169 



ner. A gentleman, who lately made the expe* 

 riment, assured me that a haunch of venison 

 which had lately ^been killed, was hung up in 

 a fig-tree when the leaves were on, at about 

 ten o'clock in the evening, and was removed 

 before sun-rise in the morning, when it was 

 found in a perfect state for cooking ; and he 

 adds, that in a few hours more it would have 

 been in a state of putrefaction. 



In the neighbourhood of Argenteuil, near 

 Paris, are immense fields covered with fig- 

 trees : the inhabitants of the former town 

 derive their chief support from the culture 

 of this fruit; and I feel confident that there 

 are many situations on the coast of Sussex, 

 between the towns of Arundel and Shoreham, 

 where, if figs were cultivated, the London 

 markets could be amply supplied with this 

 nutritious fruit. 



We import the best dried figs from Turkey, 

 Italy, Spain, and Provence. In the south of 

 France, they are prepared by dipping them 

 in scalding hot lye made of the ashes of the 

 fig-tree, and then dried in the sun. 



For medical purposes, figs are chiefly used 

 in emollient cataplasms and pectoral decoc- 

 tions. 



The wood of the fig-tree is of a spongy 

 texture, and, when charged with oil and 



