S M Y 



S M Y 



Afiatic Turkey, in the province of Natolia, fituated on a 

 gulf of the Mediterranean, which is capable of containing 

 the largefl navy in the world. On account of the extent 

 and convenience of its harbour, it is become the common 

 rendezvous of mercliants from the four parts of the world, 

 and the ftaple of their commerce ; fo that it is the firft port 

 for trade in the Turkifh dominions. Its fituation is de- 

 lightful ; and approaching it by fea, it has the appearance of 

 a capacious amphitheatre, crowned at the fummits with the 

 ruins of an ancient cattle. The bay isextenfive, the anchor- 

 age excellent, and the water fo deep, that fliips of confider- 

 able burden may anchor clofe by the wharf. Many Englifh 

 merchants relide here, and they have i conful to proteft them. 

 The trade is condufted by Jew brokers, who are wealthy, 

 and live handfomely and even fplendidly. The whole town 

 is a continual bazar, or fair, abounding with every thing 

 that ferves for clothing, fultenance, and pleafure ; all the 

 be ft commodities of Europe and Afia being brought hither 

 for fale. 



The adjacent territory is very fertile, abounding with fine 

 olive-trees and vines ; and it affords excellent wine. The 

 European conful lives here in great ftate and magnificence. 

 The popnlation of Smyrna confills of about 130,000 per- 

 fons : of ihefe, about 70,000 are Turks, 30,000 Greeks, 

 15,000 Armenians, 10,000 Jews, and 5000 ftrangers and 

 Franks. The governor is appointed by the Porte, who 

 manages the civil concerns in the city ; but in all criminal 

 cafes is fubjeft to the mollah or cadi, who is judge of his 

 diftrift. The falary of the governor, or mufelim, is efti- 

 mated at nearly 300,000 piaftres, or about 17,000/. iterling. 



In the environs are feveral fine villages, to which the 

 Franks and wealthy inhabitants refort m fummer, particu- 

 larly Bournabat, at the diftance of about half an hour's 

 ride, (landing on the banks of the Mirlica, and at the foot 

 of feveral mountains. Other villages are Cucklueiah, where 

 the imperial conful has a palace; Bugiah, where the Britiih 

 conful has a good houfe ; and Sadig, where the Dutch con- 

 ful refide-;. 



The total value of goods from Smyrna to London amount- 

 ed, on an average of the years 1785, 17S6, and 1787, to 

 463,349/. Iterling, and from London to Smyrna to 423,548/. 

 In 1790, 1791, and 1792, the exports to London amounted 

 to 779,610/., and the imports from thence to 848,240/. 

 This city fuffered very much by a fire on the 6lh of Auguil, 

 1763, which dcllroyed many of the bell houfes, faftories, 

 and magazines, and occafioned very exterifive defulation. 

 The lofs fuJtained was reckoned at 200,000/. (terling ; 176 

 miles S.S.W. of Conflantinople. N. lat. 38° 28'. E. 

 long. 27° 8'. 



Smyrna, a poft-townfhip of America, in the ftate of 

 New York, and county of Chenango ; 105 miles W. of 

 Albany, bounded N. by Lebanon in Madifon county, E. 

 by Sherburne, S. by Plymouth, and W. by German. It 

 is fix miles fquare, and its Itreams fupply grain-mills, faw- 

 mills, and a fulling-mill. It has alfo a fmall furnace for 

 cafting of iron. Its vallies are rich and productive, and a 

 great part of the hilly land is either arable, fit for meadow, 

 or good for grazing. Hemp is cultivated on the rich mould 

 of the vallies, and the timber is principally maple, beech, 

 elm, bals-wood, and hemlock. The firll fettler here was 

 Porter, in 1792, and a poll-office was eftablifhed in 1808. 

 The whole population, in 18 10, coTifilled of 1344 perfons. 



S.MVRNA, Neiu, a town of Eall Florida, inhabited by a 

 colony of Greeks and Minorquins, ellabliflicd by Dr. Turn- 

 bull, on a branch of the Mofquito river. N. lat. 28". 



SMYRNIUM, in Botiwy, indubitably the <r^u{v»i/ of 

 Diofcorides, wliofe ample defcription is peculiarly appli- 



9 



cable to one of the fpecies, S. perfoUatum. By his account 

 of the fenfible qualities of the feed, being fo like Myrrh, 

 the origin of the name from 5-;.(Ufvz, myrrh, is fufficiently ap- 

 parent. — Linn. Gen. 144. Schreb. 194. Willd. Sp. PI. 

 V. I. 1467. Mart. Mill. Dift. v. 4. Sm. Fl. Brit. 328. 

 Prodr. Fl. Groec. Sibth. v. I. 202. Ait. Hort. Kew. 

 V. 2. 157. Purlh v. I. 196. JufT. 219. Tourn. t. 168. 

 Lamarck Illuftr. t. 204. Gsertn. t. 22. — Clafs and order, 

 Pentandr'ia D'igynia. Nat. Ord. Umbellata:. 



Gen. Ch. Gcwra/u/nW unequal, increafing daily in fize ; 

 partial eredt. General as well as partial involucrum wanting. 

 Perianth fcarcely difcernible. Cor Univerfal uniform ; 

 the flowers of the did-; abortive; partial ui five lanceolate, 

 keeled, flightly inflexed petals. Stam. Filaments five, 

 fimple, the length of the corolla; anthers fimple. Pi/l. 

 Germen inferior, llyles two, fimple ; iligmas two, fimple. 

 Peric. Fruit oblong, ftriated, feparable into two parts. 

 Seeds two, crefcent-ftiaped, convex on the outer fide, and 

 marked with three angles ; flat on the other. 



EIT. Ch. Involucrum neither general nor partial. Fruit 

 oblong, with angular ribs. Petals pointed, keeled, in- 

 curved. 



1. S. perfoUatum. Perfoliate Alexanders. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 376. Willd. n. I. Ait. n. i. Sm. Fl. Grsc. Sibth. 

 t. 289, unpubhlhed. (S. creticum; Matth. Valgr. v. 2. 

 131. Ger. Em. 1024. An Hippofeliiium ; Column. 

 Ecphr. V. 2. 21.) — Stem-leaves fimple, clafping the item 

 with their heart-fliaped bafe, all ferrated and alternate. — 

 Native of Italy and the Levant. Common in the hilly 

 parts of Greece, as well as in Crete and Cyprus. S'ithorp. 

 A hardy biennial plant, one of the handfomeft of its tribe, 

 naturalized, in a manner, on rock-work, neglefted banks, 

 or open borders, in Chelfea garden, flowering in May. 

 This anfwers mod precifely to the o-fii'^iov of Diofcoridcs, 

 infomuch that we can only wonder at the doubts of any of 

 his commentators. " na^ci.^vu.S%; -xovfci rtoXXy.;" furely al- 

 ludes to the abundance of very peculiar leaves furrounding 

 the (tern, which are contrafted, in the next fcntence, with 

 the broader foliage, fpringing from the root. That ex- 

 preflion, therefore, is improperly rendered by the word 

 foboles, offsets or fcyons, of which there are no traces. 



The root is brown, flefliy, tuberous, with thick fibres. 

 Stem two feet high, much branched, with dilated membra- 

 nous angles, efpecially in the branches. Radiail leaves 

 Italked, twice or thrice ternate ; their leaflets llalked, 

 fmooth, fliining, ovate or wedge-fliaped, notched, three- 

 cleft, or variouily lobed; Jlem-leaves feflile, fimple, roundifll- 

 heart-fliaped, crenate, fmooth, reticulated with veins, either 

 m<!re or lefs obtufe, or acute and elongated, embracing 

 the item with their broad, rounded bafe, one of whole 

 lobes folds over the other ; their colour becomes a rich 

 golden yellow as the flowers advance toward perfedion ; 

 the upper ones are gradually fmaller, more coloured, and 

 clofer together. Umkels yellow, of many rays. Seeds 

 black, globofe, angular, fcarcely ribbed, about the fize ot 

 cabbage feed, of a hot, pungent, aromatic flavour, like 

 the rell of the plant. The petals are really heart-lhaped, 

 with inflexed points. 



2. S. itgyptiaciim. Egj'ptian Alexanders. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 376. Amoen. Acad. v. 4. 270. Willd. n. 2. — Floral 

 leaves oppnfite, heart-fhapcd, entire. — Gathered in Egypt 

 by Haffclqnift. Of this there is no figure. By the Lin- 

 nocan fpecimcn, which confills of the top of the plant only, 

 it appears nearly akin to the preceding ; but differs elicn- 

 tially in having the branches oppofite, or three together, 

 not alternate, the Jloral leaves being alfo difpofed in the 

 fame manner, and nearly, if not abfolutely, entire. 



3, S. 



