No. 11.— 1858-9.] SCRIPTURE BOTANY OF CEYLON. 



343 



stamens of the Crocus sativus, and must not be confounded 

 with the root so extensively used in curries here, and by the 

 dancing girls at Temples to color their bodies with. This is 

 properly Turmeric, though invariably called Saffron by the 

 natives. The real Crocus is common in the bazaars as a 

 medicine. 



"Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with worm- 

 wood, and give them water of gall to diink." (Jer. ix. 15.) 

 One species of the wormwood plant is grown in pots about 

 Colombo, and there is another indigenous to Ceylon. It is 

 a composit e plant , and it is most likely that t he worm seeds 

 or hirumisaturu of the bazaars, and the salt of which is 

 now used so beneficially in Colombo as an anthelmintic, 

 are the produce of the wormwood of the Bible. 



"Ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass 

 over judgment and the love of God." (Luke xi. 42.) 



One species of Mint is indigenous to Ceylon, and the Spear- 

 mint and Pepermints have been cultivated here for a long 

 time, and are common in the Island. The Rue plant is also 

 cultivated in Ceylon. 



CONCLUSION. 



The Algum or Almug trees brought by Hiram from Ophir 

 are supposed to have been the Sandal wood tree, and which 

 was growing in Ceylon in Moon's time. When lately in the 

 magnificent Palace of the Pacha of Egypt, at Alexandria, I 

 saw one large room, the flooring of which was composed of 

 Sandal wood. 



The Hindu Temple of Somnat, in Guzerat, which was 

 plundered and destroyed by Muhammad of Ghuzni, had gates 

 made of Sandal wood. These were carried off by the coiv 

 queror, and afterwards formed the gates of his tomb, whence, 

 after 800 years, they were taken by the British conquerors 

 of Ghuzni, and brought back to India in 1842. Many of 

 you may recollect Lord Ellenborough's memorable despatch 



