THE CIN'XA.MOX TUIIiE, 153 



have led one to expect ; in Jamaica it is well known, 

 and, by a little contrivance, the most beautiful brushes 

 are readily prepared from it. In reality it consists 

 of the thin layers of the inner bark of the tree, a 

 little stretched sideways, so as to separate the parallel 

 fibres, and to give their meshes a lozenge form. Bota- 

 nically considered, it is the very same substance as 

 that from which are manufactured the common Russia 

 Mats, in which furniture is packed, and of which 

 Garder.ers make use under the name of £ast ; only 

 instead of being coarse and brown, it is extremely fine 

 and white. 



It is not a little curious, that of the reputed Laurels 

 so very common in gardens, namely, the Common 

 Laurel, the Portugal Laurel, the Spurge Laurel, the 

 Alexandrian Laurel, the two first should be Cherries, 

 the third a Daphne, the fourth a Ruscus, and not one 

 of them in truth a Laurel ; while, on the contrary, a 

 species of true Laurel, actually cultivated very com- 

 monly, is not recognised popularly, but has the name 

 of Sweet Bay. For this reason, although it would 

 have been more correct to have called the assemblaofe 

 of plants to which the latter belongs the Laurel 

 Tribe, yet, to avoid confusion, it is better to drop the 

 name Laurel altogether, and to designate the plants 

 by a title about which there can be no mistake. We 

 will, therefore, call the Lauraceous plants of Botanists 

 the Cinnamon Tribe, because the aromatic spice of 

 that name is yielded by some of the species, and 



