THE BLACKTHORN. Ill 



during the transit to England. The consequence was, that 

 it stood without a name until it bore fruit, when the 

 gardener very appropriately called it "Green-gage," in 

 honour of the family who had introduced it. Since the 

 revival of royalty in France, the Citizen-plum has recovered 



ts ancient name, and " Eeine-claudes " are now exported 



n large quantities. 



The best prunes and French-plums come from Provence 

 and the neighbourhood of Tours, the quality depending 

 upon the sort of fruit used, and the care observed in the 



MAGNUM BONUM PLUM. 



preparation. The commoner kinds are shaken from the 

 tree and baked in an oven ; but the finer sorts are gathered 

 singly by the stems before sunrise, and laid, without touch- 

 ing one another, exposed to the sun and air several days 

 before baking, great care being taken not to remove the 

 delicate bloom with which they are covered. 



Brignolesi are the dried fruit of a tree which grows prin- 

 cipally near the town of the same name in Provence. They 

 are peeled when fresh, and dried in the sun. When the 

 moisture which they contain is entirely evaporated, the 

 1 Corrupted into Prunellas. 



