July 10. COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 217 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
. 
D 
W 
JULY 10—16, 1855. 
i 
Weatukrnrar London in 1853. 
Barometer. Thermo. Wind, 
Sun 
Rises, 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
It. & S. 
Moon's 
Age. 
Clock 
bf. Sun. 
Day ol 
Year. 
10 
Tu 
Park-green Fritillary Butterfly. 
20.909— 29 . 8 fll 67—51 N. 
40 
56 a 3 
14a 8 
0 43 
26 
4 
56 
191 
11 
\V 
Queen of Spain Fritillary Butterfly. 
29 - 905 — 29 . 8 G 4 66—50 N.W. 
01 
57 
13 
1 10 
27 
5 
5 
192 
12 
Tu 
High-brown Fritillary Butterfly. 
29.851—29.790 GO—lG N. 
17 
58 
12 
1 47 
28 
5 
13 
193 
13 
F 
Silver-washed Fritillary Butterfly. 
29.854—29.774 68—49 s.w. 
59 
11 
2 35 
29 
5 
20 
194 
14 
s 
Red Admiral Butterfly. 
29.924—29.749 65—56 S.W. 
02 
IV 
10 
sets. 
© 
5 
28 
195 
15 
Son 
5 Sunday after Trinity. St. 
30 . 096 — 29.769 72—47 N.W. 
— 
2 
9 
9 0 30 
1 
5 
34 
196 
lG 
M 
White border Butterfly. [Swithin. 
30.122—29-981 77—52 S.W. 
— 
3 
8 
9 49 
2 
6 
41 
197 
Meteorology of the Wf.ek. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest tom- 
peratures of these days are 75. 2 °, and 51.5°, respectively. The greatest heat, 93.5°, occurred on the 14th, 
on the 10 th, in 1651. During the period 124 days were fine, and on 72 rain fell. 
in 1847; 
anil the lowest 
cold, 3b°, 
Resuming our notes upon the Plants mentioned in the 
Holy Scriptures, wo come next in the English alpha¬ 
betical order to the Brier. 
It is quite certain that our translators used this as a 
comprehensive name to represent several very different 
plants of which they did not know the true titles, but 
only that they were armed with thorns or prickles. 
One circumstance which is very peculiar in the 
Scriptures, is that there are always two such plants 
named in each passage where they are mentioned. 
This obliged our translators to uso two separate terms 
to mark the distinction, but it is quite uncertain whether 
they have used them correctly, or, rather, it is certain 
that they have not. 
The distinctive terms made use of by the translators, 
are “Thorn” and “Briar”—by which they indicate as 
their opinion, that in the original, a plant with a straight 
piercing armament, and a plant with a hooked lacerating 
armament occur in juxta position. 
Let us take the first occurring example, that of Judges 
viii. 7, and there Gideon threatens the insolent princes 
of Succoth in these words—“ I will tear (thresh) your 
tiesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with 
Briars (Hablmrkaneem).” A threat, according to the 
16th verse, that he fully executed. 
This passage sustains the opinion of our translators ; 
but then arises the question, what plant was really in¬ 
tended by the Hebrew word Hahbarkaneem ? Aquila 
thought that it was one of the Goat’s Thorns, which 
Rauwolf first described as growing in Syria, and which 
he called Tragacantha Syriaca. It has long, very sharp 
thorns. Symmachus, another good authority, thought 
that the Thistle is the HabbarJcaneem, a diversity of 
opinion which shows that we must be content with un¬ 
certainty. 
Next comes the Qlmdak of the Bible, which our 
translators have rendered Thorn, in Proverbs xv. 19, 
and Briar, in Micah vii. 4. We know nothing of the 
plant really intended, but as the Hebrew original is 
derived from a root signifying “sharpness,” we have 
the intimation that the plant intended was one capable 
of occasioning great suffering to those upon whom it 
fell, and it has been well observed, that in the passage 
in the book of Proverbs there is a beautiful exposition 
which is lost in our translation—“ The narrow way of 
the slothful is like a perplexed path among Briars, 
whereas the broad road of the righteous is a high bank." 
In other words, the eourso pursued by the righteous is 
like a causeway free from obstructions, direct, con¬ 
spicuous, and open. The course of life of those two 
characters answers to the abovo comparisons; the idle 
man adopts oblique measures, which almost inva¬ 
riably are thorny, to accomplish his purposes ; whereas, 
the honest and diligent man prefers measures tho most 
open and most direct. 
The simile in the prophet Micah is not less just. He 
is complaining of the Prince and of the Judge, who 
“ asketh a reward,” observing that “ the best of them is 
a Briar,” clasping and wounding all with whom it 
comes in contact. 
Next occurs the word Sliamar, but only in the book 
of Isaiah .4 Being so exclusively and frequently named 
by this prophet, we have no doubt that he alluded to 
some well-known and abundant thorny plant of the 
country, and such is the genus Fagonia. Thus Fagonia 
cretica is found in dry soils exposed to the sun, quite 
consistent with the prophet’s denunciation against the 
vineyard, when he says—“ I will lay it waste : it shall 
not be pruned nor digged, but there shall come up 
thorns and Sliamar : I will also command the clouds 
that they rain no rain upon it.” (v. 6 ) 
The above species of Fagonia, and several others, 
such as F. arabica, F. persiea, and F. OUvierii, all 
natives of countries bordering or. Palestine, are com¬ 
monly employed for the easy kindling of fires, and must 
have rendered most forcible to all the prophet’s readers 
the other chapters to which we have referred, in which 
he warns the Israelites that by God a fire will be 
kindled which “ shall burn and devour his thorns and 
his Sliamar in one day.” 
In the 13th verse of the 55th chapter of the same 
prophetical book occurs the word Sirphad, derived 
from two Hebrew words signifying “ a thorn,” and 
“ to spread abroad.” The translators of our Version 
have Englished tho sentence thus: “ Instead of the 
Briar shall come up the Myrtle tree ; ” but we have no 
guide to a closer conclusion respecting the plant 
intended beyond tho derivations we have stated. 
Lastly, in the 24th verse of the 28th chapter of the 
book of Ezekiel, occurs this passage: “ There shall be 
no more a pricking Briar unto the house of Israel, nor 
any grieving thorn.” The name translated Brier, is, in 
the Hebrew, Sillocn, but we have no reliable guide to a 
conjecture of the plant referred to by the prophet. 
* It occurs in the following chapters of this prophetv. 6 ; vii. 23, 
2-i, 25 ; ix. 18; x. 17 ; xxvii. 4; and xxxii. 13. 
No. CCCLIV. Voi.. XIV. 
