HISTORY OF THE GRAPE VINE. 9 



" The Damascus grapes, at tlie present time, are often 

 found to -weigh upwards of twentj-five pounds the bunch. In 

 the accounts of ^gidius Van Egmont, envoy from the States 

 to the King of Naples, and John Heyman, professor of the 

 oriental languages in the university of Leyden, who have 

 published their observations on the present state of Asia Mi- 

 nor, it is mentioned that, in the town called Sedonijah, which 

 is four hours' journey from Damascus, some of the grapes 

 were as large as pigeons' eggs, and of a very exquisite taste. 

 From these circumstances, we may fairly conclude that the 

 vine is a native of Syria. 



" Although wine is not made in Egypt, vines are much 

 cultivated, and the grapes have a delicious perfume. 



" Pliny concludes that the vine was very rare in Italy, in 

 the time of Numa, and, to encourage the pruning of vines, 

 he prohibited the use of any Tvdnes, in sacrifices to the gods, 

 that were cut from vines which had not been pruned. 



" It was not until about the year 270, that the vine was 

 planted in the northern parts of Gaul, and about the rivers 

 Rhine, Maine, and Moselle, and in Himgary. 



" The various wines made from the grape are very numer- 

 ous. Pliny says, in his day there were eighty kinds of the 

 best. 



" The island of Madeira was planted with the vme, from 

 cuttings brought from Cyprus, in the year 1420, when the 

 island was first discovered. The Rhenish vine has also been 

 planted there. 



" The Cape of Good Hope has been planted Avith vines 

 from the Rhine, Persia, and other countries. 



" The juice of the ripe grape (says Dr. Darwin) is a nu- 

 tritive and agreeable food, consisting chiefly of sugar and 

 mucilage. The chemical process of fermentation converts 

 the sugar into spirit ; converts food into poison. 



" It has been observed, that all the vineyards in Germany, 

 beyond the 51st degree of latitude, are duljious." — Pldlli/ps's 

 Companion to the Orchard. London., 7iew ed. 1831. 

 2 



