AFRICAN MARYGOLD. 3C3 



by the blood of the unhappy Mexicans whom the 

 insatiable Spaniards slew in their own peaceful 

 fields. 



M. Pirolle tells us, and with a greater degree 

 of probability, that these flowers were called Ta- 

 getes, from the Greek tacjc', meaning principality, 

 which shows the rank these plants held in the par- 

 terre. 



The Tagetes appear to have been introduced 

 into this country as long back as the year 1573, 

 and we conclude that they were called French 

 Marygolds from our having first received the seed 

 from France. Gerard says, the African Marygold 

 was first obtained " when Charles, the first Empe- 

 rour of Rome, made a famous conquest of Tunis ; 

 whereupon it was called Flos Aphricanus, or Flos 

 Tiuiefensis.''' But as these plants do not grow 

 naturally in Africa, we may conclude that they 

 were first received in Spain from South America 

 about the time Charles returned from the coast of 

 Africa ; and in compliment to that monarch for 

 having given liberty to twenty-two thousand 

 Christian slaves^ they were called African Mary- 

 golds. 



The French call the larger kind Grand (Fillet 

 cVInde, Great Pink of India, and Rose d''Lide, In- 

 dian Rose ; and Tagetes Patula they name Petit 

 (Fillet d'Inde, the Little Pink of India. 



E 2 



