ACACIA. 157 
ACACIA. 
IHIENDSHIP. 
The Acacia is a native of North America, from 
Canada to Carolina, and it has been consecrated by 
the Indians to the genius of chaste love. Their 
bows are made of the incorruptible wood of this 
tree, and their arrows are pointed with its thorns. 
Those wild sons of the desert are susceptible of an 
attachment fraught with delicacy : they may per- 
haps be unable to give utterance to it in words, but 
they find means to express it in a branch of Acacia 
when in blossom. The Indian girl, like the city 
coquette, understands this flattering language, and 
receives, with a blush, the homage of him who has 
won her heart by his respect and love. 
It is not much more than a century since this 
ornamental tree was introduced into the gardens 
of France, from American seeds, by Robin the 
botanist, after whom this family was named Ro- 
binia. It is a large, handsome tree, of quick growth, 
