386 



CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT 



of St. Augustin Bay, and often forming considerable forests in the Interior, especially in the Emirne 

 district. — Carried to the Mauritius Islands, and cultivated there (Boj.). 



Tacca Madagascarcnsis of Madagascar. Perennial, growing in the forests in the Interior, and 

 called "tavoulou." — Carried to the Mauritius Islands, and cultivated there (Boj.). 



Mariscus glandularis of Galega Island. Perennial. — Carried to the Mauritius Islands, and 

 cultivated there (Boj.). 



Lomaria grandis of Galega Island. A perennial vine, the young shoots tender and edible. — 

 Carried to the' Mauritius Islands, and cultivated there (Boj.). 



"The same year'' (Liv., Blair, and Clint.), the Romans defeated in naval conthat at Drepanum 

 on the Sicilian coast by the Carthaginians under Adherbal. 



"247 B. C. (Porphyr., and Clint, iii. p. 15), Ptolemy II. succeeded by his son Ptolemy III. 

 Euergetes : the inherited kingdom consisting of "Egypt, Lybia, Syria, Phoenicia, Cyprus, Lycia, 

 Caria, and the Cyclades " — (inscript. adul., and Cosm. Ind. ii. p. 141)- Hieroglyphic ovals of 

 Ptolemy III. occur on temples at Dakkeh, Philas, Esneh, and Thebes. His coins are dated from the 

 death of Alexander, and an "astronomical era" was employed during his reign (Leps. eg. and sin. 

 p. 110). 



With a naval force and the elephants brought by his father and himself from Adule, Ptolemy III. 

 invaded Asia : and after rendering tributary " Cilicia, Pamphylia, Ionia, the Hellespont, and Thrace,'' 

 crossed the Euphrates and extended his conquests over " Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Susiana, Persia, 

 Media, and as far as Bactria" (inscript. adul., and Cosm. Ind. ii. p. 141). 



Rhamnus cathariicus of Europe and the adjoining portion of Asia. Called in Britain buckthorn 

 (Prior), in Germany " kreuzdorn " (Grieb), in France " nerprun " (Nugent), in Greece '' leukagknthn," 

 in which we recognize the AKAN9AI bearing round fruit of Demetrius reb. re gyp. — (Athen. xv. 24), 

 "ISukcn akanthan" identified by Antigonus with the "leukas" (schol. Nic. S49), of which two kinds 

 are distinguished by Dioscorides, the " ISukas orSine " having broader leaves than the " eme'rou " and 

 more acrid and bitter but weaker fruit, both kinds employed against poisonous animals, those espe- 

 cially of the sea : R. catharticus was observed by Sibthorp in the Peloponnesus. Westward, the 

 " rhamnus " called by the French " neprum '' or " burgam spinam " is mentioned by Ruellius i. 123 ; 

 R. catharticus is termed " cervi spina" by Valerius Cordus ; is described also by Tragus, and 

 Tournefort inst. 593. and is known to grow in Italy and throughout middle Europe as far as Denmark 

 (fl. Dan. pi. 850, Pers., and Lenz). By European colonists, was carried to Northeast America, where 

 it continues under cultivation, chiefly tor hedges, and escaping to wild situations in the forest has 

 become naturalized (Barralt, Torr., and A. Dec). The fruit according to Lindley is "violently pur- 

 gative," but producing colic and '■ only given in some kinds of dropsy.'' 



Rhamnus oleoides of the Mediterranean countries. An allied spinescent species called in Greece 

 " xulagkatha " or " mauragkathia" (Fraas), and possibly the "akanthai " of Demetrius, — and one of 

 the two kinds of " leukas " distinguished by Dioscorides: R. oleoides was observed by Sibthorp, 

 D'Urville, Chaubard, and Fraas, frequent in mountainous situations from the Greek islands to the 

 Peloponnesus. Westward, is termed " r. hispanicus oleae folio" by Tournefort inst. 593, and is 

 known to grow in Barbary, Portugal, and Spain (Desf., Pers , Brot, and Steud.). Is enumerated 

 among medicinal plants by Lindley. 



Probably about this time (Sm. b. d.), the inventions of Ctesibius of Alexandria. He is said to 

 have been the first to discover the elastic force of air and apply it as a moving power. 



'• 246 B. C. = 1st year of Wang-tching, of the Thsin " of Sixth dynasty (Chinese chron. table). 

 He is identified with " Tching-wang " or Chi-hoang-ti, "son of Tchouang-siang-wang '' (Pauth. 

 p. 212). 



"The same year" (Clint, iii. p. 346), Antiochus II. Theus succeeded by Seleucus II. Callinicus, 

 fourth Greek king of Syria. 



" In this year" (Max Mull. p. xviii to xxxvii, the Mahavamsa giving " 17th year of Asoka" = 

 244), Third Buddhist council, king Asoka reminding the assembled priests that "What had been 

 said by Buddha, that alone was well said." Apocryphal writings being carefully excluded, the 

 Dhammapada, believed to consist of teachings actually uttered by Gautama or Buddha, was adopted. 

 ■ — Mahinda, son of Asoka, was dispatched to Ceylon, where he converted Devanampriya Tishya 

 then reigning (Mahavans.). 



Santalum myrtifolium of mountainous coasts in Southern Hindustan and the Malayan archi- 

 pelago as far as Timor. Called in commerce sandal-wood, in Hindustanee " sandal " or " chandan " 

 (D'roz), at Bombay "chundun" (Graham) ; and the fragrance of " sandal-wood " is mentioned in the 

 Dhammapada 54 to 56, — the " santalon " by Aetius, and Actuarius, and " sandal " by J. B. Amran, 

 Rhazes, Avicenna, Edrisi, and Ebn Baitar : S. myrtifolium is described by Rumphius ii. pi. 11 ; was 

 observed in Hindustan by Roxburgh cor. i. pi. 2 ; by Graham, " in gardens about Bombay and in the 

 Deccan ; " and according to Royle, is indigenous on the mountainous Malabar coast. Farther East, 



