424 



Notices of Books. 



[Oct. 



extend southwards from the tropical islands to New Holland, and 

 northwards along the Malayan peninsula to Silhet, where is found M. 

 longifolia, Wall., and in the mountains of that district M. fioribunda, 

 Wall., with M. angustifolia, Roxh. Other species are peculiar to the 

 peninsula. 



" Nutmeg forming the albumen, and Mace the arillus of the seed of 

 Myribtica moschata, are well known for their grateful and aromatic 

 properties. They are produced in the largest quantities in the Moluc- 

 cas, but have been successfully cultivated in Penang and Bencoolen, 

 but especially in Sumatra. The trees thrive and bear fruit even so far 

 north as the Calcutta Botanic Garden, and might no doubt be success- 

 fully cultivated in Travancore and the Tmnivelly district, as well as on 

 the Malayan peninsula. The nutmeg is called juephulm India, with 

 jouz-boa (fragrant nut) as its Persian name ; and mace — jawuntree, P. 

 bisbaseh with amakun (/mdicep) assigned as its Greek name. Other 

 species yield aromatic nuts, as M. tomentosa, perhaps the M. dacty- 

 loides of Geertner ; M. officinalis, according to Dr. Martius, in Brazil, 

 and M, Oloba, in Santa Fe. The plants of this family, like those of the 

 following, have a volatile, as well as a fixed oil, contained in their nuts. 

 The latter is so abundant in Virola sebifera, as to be extracted for eco- 

 nomical purposes. Like many of the Laurinece, the Myristiceaz exude 

 an acrid reddish-coloured juice from incisions in their bark." Page 323 

 to 324. 



" The properties of Indian Euphorteacece correspond with those which 

 have been observed in plants of this family in other parts of the world. 

 All abound in a milky juice, which contains Caoutchouc, and is gene- 

 rally united with a highly acrid principle of a very volatile nature, and 

 therefore easily dissipated by heat. According to the degree of con- 

 centration of this principle is the innocuous or deadly nature of the 

 substance with which it is combined. Thus the seeds of some Eu- 

 phorbiacece, in which it exists in small quantity, are eaten ; as those 

 of Aleurites ambinux, and of A. triloba, in India : the fruit of Cicca 

 disticha is acid, as is that of Emblica officinalis, forming Emblic myro- 

 bolans. Though united with fecula in the roots of Janipha Manihot 

 or the Cassava, so that they are poisonous when raw, it is so effectu- 

 ally separated by heat, as to afford an abundant and nourishing food 

 to thousands in S. America, the West-Indies, and Mexico. The plant 

 succeeds completely in India, but it is remarkable that it should have 

 been made so little use of, though Sir W. Ainslie has mentioned mak- 

 ing Tapioca from it when in India. This acrid and stimulant princi- 

 ple is combined with fixed oils in many of the seeds of Euphorbiacea?, 

 which are well known for their uses as purgative medicines, as the 



