PHASEOMANNITE,  A  NEW  KIND  OF  SUGAR. 
41 
men,  on  the  contrary,  tells  of  rather  stunted  growth.  But  such 
variations  must  be  expected  in  a  tree  growing  in  localities  so  dis- 
tant from  one  another. 
The  last  particular  which  appears  to  me  confirmatory  of  the 
correctness  of  this  botanical  derivation,  is  the  very  close  analogy 
which  exists  between  the  "  red  bark"  and  that  which  is  called 
in  commerce  "  Qarabaya  bark"  and  which,  according  to  Dr. 
Weddell,  also  proceeds  from  a  variety  of  0.  ovata.  This  struck 
long  ago,  and  would  occur  to  any  person  who  will  take  the  trou- 
ble to  compare  the  two  sorts  ;  but  it  is  not  a  matter  susceptible 
of  demonstration,  and  I  will  not  dwell  upon  it. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  remaining  links  of  this  chain  of  in- 
vestigation will  shortly  be  added,  through  our  being  put  into  pos- 
session of  the  flowers  and  fruit,  as  well  as  a  further  supply  of 
the  leaves  of  this  interesting  tree ;  and  that  these  will  afford 
materials  for  completely  determining  whether  it  coincides  with 
Dr.  Weddell's  Cinchona  ovata,  var.  y  erythroderma  ;  and  whether, 
if  such  be  the  case,  that  plant  ought  to  be  raised  to  the  rank  of 
a  species, — London  Pharm.  Journal^  Oct.  1,  1856. 
ON  PHASEOMANNITE,  A  NEW  KIND  OF  SUGAR,  CONTIANED 
IN  THE  UNRIPE  FRUIT  OF  THE  KIDNEY  BEAN  (PHASEOLUS 
VULGARIS). 
By  H.  Vohl. 
The  author  observed  that  the  juice  of  the  unripe  fruit  of  the 
kidney  bean  possessed  a  very  sweet  taste,  and  that  after  com- 
plete fermentation  and  the  distillation  of  the  alcohol  formed,  the 
residue  had  lost  none  of  its  sweetness.  He  attributed  this  to  the 
presence  of  mannite. 
To  prepare  mannite  from  the  beans,  these  were  finely  cut  up, 
put  into  a  press-bag,  exposed  for  half  an  hour  to  hot  steam  or 
plunged  into  boiling  water,  and  then  strongly  pressed.  The 
brown  fluid  was  mixed  with  yeast,  fermented,  and  after  fermenta- 
tion neutralized  with  chalk  or  carbonate  of  soda.  The  ferment- 
ing fluid  presented  the  odor  of  preserved  beans. 
The  fluid  produced  was  evaporated  on  the  water-bath  to  the 
consistence  of  a  syrup,  and  the  extract-like  mass  exhausted  with 
alcohol  of  specific  gravity  0-863.    The  alcohol  was  distilled  off, 
