place a good example of the ripe fruit before the meeting and 

 to make the following observations, " What is commonly 

 called the fruit is a congregation of black juicy fruits, placed 

 upon a common axis and varying from three to five mches in 

 length, and one to one and a half in diameter. When bruised^ 

 the fruit gives out freely a brilliantly coloured juice of a 

 deep rich claret. The plant is not uncommonly giown in 

 some gardens on account of its beautiful and remarkable 

 fruit, it is also naturalized in some parts of the soiith of 

 Europe. According to Lindley's vegetable kingdom, the 

 Pocan fruit has the following qualities. A tincture of the 

 ripened berries has had a well founded reputation for the cure 

 of chronic rheumatism. A spirit distilled from the berries 

 was so poisonous as to kill a dog ten minutes after it was 

 administered. The juice when externally applied causes a 

 sense of heat and smarting. The effects of the poison of 

 the berries appears to be violent and unequal according to 

 circumstances. It is said that the juice was once used in 

 the colouring of port wine, but given up on account of the 

 bad flavour it gave the wine." 



The President exhibited a very remarkable epiphytical 

 orchis from the East Indies, Bolhophyllum Careyanum^vodcacmg 

 a large number of closely congregated heads of flowers, 

 much resembling rich orange brown fir cones, and showing 

 one of the curious forms of inflorescence, the epiphytical 

 orchids occasionally assume. He also exhibited a beautiful 

 ball of the most transparent Eock Crystal from Japan, 

 nearly three inches in diameter showing the admirable 

 workmanship of the Japanese, the ball being a most perfect 

 sphere, and bearing a polish of the highest character : also 

 a very fine specimen of the rare fossil Glyptocrinus expansus 

 obtained from Germany, and found in the Silm-ian deposits 

 of that country. The President made a series of remarks on 



