No. 69. BRAWN. Brawn, in the culinary art, fignifies the flefhy, or mufculous parts of a hog, boned, rolled up, or collared, boiled, and, laftly, pickled for winter ufe. Canterbury and Shrewsbury have been long noted for the fuperior quality of their brawn; and of late brawn has been made at Oxford. What are 7 collars of brawn worth, at 195. 11d. 2. per collar? Anf. £6 19s. 10d. 4. No. 70. COTTON. Cotton is a plant or fhrub of which there are feveral varieties, and not a few distinct fpecies, propagated in the gardens of the curious among us. The common fort is the herby or fhrubby cotton, which is cultivated very plentifully in Candia, Lemnos, Cyprus, Malta, Sicily, Naples, and also between Jerufalem and Damafcus, whence the cotton is brought annually into these northern parts of Europe. It is fown on ploughed lands in spring, and cut down as our corn in harvest time, being an annual plant. The cotton is the wool which enclofes or wraps up the feeds, and is contained in a kind of brown hufk or feed-veffel, growing upon this fhrub. It is from this fort that the vast quantities of cotton are taken that furnish our parts of the world. One very fine fort of cotton is a native of the Eaft and Weft-Indies and there are two forts of cotton trees which grow in Egypt, and often arrive to a great fize. Cotton makes a very confiderable article of commerce; being used for various purposes, and furnishing various cloths, muflins, calicoes, dimities, and hangings; befides that it is frequently joined with filk and flax, in the compofition of other stuffs. What are 8 pounds of cotton worth at 25. 8d. . per pound? Anf. £1 15. 8d. No. 71. FIGS. Figs are a lufcious foft fruit, the produce of the fig-tree. They are moderately nourishing, grateful to the ftomach, and eafier of digeftion than any of the other fweet fruits; and accordingly are ufed in medicine, as ingredients in pectoral decoctions, and in lenitive electuaries. They are alfo applied externally, to foften, digeft, and promote maturation. The beft figs are the produce of Turkey, Italy, Spain, the fouthern part of France, &c. The islands in the Archipelago yield figs in great abundance, but of an inferior quality. 'The ancients made ufe of the juice or fap of a fig for rennet, tọ caufe their milk to coagulate. The fig's preft juice, infus'd in cream, POPE'S Homer. What is the value of nine pounds of figs at 7d. . per pound? Anf. 5s. 7d.. No. 72. No. 72. FULLERS-EARTH. Fullers-earth is a marle of close texture, extremely foft and unctuous to the touch: when dry it is of a greyish brown colour, in all degrees, from very pale to almoft black, and generally has a greenifh caft in it. It is dug in great plenty in feveral parts of England; but the greateft quantity and the finest earth of this kind in the world is found near Wooburn in Bedfordshire. Our fuperiority in the goodness of this valuable article is affigned as one great reafon why the English furpafs all other nations in the woollen-manufacture: it being abfolutely neceffary for the well drefling of cloth. The fleece prepar'd, which oil-imbibing earth DYER. On this account it is made a contraband commodity, and the exportation made equally criminal with that of exporting wool. When mixed with vinegar, fullers-earth difperfes pimples, checks inflammations, and cures burns. What are 10 bushels of fullers-earth worth at 1s. 9d. ž. per bushel? . Anf. 175. 11d. No. 73. INDIGO. Indigo is a plant chiefly cultivated in the English plantations in America, and by the French; though the Jamaica wild indigo, and the Carolina indigo, have been used with advantage. From this plant is extracted a dyer's drug, of a deep blue colour, brought to us from the Weft-Indies and America. It is alfo made in the Eaft-Indies, particularly in the dominions of the Great Mogul, and this is faid to be the best. The indigo of the Weft-Indies probably derived its origin, as it doubtlefs does its name, from the elder India of the East, where it has long ftamped its brilliant and beautiful dyes on the fine linens and calicoes manufactured in the looms of that most ancient empire. Native of a fiery clime, this plant will fhoot vigorously amid the fands of those parched and barren favannahs in which other vegetables would inevitably perish; nor does it wholly expire when deprived, for long intervals, of thofe genial dews and refreshing rains which, at times. defcending in grateful abundance, flush with fuch tranfcendent verdure and beauty the luxuriant valleys and painted gardens of the gaudy tropic. Indigo is ufed by dyers, calico-printers, and fometimes by painters, for paper hangings; and, finally, by laundreffes to impart a bluish caft to their linen. What are 11 pounds of indigo worth at 2s. 3d.. per pound? Anf. £1 55. 2d. . No. 74. IPECACUANHA. This American root is the mildest and fafeft emetic that has yet been difcovered. It is a little wrinkled root about the thickness of a moderate quill; rough, denfe, and firm. One fort is of a dufky greyish colour, on the furface, and of a paler grey when broken, brought from Peru, by way of Porto-Bello: the other, other, is a fmaller root, refembling the former; but of a deep dusky brown on the outfide, and white when broken, growing plentifully in the Brafils, especially about Carthagena. The grey is most efteemed in phyfic; though the brown is molt ufed, as being moft eafily procured. There are feveral falfe fpecies of this root, which are fometimes fold in its ftead. The genuine ipecacuanha has fcarcely any fmell, unlefs during its pulverization or infufion in liquor, when it emits a faint naufeous one. What is the value of 11 pounds of ipecacuanha at £1 gs. 11d. 1. per pound? Anf. £16 95. 6d. 4. N. B. This root is fometimes fold at 3s. 6d. or 4s. per pound. No. 75. LIQUORICE. This plant is principally cultivated, in this country, about Pontefract in Yorkshire; Godalmin in Surrey; and in the gardens about London. The native liquorice juice is very fweet upon the palate, even more fo than fugar, or honey; and is yet accounted a great quencher of thirst. It is very balfamic and detergent; infomuch that there is fcarcely any medicinal compofition for difeafes of the breaft, in which it is not an ingredient. Great quantities of liquorice are exported from Spain into England. In 1785 no lefs than 58 tons of this innocent and pleafant drug were fent out of that country to us; and the whole quantity imported into this kingdom from Flanders, Italy, and Spain, in 1788, was upwards of 183 tons; principally for the use of the brewers. Tonfend's Journey into Spain, vol. ii. p. 333. What is the value of 12 pounds of liquorice at 15. 1d. . per pound? Anf. 135. 6d. RULE II. When the number of articles whofe value is required exceeds 12, as in the fubfequent questions, multiply fucceffively by its component parts; i. e. by any two figures which, multiplied into each other, produce the given number. No. 76. LOG-WOOD. Log-wood grows naturally in the bay of Campeachy, at Honduras, and other parts of the Spanish Weft-Indies. It is brought into Europe, and employed in dying purples, and the finest blacks. It is confidered as a very valuable commodity; for, exclufively of its ufe among dyers, it is found to be an excellent aftringent, and is administered in many diforders proceeding from the laxity of the folids. What are 14 pounds of log-wood worth at 1s. 4d. 1. per pound? Anf. 195. 3d. No. 77. MACE. This unctuous membrane envelops the shell of the fruit, whofe kernel is the nutmeg. It is of an extremely fragrant, aromatic, and agreeable fmell, and of a pleafant, but acrid and oleaginous tafte. Mace is of an aftringent and drying nature, and is used as a corrector in cardiac and cathartic compofitions. Its general general qualities are nearly fimilar to thofe of the nutmeg, with the exception of its fitting eafier on weak ftomachs. It is brought into Europe from Amboyna, a small island in the Eaft-Indies belonging to the Dutch. What are 15 ounces of mace worth at 3s. 6d. per ounce? Anf. £2 12s. 6d. No. 78. NUTMEG. This is a delicate kind of aromatic fruit which is enclofed in four different covers (one of which is called MACE); and is itself properly the kernel. The nutmeg is very much ufed in our foods, and is of excellent virtues as a medicine; it is a good ftomachic, promotes digeftion, ftops vomiting; is an excellent remedy in flatulences; and is happily joined with rhubarb and other medicines, in the cafe of diarrhoeas. It has alfo a soporific and aftringent quality. The largeft, heaviest nutmegs are to be chofen; fuch as are of the fhape of an olive, well marbled without fide, reddish within, unctuous in fubstance, and of a fragrant fmell. By diftillation they yield an oil of great ufe in medicine. The whole commerce of nutmegs is in the hands of the Dutch EaftIndia company. See Amboyna. What are 20 ounces of nutmegs worth at 3s. 5d. 2. per ounce ? Anf. £3 9s. 7d. No. 79. MANGO. This is the fruit of a large tree, growing in the isle of Java, and other parts of the Eaft-Indies, and conveyed into Europe either candied or pickled. In the latter case it is opened with a knife, and the middle filled up with fresh ginger, garlick, muftard, and falt, with oil or vinegar. This fruit, when ripe, is eaten by the natives, either without wine, or macerated in wine. The bark and gum of the tree are also used medicinally. The stalks calcined are faid to take away warts. What are 25 mangos worth at 15. 3d. . each? Anf. £1 12s. 3d. Z. No. 80. MANNA. Manna is a medicinal drug of great ufe in the modern practice, as a gentle purgative. It is a white, fweet juice, oozing from the branches and leaves of a kind of afh-tree, growing chiefly in Calabria, in the fouthern part of Italy. It is, however, far from being peculiar to this tree, being found on many different forts, particularly at Briançon, in France. Manna is therefore ranked very properly among the number of gums. The peafants of mount Libanus*, it is faid, eat manna ordinarily, as others do honey; and at Mexico they have a manna which they eat as we do cheese. The beft fort, or Calabrian manna, is moderately dry, very light, of a whitish, or pale yellow colour, and in fome degree tranfparent: the inferior kinds are moift, unctuous, and brown. It is fometimes * Libanus is a mountain of Turkey, in Afia, formerly famous for cedar-trees; but now there are fcarcely any remaining. counterfeited counterfeited by compofitions of fugar, honey, and purgative materials. What are 27 ounces of manna worth at 6d. 2. per ounce? Anf. 15s. 2d. 1. No. 81. JESUS CHRIST BETRAYED. The preaching of our bleffed Saviour, and the numberlefs miracles that he performed, made fuch an impreffion on the body of the Jewish nation, that the chief priefs, and leading men, jealous of his authority, and provoked at his reproaching them with their hypocrify and the wickednefs of their lives, formed a confpiracy against him. For a confiderable time their defigns proved abortive; but at laft Jefus, knowing that he had fulfilled every purpose for which he came into the world, fuffered himself to be taken through the treachery of one of his own difciples, named Judas Iscariot. This bafe Judean," as Shakespeare is fuppofed to have termed him, received 30 pieces of filver as the reward of his perfidy. Thefe, fome commentators apprehend to have been 30 fhekels; others, that they were 30 denarii, or Roman pence. Eftimating the former at 2s. 6d. each, and the latter at 7d.. which is the ufual valuation, how much did the traitor receive according to each of thefe fupputations?. Anf. £3 15s. if fhekels; 18. 94. if denarii. 3 N. B. Some value the fhekel at 25. 9d. ; others at 2s. 3d. 5 fterling; and the Roman denarius is estimated from 6d. to 8d. 1. terling. No. 82. CYPRUS. This is a thin tranfparent black ftuff, fuppofed to have received its name from the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean, where it was firft made; or corruptly from Cypress, as being ufed in mourning". Lawn, as white as driven fnow, SHAKESPEARE. What are 36 yards of cyprus gauze worth at 3s. 9d. 4. per yard? Anf. £6 175. 3d. *The cypress tree being anciently ufed in funerals, was the emblem of mourning. Poifon be their drink, Their fweeteft fhade a grove of cypress trees. SHAKESPEARE. The cypress tree is an evergreen, and never either rots or is worm-eaten, any more than cedar or ebony. It is good for making mufical inftruments, chests, &c. In ivory coffers I have stuff'd my crowns; In cyprefs chefts my arras counterpanes. SHAKESPEARE. Some are of opinion, that the wood, gophir, of which Noah's ark was made, was cypress; and the Athenians buried their heroes in coffins made of this wood; of which many of the Egyptian mummy chests were alfo fabricated. Ꮋ No. 83. |