OF ACCOMPANYING ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 2 15 



"18tos " with blackish wood is mentioned by Theophrastus iv. 2. 5 ; the "IStos thSnthron," by Dios- 

 corides as a big tree with sweet edible fruit larger than a grain of pepper : C. Australis was observed 

 by Sibthorp, and Chaubard, frequent from Crete and the Peloponnesus to Constantinople ; by Belon, 

 in Syria ; and is enumerated by Clot-Bey and Figari as recently introduced into Egypt. The wood is 

 according to Sprengel highly esteemed, being hard heavy and blackish. 



Agrostemma coronaria of Europe and the adjoining portion of Asia. Called in France " coque- 

 lourde " (Fee), in Germany " gartenrade," in Italy " cotonella " or " coronaria " or in gardens " velu- 

 dini " (Fraas) ; in which we recognize the " luhnis st£phan6matike " identified in Syn- Diosc. with 

 the " vallarion " of the Greeks, and " ggnikoularis " or "vallaria" of the Romans: the "vallaris" 

 wreath according to Livy was bestowed on him who first entered the enemy's works, and the " fron- 

 dea '' given by Romulus to Hostus Hostilius for entering Fidena — (Plin. xvi. 5) may therefore be 

 compared: A. coronaria is termed "lychnis coronaria Dioscoridis sativa" by Tournefort inst. 334; 

 and is known to grow wild in North Italy and Switzerland (Pers., and Lenz). Eastward, the "luhnis" 

 is enumerated among coronary plants by Theophrastus vi. 8. 3 ; the " luhnis stgphandmatike " woven 

 in garlands has according to Dioscorides a flower like that of " l£ukoi& " but purple ; is identified in 

 the added Synonyms with the " athanatos " or " akul6nion " or " skeptron," with the " aima apoka- 

 themSnes " of the prophets, and " sSmSon " of the Egyptians : A. coronaria was observed by Sib- 

 thorp, Griesebach, and Fraas, on high mountains from Parnassus to Athos, Olympus, and Hasmus. 



" The same year " (Euseb., and Clint.), at Athens, accession of Hippomenes of the family 

 Medontidae, as fourth Decennial archon. 



" 721 R. C." (= 709 -\- " 12 years " of the Astronom. can., and Clint, i. p. 278), Jugaeus succeeded 

 by Mardocempadus as king of Babylon. 



" March 19th, three hours and twenty minutes before midnight " (as reduced by Ptolemy to the 

 meridian of Alexandria, Blair . . . ), eclipse of the moon. The first of the Babylonian eclipses ; — a 

 series that has proved of great service to historians and chronologers. 



"The same year" (Scymn., Diodor., and Clint.), in Southern Italy, the city of Sybaris founded 

 by Greek colonists. 



The same year (= 717 y. 287^!$- d- + " 3 years " of twelve lunations of 2 K. xvii. 5), Hoshea 

 having "sent messengers " to the king of Egypt " So " (S£vih6s), the Assyrian emperor Shalmaneser 

 entered Palestine, and laid siege to Samaria. 



" 720, March 8th, fifty minutes before midnight " (as reduced by Ptolemy to the meridian of 

 Alexandria, Blair), second Babylonian eclipse of the moon. 



" In spring, in the Second month, on the cyclic day 'y-sse' of the 51st year of Ping-wang" 

 (Khoung-tseu, the Li-tai-ki-sse, and Pauth. p. 107), eclipse of the sun. 



"Sept. 1st, four hours and twenty minutes before midnight" (as reduced by Ptolemy to the 

 meridian of Alexandria, Blair), third Babylonian eclipse of the moon. 



" The same year "(.... Gaubil), death of Ping-wang. He is the last emperor mentioned in the 

 Chou-king. 



" Dresses made of herbs by the barbarians of the islands " mentioned in the Chou-king ii. 1. 11, 

 — (Pauth. p. 48): an early notice of the East Indian tribes. 



Stagmaria verniciflua of the Eastern portion of the Malayan Archipelago. Varnish is men- 

 tioned in the Chou-King ii. 1. 5, and as one of the products of Yen — (Pauth. p. 47). S. verniciflua, a 

 tree of considerable size, was observed by Rumphius ii. pi. 86 in the Moluccas and is termed by him 

 " arbor vernicis ; " is called in Malay " kayo rangas ; " is fully described by Jack ; and according to 

 Lindley, " yields one of the celebrated hard black lackers or varnishes of China. The " bernice 

 arbor " of Vincentius Bellovacensis, is referred here by Sprengel. 



Gossypium Indicum of Tropical Eastern Asia. The cotton shrub is called in Bengalee " kapas " 

 (D'roz.), in ancient Sanscrit " karpasi " (Ritter), in Tamil " paratie " or " van-paratie," in Telinga 

 " puttie " (Drury), in Burmah " wa " (Mason), in Tagalo " bulac " (Blanco) : " cotton thread " manu- 

 factured in the province of Yu, is mentioned in the Chou-King — (Pauth. p. 49) : G. Indicum has been 

 cultivated in China from the Ninth century (Schouw p. 149) ; is said to have been introduced "from 

 China" into Japan so late as " 1558-70 A. D." (Jap. centen. comm. 74); was observed by Blanco on 

 the Philippines, where seeds of several cultivated varieties, some with very sparse fibres, were shown 

 me; by Mason, "exotic" in Burmah, but farther North according to Wallich grows along the 

 Irawadi and rivers of Martaban (A. Dec). Westward, is mentioned in the Institutes of Menu 

 (transl. bramin. and Deslongch.) ; seems included in the wool-bearing tree from which according to 

 Herodotus iii. 106 the people of India make their clothes ; and " karpasos " of Barygaze (Baroach) is 

 mentioned in the Erythraean Periplus : G. Indicum was observed by Rheede i. pi. 31 under cultivation 

 in Malabar • by Graham, " the staple article of the commerce of Bombay," cultivated from Guzerat 

 to Dharwar and Coimbatore, as well as in Bengal (Roxb., and Drury). Farther West, a cuirass 

 made of "girioisi apo xulo " was sent by Aahmes II. to Greece (Herodot. iii. 47) : " krphs " is men- 



