On the Rose. 291 



herself? Who can portray its virfiriii delicacy and modesty — 

 its exquisite blushing tints — its si)lendor and all-enchanting 

 beauty ? and its balmy and heavenly fragrance, what else 

 is there, that will so refresh and invigorate the heart, or 

 delight and animate the senses ? It were as well for the poet 

 to attempt to picture the tints of Aurora, when rising in glory 

 in her oriental skies, or for the artist to transfer to canvass 

 the brilliancy and lustre of the sun's glorious rays, as for 

 human language and art to describe a flower that is com- 

 posed of everything that is graceful, lovely and sweet. 



It has been called (and properly too) the emblem of beauty, 

 and the poets of all nations have sung its praises ; yet it is 

 still the same favorite as ever, and yet a theme upon which 

 language may exhaust itself, and its beauty increase and 

 its attractions seem irreater than ever. As it is one of the 

 most common of all flowers that beautify the little spot before 

 the door of the humble peasant or cottager, as well as orna- 

 ment the gardens of the rich and great, so it is one of the 

 most fragrant and lovely. We become attached to it in our 

 early days, and we cherish it with almost sacred veneration, 

 to the latest moments of our life. Its uses are almost as va- 

 rious as its varieties. We pluck it to deck the altar of our 

 holy temples ; our festive boards are made to glow with its 

 varied hues ; Love gathers it to wreath around his votaries ; 

 warriors crowned themselves with its profuse garlands ; 

 the luxurious strew their dwellings and couches with its 

 leaves ; and grief finds a relief in dropping a transient flower 

 upon the tomb of the virtuous and lovely. 



It would not perhaps be interesting to most of your read- 

 ers, to read many of the allusions made to this sweet flower 

 to be found among the oriental poetry ; and therefore I pre- 

 fer giving some account of the origin of its name, its history, 

 uses, &c. The word Rosa is derived from j^Jws, signifying 

 red in Armorican. It belongs to the class Icosandria, order 

 Polyofinia, of the Linnaan^ or artificial system, and to the order 

 Rosacea?, of the Jussienedn., or natural arranrrement. Differ- 

 ent species are to be found growing indig-enous in Persia, 

 China, Siberia, Caucasus, Crimea, Barbary, Nepal. Levant, 

 Austria, South of France, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, 

 Britain, N. America and Kamtschatca. Botanists are not 

 agreed as to the number of the original species ; some say 

 that they are all varieties of the European species ; later or 

 modern botanists, however, divide them into species, sub- 

 species, and varieties. There has been several works pub- 

 lished on the rose in France and England ; the most com- 

 plete, as regards the scientific arrangement is, the Rosannn 

 Monoirraphia, by Dr. Lindlcy, jmblished in London in 1819 : 

 in this, upwards of a hundred species or sub-species, are 



