PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTES  OF  TRAVEL.  105 
expense  of  $60,000,  contains  a  magnificent  collection  of  tropical 
trees, — some  of  them  of  great  age, — growing  under  glass,  and 
maintained  in  a  suitable  atmosphere  at  great  expense.  A 
high  tower,  containing  a  water  tank  for  supplying  the  es- 
tablishment, commands  a  fine  view  of  the  adjacent  city,  and  its 
suburbs,  with  Leith  and  the  distant  sea.  The  hot-houses  contain 
vast  collections  of  curious  and  interesting  plants,  some  of  them 
now  displaying  their  brilliant  flowers.  Among  the  curiosities 
shown  us  by  the  Professor  and  the  scientific  superintendent  of 
the  Gardens,  were  true  Narthax  Assafoetida,  a  rather  sickly 
plant,  which  had  been  nearly  killed  by  cold  to  which  it  had 
been  accidentally  exposed  ;  True  Quassia,  a  small,  but  thriving 
plant ;  Gamboge,  which  on  being  punctured  with  a  pin  emitted 
a  bright  yellow  very  adhesive  exudation ;  Cinchona  Calisaya, 
as  yet  a  small  specimen ;  a  large  Sago  Palm ;  a  Matico  plant ; 
and  our  own  Poke,  Phytolacca  Decandra  growing  in  the  open 
air,  and  looking  very  familiar  among  strange  associates  collected 
from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe. 
Prof.  Balfour  had  just  received  a  specimen  of  the  Malapteru- 
rus  or  thunder  fish  of  the  Arabs  from  Calabar,  Africa,  and  before 
liberating  it  from  the  globular  bottle  in  which  it  had  travelled  so 
far,  gave  us  an  opportunity  to  test  its  shocking  powers.  The  shock 
is  so  nearly  identical  with  that  of  an  electrical  machine,  that  I 
had  no  difficulty  in  understanding  how  this  comes  to  be  classed 
with  electrical  fish.  This  specimen  is  about  the  size  of  our  com- 
mon river  catfish,  and  much  the  same  shape  and  general  appear- 
ance. 
The  interest  which  attaches  to  the  Edinburgh  University  and 
Botanical  Gardens,  especially  to  an  American,  long  accustomed  to 
associate  the  former  with  some  of  the  most  eminent  of  philosophers 
and  quite  unused  to  such  attractions  as  the  latter  affords,  has  be- 
guiled me  into  these  details,  and  prevented  my  approaching 
earlier  the  Pharmaceutical  matters  pertaining  to  this  locality. 
The  most  interesting  item  to  me,  in  this  connection,  was 
the  introduction  to  a  valued  acquaintance,  in  the  person  of 
John  Mackay,  Chemist  and  Pharmaceutist,  local  Secretary  of 
the  London  Pharmaceutical  Society,  to  whose  kindness  I  am  in- 
debted for  much  information  on  matters  pertaining  to  our  pro- 
fession. 
