as he says it is three or four years before they produce in the East-Indies after planting, and it is now near that time since I procured them, and there are several very luxuriant at present +. I Trans. of the Soc. of Arts, vol. xxvi, p. 234. a m † In a subsequent letter, dated June the 19th, 1809, the Dr. says: "I have the pleasure to inform the Society, that the black pepper plant thrives remarkably well in this garden, and has been producing fruit more than a year. Some of its produce I now transmit to am happy to find I had adopted the mode of planting them which he has described. Indies East do not. In general I find that East-India plants are more rapid in In the West their growth, either from seeds or plants, than the indige- India plants nous plants of the country, and arrive at perfection sooner; thrive, Chinese but the reverse is the case with the Chinese. There is at present in the garden a large tree of the litche, sent by sir Joseph Banks in 1788, which as yet has made no attempt to flower. I experience the same disposition in several herbaceous perennial plants from China. I was pleased to see a specification of growth of trees in the East Indies, by Dr. Roxburgh, in the last volume of the Transactions, which led me to a comparison of some East Indian trees here, and also of some natives; and I find those from India thrive full as well here as in their native soil. The result I send you. It is a matter of curiosity, rather than utility. It shows the rapid progress of vegetation in tropical climates, compared with that in the colder regions. Of the numberless articles for commerce and economy, Many natural manufactured in the East-Indies, no attention is paid to productions neglected for them here, although many of them are common. The the sugarcane. same is the case as to small products for necessary existence. This is owing to the want of a proper population, and the high price of manual labour. Except in Barbadoes, and a few other islands, all the land in cultivation is engrossed by the sugar cane. No room is left for poor industrious people, unless in detached spots remote from towns, markets, and shipping. The hard woods fit for mill timber are more at tended to than any other, and they undoubtedly are the most essential article to the planters, yet few take the trouble to plant them, or give room for them. in the West You mention the high price of oak bark for tanning. I Tan to be had am confident we have many barks here superior to it, as to Indies. the astringent principle. Whether our barks are as effectual, or more so, than the oak bark in tauning, deserves ex to you for the Society's inspection. The berries are collected before full maturity. I find it is a plant of more easy cultivation than I conjectured: After it begins to bear there is no intermission. It yields its berries in succession during the year. As soon as one crop comes to maturity, the plant recommences flowering. Obstacles at the customhouse. Correspondence interrupted by the war. periment. For that end I will transmit you some specimens by the first opportunity. The barks might be imported at a trifling expence, unless the customhouse duties should be found to prevent them. The high duties and prohibitions in the customhouse prevent several people here from sending similar articles hence, for experiments, as well as for speculation in trade. A few persons in this island wish to cultivate the cinnamon for commerce; they have asked me if it can be entered at the customhouse, and what are the duties upon it? I could give them no information as to either. The overhauling and pilfering, by the customhouse officers in England, of articles of natural history, sent as specimens, is very injurious; such things should be held sacred. Many articles here deserve to be subjected to experiments, from which I am prevented by the necessary attentions to the garden, particularly for some time past. The business of it engrosses all my time and care, and is as much as one individual can attend to. I will endeavour to obtain a correspondence with Dr. Roxburgh, but I almost despair of it during the war. I have correspondents in America, whom I can depend upon; but the conveyance, through the medium of American vesvels to these islands, is very precarious. Some time ago I lost a parcel of seeds from New-York, sent in charge by one Nutmeg killed of these vessels. I believe I mentioned, that I have lost one of my nutmeg plants, for which I blame myself, by too much attention in watering it in dry weather. The other thrives remarkably well, and is now above ten feet high; but if it proves a male, I am at a stand. Could I find the opportunity of sending by a flag of truce to Cayenne, I know I could get a supply. by overwater ing. Black pepper. Nutmeg. I am, with most sincere regard, Dear Sir, Your much obliged and ever grateful Servant, 'Botanical Garden, St. Vincent, July 21, 1807. DEAR SIR, I Have the pleasure to inform you, that some of the black pepper plants are now pushing out freely their fructification; but have to lament, that the only nutmeg |