. A description and history of vegetable substances, used in the arts, and in domestic economy . s, considered as the true ebony. The p 3 163 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. fact is, that the name ebony is applied to trees ofvarious c^enera, producing wood of different colours,and only agreeing in the common qualities of greatcompactness, weight, and durability. Ebony wasmuch more in use and esteem formerly than it isnow. When good, it is very valuable for the pur-poses to which it is applied, not being liable toshrink or warp. It does not, however, hold glueso well as mahogany; and it is apt to be imit
. A description and history of vegetable substances, used in the arts, and in domestic economy . s, considered as the true ebony. The p 3 163 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. fact is, that the name ebony is applied to trees ofvarious c^enera, producing wood of different colours,and only agreeing in the common qualities of greatcompactness, weight, and durability. Ebony wasmuch more in use and esteem formerly than it isnow. When good, it is very valuable for the pur-poses to which it is applied, not being liable toshrink or warp. It does not, however, hold glueso well as mahogany; and it is apt to be imitatedby less valuable woods stained black. In his Journal, Bishop Heber describes the Ebonytree of Ceylon as a magnificent forest tree, with atall, black, slender stem, spotted with white. A greatdeal of the furniture in Ceylon is made of Fonthill Abbey there were some splendid ebonychairs, carved in the most elaborate manner, and ofprodigious weight, which were said to have be-longed to Cardinal Wolsey ; and there were formerlysome similar chairs in the Round Tower of Lignumvilee, LIGNUMVITJ:, 165 5. LiGNUM\—The Lignwnvita; of commerce(Giiaiacum Officinale) is a dark-lookinp; cvcroreen,and ij,Tou s to a great size in the West India Islands, ofwhich it is a nati\c. It hears bhie flowers, whichare succeeded by roundish capsules. In its nativeclimate the Lii^numvita* is a very hardy tree, andretains its jjreenness in the dryest weather. It strikesits roots deep into the g;round, and thus defies thehurricane as well as the drought. The bark is hard,smooth, and brittle; and the wood is of a yellowish,or, rather, olive colour, with the graiii crossing- in asort of irregular lozenge-work. Lignumvita; is theweightiest timber with which we are acquainted, andit is the most difficult to work. It can hardly be spht,but breaks into pieces like a stone or crystaUizedmetal. It is full of resinous juice, which preventsoil or water from working into it; and it i
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