VEGETABLE POISONS. S5 



in five-leaved cups. They are followed by 

 clufters of berries refemblino; cherries, and 

 containing an oblong ftone v/ithin the pulp 

 of the fruit. It flowers in May, and ripens 

 its fruit in September. 



The plant was firft brought from Trape- 

 zus, a city near the Euxine fea, to Cdndan- 

 tincple, from thence into Italy, France, Ger- 

 many, and England. This beautiful ever- 

 green is now become very common in our 

 gardens : it is eafily propagated, and bears 

 very well the cold of northern climates. 



The leaves of laurel have a bitter tafte, 

 with a flavour refembling that of the kernels 

 of the peach and apricot; They communi- 

 cate an agreeable flavour to aqueous and fpi- 

 rituous fluids, either by infufion or diflilla- 

 tion. 



The dlilllled water applied to the organs 

 of fmelling fl:rongly imprefles the mind with 

 the fame ideas as arife from the ta/ie of bitter 

 almonds, or apricot kernels : it is fo ex- 

 tremely deleterious in its nature, and fome- 

 times fo fudden in its operation, as to occa- 

 G 3 fion 



