The Myrtle. 
67 
Africa, in Oriental lands, or in Southern Europe, that we must 
seek those shining myrtle groves of which the poets sing. 
“The shrub consecrated to love,” says a French traveller, 
“ forms, in Candia, hedges and thickets, and is so common 
that it might almost be considered as the bramble of the 
country.” The beautiful enclosed gardens of the Cape of Good 
Hope are adorned with hedges of myrtle : their blooming 
beauties waving over the head of the passenger, they unite 
their fragrance with the odoriferous exhalations from the 
orange and lemon-trees, so abundant in that clime. 
In the Canary Isles the myrtle flourishes in profusion, grow¬ 
ing to a considerable height, and is found, it is stated, at an 
elevation of 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. It is not so 
abundant as formerly, however, the Portuguese having cut down 
such enormous quantities for use on saints’ festivals, and other 
religious or public ceremonies. The myrtle hedges in Italy 
are described as surpassingly fragrant, whilst in Switzerland 
the uses to which this plant is put are numberless. The vola¬ 
tile oil extracted from the leaves of the myrtle is extremely 
astringent, and, being thought to have considerable effect in 
improving the hair, is a frequent ingredient in a pomade em¬ 
ployed for that purpose. A diverting story illustrative of this 
plant’s astringent nature is related in the “ Dictionnaire Portatif 
d’Histoire Naturelle.” By chance, a gentleman was left a few 
minutes in a lady’s boudoir, and, to occupy his spare time, 
began investigating the vases that were placed about the 
apartment: he discovered in one some myrtle pomade, and 
with a curiosity worthy of a son of Eve, put some of it upon 
his lips, placing himself meanwhile before a mirror, in order 
to see the effects of the presumed beautifier. The lady en¬ 
tering suddenly, disturbed his proceedings, and when he 
attempted to hide his confusion by addressing her, to his 
dismay he found his mouth tightly closed by the pomade’s 
adhesive property. A sudden glance at the vase revealed to 
the lady the cause of his embarrassment, and produced an 
uncontrollable burst of laughter at the indiscreet youth’s 
expense. Such ludicrous anecdotes of the self-styled “lords 
of creation ” serve well “ to point a moral or adorn a tale.” 
5—2 
