HYACINTH. ItS 



fair countrywomen should foster them with such 

 care in their saloons. 



The Hyacinth may be considered as supreme 

 amongst the flowers of the Spring, as the Rose is 

 amongst those of the Summer ; and its charms have 

 rendered it a successful rival to the Tulip even in 

 the hearts of the Dutch florists. It is a native of 

 the Levant, and grows abundantly about Aleppo 

 and Bagdad, where it flowers naturally in February. 

 Lepechin found it in Russia, not only with purple 

 corollas, but with yellow flowers also. These 

 beautiful flowers appear to have been common in 

 our gardens prior to 1597, as Gerard does not 

 mention them as being rare in his time, but 

 observes, " These kinds of jacints have been 

 brought from beyond the seas, some out of one 

 countrey, and some out of others, especially from 

 the East countries, whereof they tooke their name 

 Orientalist 



It is probable that these bulbs and many seeds 

 of eastern plants were brought to this country 

 during the early part of the reign of Elizabeth, as 

 we find that about the year 1561 she enabled 

 Anthony Jenkinson and others to visit Persia on 

 a trading speculation in raw silk, &c, in which 

 they eventually succeeded ; and Monsieur de Thou 

 remarks, that this company of the English also 

 obtained the exclusive privilege of importing all 



G 2 



