



]. v 14.] Imperial Institute . 391 



disposition is obvious in the pods of leguminous plants, such as 

 kidney beans, peas, &e. We perceive it likewise very well in the 

 kernels of almonds, peaches, cherries, &c. in which one of the 

 sides has always a channel, and sometimes a canal, which points 

 out the passage of the vessels. M. de Mirbel gives this simple cap- 

 sule the name of camare. The plants which we have mentioned 

 have only a single flower. When there are several, their semi- 

 niferous or vascular sutors are always on the side of the ideal axis of 

 the fruit; and if we represent them as united together, they form 

 a single pericarpium box, divided into several compartments, and 

 bearing the seeds along the central axis. 



It is thus that in the same family the camaras are sometimes dis- 

 tinct, sometimes united, according to the genera, as we see in 

 ranuneulaeeous, rutaceous plants. In like manner certain camaras, 

 united at first, separate when they come to maturity, as in the rose 

 (remiere, the euphorbia, the hura crepitans, &c. 



This idea being once admitted, we find that pericarpiums very 

 different at first sight are in fact only veryslight modifications of a 

 common design ; but as it happens that families far distant from 

 one another have usually pericarpiums very similar, we cannot often 

 draw from that part of vegetables characters proper for the distribu- 

 tion of plants. 



This is not the case with the internal structure of seeds, which 

 are exceedingly different from one another in different families, and 

 very little in the same family. This circumstance has partly led M. 

 de Mirbel to divide the family of oranges of Jussieu into four fami- 

 lies ; namely, aurantiacea, already very well described by M. 

 Cornea ; olacinea, comprehending the olax, Jissilia, heisleria, 

 ximenia; theacea, containing the tea plant and camelia; and the 

 ternstromia, comprehending ternstromia andfresiera. 



In the family of alacinea is not included the ximenia cenyptiaca, 

 of which M. Delille has properly made a new genus under the 

 name of balanites. This plant, which we do not know at present 

 where to class, has presented to M. de Mirbel a character which is 

 perhaps unique in the vegetable kingdom. Botanists are acquainted 

 with the glandular body placed under the pistils in a great number 

 of flowers, to which the name of disc or nectarium has been given. 

 It exists in the balanites under the form of a purse with shoots {une 

 bourse a jetons). The pistil is at first entirely covered with it, and 

 is not visible ; but as it increases in bulk it separates the sides of the 

 purse, and makes its appearance. 



Article XIII. 



SCIENTIFIC intki.i.h.knce; and noticks of subjects 



CO\\i;< TK1) WITH SCIENCE. 



I. Lectures, 



Dr. Spurzhcim. commenced his first Course of Lectures on the 



