Volume 2

A natural history, general and particular containing the history and theory of the earth, a general history of man, the brute creation, vegetables, minerals, &c, &c / by George Louis Le Clerc, count of Buffon ; translated from the French by William Smellie.

  • Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de, 1707-1788.
Date:
1817
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A natural history, general and particular containing the history and theory of the earth, a general history of man, the brute creation, vegetables, minerals, &c, &c / by George Louis Le Clerc, count of Buffon ; translated from the French by William Smellie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    red shade. The stuffs, previously immersed in a solution of bismuth, acquire a yellow east, though Dambourney obtained only a pale «ut colour. 2. Papaver Album, or Somniferum, the White or Wild Poppy, is found in ne- glected gardens and corn-fields, where it flowers in the months of June and July. The juice which, after mak- ing incisions, exudes from the heads of this species, is suffered to inspissate by the heat of the sun, and thus affords the drug called opium. An extract is also pre- pared from these seed vessels ; which, being less power- ful than the foreign opium, is given in a double quan- tity to produce similar effects. The seeds are very nourishing ; are divested of the narcotic quality of the flower ; and yield on expression a mild sweet oil, little inferior to that of almonds : hence they are often em- ployed as an article of diet. Linnæus counted in one poppy-head thirty-two thousand seeds. Buxus, or the Box Tree, of which there is only one species called Buxus Sempervirens, or Evergreen Box ; but there are three varieties of it, viz. 1. Buxus Arbore- scens, or Common Box Tree ; 2. Buxus Angustifolia, or Narrow-leaved Box Tree ; and 3. Buxus Suffruticosa, or Dwarf Box Tree. Box is well known in its dwarf state, and as a shrub about three feet in height ; it becomes, however, when left to itself, a tree twelve or fifteen feet high, with a trunk equalling the human thigh in thickness, covered with a rugged, greyish bark, that of the branches yellowish. The wood is of a yellow colour, of an even close grain, very hard and ponderous. It is the only one of the European woods which will sink in water. Theophrastus ranks it with the ebony for close- ness of grain. The leaves are ovate or oval in the common sort, hard, smooth, glossy, evergreen, very dark green above, pale green underneath, something resembling those of the myrtle, but blunt, and commonly emarginate at the end ; the edges are revolute, they are set on very short petioles, and on the twigs they come out regularly in pairs, so close as almost to conceal them. On these, from the axils of the leaves, come out the small herba- ceous flowers, in round bunches ; a female flower, occu- pying the middle of the bunch, and being surrounded by several males. The female flower is succeeded by a capsule of a globular form, very smooth, shining tricoc- cous, and before it opens having three beaks, then resembling a tripod ; the rind is three-valved, and the valves are two- horned ; the cocculi or grains are of the consistency of paper, two-valved, and opening with an elastic spring ; receptacle central, three-sided, and short ; in each cell is a pair of seeds, ovate, growing more slen- der upwards, triangular-compressed, obliquely truncate at the end, blackish-brown or black, smooth. The two sorts of box tree have been frequently raised from seeds, and constantly produced plants of the same kind with those the seeds were taken from ; and the dwarf box will never rise to any considerable height with any culture, nor have we ever seen this sort flower where the plants have been encouraged to grow many years in the greatest luxuriancy. There are two or three varieties of the first, which are propagated in the gardens, one with yellow, and another with white, striped leaves. The other has the tops of the leaves only marked with yellow, which is called tipped box. The box tree is | native of most parts of Europe, from Bri- tain southwards. There are whole mountains covered with it between Lyons and Geneva, &c. but they are not very large. It is also common in many parts of Bur- gundy, Dauphiné, and Provence. In many countries of Asia it likewise abounds, as about Mount Caucasus, in Persia, China, Cochin-China, &c. and in America. In England it was formerly much more common than it is at present. ‘ These trees rise naturally,’ says Evelyn, ‘in Kent, at Boxley ; and in Surrey, giving name to Box Hill. He that in winter should behold some of our highest hills in Surrey clad with whole woods of them, for divers miles in circuit; as in those delicious groves belonging to the late Sir Adam Brown, of Beck- worth castle, might easily fancy himself transported into some new or enchanted country.’ The enchant- ment, alas ! has been long broken. Mr. Miller, in 1759, lamented, that the trees on Box Hill had been then pretty much destroyed, though many remained of a considerable size ; and the destruction since that time has been much greater. It has been conjectured that Box Hill was planted with these trees by the Earl of Arundel ; but there is the most authentic proof that they were there before his time, and the ground on which they grow was not his property. Not only this hill near Darking in Surrey, and Boxley in Kent, but Boxwel in Cotteswold, Gloucestershire, w7as named from this tree. Mr. Woodward remarks it as plentiful on the chalk- hills near Dunstable. It is fond of open, dry situations, and a calcareous soil. In temperate climates and seasons it flowers in February and March. The wood of the box tree sells at a high price by weight; for being very hard and smooth, and not apt to warp, it is well adapted to a variety of nicer works. ‘ It is of special use,’ says Evelyn, ‘ for the turner, engraver, carver, mathematical instru- ment maker, comb and pipe, or flute maker ;• the roots, for the inlayer and cabinet maker. Of box are made wheels and shivers, pins, pegs for musical instruments, nut-crackers, button-moulds, weavers’ shuttles, hollar sticks, bump sticks, and dressers for the shoemakers, rulers, rolling pins, pestles, mall balls, beetles, tops, tables, chessmen, screws, bobbins for bonelace, spoons, knife-handles, nay the stoutest axletrees, but especially combs.’ The English wood is esteemed inferior to that which comes from the Levant ; and the American box is said to be preferable to ours. All the varieties of box may be propagated by cuttings planted in autumn in a shady border, observing to keep them watered until they