OF ACCOMPANYING ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 24 1 



" 549, June 19th." On the "first day of the Seventh month in the 23d year of Ling-wang" 

 (Khoung-tseu, Gaubil, and Pauth. p. 108), eclipse of the sun. 



"The same year" (Hieronym., and Clint.), in Sicily, Phalaris king of Agrigentum slain in an 

 insurrection. 



The metope-reliefs of Perseus and Medusa, and of Hercules and Kerkopes, on the central 

 temple of the acropolis at Selinunt in Sicily, are referred to "the middle of the sixth century" — by 

 Lubke and Lutrow ; the remaining five Doric temples being regarded as later than this century. 



548 B. C. = "23d year of Amasis II.," death of an Apis or sacred bull — (Birch). 



" In this year " (Pausan., and Clint.), the temple at Delphi in Greece destroyed by fire, (according 

 to Herodotus ii. 180) accidentally. The temple was rebuilt by the Amphictyons; Amasis II. of 

 Egypt contributing. 



" In this year (= 01. 58 " of Plin. ii. 6, and Sm. b. d.), the Obliquity of the Ecliptic discovered 

 by Anaximander of Miletus. Who also constructed the first map on record (Blair). 



"546 B. C." (Solin., and Clint ), in anticipation of aid from the Babylonians and Egyptians, and 

 trusting to an oracle, war commenced by Croesus against the Medes and Persians. He was defeated 

 in battle ; and before the close of the year, the city of Sardis was captured and Lydian independence 

 overthrown (Herodot. i. 77). 



" 544 B. C. = 1st year of King-wang, of the Tcheou " or Fifth dynasty (Chinese chron. table). 



"The same year" (Clint, i. p. 238, see Herodot.), in Asia Minor, the city of Phocaea besieged 

 by the forces of Cyrus, and abandoned by the inhabitants ; who sailed away in their ships. 



Ibycus of Rhegium may have been at this time composing poetry. — He is said to have passed 

 much time with Polycrates at Samos (Sm. b. d.). 



Potentilla fragariastrum of Europe and the adjoining portion of Asia. The OINAN0IAEE of 

 Ibycus, — and others, described by Theophrastus vi. 6 to 8 as vernal and scentless with racemed 

 white flowers, by Dioscorides as a span high, growing in stony places, and in the added Synonyms 

 identified with the " k£raskomion " or "lSukanthon," may be compared: P. fragariastrum was 

 observed by Sibthorp, and Chaubard, in the Peloponnesus. Westward, is described by Tournefort 

 inst. 296 ; and is known to grow throughout middle Europe as far as Britain (Curt. lond. iii. pi. 20, 

 and Pers.). 



Hardly later than this date ("620 to 540," Franz), a Greek inscription, found near Petilia 

 (Policastro) in Italy, presenting the following form of the letter 0. 



"543 B. C." (Singalese ann., Lassen, Buns. iv. 7. 2, and Burnouf ii. 487, " 1116th year before the 

 founding of Pegu " = 542, Mason ii. 20), in the " eighth " year of king Adjatasatru, death of Gaudama 

 or Buddha, founder of Buddhism. On the "third week" afterwards, the First Buddhist council 

 assembled by the high priest Kasyapa, Ananda not having as yet attained the state of ashat. The 

 " sermon-books " were " committed to memory " by different priests (Mahavams. ii.).* 



"In this year '' (Fa-Hian, and roy. asiat. soc. vi. 247), a piece of ground bought by king Prasene's 

 minister of Sravasti for a garden to a temple of Buddha. 



" 540 B. C." Not earlier than this date (Franz), the Greek inscription on a vase found at 

 Agylla in Italy, presenting the following forms of letters : T, ¥. Other inscriptions of about this date, 

 present the forms : B, "], H, I, Y. 



Maba buxifolia of Tropical Hindustan and Burmah. A small Diospyroid tree called in Tamil 

 "erumbelie," in Telinga "pishanna" (Drur.) ; in Burmah " mai-byoung " (Mason), and from early 

 times its hard touo-h knotty wood selected by Tavoyers for anchors for large boats, — wooden anchors 

 "laden with stones constituting the greater part in use " to the present day (Mason v. 543). West- 

 ward, was observed by Roxburgh cor. i. pi. 45, and Wight, in Hindustan, on the Circar mountains, 

 its berries edible, agreeable to the taste, and its dark-coloured durable wood useful for various eco- 

 nomical purposes (Drur.). 



* Garcinia Roxburghii of the Siamese countries. Called on the Neilgherries " heela " (Drur.), 

 in Burmah " toung-da-lai " (Mason) ; and the yellow produced by a Clusioid tree adopted as the sacred 

 colour by the Buddhists (Lindl.) as early perhaps as this date : — G. Roxburghii was observed by 

 Mason v. 480 to 514 indigenous and very abundant in Tenasserim, its gum-resin affording " a beautiful 

 permanentj^//W varnish for metallic surfaces." Westward, is perhaps the tree regarded by Murray 

 as carried from Siam to Ceylon : is known to occur on Ceylon (Drur.) ; was observed by Roxburgh, 

 cor. iii. pi. 298, Beddome, and Wight, in various parts of the peninsula; by Law, and Graham, in the 

 vicinity of Bombay, "some very large trees" in "a grove at Belgaum ;" its exudation "is semi- 

 transparent, very adhesive, and unsuitable as a paint" (Drur.). " G. gambogia, G. Zeylonica" and 

 " G. cowa " of Roxburgh, according to Graham, and " G kydia, G. papilla " of Wight, and " Cambogia 

 gutta" of Linnaeus, according to Drury, are all identical. 



3' 



