632 
THE GAMBOGE OF COMMERCE 
While writing on the subject, I shall avail 
myself of the opportunity to offer a few ob- 
servations on the essential characters of the 
genera, named in the above remarks, name- 
ly Garcinia, Cambogia, Mangostana, Sfa~ 
lagmifis, and ^ant?iochginus ; with, the view 
of directing attention to some points of 
structure, which, it appears to me, have not 
been sufficiently attended to in the construc- 
tion of these genera, giving rise, in conse- 
quence, to much confusion and uncertainty 
as to the species that ought respectively to 
belong to them. 
In 1737, Linnseus published his genus 
Garcinia, formed from Rumphius’ Mangos- 
tana, assigning as its essential character 16 
stamens (Doclecandria) and an eight-seeded 
berry. In 1748, he published, in his Flora 
Zeylanica, Cambogia, assigning to it numer- 
ous stamens (Polyandria) and a pomacious, 
eight-celled and eight-seeded fruit. Pomum 
8-loculare, semina (i. e. in each cell,) soli- 
taria. In 1789, Professor Murray of Got- 
tingen published his genus Stalagmitis, as- 
signing to it a quaternary proportion of sepals 
and petals, pentadelphous stamens, and 
a one-celled, three-seeded berry. In 1791, 
G(Krtner attempted, from an examination 
of the fruit of three species, to reform the 
Linnean genera, and, on carpologicai charac- 
ters, united Garcinia and Cambogia under 
Eamphius’ name Mangostana, assigning to 
his new genus a quaternary proportion of 
parts, indefinite stamina, and a four to 
eight-seeded berry. This genus, with the 
exception of the name, has been adopted by 
all succeeding writers. In 1798, Roxburgh 
published his Xanthochymus (Cor. PL), 
well distinguished from the former by its 
quinary proportion of parts ; five sepals, five 
petals, five fascicles of (pentadelphous) sta- 
mens, and an unequal (three to five) S'Ceded 
berry. The characters of all these gene- 
ra, it may be observed, are, with the excep- 
tion of the last, incomplete, owing to the 
authors having overlooked their polygamous 
inflorescence, and neglected to avail them- 
selves of the peculiarities of the male flower ; 
an imperfection not felt, so long as every 
plant of the order, with a quaternary propor- 
tion of organs, was referred to Garcinia, 
but to which, now that a new genus is add- 
ed, agreeing in that particular, it is neces- 
sary to attend : the more so, as some of 
the species of Garcinia approach the new 
genus by having their stamens united into a 
head ; while others approach XantkocJiymus 
by having theirs fascicled, and are only to 
be distinguished by their proportion of 
parts. It is of great importance to attend 
to proportion in this tribe, as we are thus 
enabled to discover what Murray’s Sialag- 
■mitis really is. We have seen that Rox- 
burgh’s Xanthocliymus has a quinary pro-' 
portion of parts, pentadelphous stamens y 
and an unequal (3-5) seeded fruit. In 
Garcinia the quaternary proportion prevails 
with an equal ('4-8-12) seeded fruit. In 
Stalagmitis both ai-e said to be combined, 
an union, which all must acknowledge to be 
most improbable.* Petals and sepals are 
deciduous, or,' may be carelessly examined ; 
not so the fascicles of stamens, they are 
small, and must be examined carefully if to 
be seen at all, and the number of seeds are 
not subject to accidental loss in drying or 
examining. The quinary proportion of 
stamens and uneven number of seeds afford, 
I think, almost irrefragable proof of the 
identity of Stalagmitis and Xanthocliymus, 
the petals and sepals only being erroneously 
described. 
This view is confirmed by Mr. George 
Don, in his edition of Miller’s Dictionary, 
having reduced Roxburgh’s. Xanthocliymus 
to Stalagmitis, I presume on the authority 
of Murray’s own specimens which he could 
examine in the Bankean Herbarium ; an 
arrangement in which we, not sufficiently 
adverting to his opportunity of determining 
the identity of these genera, did not think 
it safe to follow him. By thus uniting Gar- 
cinia to Cambogia, and Stalagmitis to Xan- 
tkochymus, the confused assemblage is re- 
duced to two very distinct genera. The 
only question that remains to be con- 
sidered is, whether or not it is advisable to 
leave them as they now stand.” 
Art. 11. — Sugar, as to the 'probability of 
an improvement in the cultivation and 
quality of, either through Europeans or 
Natives, in case of an increased demand : 
from the report of the select committees 
of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 
appointed to enquire into the present 
state of the affairs of the East India 
Company, 1830-31. 
BelVs Comparative View of the External 
Commerce of Bengal, during the years 
1834-35 1835-36, 106. 
A Treatise on the Cultivation of Sugar- 
canes, and the manufacture of Sugar ; 
comprehending instructions for plant- 
ing and saving the cane, expressing 
* Since writing’ the above I find that Rox- 
burgh describes the flowers of XantkochymuH 
oraliiolius, as having occasionally four se|)als 
and four petals, which identifies it with Mur- 
ray’s Stalagmitis Cambogio des, the Ceylon 
Camboge plant of that author. 
