OF ACCOMPANYING ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 



139 



" mercuriale" (Lenz), in Greece "skarolahanon" or " skullolahanon " (Sibth.), in which we recognize 

 the " grva niSrkourialis " identified in Syn. Diosc. with the " aphlopho " of the Egyptians, said to 

 have been discovered by Mercury or Ermes — and hence sometimes called " hermupoan " by the 

 Greeks (Plin. xxv. 18) : the " linozSstis " is mentioned by Euryphon 2 morb. 12 to 77; by Diosco- 

 rides as a span or more high with twin rounded fruit and laxative when eaten as a potherb ; is iden- 

 tified in the added Synonyms with the " Srmou votanion " or "parthenion ; " and by Ebn Baitar with 

 the "halbub:" M. annua is mentioned also by Averrhoes, and Moses Charras (F.Adams); was 

 observed by Delile at Alexandria on the Mediterranean border of Egypt; by Hasselquist in Pales- 

 tine; and by Forskal, Sibthorp, Chaubard, and Fraas, in waste places and cultivated ground from 

 Cyprus and the Peloponnesus to Marmora. Westward, the " linoz6stis " is identified in Syn. Diosc. 

 with the "asoume's " of the Numidians ; and the " herba mercurialis " is enumerated by Cato as both 

 medicinal and esculent : M. annua is mentioned by Turner as seen by him in Germany and beginning 

 to be cultivated in Britain, where it has since become naturalized (Hill, and Bromfield phytol. for 

 1850) ; is described also by Valerius Cordus, Dalechamp (Spreng.), Bauhin hist, and Tournefort 

 inst 534; was observed by Lenz frequent in Italy ; and is known to occur in waste places and culti- 

 vated ground throughout middle Europe (Pers.). 



In this year therefore Ramessu III. succeeded by his son Ramessu IV. Hikma. A 

 portrait of Ramessu IV. is sculptured on the walls of Karnak. His name occurs also 

 on other temples at Medinet Abu and Elephantine, and on moveable articles — now 

 in the museums of Europe. 



1247 B. C. = " 2d year of Ramessu IV.," at Hammamat — (Birch). 

 In this year (= 1 197 -f- " 50 years " of Castor in Euseb. i. p. 134, the three displaced or dupli- 

 cated reigns '•-)- 40 -\- 50 -f- 40 " being omitted, see also Isocr. panath. p. 258 d., and Apollod. iii. 

 14. 1), Amphictyon succeeded by Erichthonius, fifth Attic king. The Panathenaea were instituted by 

 Erichthonius (Hellan., and Androt). 



1244 B. C. = "5th year of Ramessu IV.," on the monuments — (Leps. k. tab. p. 19). 

 1243 B. C. (=: " 240 years before the building of Solomon's temple " of Josephus a. J. viii. 3. 1), 

 the city of Tsor or Tyre founded. Being-a seaport, merchant ships sailing thence and commerce 

 upon the Mediterranean are implied. — The city of Tyre in existence at the time of the Israelitish 

 conquest of Palestine, and mentioned in Josh. xix. 29. Tyre is also mentioned by Ezekiel, and 

 Herodotus ii. 43 ; was captured by Alexander, an event followed by the establishment of a rival em- 

 porium Alexandria, yet continued "the first commercial city of the East" in the time of Hierony- 

 mus, and in a flourishing condition until the discovery of America and of the route around Africa 

 into the Indian Ocean. A town continues in existence on the sfte ; but there is shelter for small ves- 

 sels only (see Sm. geogr. diet.). 



Cassia senna of the Tropical portion of the Desert from the Atlantic to Hindustan. Called in 

 Egypt " sena gebely " of the Desert, or " s. beledy" or "s. baharaouy " (Del.) or '■ s. Hedjazi " or 

 "s. Mecki " (Forsk.), in which we recognize the burning " sn£ " seen on mount Horeb by Moses — 

 (ex. iii. 2, and deut. xxxiii. 6) : C. senna was observed by Forskal in the Desert Eastward from 

 Cairo ; by myself, just beyond the tide-flow at the Northern extreme of the Red Sea. Southward 

 and Westward, by Delile in Upper Egypt ; by Oudney in Central Africa ; and is known to grow from 

 Nubia to the Cape Verd Islands (Lindl.). Eastward from Sinai, was observed by Burn growing 

 "abundantly in various localities in Goozerat " and called "mendie awl" (Graham) ; is known to 

 grow also as far as the "high dry uncultivated lands of Mysore " (Roxb., Wall., and Wight). The 

 dried leaves are imported into France under the names of "sdne" de Tripoli " or " s. de Barbarie " 

 (Del.); are "the inferior senna known by the name of Aleppo and Italian," and Lindley further 

 states that the living plant has been introduced into the West Indies. 



In reference to the account in ex. ix. 23 to 34, it may be observed, that thunder and hail are not 

 entirely unknown in Egypt. — A " hailstorm " was experienced by Lepsius (eg. and sin. p. 53 and 

 119) in Lower Egypt, at the pyramids at Gizeh ; and a "violent thunder-storm," even at the Southern 

 extreme of Egypt "at Assuan " (see Ai II.). 



At this time, "rhS" hand-mills in use for grinding corn: mentioned by Moses ex. xi. 5 — and 

 num. xi. 8 ; also by Isaiah xlvii. 2, and Matthew xxiv. 41, and to the present day I found them in use 

 in Yemen and farther East. 



Capparis spinosa of Tropical and Subtropical Arabia. The caper bush is called in Italy "cap- 

 pero" (Lenz), in Greece " kapparia " (Sibth.) or " rimoniaria," in Egypt " kabbar," in Yemen "lasaf" 

 (Forsk.), around mount Sinai "alsef " (Burkhardt) ; and the " azwb " for striking blood on the door 

 posts in the night appointed for the Passover, — further met with by Moses lev. xiv. 4 to 52 and num. 

 xix. 6 to 18 in the Sinai peninsula, and of which Solomon spoke as springing " out of the wall " at 

 Jerusalem (1 K. iv. 33), also the "ussSpos" that furnished a stick at the Crucifixion (John xix. 29), 

 are referred here by Royle (Kitt. bibl. cycl. ii. p. 976) : C. spinosa was observed by Forskal p. 99 on 



