This extraordinary fruit is just now attracting considerable attention in England, in consequence of its having been fruited successfully at Syon House, the seat of the Duke of Northumberland, where at the same time it bore flowers, and the ripe and ripening fruit, as represented in the drawing.

Mangosteen

The Mangosteen has long been celebrated by travellers as the best known fruit, and efforts have been frequently made to familiarize it to other countries than the Malay Peninsula, and islands to the eastward of Bengal, but, till now, in vain. The fruit is of a spherical form, of the size of a small orange; when young, it is of a reddish-green color; when ripe, of a reddish-brown; and, when old, of a chestnut-brown color. Its succulent rind is nearly the fourth of an inch in thickness, containing a very powerful astringent juice, and, in wet weather, exuding a yellow gum, which is a variety of Gamboge. On removing the rind, its esculent substance appears in the form of a juicy pulp, having the whiteness and solubility of snow, and a refreshing, delicate, delicious flavor; this is the pulp of the cells, and these separate easily from each other, like the cells or lobes of an orange. "The flavor," says one who ate of the fruit produced at Syon Bouse, " was. delicious, and compared, by some who partook of it, to that between a first-rate peach and of a good grape." Dr. Abel, when speaking of the fruits of Batavia, says, " to define it by precise language would be difficult.

We were all anxious to carry away with us some precise expression of its qualities; but, after satisfying ourselves that it partook of the compound taste of the pine-apple and peach, we were obliged to confess that it had many other equally good, but utterly inexpressible, flavors. From its perfect wholesomeness, it may be eaten in any quantity; and, as it possesses no luscious qualities, it does not soon cloy the palate. It is not a little singular that a plant nearly allied to the Gamboge, should yield so wholesome a fruit. The rind is astringent, and employed in cases of dysentery, and the bark of the wood is used as a dye.

In British stoves, it has attained the height of ten or twelve feet; in the Malay Islands, it is said to be twenty feet. A botanical description will be found in Curtis'8 Botanical Magazine, vol. ii., 3d series, Plate 4,847. All writers attest its great excellence.

Fig. 1. Flower. 2. Seed-vessel. 3. Flower-bud. 4. Back view of flower; the fruit, and a section of the interior, are represented above, with the leaves.

There are now, in this country, many plant-houses well calculated to grow the Mangosteen, and we hope, by publishing the plate, to induce some of our zealous propagators to attempt it. There are other rare and beautiful fruits yet to be tried among us, such as the nutmeg, a most beautiful shrub and fruit, chocolate, clove, litchis, and vanilla, all of which, ere long, we hope to see gracing our exhibitions.

Some further particulars regarding the Mangosteen will be found in our last volume, page 498.