TA MARINDS. 679 
the fellow with a few Sweetbreads which I gave him out of my 
purse.”” In Jane Austen’s Novel (Emma) the amiable, pottering, 
old valetudinarian, Mr. Woodhouse, is given to propound views 
of rigid strictness concerning matters of the table, which views 
have a somewhat humorous vein; they rise, however, almost — 
to a tragedy when poor Mrs. Bates is deprived thereby of her 
Sweetbread at supper, just because the accompanying asparagus 
is decided by him to be imperfectly cooked. ‘“ The baked 
apples, and biscuits”? (which came after) “were excellent in 
their way, you know; but there was a delicate fricassée of 
Sweetbread, and some asparagus, brought up at first, and good 
- Mr. Woodhouse (fastidious, and a fidget), not thinking the 
asparagus quite boiled enough, sent it all out again. Now 
there is nothing grandmamma likes: better than Sweetbread 
and asparagus, so she was rather disappointed ; but we agreed 
we would not speak of it to anybody for fear of its getting round 
to dear Miss Woodhouse.” 
TAMARINDS. 
Tue “ Tamar Hindee,” Indian date, comes to us only as a sweet, 
sub-acid, juicy fruit-pulp intermixed with fibrous strings, and 
containing smooth, glistening, hard, auburn-coloured stones. 
This pulp fulfils medicinal purposes which entitle it to high . 
esteem as a Simple for use in the sick-room. Large quantities 
of the luscious date are brought to our shores from the Levant, 
and Persia, but before importation the shell of the pod is 
removed. The pulp possesses by nature traces of gold in its 
composition; but if exhibiting any presence of copper on a 
clean steel knife-blade held within the conserve for a short time, 
then an adulteration is signified. The occult influence of the 
metals upon the human economy, whether when taken infini- 
tesimally as medicines, or when applied externally to the body, — 
or limbs, is not sufficiently realized as yet, though our forefathers 
had an inkling of the matter which amounted to more than mere 
superstition. Old philosophers spent much labour in trying 
to find the aurwm potabile as the elixir of life. Again, a former 
ceremony conducted annually on Good Friday at Westminster 
shows the like belief, it being the ‘‘ blessing of cramp rings, 
__ which was carried out by the King himself. He went into his — 
private Chapel on that day, accompanied only by his grand 
