always deck themselves, on their wedding-day, with a nosegay of jasmine ; and they have a proverb that 
“ she who is worthy to wear a nosegay of jasmine is as good as a fortune to her husband.” 
The Hindoos, who use odoriferous flowers in their sacrifices, particularly value the Jasmine for this 
purpose, and the flower which they call Zambuk. 
Sir J. E. Smith tells us that a pope, having dreamed that a great quantity of snow had fallen upon a 
particular spot during the month of August, upon discovering that his dream had actually been realised, built 
in commemoration the Borghese Chapel at Rome, and directed that on the anniversary of the day a re- 
presentation of a snow-shower should be given to the congregation throughout the service. The mimic 
snow was made of the lovely and fragrant flowers of the white jessamine, and the anticipation of their power- 
ful odour deterred the ladies of Rome from honouring the ceremony with their attendance. 
Many persons in our own country are unable to bear the scent which delights others. Some will be 
affected with head-ache by the smell of the mignionette, the hawthorn, or the lilac. A wreath made of 
the flowers of the garden laburnum, placed around the head, would in many persons cause extreme pain. 
Plants which are delightful in the field or garden, as the lily, will in the house affect the nerves of delicate 
persons. 
Jessamine is one of the shrubs of which Milton forms the bower of Adam and Eve in Paradise ; 
“ Thus talking, hand in hand alone they pass’d 
On to their blissful bower: it was a place 
Chosen by the sovereign Planter, when he framed 
All things to man’s delightful use ; the roof 
Of thickest covert was inwoven shade, 
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew 
Of firm and fragrant leaf: on either side 
Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub, 
Fenced up the verdant wall ; each beauteous flower, 
Iris all hues, roses, and jessamine, 
Rear’d high their flourish’d heads between, and wrought 
Mosaic ; underfoot the violet, 
Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay 
Broider’d the ground, more colour’d than with stone 
Of costliest emblem.” 
“ The jessamine, with which the queen of flowers, I Unenvied rival ! wear upon their breast; 
To charm her god, adorns his favourite bowers ; Sweet as the incense of the morn, and chaste 
Which brides by the plain hand of Neatness drest, | As the pure zone which circles Dian’s waist.” — Churchill. 
Jessamine abounds in Italian gardens. In the East it is cultivated for the stems of which pipes are 
made. 
Dallaway speaks of the Turks, “In his pipe an opulent man is extremely sumptuous; the head must be 
of pale amber, the stick of jasmine wood, with the bark preserved, and the bowl of a delicate red-clay, 
manufactured at Burgas in Romelia, and highly ornamented. According to the dignity of the smoker is the 
length of his pipe, often six or seven feet, when it is carried by two of his servants from place to place with 
much ceremony ; and the bowl is supported by wheels as an aid to supreme indolence. In the summer, for 
greater coolness, the stem of the pipe is covered with cotton or muslin, and moistened with water. This 
sovereign recreation is not confined to the men ; the ladies, especially those advanced in life, partake of it 
largely; and, as a delicacy, they mix the tobacco with frankincense, musk, or aloes-wood.”* 
The kinds of Jessamine most frequently grown in pots are the Yellow Indian, and the Spanish or Ca- 
talonian. The first grows to the height of eight or ten feet; the leaves continue green all the year, and the 
blossoms are of a bright yellow, very fragrant, and blowing from July till October or November. They are 
frequently succeeded by oblong berries, which turn black when ripe. 
The Spanish Jasmine, so named because it came to us from Spain, is a native of the East Indies. The 
flowers are of a deep blush-red outside, and white within : blowing at the same time as the Indian kind. 
From the middle of May to the middle of October they may stand in the open air ; but must then be 
housed, having as much fresh air as possible in mild weather. They should have but little water at a time, 
but that should be given often, so that the earth may always be moist. In spring, the decayed branches 
should be pruned ; and of the Spanish kind the sound ones should be pruned to the length of two feet, 
which will cause them to shoot strong, and produce many flowers. But this liberty must not be taken with 
the Indian kind. 
In the language of flowers, the Jasmine is the emblem of amiability. 
Dallaway’s Constantinople, p. 85. 
