which are fed upon the leaves and fruit, however tough the meat 
they afford might otherwise be, it is thus rendered perfectly ten- 
der; and good too, if eaten as soon as killed, but that the flesh 
very soon passes into a state of putridity *. 
Whether this power of hastening the decay of meat be attribut- 
able to the animal matter or fibrine contained in the juice of the 
Papaw or not, I will not pretend to say ; but the presence of 
such is a fact scarcely less wonderful than the property just allud- 
ed to. ‘Two specimens of the juice were brought from the Isle of 
France ; in the one the juice had been evaporated to dryness, and 
was in the state of an extract; in the other, the juice was pre- 
served by being mixed with an equal bulk of rum. ‘ Both were 
subjected to analysis by Vauquenin. The first was of a yellowish- 
white colour, and semitransparent. Its taste was sweetish. It 
‘had no smell, and was pretty solid; but attracted moisture when 
kept in a damp place. The second was reddish-brown, and had 
the smell and taste of boiled beef. When the first specimen was 
macerated in cold water, the greatest part of it dissolved. The 
solution frothed with soap. he addition of nitric acid coagu- 
lated it, and rendered it white; and when boiled, it threw down 
abundance of white flakes. When the juice of the Papaw_is 
treated with water, the greatest part dissolves; but there remains 
a substance insoluble, which has a greasy appearance. It softens 
in the air and becomes viscid, brown, and semitransparent. When 
thrown on burning coals it melted, let drops of grease exude; 
emitted the noise of meat roasting, and produced a smoke which 
had the odour of fat volatilized. It left behind it no residue- 
The substance was fibrine. The resemblance between the juice of 
the Papaw and animal matter is so close, that one would be 
tempted to suspect some imposition, were not the evidence that It 
is really the juice of a tree quite unquestionable +”. 
_ This fibrine had been supposed, previously, to belong exclu- 
sively to the animal kingdom : but it has since been found in other 
vegetables, especially in Fungi. <i. Soe 
he plant in the Glasgow Botanic Garden has flowered at 
almost all seasons of the year, and bears fruit in the autumn al 
early winter. 
- Since the above was written, I find in the Third volume of the Trats- 
actions of the Wernerian Society a highly interesting account of the property 
of the juice of the Papaw Tree, by Dr. HoupeEr, who has witnessed its effects 
in the island of Barbadoes, and speaks of them as known to all the inhabitants» 
The juice causes a separation of the muscular fibres. Nay, the very yapour 
of the tree serves the purpose ; hence many people suspend the joints of m 
fowls, &c. in the upper part of the tree, in order to prepare them for the table. 
Such is the effect upon hogs that feed upon the fruit, that the good house” 
wives reject the flesh of such, if it be destined for salting, well knowing. 
it is not sufficiently firm for the purpose. 
t THomson’s System of Chemistry, extracted from the Annales de Chimie, 
v, 43. p. 267. 
a . 
Tas. 2898. Fig. 1. Tree on a very small scale. 2. Portion of a Panicle or Racemé 
of Male Flowers. 3. Male Flower cut open. 4. Calyx. 5. Portion of the Tube of 
the Corolla bearing Young Stamens, the rest being cut away. 6. and 7. Anthers- “is 
Female Flowers copied from Bot. Reg.— Magnified. 
Tax. 2899, Fig. 1. Portion of the Stem with Fruit, naé. size. 2. Section of ditt: 
3. Seeds, nat. size. 4. Seeds cut open vertically, magnified, 5, Leaf, nat. size, 
