78 = List of the Plants of Chile. 
turning it till you see (through the point of view K) the - brightest 
light fall upon the center of the chosen side, as shown on Y. It be- 
ing now adjusted, unscrew the clamp, and revolve II gently from you, 
(inferiorly) till you catch the same intenseness of light as you started 
with, resting upon its remaining side (the faint shadowing playing 
upon either edge of the side viewed, leaving a line of strong light 
passing through its center). Screw the clamp fast again and read 
the angle off,—the degrees upon“BB, and the minutes upon DD. 
By this simple and expeditious process, the angles of any crystal 
(reflecting light from its sides and above the size of a pin’s head, till 
so large that we can measure it by the simple goniometer) may ° 
found with the surest accuracy. 
Arr. XIV.—List of the Plants of Chile ; translated from the «< Mer- 
curio Chileno,” by W.S.W. Ruscuensercer, M.D. U. af. re 
— (Continued from Vol. XX. p. 260.) noe 
Faba vulgaris. Moench. Haba. <A plant cultivated in fields 
and olitories. ~ Its seeds are eaten when tender and serve to thicken — 
-broth whieh the French call purée. Beans make a good diet for 
horses, and it woud be well to extend their cultivation with this view, 
and particularly i in winter when there is a scarcity of grass and straw 
and barley is advanced in price. 
. Fabiana imbricata. Ruiz and Pavon. A-small tree in sandy 
places near the torrents of Taguatagua and San Fernando. It is 
called Pichi; its singular appearance, the disposition of its small 
leaves and the great number of its whitish flowers, recommend it a5 
an ornamental plant. Country people make spoons of its wood. ” 
-There is I think another plant bearing the same vulgar name which 
it issaid serves as a dye. I have not seen it ane sbexatoge cannot 
speak of it. br geemmee 
Fagus obliqua. Mirb. Pre tS tree common in es high 
mountains. Its trunk sometimes acquires the thickness of three or 
four yards and a very considerable height. The wood is much 
used in carpentry ; it is used in the construction of houses, ships, 
cart-wheels, 8c. Its bark is good for tanning hides and gives them 
a red color. In the spring is formed on the branches of this tree 3 
great number of whitish tubercles, the parenchyma of which is spongy, 
though sufficiently consistent at first. I thought it a galla or eX- _ 
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