3'J^O STATE OF THE BOTANICAL GARDEN AT ST. VINCENT. 



gas on the part cold water. A large quantity of the gas was absorbed, 

 soluble in ^^^ jjjg solution became yellow, and coagulated like ani- 



mal jelly, so as to become almost one entire mass. The 

 coagulnm, when separated, was of a whitish yellow, but 

 soon turned brown. After being washed, it was very 

 elastic, insoluble in water at 8° R. [SO^F], but very readily 

 soluble in alcohol, and this solution was copiously pre- 

 cipitated by water. The oximuriatic acid gas therefore ap- 

 pears in some sort to have resinified the portion of aloes 

 soluble in water. 



According to them, succotrine aloes consists of 68 parts 

 extract, and 32 resin : and hepatic aloes is composed of 52 

 extract, 42 resin, and 6 insoluble matter, which Tromms- 

 dorff calls albumen. 



(To he continued.) 



converted it 

 into a kind of 

 resin- 

 Component 

 parts of aloes. 



Cultivation of 

 The pepper 

 plant at St. 

 Vincent's. 



Success of the 

 black pepper 

 plant in the 

 "West Indies. 



VIII. 



Communications concerning the Royal Botanical Garden, 

 at St. Vincent, from its Superintendant Dr. Alexander 

 Anderson, to Du. C. Taylor*. 



Dear Sir, 



J. Am honoured with your letter of the 26th and 28th of 

 April, with the 21st and 24th volumes of the Transactions 

 of the Society of Arts ; also the publication on the Culture , 

 of Black Pepper, for which I feel great obligation to the 

 Society. 



From Mr. Martyn's account of the pepper plant, I am in 

 hopes that it will succeed in this garden ; as he says it is 

 three or four years before they produce in the East-Indies 

 after planting, and it is now near that time since I procured 

 them, and there are several very luxuriant at present +. I 



am 



* Trans, of the See. of Arts, vol. xxvi, p. 234. 



f In a subsequent letter, dated Jime the i9th, 1809, the Dr. says: 

 " I have the pleasure to inform the Society, that the black pepper 

 plant thrives remarkably well in this garden, and has been pro- 

 ducing fruit more tbai\_ a year. Some of its produce I now transnnt 



X9 - 



