OF ACCOMPANYING ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 441 



in Greece ; and according to Sprengel, the best kind continues to be imported from the Ural moun- 

 tains and Syria. 



"The same year" (Porphyr., and Clint, iii. p. 390 to 399), in Egypt, Cleopatra put to death by 

 her son Ptolemy IX. Who was driven into exile by the populace, and his brother Ptolemy VI IJ. 

 restored as king. 



In a Greek inscription at Talmis in Nubia, Silco styles himself king of the Ethiopians and 

 " Noubadae," and boasts of victories over the " Blemyes : '' regarded as a branch of the Bischari. — 

 A very late inscription in barbarous Greek also occurs here (Leps. eg. and sin. p. 242). 



The Egyptian gods, Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, Atmu, and others on the pyramids at Meroe, not 

 adopted " previous to the First century B. C. ; and the same throughout the island of Meroe, Naga, 

 and" other places in Upper Nubia (Leps. eg. and sin. 152). 



The Sinaitic inscriptions the work of the inhabitants of the country during the first centuries 

 before — and after our Era ; some being cut over more ancient Greek names, and not unfrequently 

 Christian crosses are in connexion (Leps. eg. and sin. p. 296 to 311, and 553). Cosmas Indico- 

 pleustes is quoted for evidence that at the time of his visit, " about 535 A. D.," the Sinai from which 

 the law was given was believed to be the mountain called at the present day " Serbal." Ruppel 

 mentions sacrifices on Mount Serbal by the Arabs, and found the highest point "6342 French feet" 

 above the sea. Lepsius found on the mountain a place overgrown with ".habak" {Mentha ?) and 

 other sweet-smelling herbs, and translates the name, " Serb Bal " palm-grove of Baal. 



" 88 B. C." (Liv., Blair, and Clint.), commencement of civil war among the Romans, between 

 Marius and Sulla. 



" In this year" (Mahanam. mahav., and Max Mull. p. xix.), accession of Vattagamani, now king 

 of Ceylon. — He reigned until " 76." 



The Nukuhivan or Marquesas Islands colonized from Vavau by Oataia and his wife Ananoona ; 

 bringing with them breadfruit and sugar-cane and a great variety of other plants,* '' eighty-eight gen- 

 erations before — their lineal descendant Keatanui ; the chief who made this statement to captain D. 

 Porter 49 (Hale ethnogr. Expl. Exp. 129). 



About this time (Strab. xvii. 3. 5 to 7), expedition of Bogus king of Mauritania against the 

 " Western Ethiopians," Negro tribes South of the Desert. 



The P I Z£ I C met with, in shape resembling a bull and in size and strength an elephant, accord- 



* Spondias dttlcis of the Papuan archipelago. The vi-plum is a large tree called in Tongan, 

 Samoan, Taheitian, and Nukahi van "vi" (Hale); carried to the Nukahivan Islands perhaps by the 

 first colonists: — observed by Forster prodr. 198 on the Taheitian Islands; by myself, abundantly 

 naturalized on Metia and Taheiti, also abundant and perhaps naturalized on the Samoan Islands, 

 regularly cultivated on Tongatabu, and said to be cultivated in a single locality on the Feejeean 

 Islands, discordant throughout from its deciduous foliage, and evidently exotic. Farther West, is 

 described by Rumphius i. pi. 60, was observed also by Sonnerat ii. pi. 123. By European colonists, 

 was carried to the Hawaiian Islands, stocks "brought from Taheiti" observed by Brackenridge in 

 the o-arden of a resident White ; to the Philippines, where it has become well known and is called 

 in Tagalo " sirihuelas," from the Spanish "ciruelas" (Blanco); to the Mauritius Islands, planted 

 around dwellings (Pers., and Boj.) ; and by Nimmo by the way of "Bengal" to the environs of 

 Bombay (Graham). 



Erythrina seu-pen-lai of the Papuan archipelago. — The only other deciduous tree observed 

 on the islands of the Pacific; an unarmed coral-tree, sometimes forty feet high, naturalized near the 

 sea on Taheiti and Aimeo, planted near dwellings on the Samoan and Tongan Islands, planted 

 and also naturalized on the Feejeean Islands, and planted within the limits of the town on Sulu. 

 E. seu-pen-lai is described by Mason v. 409 as "a small tree covered with large scarlet blossoms" 

 and "very ornamental," "often seen in the neighbourhood of Karen villages from Mergui to the Red 

 Karen country." 



Ficus prolixa of the Papuan archipelago. A tree called in Taheitian "aoa," in Samoan "'o'a,' - 

 in Tongan "koka" (Hale) : known to the first colonists of the Nukahivan Islands, for they retained 

 its Tongan name "koka" as the word for black or blue, applied to cloth : — F. prolixa was observed 

 by Forster on the Taheitian Islands (Pers.); by myself on the Samoan, Tongan, and Feejeean 

 Islands, in all instances planted, from its bark according to Hale "a brown dye is obtained for stain- 

 ing cloth." 



Ficus tinctoria of the Papuan archipelago? A tree called on Taheiti "mati" (Bertero), and 

 probably known to the first colonists of the Nukahivan Islands :— observed by Forster prodr. on 

 the Taheitian Islands (Pers ) ; by myself, on Taheiti, planted near the dwellings of the natives ; and 

 this or the preceding species seen by Rich on the Union and Tarawan clusters of coral-islands. 



