57 



the chocolate-maker. It is called the Sassafras Nut, but is really the 

 cotyledon of a large seed — not of the sassafras tree, but of Nectandra 

 pucharij, a lauraceous plant, which has a flavour of sassafras and 

 vanilla, and is much esteemed by cholocate drinkers. 



Another of the errors in our works on pharmacy has been in placing 

 the Costus of the ancients amongst the endoijens in the natural order 

 Zingiberaced . This fragrant root is proved by Dr. Falconer to be the 

 produce of a composite plant — Aucklandia costus, a native of Cashmere 

 and other parts of Asia. In Cashmere it is always used for protecting 

 the valuable sliawls from moths, being little esteemed as a drug. In 

 India, however, it is highly prized as a tonic, stimulant, and aphrodisiac 

 medicine. 



I have here the seeds of a grass which is occasionally imported into 

 Liverpool, and has probably been seen by many present, but, as it may 

 be new to some, I thought it worth showing. It is the Darra or Darri 

 of the Arabs and Turks : the seed, or fruit more properly speaking, of 

 Andropogon sorghum, called joar in India, where also it is used ex- 

 tensively. 



By eastern nations it is employed as food, and in this country for 

 feeding domestic animals. It has been naturalised in the United 

 States. The com is much used by the slave population, and the hard 

 dry stems constitute a very important article of commerce, under the 

 name of broom corn : they are largely manufactured into carpet brooms, 

 whisks, &c. 



I have only one other product to show you, it is the elegant seed of 

 the Eleocarpus ganitrus (natural order Tiliacea:), which, in India, is 

 made into rosaries and necklaces, called Brahmins' Beads ; these seeds 

 appear beautifully carved, and are often mounted in silver and gold. 

 They are interesting in another point of view as illustrating the use of 

 the rosary in religious worship, seeing it is asserted that their use 

 is synchronous with the institution of the woi'ship of Brahma. 



Thus closed the public meetings of the Society. 



