SEA-SIDE PLANTS. 11 



of modes of orthography. The word samphier, as 

 Heywood spells it, seems to give the nearest simi- 

 larity in sound to its original derivation. 



Crabbe, who resided at a part of our coast where 

 vegetation is peculiarly barren, refers to this plant, 

 as well as to one mentioned afterwards, the salt- 

 wort. His pictures of sea-shore scenery are always 

 mournful and dreary, nor is this description of the 

 salt river-side less so : 



," With ceaseless motion comes and goes the tide ; 

 Flowing, it fills the channel vast and wide ; 

 Then back to sea, with strong majestic sweep, 

 It rolls in ebb, yet terrible and deep : 

 Here sampire banks and saltwort bound the flood ; 

 There stalks of sea-weed withering in the mud ; 

 And higher up, a ridge of all things base, 

 Which some strong tide has roll'd upon the place." 



The samphire is found also on the rocky shores of 

 other countries, as in Italy, Spain, and France, 

 and is used there, as with us, as an article of food 

 and luxury. 



Somewhat similar to this plant, and commonly 

 known as the annual samphire, is the jointed 

 glasswort (Salicornia herbaeea), so abundant on the 

 salt marshes near our coast, or on muddy shores 

 occasionally overflowed by the tide. It is a leafless 

 herb, of pale bright green, and much succulence, 

 and it flowers in August and September. The 

 poor people who reside in the neighbourhood of 

 these marshes gather this plant, and sell it for the 

 purpose of pickling; and, assisted by strongly 

 flavoured spices, it is certainly as good a herb for 

 a pickle as many another one commonly used ; but 

 the aromatic flavour of the real samphire is want- 

 ing in this plant, whose juices have in themselves 

 only a saltish mawkish flavour. Those who know 



