775 



petiole, the tree has its trunk unbranched to near the base (as in the 

 case of the sycamore, apple, &c.), and when the leaf has no petiole 

 the trunk is branched from the root, as in our common ornamental 

 lawn-shrubs, the bay-laurel, holly, box, &c. 3. He showed, further, 

 that the angle at which the branches go off from the axis is the same 

 as that at which the side veins go off from the main veins. His ob- 

 servations during the past summer had been chiefly directed to this 

 point ; and he made the measurements by means of a graduated circle 

 with a movable index. In these measurements, he took the angle 

 formed by the main lateral branches with the axis, and by the main 

 lateral veins with the midrib. The angle of the veins of the leaf is 

 easily taken. It is more difficult to determine the natural angle of 

 the branches, inasmuch as the direction of the branch may be modi- 

 fied by a variety of circumstances, as by winds, its own weight, &c. 

 Still, there is evidently a normal angle for each species of plant, which 

 may be ascertained by taking the average of a number of measure- 

 ments of a freely-growing plant. He had measured in all about 210 

 species of plants, and found the angle of the branch and of the vein 

 to correspond. He produced a tabulated statement of these 210 

 plants, and called the special attention of the Section to several of 

 them. 



The Black and Green Teas of Commerce, hy Dr. Boyle. 



It was a remarkable fact, that the subject of the difference between 

 the black and green teas had been until recently a matter of great 

 uncertainty. The Jesuits, who had penetrated into China, and Mr. 

 Pigou, were of opinion that both the black and green teas were pro- 

 duced from the same plant ; while Mr. Reeve believed that they were 

 manufactured from two distinct plants. Now, as regarded himself, 

 he (Dr. Royle) had adopted the view that the best kinds of black and 

 green tea were made from different plants ; and examination of tea 

 samples seemed to confirm that view, but a repetition of the experi- 

 ment had not done so. Mr. Fortune, subsequent to the China war, 

 having been sent out to China by the Horticultural Society of Eng- 

 land, made inquiries on the subject. He there found the TheaBohea 

 in the southern parts of China employed for making black tea ; and 

 in proceeding as far north as Shanghae, he found the Thea viridis 

 used in making green tea near the districts where the best green tea 

 was made. So far, therefore, the information obtained seemed to con- 

 firm the view of two different species of Thea being employed to make 

 the two different kinds of tea ; but Mr. Fortune, in visiting the dis- 



