CORNEL THEE. 187 



fifteen to thirty flowers each, of a small size 

 and yellowish colour, and therefore make no 

 great show ; but the fruit, which is a drupe 

 that ripens in August, has a very fine effect, 

 as it hangs like so many cornelian drops from 

 the branches ; and it is as transparent as the 

 stone of that name, or as the jelly of red 

 currants, and about the size and form of a 

 small olive. 



The stone is oblong, pointed at one end, 

 and rather larger than a grain of wheat. 

 The pulp, which forms what is vulgarly called 

 the fruit, is less juicy than the cherry, but 

 more so than the plum. Its flavour is pe- 

 culiar ; but to some persons this sweet and 

 astringent taste is extremely agreeable. For- 

 merly, it was preserved and sold in the 

 shops as rob de cornis ; it was also pickled in 

 salt and water in its green state, as a sub- 

 stitute for olives ; and we find, from Pliny, 

 that the Romans had the same practice. 



Dr. James says this fruit is cooling, drying, 

 and astringent, strengthens the stomach, and 

 is good in fevers ; especially if attended with 

 a diarrhoea. It gives as lively a red to blue 

 paper as alum ; which gives us room to think, 

 that it contains a salt analagous to it. An 

 electuary was formerly made of the strained 

 pulp for a dysentery. 



