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Tamarinds

THE "Tamar Hindee," Indian date, comes to us only as a sweet, sub-acid, juicy fruit-pulp intermixed with fibrous strings, and containing smooth, glistening, hard, auburn-coloured stones. This pulp fulfils medicinal purposes which entitle it to high esteem as a Simple for use in the sick-room. Large quantities of the luscious date are brought to our shores from the Levant, and Persia, but before importation the shell of the pod is removed. The pulp possesses by nature traces of gold in its composition; but if exhibiting any presence of copper on a clean steel knife-blade held within the conserve for a short time, then an adulteration is signified. The occult influence of the metals upon the human economy, whether when taken infinitesimally as medicines, or when applied externally to the body, or limbs, is not sufficiently realized as yet, though our forefathers had an inkling of the matter which amounted to more than mere superstition. Old philosophers spent much labour in trying to find the aurum potabile as the elixir of life. Again, a former ceremony conducted annually on Good Friday at Westminster shows the like belief, it being the "blessing of cramp rings," which was carried out by the King himself. He went into his private Chapel on that day, accompanied only by his grand Almoner, and then crawling on his knees to the Crucifix, he there blessed a bowlful of gold and silver rings. These rings were afterwards distributed to persons afflicted with rheumatism, or epilepsy. The practice had its origin, it is said, in a certain miracle-working ring which was given by a saintly pilgrim to Edward the Confessor, and which was kept in Westminster Abbey. Of course the so-called hypnotic suggestion may have helped materially, together with metallic influences, in working. whatever cures resulted from this pious proceeding. Half a century ago it was thought of service to apply metallic plates remedially to the soles of the feet, and to carry metallic balls about the person; gold was to increase the vitality, silver to clear the brain, and sulphur to cure rheumatism. Even now it is authoritatively advised that cramp may be prevented at night by holding a small stick of sulphur in each hand when in bed, since the moisture of the palm will somewhat develop the latent electricity of the sulphur so as to give off sulphuretted hydrogen, which will be absorbed by the skin. Chemically Tamarind pulp contains citric, tartaric, and malic acids, in combination with potash; also gum, pectin, and starch. Boiled syrup has been poured over it beforehand. The fruit is sharply acid, and may be made by infusion in boiling water (and when allowed to become cool, and strained off) an excellent cooling drink. The Arabians first taught the remedial uses of Tamarinds, which are anti-putrescent, and exert somewhat of a laxative action, being corrective of biliary torpor; but for these purposes an inconveniently large quantity must be taken, which would be apt to clog by its excess of sweetness. When acids are indicated to counteract septic fever, and to cool the blood, the Tamarind will be found exceptionally helpful; also, as slightly preventive of constipation a dessertspoonful, or more of the agreeable pulp may be had for a compote with lunch, or at dessert; this palatable pulp is put into curries because of its pleasant acid flavour. Gerarde tells that "travellers carry some thereof with them, mixing it with sugar, as a reserve food throughout the desert parts of Africa." The fruit of the Tamarind is undoubtedly of service against sluggishness of the liver, and by the virtue of its potash salts it will tend to heal a sore mouth as arising from fermenting acid humours in the blood. The natural traces of gold, minutely subdivided, in the Tamarind, are well calculated to make this fruit curative of secondary venereal disease. Tamarind 66 fish, prepared with the same acidulous fruit, is esteemed to be a relish in India. As an instance of empirical medicine, Dr. Pearse recorded the fact (in 1902) that as long as forty years ago he observed a passionate craving on the part of native Indians for acid fruits, such as the Tamarind, lime, etc.; at which period medical usage in India very much debarred any supply of fruits to the natives; but nevertheless they were so importunate in soliciting these fruits, that their earnest petitions for lime-juice and Tamarinds could not be resisted. The instinct of the native overcame medical prejudice, and acid rations of fruits were ordered as essential in emigrant ships, hospitals, and jails. Similarly, too, the native had a supreme longing for onions, and for garlic in his curry. "Empiricism," adds Dr. Pearse, "the outcome of human experience, precedes, and indeed makes a part of true science. The strongly-expressed longings of a people for a special food should arouse, and enlist our earnest attention." For making Tamarind water as a fever drink: "Take two ounces of juicy Tamarinds, a quarter of a pound of stoned raisins, and three pints of water; put the Tamarinds, raisins, and water into a stewpan, and boil gently, for one hour; then strain, and use when cold."

TAPIOCA. (See SAGO; and PEPPER: Cassareep).

TARRAGON. (See HERBS).

TEA.

THE dietetic uses, and effects of Tea are fully discussed, and described in our Kitchen Physic, so that only a résumé of the statements, and particulars there expounded, will be now adduced as relevant to its medicinal utility. The chemical composition of the leaf consists of theine (a crystallizable salt), tannin, casein, gum, sugar, starch, fat, aromatic oil, vegetable fibre, mineral substances, and water. When taken in an infusion of boiling water, Tea has been long noted as one of the very best, and most reliable nervine restoratives. The theine and aromatic oil not only act as sedatives to the nervous system in general, but they also exert a conservative effect on the different bodily structures, checking any disposition to a wasteful change therein of too rapid a nature, and to undue physical exhaustion. Tea 66 "We contains potash, peroxide of iron, soda, and some other salts which are of essential importance to the human economy. have, therefore," says Liebig, "in Tea a beverage which comprises the active constituents of the most powerful mineral springs." (Theodore Hook playfully styled his effervescing Mineral Waters fizzick.") When milk, and sugar are added to the infusion, it becomes a useful, and nutritious food; whilst an important physical effect is brought about on the skin, and mucous membranes. The production of active perspiration by drinking hot Tea is a familiar fact; and the relief to the oppressive sense of heat in summer weather by doing the same thing is well known; an increase is caused in the sensible, and insensible perspiration, rendering much of the heat near the skin surface latent by free evaporation, and thus powerfully cooling the skin. Tea depends for its main quality on the alkaloid theine which it furnishes, and for its fragrance, on the volatile oils in the leaves. There were two original varieties of the plant, Thea Chinensis, and Thea Assamica; the latter is found to retard conversion of the foodstarches into dextrin and sugar by the saliva, more powerfully than a good China Tea. The extended use in this country of Tea, Coffee, and Cocoa within the last two centuries has led to results (says Sir Wm. Roberts) which evidence manifestly proves are not injurious. A continued national progress, together with an increasing ascendency, serve to show that the addition of so important and peculiar a nutriment to our dietary, has improved our type of intellect by bettering the pabulum of the brain, and nervous system; indeed, it seems quite feasible to trace therefrom an upward, and onward change in the mental calibre, especially of the working classes, within the last three generations. There is to be observed an increased precision in mental operations, which has led to an improved criticism; also a rise, and progress of the exact sciences, and of the dependent industrial arts, more so perhaps within this brief epoch than in all the preceding ages of the world; whereas during the same epoch art and literature, which depend more upon the imagination, have practically stood still; the coincidence is at least suggestive!" Southey tells the story of his friend's great grandmother who made one of the party sitting down to the first portion of Tea that ever came to Penrith. "They boiled it in a kettle, and ate the leaves, with butter, and salt, wondering wherein the attraction lay."

Much has been asserted about the injurious effects on gastric digestion of the tannin contained so abundantly in many Teas. It has been alleged that meat-fibre is hardened by Tea, and that, pari passu, the coats of the stomach are liable to be similarly impaired; but such views are entirely theoretical. Leather is, no doubt, a very tough, indigestible substance; but meat-fibre is not gelatin like that which becomes tanned, and the coats of the living stomach are not dead membrane. As a fact, meat-fibre does not harden in Tea; on the contrary, it swells up nearly as freely in acidulated Tea of medium strength as in simple acidulated water. If it be wished to minimize the inhibitory action of Tea on the digestion of starches, instead of directing that the Tea should be infused for only two or three minutes, the plan should be to make it weak, and use it sparingly; also to drink it, not with the meal, but after the meal has been eaten. "And another device towards the same end, especially for persons of feeble digestive powers," says Sir Wm. Roberts, " is to introduce into the tea-pot with the Tea a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, which will completely obviate the deterrent effect of Tea on starch digestion; the mitigating effects on Tea of bicarbonate of soda, and of the commercial alkaline table-waters on wines, are well worth bearing in mind. Besides it is really a delusion to suppose that by infusing Tea for only a short time (two or three minutes) the passing of the tannin into the infusion can be avoided; you can no more have Tea without tannin than you can have wine without alcohol. This tannin, in the free state, is one of the most soluble substances known; if some hot water is poured on a little heap of tannin the substance instantly dissolves like so much pounded sugar." But Dr. R. Hutchison teaches somewhat differently about this matter. He says: "There is less tannic acid dissolved after an infusion of three minutes than after five, and less after five than after ten; but beyond that one does not find an increase, for by then practically the whole of the soluble matters have been extracted from the leaf. The theine is so soluble that it is practically all dissolved out of the leaf immediately infusion has begun." In Oxfordshire a Company has been formed of late for making small tablets which shall chemically remove the tannin from Teas, particularly those of India, and Ceylon, (which furnish tannin largely, so that infusions thereof are exceptionally strong, and harmful.) It is said that one of these tablets, if dropped into the teapot, will effectually counteract the injurious astringent principle, and thus confer the pleasure of Tea-drinking without any penalty attached thereto. The tablet is a combination of gelatine with alkaline salts; and, as gelatine is the chemical reagent of tannin, which it at once detects, and neutralizes, the use of this tablet justifies faith in its efficacy for making the drinking of Tea possible, and safe, to all digestions. The late Sir Andrew Clarke, who was a noted dietist, in some clinical remarks to his class of students, told them, with reference to Tea, (which he styled " a blessed beverage "), that "when of Indian growth it produces in some persons a kind of nervous disturbance which is very painful to witness. Tea," said he, "to be useful, should first of all be black China Tea; the Indian Tea which is being cultivated has become so powerful in its effects upon the nervous system that a cup of it taken in the early morning (as many persons do) so upsets the nervous centres as to actually induce a state of Tea-intoxication, which it is distressing to see. If you require Tea for your patients, or yourselves, which shall refresh without doing any harm, get black China Tea, putting in the right measure, the old-fashioned teaspoonful for each person, and one for the blessed pot; then pour on boiling water, and within five minutes you must pour it off again, or it will become wicked instead of good." دو In Italy, Greece, and some parts of the East, where Tea is comparatively unknown, and never used habitually, it is customary when anybody feels ill, with indefinite symptoms, to send for a dose of Tea from the druggist. Its action on persons who do not drink the infusion as a regular thing, appears to be specially potent in arresting early signs of fever, with headache, and general malaise. Count Romford, Founder of the Royal Institution, has told how to prepare the "burnt soup which is the mainstay of the Bavarian woodcutters, and their ordinary breakfast, "infinitely preferable in all respects to that most pernicious wash, Tea, with which the lower classes of those persons who inhabit this island drench their stomachs, and ruin their constitutions." He adds: "When Tea is taken with a sufficient quantity of sugar, and of good cream, and with a large allowance of bread and butter, or with toast, and boiled eggs, and, above all, when it is not drunk too hot, it is certainly less unwholesome; but Tea, as the poor usually take it, a simple infusion of this drug, drunk boiling hot, -is undoubtedly a poison; which, though sometimes slow in its operation, yet never fails to produce fatal effects even on the strongest constitutions when the free use of it is continued for a considerable length of time." For making a good cup of Tea, the water should always be fresh boiled, and used as soon as possible afterwards; if the water has been boiling for some time, then the strength, and quality of the Tea will be impaired.

Of the Teas now consumed in this country, the greater part by far come from British India, and Ceylon; the demand for China Tea is proved to have been greatly reduced during the last two or three years. Six pounds of Tea per head are computed to serve our community, and of this quantity only one-third of a pound of China Tea is included for each consumer. In America, and Russia (both being Tea-drinking countries) only a little over one pound a head is used yearly, and in other European countries it is but a fraction of a pound per head. We therefore drink more than the United States, and all European countries put together. Besides taking fresh lemon with their Tea, the Russians have a fashion of mixing jam with it, half and half, (to say nothing of their taking beet soup served with thick, sour cream; or, again, roast duck with pickled cherries). In Spain, where Tea is made commonly for drinking, a leaf of the lemon verbena plant is placed in each cup, and the hot Tea is poured upon it. Some of the rustics in China add ginger and salt to their Tea. The French celebrity, Balzac, used to drink a Tea of unique quality, and fabulous value, which he reserved for special occasions, and special friends. This Tea had a history: it was gathered by young and beautiful virgins, chosen for the purpose, who had to pick the leaves before sunrise, and then to carry them, with singing, to the Chinese Emperor. Balzac received some of the same precious leaf through a well-known Russian Minister. There was a superstition attached to it that more than one cup of this almost sacred liquid was a desecration, and would cost the drinker the loss of his eyesight. One of Balzac's chief friends, Laurent Jan, never drank it without remarking apprehensively, "Once again I risk an eye, but it's worth it." 66 Of the Indian and Ceylon Tea, the young shoot at the top of the plant produces the finest Tea, - " flowery, and orange Pekoe," -from its juicy leaves; or, if these are still smaller, the "broken Pekoe." The Tea from the somewhat larger leaves next below is "Pekoe"; the next largest again below make "Souchong"; the leaves still lower "Congou"; while a yet coarser leaf near the base of the shoot used to yield "Bohea," which has now almost entirely disappeared from commerce. In China the whole end of the young shoot goes to form Pekoe, while the leaves below that are Souchong. Pekoes, and Souchongs are unblended Teas. For black Tea the leaves are withered in the sun, and rolled until mashy, then made into balls, and allowed to ferment, so that the essential oils are produced, some bitterness is developed, and the tannin is partially oxidized, becoming less soluble to ome extent. For green Tea the fresh leaves are withered in hot pans at 160° Fahrenheit, then rolled, and withered again, next sweated in bags, and afterwards slowly roasted; thus the difference is that green Tea is fermented.

The character of the water in which Tea is infused is of the first importance; it should be well aerated, and have freshly come to the boil (not too hard), and the teapot first warmed, so that the boiling temperature may be maintained. The addition of milk, or cream, (though an outrage in the eyes of connoisseurs), is to be commended, because the albuminous matter of the milk tends to throw down some of the tannic acid of the Tea in an insoluble form. Sugar does not increase the wholesomeness of the beverage, but adds considerably to its nutritive value. All second brews should be avoided, because every useful constituent of the leaves has been already extracted. A Jesuit who came from China, instructed Sir Kenelm Digby, 1645, "that Tea when infused should not stand longer than you can sing the Miserere very leisurely; and then be poured on the sugar in the cups.” Dr. Haig, a modern authority on rheumatism, protests that the alkaloids of Tea, coffee, and cocoa prevent uric acid from being excreted, and thrown out of the body; insomuch that mischievous urates accumulate therefrom in the blood, giving rise to gout, and rheumatic attacks. But his conclusions formed thus are probably from a peculiar personal experience rather than of general applicability; at any rate, other observers have arrived at different conclusions from his. He finds (in his own case) that Tea (dry Ceylon), when drunk, furnishes as much as one hundred and seventy-five parts (in a thousand) of uric acid, or xanthin. More ruthlessly is it declared, in The New Hygiene as a Drugless Treatment, that "Tea is a rank poison, which fact is evident from experiments on animals; a strong decoction of green Tea (or its extract) will speedily destroy life in the inferior animals." Fraser concluded, after careful and exhaustive experiments, that "both Tea and coffee tend to retard peptic digestion in the stomach, and intestines; but coffee seems to aid the digestion of eggs (the white), and ham, whilst Tea increases the generation of gases; and therefore coffee is to be preferred for flatulent subjects. Tea reduces the acid-absorbing power of foods, whilst cocoa increases it, and is therefore the more appropriate beverage for patients suffering from acid indigestion. Tea (particularly), and coffee are to be avoided as accompaniments to meat meals, which require much peptic digestion (in stomach, and intestines)." Tea-tasters insist that the moment the water in the kettle comes to the boil it shall be poured on the leaves; then the infusion is allowed to get cold in the several cups. Ceylon, and Indian Teas become syrupy when cold, and cloud over the surface of the liquid, just as though milk had been put in; but China Tea never clouds in this way. After standing for an hour or so, a ring forms on the inside of the cup where the top of the liquid touches; this is the tannin. It is never seen with China Teas, and rarely with Darjeeling Teas. Respecting Coffee, it is to be noted that the berries when green improve by age up to four years; after which time they deteriorate.

The value of cold Tea as a beverage is not sufficiently known. Literary men, and others accustomed to a sedentary occupation, commonly find that one or two cupfuls of cold Tea, made without adding milk, or sugar, will be as stimulating as the same quantity of sherry; whilst no fear is to be apprehended of subsequent drowsiness, and diminution for a time of the working power, as after imbibing wine, or spirit. Tea, and coffee, tend to cause wakefulness; alcohol, on the other hand, in the second stage of its effects, tends to lethargy, and the promotion of sleep. Old Tony Weller (in Pickwick) said respecting his wife, landlady of the "Marquis of Granby," and when recently deceased, as to her late use of Tea: "She took wery little of anything in that way latterly 'cept on the Temperance nights, ven they just laid a foundation of Tea to put the sperrits a top on." In Alice in Wonderland "the Mad Hatter urges in a trembling voice, to the King at the trial, 'I'm a poor man, your Majesty, and I hadn't begun my tea, not above a week, or so; and what with the bread and butter getting so thin, and the twinkling of the Tea-' 'The twinkling of what?' said the King. 'It began with the Tea,' the Hatter replied. Of course twinkling begins with a T,' said the King sharply; 'do you take me for a dunce ?' 6 Go on 66 Chocolate was the usual breakfast beverage in the early part of the eighteenth century; thus The Tatler tells that "the fops had their Chocolate in their dressing-gowns, served in their bedrooms, and green Tea two hours later." However, the simple family of John Wesley drank small beer at each meal. Swift, who suffered from deafness, and frequent severe vertigo connected therewith, writes that his physician forbade Bohea, allowing him to drink only green Tea, and coffee. About the middle of the same century Tea had become common among all classes. Hanway relates that even beggars might be seen drinking their Tea. Country girls, when they sought situations in London, bargained that they must have Tea twice a day." Those persons who have read Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson will remember what, to use his own words, "a hardened, and shameless Tea-drinker he was; rarely did he let his kettle get cool. 'Tea,' said he, 'amuses me in the evening, solaces my midnight, and welcomes me in the morning." Lady McLeod, a fashionable dame of the period, wrote in her Diary that "the learned Doctor frequently quaffed sixteen cups when he was spending the evening with her; and Mrs. Piozzi records it that she has sat up until four in the morning listening to the Doctor's clever, but stilted talk, and filling his cups for him. She once suggested his using a bowl instead of an ordinary cup, whereupon he desired to know what was her reason for doing this. 'Oh! to save yourself trouble, Doctor,' she replied, 'not me!' The Doctor remembered in his early days drinking Tea with Garrick, when Peg Woffington made it, and (so Garrick grumbled) made it 'as red as blood." Tea," wrote De Quincey (1821), "though it is ridiculed by those who are naturally coarse in their nervous sensibilities, or are become so from wine-drinking, and are not susceptible of influence from so refined a stimulant, yet it will always be the favourite beverage of the intellectual; and for my part I would have joined Dr. Johnson in a bellum internecinum. against Jonas Hanway, or any other impious person who should have presumed to disparage it." Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a winter fireside; candles at four o'clock, warm hearthrugs, Tea, a fair Tea-maker, shutters 66 closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies on the floor, whilst the wind and the rain are raging audibly without."

The earliest known teapot (belonging to the Earl of Bristol) dates from 1697. At first the new beverage was drunk out of silver bowls, and afterwards from earthen cups, and then from China cups. Teapots were introduced from Holland. Probably the cups at first were smaller, and the infusion was not made so strong as at present. Hartley Coleridge, a great Tea-drinker, when asked how many cups he generally took, replied, "Cups, Madam! I don't reckon by cups! Pots, Madam, pots."

Boswell makes mention of a teapot which belonged to Dr. Johnson, and held two quarts. Another teapot of his was purchased some years ago at Mrs. Piozzi's sale, at Streatham, and which was reputed to be the one he usually employed, holding more than three quarts; it was made of old Oriental porcelain, painted, and gilded. His consumption of Tea was prodigious, beyond all precedent; he professed to have drunk five-and-twenty cups at a sitting. China Tea cost sixteen shillings a pound at that time. Great ladies set the fashion of sipping it in dainty cups of the finest Oriental China. It was a common custom in the eighteenth century to put the spoon in the cup as an indication that no more Tea was then desired; turning up the cup in the saucer was another way of signifying that one had finished Tea. In an old volume of Household Recipes (1776) the writer speaks of Tea as a "tincture," and says too much milk must not dilute the "tincture"; he uses this term as though the drink were a medicinal draught, so as to conceal its true forbidding flavour. Austin Dobson wrote concerning a famous eighteenth century lady :- "She was renowned, traditions say, For sweet conserves, and curds, and whey, For finest Tea (she called it 'Tay'), And ratafia."

Formerly there was infused a beverage known as Breast Tea, or Pectoral Tea; it was composed of marsh mallow leaves, eight parts; coltsfoot leaves, four parts; Russian liquorice, three parts; anise, two parts; mullein, two parts; and orris, one part. A tea made with the dried petals of the wild violet (Tricolor), or common pansy, is invariably curative of the scaldhead, or milk-crust of children if given weak, and in small quantities (from one to two tablespoonfuls) three times a day; دو whilst also using some other portion of a stronger violet-tea for bathing the affected parts of the scalp externally. This wild violet contains a special medicinal principle, "violin." If preferred, the herb, whether fresh, or dried, may be boiled slowly in milk for two hours as a more nutritive tea; and a bread poultice made with the strong water infusion of violets applied over the scalp. The Dutch people often improve their Tea by collecting orange blossoms in the season, and keeping some of them with the Tea in the caddy. In the peasant speech of Devon, weak "Tay is said to be "drefful wishee-washee stuff: 'tez water bewitched, and Tay begridged." Afternoon teas, which are now the order of the day all over England, had their origin at Belvoir, and were introduced there by the Duchess of Bedford. In France, Tea is held more as a medicament than a luxury; if the dinner just eaten seems to have at all disagreed, or to be remaining imperfectly digested, then the kindly host will offer the choice of a cup of Tea, or of chamomile infusion. "Virtuous Tea! thou addest not a blush to the cheek of beauty, not a tint to the nose of valour, not a wrinkle to the brow of age; generosity marks thy path; softness, and sweetness are in thy train."

The national beverage of the South American populations is Paraguay Tea, infused from the dried, and powdered leaves of the Ilex Paraguaiensis, this beverage being the sole stay and stimulant of the working classes there. It is best drunk as a very hot infusion through a metal tube, or "bombilla," without any admixture of milk, and sugar, though it is then bitter. Other persons, especially workmen, inbibe it as an infusion prepared with cold water, when it is known as tereré. Workmen carry this drink with them wherever they go, and from time to time have sips of it, therefrom acquiring always fresh energy. The percentage of theine, and of volatile oil in this leaf is very much less than that contained in the Tea leaf, or the coffee berry. Nevertheless, the invigorating, and sustaining powers, whilst differing from those conferred by Tea, and coffee, are found to be superior thereto. Moreover, a long-continued use of the Yerba Maté, or Paraguay Tea, does not entail any harmful effects. Its infusion is pronounced by Dr. Herbert Walker, of Uruguay, Surgeon to the Buenos Hospital, to be one of the very best aperients existing." He has employed it in many cases of chronic constipation otherwise intractable, and has found it to be "a sheet-anchor under such conditions, which he has never, so far, seen to fail in producing a normal evacuation of the bowels." Again, "In cases of bilious dyspepsia, and all the concomitant symptoms of headache, vomiting, lassitude, etc., Paraguayan Tea has simply worked wonders; besides increasing intestinal secretion, and energy of function, it has a decidedly powerful effect on the liver. For proper action it should be taken in the early morning on an empty stomach, and as hot as it can be well borne. About a dozen matés should be drunk, and followed by a glass of hot milk, on the top of which another dozen matés are to be consumed, the patient in the meantime taking walking exercise. This practice, if a lasting cure is desired, should be continued for two months, or more." Furthermore, the natives declare that the Paraguay Tea, infused, and sucked up from a small pumpkin, or gourd, through a long reed, is an excellent remedy in fever, and for rheumatism. 66 The well-known, and highly-esteemed late Dean Stanley, of Westminster Abbey, had no vivid sense of taste, or smell. His cousin, Mr. Augustus Hare, has said that oysters, and big buns were to the Dean what the most perfectly-devised dishes of a skilful chef would be to an epicure: they were the only edibles Dean Stanley could feel going down." Another eminent divine, of the same school, Professor Jowett, was similarly constituted; and it is said "the two were once breakfasting together, Tea being the beverage they both preferred, though why it is difficult to say. However, on this occasion they had been talking, and Tea-drinking freely, taking no less than eight cups apiece, when Jowett, during a pause, lifted the teapot to pour himself out another cupful, and then chanced to discover that all the while it had been forgotten to put any Tea in." The "Funeral Tea" is a great feature of Yorkshire life. After a funeral the company, when the house of the chief mourners will not accommodate them, repair to a neighbouring refreshment room, and have a big tea, sometimes a knife and fork tea; anyhow, always with an abundance of cakes, and dainties included. John Wesley, who was strongly opposed to the Chinese leaf, recommended Sage tea as a substitute. In American revolutionary days, when Tea from the far East was boycotted, "Liberty tea" was brewed by the stalwart New Englanders from the four-leaved loose-strife, also from strawberry leaves, currant leaves, and ribwort; whilst "'Hyperion tea, " a says Mrs. Earle, was from raspberry leaves, very delicate, and most excellent." One of Mr. Ruskin's practical efforts in social economy was to establish in London a Tea-shop, for the sale of unbrewed Tea, such shop being an unpretentious place in Paddington Street. His object was to supply Tea to the poor at cost-price, and in any quantity from a quarter of an ounce upwards. Two old family servants were established in the shop to weigh, and sell the Tea. But the experiment was a complete failure; and, as Mr. Ruskin himself wrote, "the poor only like to buy their Tea where the place is brilliantly lighted, and elegantly ticketed." He debated whether he should erect a signboard, in "blue, and white" (Chinese), "black, and gold (Japanese), or rose, and green" (English). 66 "Te, veniente die, te, decedente, canebo :

Non tecum vivere possum: nec sine te." دو A small child is said to have innocently asked her mother, who was teaching her good things, what God has for dinner. The mother answered seriously that God does not have dinner in Heaven, whereupon the little body said, with a bright smile, "Oh, then, I suppose He has an egg with His tea!"

THROAT GLAND OF SHEEP, THYROID. (See SHEEP).

THRUSH. (See BIRDS, SMALL).

THE flesh of the Song Thrush, or Throstle, is excellent for a weak digestion. "Roasted with myrtle berries it helps the dysentery, and other fluxes of the belly." Its notes, of flute-like melody, are "full of rich cadences, clear, and deep." The food of the Song Thrush is chiefly insects. "Around the head of spring," quoth Master Swan (Speculum Mundi, 1643), "the choristers of the resounding woods do then begin to tune their sugared throats, bidding good morrow to the day, and music to the morn." In former Roman times patrician ladies reared thousands of Thrushes yearly for the market, and further sold the manure therefrom for the land. Men ruined themselves in procuring dishes composed of these birds for their guests. But when the physician of Pompey prescribed a Thrush for inciting appetite, there was not one to be found for sale in all Rome; meantime Lucullus had scores of them in his private Aviary. The Thrush Aviary of Varro's aunt was one of the sights of Rome. Hannah More has told respecting Dr. Johnson that when talking to her about Pembroke College, Oxford, and his poetical companions thereat, Shenstone, and others, he said, "We are all a nest of singing birds here." دو For the particular aphthous, white, patchy soreness inside the mouth, which is known as "thrush," especially in infants (and in some extremities of adult disease), this local trouble being produced by the yeast fungus (Saccharomyces albicans), -Swedish doctors give the "Thrush lichen (Pettigera aphthosa) (which grows on moist Alpine rocks), boiled in milk, as a cure. Likewise, "On fait avec le suc de Cassis" (black currant) confiture, et un Sirop que les Anglais emploient dans ces maux de gorge. Ils en fabriquent des saccharoles solides, sous forme de pastilles."

THYME (See HERBS).