55 
— Y noticed this cnet on the ae light, not only when testing 
he RUE tobaeeos, but also in a few when the material frou 
fresh leaves was sufficient for the experient. 
This vit of optical activity is very remarkable, and as the ceiniad 
matter of tobacco differs in this respect from the ordinary sugars we 
must conclude that we have to do here with a new kind of sugar 
edt 
- Besides this, it was just possible that this saccharine matter was in 
zeality fruit sugar, or invert-sugar, in which the two compounds, the 
left-handed rotating levulose, and the right-hand rotating glucose, are 
present in such a proportion that the rotation is compensated and 
becomes nil. For the present purpose, it was of TI importance that 
this END should be removed, the more as I have it on good 
authority that inactive invert-sugar has ev dy now and then been 
noticed in commerce, and, meinen the polariscope might not under all 
circumstances prove to be. reliable a means for detecting i in manu- 
factured tobacco any rst paini, of sugár, 
. Conclusive evidence could only be cbtained by a chemical study of 
the tobacco sugar in its pure state, and Gat this purpose I have prepared, 
with the expenditure of much time and labour, a sufficient quantity of 
this substance in as pure a condition as the known methods for isolating 
these kinds of todies will admit. 
s saccharine matter thus extracted from Bright Virginia leaf forms 
an amorphous gum-like pale yellow substance, Teadily- soluble in the 
strongest ead and also in water, with which it forms a thick treacle, 
possessing but a very faint sweet taste, which is another marked 
di E P the ordinary sugar 
On submitting now this pe to a further treatment which, 
under the supposition t that it was composed of levulose and glucose, 
would have effected their separation, I obtained a small quantity of a 
eps which, am Levulose, formed with caustic lime a solid compound, 
but turned the ray of polarized light to the right, whilst the larger bulk 
foret a liquid compound with lime, and exhibited a very small rotation 
to the left. 
These results lead me to the conclusion m neither l»vulose nor 
glucose was present, and that the saccharine matter of tobacco is com- 
of atleast three different sugar-like se sa ian so far as 
my present knowledge goes, I must “consider as new to chemistry. 
As the practical result of this inv estigation, I must, therefore, express 
it.as my opinion that the presence of natural sugar in tobacco does not 
e the possibility of detecting by md means any plies nugar 
which might be added to tunncelauudit tobaceo. 
e ya a 17th, 1883. 
DVI.—MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 
Botanical Magazine for January.—All the subjects figured are — 
drawings prepared from plants grown at Kew. Talauma Hodgson 
long known from the fine representation of it in Hooker's liena 
of Himalayan Plants, flowered in the Temperate House, after being 
