No. 11.— 1858-9.] 



SCRIPTURE BOTANY OF CEYLON. 



311 



Some of us may recollect the fearful results of a mistake 

 committed a couple of years ago by a servant girl at Dingwall, 

 a place within three miles of my native village, in the North 

 of Scotland, where the root of the Aconite or "Monkshood" was 

 used with the gravy of some roasted meat, instead of that of 

 the Horse raddish. Three of the gentlemen who partook of 

 it, diecl^ within two hours, while the others narrowly escaped 

 with their lives. The "Monkshood" is identical with the Bikh 

 poison of the Himalayas, and is known as one of the most 

 deadly of vegetable poisons. 



Vine. 



There is no doubt that immediately after the waters of 

 the deluge had removed from the face of the earth, this plant 

 was trained and reared by the hand of man ; for, it is said, 

 "Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard." 

 (Gen. ix. 20.) The spies sent from Kadesh-barnea to 

 explore the promised land, brought back, amongst other fruits, 

 a large buuch of grapes ;— and there is constant reference to 

 the Vine and Grapes in the Old and New Testaments. The 

 real Grape Vine here meant is grown in gardens all over 

 Ceylon, but bears fruit successfully at Jaffna only, I believe. 

 There are sixteen species of the same genus indigenous to 

 Ceylon. 1 have seen the bunches of fruits of one species in 

 the forests, so large, that one of them would be sufficient to 

 form a load for a cooly. 



Balm of Gilead and Spices. 



" My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of 

 spices." (Cant. vi. 2.) " Is there no balm in Gilead, is there 

 no physician there." (Jer. viii. 22.) 



The tree which produced the Balm of Gilead is involved 

 in obscurity. This, and Bdellium, Myrrh, and Incense or 

 Frankincense, are evidently the produce of the same natural 

 order of plants to which our Mangoes belong. 



The Jciliivai and mukkiluvai which form such beautiful 

 fences in the Northern Province, produce a very fragrant 



k 



