424 Proceedings of the 



The Society expeft — ift, That the candidates will deter- 

 mine accurately whether this infect be the tinea vejlionelh, 

 pclhonclla, tufctzclla, or farcitclla of Linnaeus, or different 

 from thefe. — 3d, A circumflantial natural hiftory of it. — 3d, 

 An examination, founded on experience and fcientific princi- 

 ples, of the efficacy of all the means hitherto propofed for 

 extirpating it. — And laftly, Apropofal, founded on experience 

 and trials made, of means by which the deft met ion occa- 

 sioned by thefe pelts may in future be prevented. Papers on 

 this fubjectmay be tranfmitted to the Society any time before 

 the lit of January 1803. 



FRANCE. 



In the public fitting of the National Inftitute on the 4th 

 of January, the following report was read of the labours of the 

 Clafs of the Phyfical Sciences during the preceding quarter. 



Among the various objects which for three months have 

 occupied the Clafs of the Phyfical Sciences, were two new 

 kinds of plants prefented by C. Lheritier. The firft, dif- 

 covercd at Madagafcar by C. Bruguiere during his voyage 

 round the world with Kcrguclen, will be diitinguilhcd by the 

 name of Bruguiera. The fecond, difcovcred at the Ilk of 

 France by the fame botaniff, belongs to the family of the 

 Orchis ; as it is a parafite plant that entwines itfelf around the 

 trunks of trees, C. Lheritier means, on that account, to call it 

 Rh izodcndru m . 



There is a tree, originally from America, the young 

 branches of which, while in a (late of vegetation, are co- 

 vered with a vifcous matter, which, however (lightly touched, 

 adheres ilrongly to the ringers, and renders them black. C. 

 Vauquelin confiders it as a principle different from all thofe 

 known in the vegetable kingdom ; but which approaches 

 nearer to the gums than to any other fubftance. The pro- 

 duction of this fort of gum has made the name of Robinta 

 •vijeofa be given to the tree in queftion, to diftinguifh it from 

 another 'robinia, or falfe acacia, to which it has a great re- 



femblance. 



