VOL. LXXX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 657 



10 drs. into another phial, N° 2 ; both were stopped with glass stoppers. After 



2 days they had both deposited a small sediment ; but the sediment in N° 1 was 



3 times more than that in the other. At the end of the week, the water in 

 both was found sweet, and the sediment increased, but most in N° 1. At the 

 end of a fortnight, the water in N° 1 had a fetid smell, with a whitish cottony 

 sediment, and a thin film of the same kind suspended at top. The whole, well 

 shaken together, was poured into a glass vessel, and left to evaporate slowly. 

 The residuum consisted of small particles of a whitish brown colour, resembling 

 the inferior sort of Tabasheer. The water in N° 2 had hardly any fetid smell at 

 this time ; and at the end of the month remained in the same state : the sedi- 

 ment had increased very little. 



The recent green bamboos which, on shaking, appeared to contain water in 

 the cavity, lost this appearance after standing a few days, some sooner, some 

 later. When split, after they no longer gave any sound by shaking, sometimes 

 no fluid was found in the cavity, as if the whole had escaped. The interior thin 

 pellicle however was discoloured, as if by recent moisture; but generally some of 

 the fluid remained in a mucilaginous state, more or less thick, at the lower part 

 of the joint. It may be remarked that small worms were sometimes found in the 

 same joints with the water, which survived several hours, swimming about in 

 the water after its extraction. 



In the latter end of Oct. a green bamboo of 5 joints was brought to him, 

 which appeared to contain both water and Tabasheer. After 3 days, the sound 

 of water on shaking the reed, could hardly be perceived; on the 5th day it was 

 entirely imperceptible. On splitting the bamboo, about 4- dr. of the fluid, now 

 thickened into a mucilage, was found at the bottom of the upper joint. The 2d 

 joint contained some perfect Tabasheer loose in the cavity. The 3d joint was 

 empty, excepting a few particles of Tabasheer, which adhered to the sides near 

 the bottom. The 4th joint, at the bottom, contained above 1 dr. of a brownish 

 pulpy substance, adherent. The last joint, in like manner, contained 4 dr. of a 

 substance thicker and harder in consistence, and nearly of the colour of white 

 wax. This specimen exhibited at one view the progress of the Tabasheer through 

 its several stages. The sound distinctly perceived in the first joint on the 23d of 

 Oct. was produced by the water in a fluid state; on the 31st, having become 

 thicker, the sound, on shaking, was very obscure ; on the 2d of Nov. no sound 

 was perceptible; and when the reed was split, the water was found reduced to a 

 mucilage. The 4th and 5th joints contained the drug in a more advanced state. 

 In the first, it was thicker than a mucilage of a brownish colour; in the 2d, 

 more of the fluid part having evaporated, the colour was whiter, and it wanted 

 but little of the consistence of the perfect Tabasheer found in the 2d joint. 

 . p. s. Four of the 7 reeds presented to the Society on the night this paper was 



VOL. XVI. 4 P 



