gg Sketch of the latest Improvements [Jan . 



colourless, like water : but when collected in greater abundance, it 

 was imperfectly transparent, and had a milky appearance. It had 

 a sweet taste, and its specific gravity varied. It contained an 

 albuminous substance, which was precipitated in flocks by heating 

 the liquid. There was likewise another substance which precipitated 

 in flocks, that seemed to be difterent from the albumen ; but the 

 most remarkable constituent was a salt, which crystallized some- 

 times in small prisms, sometimes in plates. It was white, trans- 

 lucent and had little lustre. 1000 parts of cold water dissolved 

 nine parts of this salt; 1000 parts of boiling water dissolved 17 

 parts. This salt was composed of lime and a peculiar vegetable 

 acid bearing some resemblance to the moroxylic acid of Klaproth. 

 Scherer calls it maple acid. We might distinguish it, if it be a 

 peculiar acid, by the name of aceric acid; for Scherer's name, 

 feldahorn acid, Cannot with propriety be adopted into other Ian- 



guages. 



5. Conium Maculatum. — Schrader has subjected conium macii- 

 latum, common hemlock, to a chemical analysis. The following 

 are the ingredients which he obtained from a thousand grains in 

 weight of the plant : — 



Extractive 27-3 



Gummy extract 35-2 



Resin 1*5 



Albumen 3*1 



Green fecula v . . . 8 



He obtained also the following salts from the same quantity of 

 the plant : — 



Phosphate of lime 46 



Phosphate of magnesia 30-1 



Carbonate of lime , . . 27*4 



Carbonate of magnesia 20-2 



Carbonate of potash 1 15*0 



Sulphate of potash 10-8 



Muriate of potash 4*2 



6. Brassica Oleracea Viridis. — To Schrader we are indebted 

 likewise for a chemical analysis of the brassica oleracea viridis, a 

 variety of the sea cabbage. From 1000 parts of this plant he 

 obtained the following substances : — 



Extractive 23-4 



Gummy extract 28"9 



Resin 0-5 



Albumen 2-9 



Green fecula 6*3 



The salts which 1000 parts of this plant yielded were the fol- 

 lowing : — 



