CONIFERS. 



53 



CeDRUS DeODARA: The Sacred Cedar. 



The specific name of this cedar is doubtless from the Sanscrit word 



{Deva,) God; Latin, Deus, The latter moiety of the word 



being either from the Sanscrit word ^ {da,) Latin, do, to give ; as it 



were. Gift of God ; or from ^T"^ {Dara,) a wife ; as though Spouse of 



God; or again, from {Daru,) wood; Greek, ZpvQ, drus ; hence 



Druids; as a Divine tree. However contrary to generally received 

 opinion, I pin my faith on Deodara as the most ancient, revered, en- 

 durable, fragrant, ever-verdant, most beautiful of all the species of the firs 

 and pines ; notwithstanding that in former ages of the world's history, as 

 well as in these latter times, many learned dissertations and philo- 

 sophical speculations have been spent upon the cedar. After much 

 careful research and laborious investigation, I have, however, come to 

 the inevitable conclusion that we, yes, even we, in this the latter half 

 of the nineteenth century of the Christian era, are labouring under the 

 most erroneous ideas concerning the trees and the ligneous tissues, and 

 fabrics of them, which have been descanted upon and recorded by 

 . the ancient historians and natural philosophers, both sacred and pro- 

 fane. Be it not, however, inferred that by this statement I impugn 

 the truthfulness of the ancients ; nay, rather be it understood that I 

 consider their descriptions of their trees, and the accounts given of 

 their woods and juices, as a sublime prosopopoeia — truth itself, pure and 

 simple. "Make thee an ark of gopher-wood; rooms, (nests,) shalt 

 thou make in it, and shalt pitch it within and without with^^Yc/^" 

 B.C. 2448 ! Yes, here is the ivood and the paint ; but the tree which 

 produced the timber and the juice are what we dispute about. This, 

 however, is subject matter of such magnitude, and comprehending so 

 many genera and species, and such an array of extraneous, yet 

 essential considerations, that in this my present enterprise I have no 

 alternative but to defer it until the issue of my more elaborate "Work, 

 The Ligneous Trees and Shrubs of the World. As pertaining to 

 Cedrus, however, I may here state that my examination of specimens, 

 and my research and investigation into its past and present history, 

 have led me to believe that most of such world-renowned woods as 

 those of the temples of Diana at Ephesus, of Apollo at Utica, of the 

 first and second temples at Jerusalem, as well as those of Solomon's 

 own palaces, and the palaces of the heathen princes ; likewise most of 

 such woods as those of St. Peter's Church at Rome, of many of the 

 Egyptian coffins and mummy cases, Raphael's picture woods, the 



