392 New vegetable Alkali.—Effects of hot Water on Flowers. 
the entrenching tusk and destructive grinders of the mite, will 
long retain their living principle, and propagate their kind. 
Tam, &c. Gavin INGLIs. 
Extract from another. letter from Mr. Inglis, dated 30th Oc- 
tober: ‘* The thistle still continues to thrive, and has attained a 
most incredible size, such as to draw expressions of admiration 
from all (gardeners included) who see it. I certainly never saw 
any thing like it of its kind for size, independent of its nonage. 
I will do all in my power to preserve it during the winter.” 
NEW VEGETABLE ALKALI. - 
MM. Pelletier and Caventou have inserted the following note 
in the Annales de Chimie for July. (The note was read to the 
Academy on the 10th August.) 
Whilst analysing the vomica nut, and the bean of St. Ignace, 
they extracted from these two seeds the substance of which they 
owe their action on the animal economy. 
This substance is white, crystalline, and very bitter. It erystal- 
lizes in the form of quadrangular plates, or in four-sided prisms, 
terminated by an obtuse quadrangular pyramid. It is very slightly 
soluble in water, but verysoluble in alcohol. It is formed, like 
most vegetable substances, of oxygen, hydrogen, and charcoal. 
It is most distinguished by its alkaline properties ; and though 
like morphium, is essentially different from it. It restores a red- 
dened blue colour, and with acids forms neutral salts, soluble in 
water, and crystallizable. With weak nitric acid it forms a ni- 
trate, but the concentrated acid acts on and ‘decomposes it ; and 
forms a solution, at first red, but becoming yellow, and yielding 
oxalic acid. Its acetate is very soluble, the sulphate less so, and 
erystallizable in rhomboidal plates. 
This substance acts on animals in a similar manner to the al- 
coholic infusion of the nux vomica, but more energetically. 
The class of acid vegetable substances is numerous ; on the 
contrary, that of alkaline vegetable substances is confined to mor- 
phium. Nevertheless, M. Vauquelin has noticed the alkaline pro- 
perties of a substance obtained by him whilst analysing the daphne 
alpina. The new body will form another genus in the class, 
which may become numerous, and which has first been observed 
by M. Vauquelin. To recall these facts, and designate the sub- 
stances by a name which will avoid circumlocution, they have 
called it vawqueline. This name is better than one entirely in- 
significant, or that indicates properties which may be found in 
other bodies. -_ 
EFFECTS OF HOT WATER ON FLOWERS. 
The following fact is deserving of record, as an interesting con- 
tribution to what has hitherto been discovered on the subject of 
vegetable 
ee 
