100 
FALSE RICHES. 
SUNFLOWER. 
Eagle of flowers ! I see thee stand, 
And on the sun’s noon-glory gaze ; 
With eye like his thy lips expand, 
And fringe their disk with golden rays. 
J. MONTGOMERY. 
The helianthus, or sunflower, was origi¬ 
nally brought from Peru, where its flowers 
were used by the ancient Peruvians, wor¬ 
shippers of the god of day. The virgins of 
the sun, who officiated in their feasts, wore 
an imitation of this flower wrought in gold ; 
they had also one on their breasts, and car¬ 
ried others in their hands. The Spaniards 
were astonished at this display of gold, but 
were still more amazed when they saw the 
fields, in May, covered with these flowers, 
which were so closely imitated by the arti¬ 
ficers of the new world, that the workman¬ 
ship seemed more to be admired by these 
rapacious conquerors, than the precious metal 
of which they were formed. 
In the days of his power and splendour, 
the throne of the great Mogul is reported to 
have been surmounted by a golden palm, 
with diamond fruits, and the walls of the 
saloon, where this monarch received the am¬ 
bassadors, were covered with an enamelled 
golden vine, whose grapes were made of 
