ofLouiJiana and Pennfjilvama. 265 



contain a colouring principle, and I did not defpair that I 

 fliould find in it the beautiful lake, mentioned by M. Alex- 

 andre. With this view, I bruifed ftrongly the powder, and 

 boiled it in a folution of acid fulphate of alumine. I was 

 much aftoniflied to obtain nothing but a liquor fcarcely co- 

 loured, and the alumine precipitated by an alkali, was only 

 (litxhtly ftained. 



1 took another part of this black bruifed powder, and put 

 it to infufe in alcohol. I foon obtained a tiniture of the co- 

 lour of wine lees : on heating this tinfture, it became as red 

 as a ftronor tinfture of cinchona or cachon. This refitlt in- 

 duced me^^to believe that the colouring principle was refinous, 

 but by adding water I favv no precipitate formed. 



I poured into this tindlure water charged with fulphate of 

 alumine; a (light precipitate was produced : a folution of ful- 

 phate of iron formed it immediately into an ink. 



What is the aftrinoent colouring principle which is not 

 fuluble in alcohol, which forms no precipitate with water, 

 and which has fo little attraftion for alumine? To find it a 

 feries of experiments, which the few fubilances I had in my 

 polfoflion did not permit me to make, would have been ne- 

 ceflary. The aftringent matter mentioned by M. Alexandre, 

 mud be found in the decoftion of the unbruifed feeds. To 

 afcertain this faft, I boiled the feeds in a filver veflel. The 

 decoftion on which a little wax floated, was of a greenifli 

 colour, with a tafte fomewhat (tvptic : it precipitated ferru- 

 ginous folutions black. Having heated it in a very clean iron 

 vefTel, it fpecdily became black. To know whether this pro- 

 perty arofe from the gallic acid alone, or from tannin, I 

 mixed a little of the concentrated decoction with a folution 

 of gelatin, but no precipitate was formed. 



It is therefore to the pretty confidcrable quantity of gallic 

 acid contained in the feeds of the myrica, that the virtue of 

 its extraft in checking dyfentarics ought to be al'cribed. In 

 this refpe6l, I am of oiiinion that theleaves a'ad bark of the 

 tree would furnifh an cxirail ftill more aftringent than the 

 berries. 



The following are the mod intercfting refults of an exami- 

 nation of the wax : 



W'lien extracted cither by decoAion from the feeds, or by 

 folution of the white powder in alcohol prccipitalcd by water, 

 this melted wax is always of a yellow colour, inclining to 

 creen. Its confidence is llronger'than that of the wax nuidc 

 by bees; it is dry and friable enough to be reduced 10 pow- 

 der ; in a word, it is manifeftly more oxygenated than wax 

 prepared by ihefe infedts. Tapers made wiili the wax of the 

 M . uiyiica 



