APPENDIX. 123 
PORTULACEZ., 
Chemical Composition of Portulaca oleracea. 
Water i oof & aie [ee 2°61 
Nitrogenous ‘aibitanies ies cen wes eee 2°24 
Fat . eee ne as 0°40 
Non- nitrogenous extractive see ee see 2°16 
Cellulose... ve iw an “as see 1:03 
s see 
In dry substance— 
Nitrogen... sit co we ons see 4:85 
Carbohydrates vee oe a oe cuc. oo ee 
(Konig, Nahrungs Mittel, p. 147.) 
TAMARISCINE, 
Remarks on the substance called cet or Manna 
found in Persia and Arm 
At entertainments in Persia a sweetmeat called Gezangabeen is 
usually met with, the pleasant taste and other singular properties of 
which, as well as the mystery that involved its origin, excited my 
curiosity to know if it were an animal or a vegetable production. 
The principal ingredient in its composition is a white gummy 
substance called Gez, which, when mixed up with rose-water, flour 
and pistachio nuts into flat round cakes that are generally made 
three inches in diameter and a quarter of an inch thick, has much 
the appearance and feel of common dough, though a little more hard, 
Tt is at the same time both adhesive and brittle, for any attempt to 
cut it shows the former quality, as it sticks to the knife; and if 
pulled, it admits of being drawn out to some length like birdlime, 
The mode, however, generally practised of breaking it for use is by 
placing one cake on the palm of the hand somewhat hollowed and 
striking it with the other, when the blow occasions it to fly into 
several pieces, whose edges, rather unexpectedly, appear smooth and 
polished like broken glass, 
Collection. —Before daylight we marched from Khonsar, and, on 
clearing the boundaries of the town, deviated from the main road as 
we had been directed, and began rambling amongst the bushes on the 
face of the mountain on our right, diligently looking for the gez. The 
directions we had received were to examine the bushes closely, as the 
