JAFFA a 
393 
proving that every church has had its reliqiies, so universalis 
a passion for the marvellous. Some authors ascribe the origin 
of Jaffa to Japhet, son of Noah, and thence derive its uame 0 
However fabulous .such accounts may be now deemed, they 
afford proof of the great antiquity of the place; having been 
recorded by historians, for so many ages, as the only traditions 
extant concerning its origin. Jaffa is also celebrated as the 
port whence the prophet Jonas embarked for Nineveh.* Here 
also St. Peter restored Tabitha to life.f In the time of St. 
Jerom it was called Japho.\ Doubdan gives a long account of 
its history in later times. § It was fortified in the beginning of 
the thirteenth century, by Louis, king of France.|| An Arab 
fisherman at Jaffa, as we were standing upon the beach, came 
running to us with a fish he had just taken out of the water, 
aud, from his eagerness to show what he had caught, we sup¬ 
posed it could not be very common. It was like a small tench, 
but of a dark and exceedingly vivid green colour, such as we 
had never seen before nor since ; neither is it described by 
&ny author we are acquainted with. We had no means of 
preserving it, and therefore would not deprive the poor mao 
of an acquisition with which he seemed so delighted, but gave 
Mm a trifle for the gratification its very extraordinary ap¬ 
pearance afforded us, and left it in his hands. Notwithstand¬ 
ing the desolate appearance of the town, its market surprised 
us, by the beauty and variety of the vegetables it exhibited® 
Melons of every sort and quality were sold in such number^ 
that boats from ail the coast of Syria came to be freighted with 
them. Among these, the watermelons were in such perfection, 
that, after tasting them at Jaffa, those of any other country are 
not like the same fruit.** Finding that the vessel sent by 
an object of worship at Joppa, unless, as Pliny relates, Joppa had been founded be* 
lore the deluge. See p. 24. 
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, aD$ 
went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish.” Jonah L 3. 
f Acts ix. 40. 
f Adrichom. Theat.. Terr. Sanct. p. 23. Colon. 1628. 
X Voyage de la Terre Saincte, p. 496. Paris, 1657. 
|| A. D. 1250. Vid. Adrichom. Theat. T. S. ubi supra. 
4# We found near Jaffa four undescribed plants, with several others that were rar,e^ 
The new species were as follow; 
I. A non-descript species of plantago, with flat linear curved leaves, about two, 
or two and a half, inches long, bristly on both sides, and at the edges the 
ilowerstalks hoary, with flat pressed hairs, and rising above the leaves ; the spikes 
cylindrical, a little curved, from one to two inches and a halflong; the stamens 
longer than the blossom, but much shorter than the woolly style. This species 
seems to come nearest to the 'plantago cylindrica of Forskahl which is unknown 
to us. We have called it plantago setosa. Plantago foil is linearibus plank? 
ytrinque ©argiaibusque &eto§o-aspari§ ; scapis pills adpressis canescestifcus fopis 
