184 LETTER XV. 



spotted with green and white, and flowers of a lovely 

 blue, shaped like a funnel ; the mean-looking Grom- 

 icell (Lithospermum), which seems as if conscious of 

 its AYorthlessness, by constantly dwelling with weeds 

 and rubbish ; whose very fruit is so like a stone, that 

 it derives its Botanical name (Lithospermum signifies 

 literally stone-seed,) from that circumstance ; and 

 finally Comfrey (Symphytum), with tall coarse stems, 

 and tubular flowers, the scales of whose mouth seem 

 as if made expressly to teach us what the real nature 

 of those singular parts are in other genera. In 

 the Comfrey, the scales are so exactly like the 

 filaments, that if you cut ofl^ the anthers, you can- 

 not tell one from the other ; and consequently, as 

 all other circumstances confirm the opinion of 

 their being abortive stamens, the scales are so con- 

 sidered. 



Not one of the Borate tribe is otherwise than harm- 

 less ; the young shoots of Comfi'ey have even been 

 eaten as Asparagus, but they have too little taste to 

 be worth cultivation ; and Borage itself was once an 

 ingredient in a favourite beverage of our forefathers, 

 called a cool tankard. It is however for their dyeing 

 properties that they are really valuable. The dye 

 called Alkanet, or others of a similar quality, is fur- 

 nished by the roots of Anchusa tinctoria, Lithosper- 

 mum tinctorium, Onosma echioides, and several other 

 species. 



From this harmless natural order, let us turn to 

 one, the properties of which are too often dangerous. 

 Henbane, Nightshade, and Tobacco, the narcotic 



