MAHOGANY. 121 



are brought to Europe, and are very much used 

 in medicine. 



The :Locust-tree, Hymene'a Courba'ril, which 

 grows in the West Indies, produces from its roots 

 a fine transparent resin, called in the shops Gum 

 an'ime, which, when dissolved in spirit of wine, 

 makes a very fine varnish. The wood of the tree 

 is remarkably heavy. 



The Mahogany-tree is the last I shall mention 

 in this class. Its botanical name is Swiete'nia 

 Mahog'ani ; and it grows in the warmest parts of 

 America, and some of the West India islands. The 

 seeds, which are very light, are often blown into 

 the chinks of rocks, where they take root, and 

 sometimes produce trees of considerable size ; and 

 the wood of those that spring in this manner, from 

 exposed situations, is harder and better than what 

 grows in other places. 



Mahogany is more used than any other timber 

 for cabinet-maker's work, because it takes a fine 

 polish, and is very durable. It was first brought 

 to England about a hundred years ago, by a West 

 India captain, as ballast for his ship ; but being too 

 hard to be cut with the common tools used by car- 

 penters, it was laid aside as useless. Afterwards, 

 it is said, the captain's wife wanting a box to hold 

 her candles, thought that wood so hard would keep 

 put the mice, and had stronger tools employed to 

 make one. The wood was then found to be so 



