EDCyCtOPJIEDp OF PI|/inTS. 



ACACIA. — In the deserts of Arabia the finest tree is the 

 Acacia Seyal, which is reputed to be the Shittah tree of the Old 

 Testament. The timber of this tree was termed Shittim, translated 

 by some as " incorruptible wood." In Exodus xxv. it is recorded 

 that the Ark of the Lord was made of Shittim wood, overlaid 

 within and without with pure gold, and having a crown of gold 

 round about it ; and in chapter xxvi. we read that the staves were 

 made of the same wood, as were also the boards of the Tabernacle 

 and the woodwork of the Altar on which the offerings were 

 presented. From this same Acacia is obtained a fragrant and 

 highly-prized gum which is employed as incense in religious cere- 

 monials. Tradition affirms that this Acacia — the Nabkha of the 



Arabians — was the tree from which was fabricated the Saviour's 

 crown of thorns. It has many small sharp spines, and the leaves 

 resemble those of the Ivy with which the Roman Emperors were 



crowned, thus making the mockery bitterly complete. The 



Buddhists make use of the wood of the Sami {Acacia Sumo) to light 

 the fire on their altars : this is done by striking it with the Asvattha, or 

 Peepul — the acft symbolising generation. This Acacia is one of the 

 sacred trees of India, and yields an astringent or preservative 



substance. The tree usually known in England by the name of 



Acacia is the Robinia pseudo-Acacia, or Locust-tree of America, 

 named by Linna:;us after the two Robins, herbalists to Henri IV., 

 who introduced it into France in 1640. This tree would appear to 

 have somewhat of a funeral character, since we find the American 

 Freemasons make a practice of dropping twigs of it on the coffins 

 of brethren. A sprig of Acacia is one of the emblems specially 



revered by Freemasons. " It is curious," says Mr. Reade, in 



' The Veil of Isis,' " that Houzza, which Mahomet esteemed an idol — 

 Houzza so honoured in the Arabian works of Ghatfan, Koreisch, 

 Renanah, and Salem — should be simply the Acacia. Thence was 



