Dijfertation on the Hi/lorji of Sugar. 7 



Madeira to Spain, to which fugar was adhering in a pure 

 concrete form. Amafus Lufilanus* writes, that the juice 

 foinetimes exudes from the fugar cane and concretes in the 

 fame manner as refin or gum, and not unMke lumps of lugar 

 candy; and that the fame thing happens not only in India, 

 but in Madeira, the ifland of St. Thomas, and the Canaries. 

 Bauhin f likewife tells us, that there are fomctimes found in 

 that part of the cane called bv modern botanifts the eyes of 

 the leaves^ grains or tears of fugar, of the fize of peas, re- 

 duced to a concrete ftate by the heat of the fun, fomctimes 

 pellucid, and fometimes candied and not pellucid. John 

 CoHjbus X alfo believes, from works publiflied in India, that 

 the fugar is produced fpontaneoufly on the canes at Bethecala 

 in that countrv. 



That no doubt mav arife on account of the (ize of the con- 

 cretions, which Plinv fays were iometimes as large as a wal- 

 nut, I (hall here obferve that this might be eafily accounted 

 for, 'fince the drops adhering to the leaves, being melted by 

 the heat of the fun, might fall down and be united into one 

 mafs. Manna concreted in this manner was feen by Nie- 

 buhr in Arabia §. 



We have therefore a fufficient number of teftimonies 

 which leem to contirm the account given by the antients of 

 thciT fuccharum. I am acquainted, however, with no later 

 authors who faw fugar in that form ; and Rumph || denies 

 that any of this kind is to be found m India : but that author, 

 who exatnined with great attention the nature of the fugar 

 cane, afligns a reafon, not at all improbable, why fugar is 

 never now formed fpontaneoufly on the canes. The planters, 

 he fays, do not fufter the canes to attain to a fufficient age 

 for the exudations to be produced, becaufe the cane every 



* A7nati Lufuani Enatraiioncs in D'toJcoricUs de Medic a Materia Libros : 

 Ari^cntor, 1554, 4t". p. 217: — Vttires Caccharum dixerunt fal in ariin- 

 dinibiis colledtum ; ncc ab re, cum in ipfis arundinibus iion quidem fiftu- 

 Ioli!>, led fucco plenis, magnoaeftu. fuccus fons attrahitur, et ibidem ac 

 rcfina ve! gummi in ipfis arundinibus deniatur ac concrefcit, fimilisomnino 

 faccharo cando didto, hodie arte parato, vcl fali duici, unde mu!ti illuni 

 falcm Indicum appcUabant. Nee taurum in India hoc evcnire novimus ; 

 fed etiam hoc'ie in infuiis Maderx ct S.Ttiomae ac Fortunaci« quas Ca^ 

 narias diftirant. 



t Cafp. JJauhini Thcatrum Botanicum : BaftVue 165R, fol. p. 29J. 



X C'jjiai Annotat. ad Mi:jiue Libr. i. Secret. Mcd.DiJiiytSl. 1. in initio: 

 Saccharum antitiuorum ex eadcm planta provenire, ex tjua noftrum (ac- 

 charum vulgarc, dil'ces tx Indise commentariis ; adhuc cnim apud Beihc- 

 caiam India: tule vidcrc eft, iifdcm arundinibus ipontc adnafcens, ex quibus 

 reliquuni purius atquc iinpurius coiificitur. 



§ BtTchrcibung von Arabicn : Cupaihagen I772, p. 146. 



i| Rumphii Herbarium Arcboincnfc, pars v, p. i<;o. 



A 4 year 



