their friends ; and the bark they use in their religi- 
ous worship, as incense to their idols. The public 
police of Japan is known to be excellent; each town 
having a chief magistrate, and each street a com- 
missary, elected by the inhabitants, to guard pro- 
perty and tranquillity. Added to this, two inhab- 
itants alternately, patrol the streets by night, to 
prevent fire. In aid of this apparently well-arran- 
ged government, the Aniseed Tree seems to be 
allotted a rather singular part. Thunberg men- 
tions that its bark, being finely powdered, is put 
into a graduated tube, to form an instrument for the 
measurement of time, through the night ; the pow- 
der is made to burn slowly, and regularly, and to 
sparkle at certain spaces in the instrument, which 
indicates the time for the watchmen to sound the 
public bells. This account, be it remembered, was 
written about seventy years ago ; whether the prac- 
tice still prevails we have no information. 
For the opportunity of figuring this intei'esting 
plant, we are indebted to the obliging attentions of 
the Messrs. Pope of Handsworth, Staffordshire ; 
who obtained it, directly or indirectly, from M. 
Makoy, of Liege. It has usually been kept in the 
greenhouse, but is sufficiently hardy to bear our 
climate, unless it be in very severe frost, when it 
should have the protection of a mat. It will be the 
most advantageously grown against a wall, for this 
itself not only affords some protection, but it also 
furnishes facilities for applying other means of de- 
fence, which are so often required, against the se- 
verities which exotic plants have to encounter in 
our gardens. 
