The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-20 00:00:00

FLOWER GARDEN.

STOVE.—Many of the plants will require potting
throughout the summer; young seedling exotics should
be potted as soon as they are sufficiently large; a hot-
bed would be the best place for them until they make
fresh roots, in the absence of which they should by
placed in the warmest part of the house, and covered
with a hand-glass.
_ _ _

GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.—If the roof of
the latter department is moveable, it may now be taken
away, but previously to doing so, it should have
been left open night and day for some time past.
A canvass awning removable at pleasure, to use
during bright sunshine, and on cold nights,
would preserve the plants from etoilation. Give the
plants in the greenhouse a due portion of air, which
should be regulated according to the class of plants it
contains. Many of the mesembryanthemums and
cacti plants may be now planted on rock work, where
they will be-found to flourish exceedingly well, and
will make a beautiful show during the autumnal
months.

PITS AND FRAMES.—As we have before observed,
the frames for propagation will, at this season, be
better adapted for the purpose if placed facing the
north ; the bottom heat should be kept up, and the
cuttings and young seedling plants duly supplied
with moisture.

All the half-hardy plants and annuals lately planted
in the beds and borders must be supplied with water,
while the weather remains so excessively dry, as must
also the dahlias ; but these latter may be mulched,
which will obviate the necessity of frequent waterings.
Put in pipings of pinks, and propagate such
herbaceous plants as are difficult of propagation by the
division of the root, by the flower stem. Newly
planted shrubs and •trees will require watering and
mulching. If little besides daisies is growing on the
lawn, they should be mown in the middle of the day,
when they are Tully expanded. Keep climbing plants
properly trained.
LORAL NovEmEs---Edward's Botanical Re-
gister contains several novelties.
ERIA POLYURA.—An orchidaceous species, sent
home last year by Mr. Cuming to Messrs. Loddiges,
from Manilla, thus described :—" Of the now very
numerous species of eria, this is one of the most
graceful, producing Min
,the sides of long, leafy,
fleshy :stems a profusion of delicate tails of
flowers, each nearly six inches long. The
flowers resemble little semi-transparent bells, just
tinged with pink, and having a rich purple
and yellow centre. The latter appearance
arises from the labellum, which is ovate, heart-
shaped, and a rich port-wine purple, with a
bright yellow trip. Lria floribunda, to- which it
nearly approaches, differs in having smaller flowers,
erect racemes, and a narrow, wedge-shaped lip, with
a solitary tooth on, each side. It is a plant of the
easiest cultivation, hut requires a hot, damp, atmo-
sphere, such as that of an orchidaceous house, where
dendrobiums and such plants flourish. The general
treatment ought to be the same as is given generally
to the extensive race to which it belongs."
MIMOSA URUGUENSIS (THE URUGUAY MnfosA.)—
~ A pretty greenhouse shrub, very nearly hardy,
which would no doubt improve much in appearance
under the hands of a good cultivator, and it would
reward his pains. It is a native of the province of
Buenos Ayres, whence seeds were received by the
Hon. W. F. Strangways, and given to the Horti-
cultural Society. It flowered at Chiswich in June
1841. It requires such protection in this country as
is given to verbenas, acacias, and things of that des-
cription. It grows well in a mixture of light loam
and leaf mould, and may be readily propagated by
cuttings in the usual manner."

llRamioaus oaLENTALis.— A species of hellebore
found on the Bithynian Olympus, and sent to the
Horticultural Society. This is supposed to be the
black hellibore of the ancients, having purplish
flowers as described by Dioscorides, unlike those of
H. niger, or Christmas rose of the moderns, which
are white.. " In the greenhouse it flowers in February
and March, and requires rather a damp shady situa-
tion, with peaty soil to grow in. It is easily in-
creased, either by dividing the old plants when suffi-
ciently large, or by seeds, which Should be sown di-
rectly they are ripe. '
lIABRANTHUS PRATENSIS—A Chilian species, of a
very brilliant appearance, having petals of a rich yel-
low at the bottom, and bright crimson above. " It
seems to like a loamy soil to, grow in, and sends up
the flower-stems and leaves early in spring. After
the flower fades, the plant ought to be grown in a
light situation and freely watered, in order that it may
be able to perfect its leaves. When these are fully
formed and die off, it ought to be removed to a dry
shelf, and kept there until the period of growth comes
round, when it can be watered and treated as before.
Young bulbs are formed round the old one every sea-
son, by which it can be propagated."
CCELIA BAUERANA.—" The West Indies and
Mexico produce this little epiphyte, which although
white and inconspicuous, is, like our own lily of the
valley, so sweet that it mast take precedence of most.
of its race. No hawthorn hedge is more fragrant
than a bed of this ecelia. I never saw this plant
growingso well as when cultivated in a cool stove, and
suspended from the rafters on a block of wood.
Almost all who grow many of this tribe are now
dividing those which require hot temperatUre from
others which grow best in a cooler place. Athongst
the latter, therefore, this should be placed ; and it
will grow and flourish with little care. It grows
fast and is easily multiplied.
PAXTON'S MAGAZINE Or BOTANY contains figures
and descriptions of epidendrum Phoenicia. In con-
nexion with an engraving of the handsome and well-
known' fuchsia cordifolia, we find the following re-
marks
K ctu
e h: -
a volcano‘rlis
"
, It Nyit h by Mr. Hartweg, at
Guatemala,
at the height of
10 000 feet above the sea.
It will, therefore, be
almost capable of enduring the open air in the southern
met
in
parts of Britain, and has
been found to flourish well
in the borders during summer. We are not aware
that its hardihood has yet been further tested. Cul-
tivated in a greenhouse, or conservatory, with com-
mon soil, the species blooms throughout the greater
part of the year, and is especially useful for coming
into bloom in March or April, when the ordinary
members of the genus are but just beginning to grow.
Planted in the open ground, however, about the pre-
sent time, it acquires, by the autumn, a luxuriance,
and yet a dwarfiness and bushiness, which are not seen
in the greenhouse, while the profusion and splendour
of its blossoms are , greatly inereased. We should
strongly advise that a few plants of it be treated thus,
as well for ornamenting
.the open borders as for pre-,
paring handsome specimens to be removed to the
greenhouse in October. Increase is readily obtained
by cuttings, and perhaps by seeds. It may-probably
prove of some service to the hybridist in improving
the colour of the crimson-flowered kinds."
CIRRHOPE TALUM CllMM.—Chinese Cirrhope-
talum. Orchidacem. Gynandria Moandria. (Stove
Epiphyte).—There is no longer any occasion for spe-
culative minds to occupy themselves with the import:.

ant investigation of the cause that may have led the
Chinese:to invent strange figures of men and wonnn,
with their chins in perpetual motion, for here is the
explanation of it. We have here a plant from China,
nne of whose lobes is exactly like a tongue and chin,
and so unstable as to be in a state of continual oscil-
lation. The flowers are very large for the genus, in
general appearance like those of C. maculatum. The
petals and upper sepal are purple, the lateral sepals
are yellowish green. The flowers are arranged in a
circle, and all look outwards, so that on whatever side
the umbel is regarded, it still presents to the eye the
same row of grinning faces and wagging chins.
Messrs. Loddiges imported it from China.
It may be in the recollection of some of our
readers that the Afghan clover and lucern, of which
seeds were received from India a year or two ago,
appeared, from a few experiments, to be well deserv-
ing of cultivation in this country. In pursuance of
that admirable system which is acted upon at the
India House; of endeavouring in every possible way
to render the productions of Great Britain and India
mutually advantageous, the Court of Directors sent
out immediate orders for a further supply of both
these seeds. The clover Sir A. Burnes had pro-
mised to send, but the despatch probably never left
Ciubul, or, at least, never reached India. A quan-
tity of Khelat lucern has, however, been sent home,
and is supposed to be the same as the lucern sent two
years ago. This was the same species as what we
already have, that is to say, as medicago sativa, but
it was more prolific, and possessed the invaluable
property of coming in as green food much earlier in
the season than anything known here. This was first
ascertained by Mr. Groom, of Walworth, and his
evidence has been confirmed by that of others.
Wo understand that a large quantity of this seed
is at the India House, and we have no doubt that
gentlemen wishing to try it may obtain a portion by
application to the Secretary, or to any of the Di-
rectors of the East India Company.—Gardeners'
Chronicle.

THE « LAND AND CITIES OF

CA ÜBU L."

GIVEN BY SOLOMON TO HIRAM, KING OF TYRE

" The whole is very darkly expressed."—Adam Clarke's
Commentary.

12. And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which
Solomon had given him, and they pleased him not.
13. And he said, What cities are these which thou halt
given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Caubul
unto this day.-1 Kings, chap. ix.

That the " Land of Caubul" mentioned in the
book of Kings, was probably identical with that
which at the present day is called indifferently
Caubul and Affghanistan, has already been halt=
avowed and half-denied by some contemporary prints.
The following observations collected from some of
the best Biblical critics, will, however, show the
affirmative belief to be one of some strength and validity.
In the verses of the Book of Kings alluded to, it
appears that the " Cities of Caubul" in question were
situated in the " land of Galilee." To ascertain the
precise signification of this latter phrase, or what were
the boundaries of such a locale, appears to be the
point for notice. Now, Galilee, even in its common
acceptation as a portion of Palestine, has with great
difficulty had its limits settled, even by so eminent a
topographer as Reland. The boundaries of Lower
Galilee, assuredly, have been more easily determined ;
but to this day every Scripture-writer is at loss to
fix, by any incontrovertible rule, the limits of the
Upper Galilee.
From Reland it appears, that " Galilee," extend-
ing beyond Jordan, had for its borders the Traehonitis,
Libanus, and Batanaea, the last being more familiarly
known by its Scripture title, Bashan. This last city,
then, was the ultimate stretch of the provinces of
Galilee. But where was Basilan ? There was a
city of that name in quite a different direction to that
which is now under consideration, but with this
we have nothing to. do. Reland confessed himself at
fault as to this second Bashan ; but had this learned
scholar turned his attention to the etymology of the
word, its site would have been somewhat more clearly
known. '‘ Basilan" signifies in the original Hebrew
" tooth or ivory," and had undoubtedly its name,
like most oriental regions and cities, from the most
prominent peculiarity which characterised it. This
signification at once stamps it as an Indian city, and
the inference we shall shortly arrive at will be pre-
sently seen.

Having ascertained that " Galilee" extended as far
as Bashan, and that Basilan, from the internal evi-
dence of the word, was an oriental tract of
country, we shall now proceed to show that the
phrase " land of Galilee," as applied in this particular
instance—far from being bound flown to the strict
meaning in which it is generally used—is here to be
interpreted, like the preceding word, by its internal
meaning. Galilee, in the Hebrew, is a derivative
from the radical Galalai, which signifies neither more
nor less than a frontier. This is precisely its deter-
minate meaning in the present case. The cities
of " Caubul," as it will be immediately seen, were
" frontier " cities, and, indeed, the Septuagint iden-
tifying " Bashan " with " Galilee" itself in their
translation of Isaiah xxxiii. 9, translate " Bashan "
as" Galilee," acknowledging them to be one and.the
same. From this, then, the conclusion is arrived at,
that " Galilee" was the frontier of King Solomon's
empire ; that it was the same as Bashan, and that
Bashan was an Indian department of territory.
Caubul, next we have to observe, like the two fore-
going words means like them " a border or boun-
dary." Cruden, Parkhurst, and others, we are aware,
assert.that it signifies " displeasing or dirty," and Dr.
Wells, on this supposition, in common with the
learned, is doubtful as to whether this epithet was
given to the land by lliram, as a mark of disappro-
bation, or what otherwise it should mean. The Seventy
however translate it by the Greek word for boundary,
supposing that the 20 cities composing it were
" border- ones."

The commonly. received acceptation of" Caubul" as
meaning in the vernacular "displeasing or dirty," will,
however, no less favourably aid our position. Hiram we
read, was displeased with the cities, and by 2 Chron.
viii. 2, we find that he afterwards restored them. An
eminent critic has observed hereon that Hiram's
people were more especially given to merchandise,
than agriculture : Caubul, therefore, being a fat,
deep, and dirty soil, and consequently not pleasant to
live in, they formed to him but an unacceptable
present at best. But the word by which " Caubul"
was designated by the Tyrian king was, indeed,
truly that which distinguishes the Caubul of Shah
Soojah at the present day. Sir Alexander Burness
descriptions are precisely such as bespeak "the fat,
deep, and dirty soil" of the sacred writer, luxurious
and productive to a degree beyond precedent, under
the auspices of any one who knew better than King
Hiram, the use of the plough and harrow.
That the " Caubul,' then, of Scripture—Solomon's
Caubul, was that which at the present day is indiffer-
ently called. Caubul or Affgnanistan, so far from being
implausible, is an hypothesis absolutely certain ; but
one or two other reasons which we have to adduce
will render the point somewhat more devoid of doubt
still.

It may be set forth as an objection, that Hiram
would never have travelled so great a space as from
Tyre to Caubul, as situated by us, for the mere in-
spection of cities, which in the sequel turn-out so un-
important as to be returned to the giver ; but that the.
twp. kings, with their respective sailors and arma-
ments, did travel that and even greater distances, is
proved by the end of the chapter which speaks of
these cities. It there appears that they visited ports
as far distant as Ophir, for those " wedges of gold"
which lent splendour to their palaces at home—Ophir,
not that which borders on Arabia, but, says a learned
annotator, that "Ophir which lies in India," and of
which he further says, to show the distance of the
spot and the length of the voyage, " Ophir, situated so
as to require a voyage of three years long to go out,
load, and return:
But as further proof that Solomon did travel to
these remote parts, an incidental remark made among
the notes of a traveller in last month's " Blackwood,,
lends us a striking affirmation. The paper in ques-
tion is entitled ".N arrative of a Journey from Herald
to Ourenbourg ;" and the traveller, Sir R. Shakespear,
on the high road to Khyva, comes on six: miles to the
much-talked-of " Tuhkt." "This," he says on arrival,
" is rather a large sand-hill; nothing else. The Tur-
(romans believe that Solomon paid it a visit." The river
Oxus is said in former years to have flowed near this
spot. . Traditions are the unwritten truths of history,
and where a corroborative statement, such as the above,
comes to the assistance and support of an hypothesis,
a statement caught straying over the wilds of Turco-
mania, and handed down from barbarian to barbarian,
from Solomon's time to the present, it may well be
believed that the fact is true and actual, and con-
firmative of a thing which " once came to pass."
A further circumstance strongly in corroboration of
the above facts is this On the return of the land and
cities of Caubul into the hands of Solomon, that king,
says the Sacred Writ, introduced "Israelites" to dwell
• in, them, there to abide. This 1 perhaps, from traditions

That the traditions, then, of Solomon's signet-ring,
and his marvellous powers as a magician, should be
familiar to every Persian and Alighan throughout the
East, is far from being a miracle. Instead of regarding
it as a legend of wonder, which the naturally prurient
imaginations of the East have caught—or a blowd.
shadowing legend which has spread itself, by dirt of
its own marvellous properties, we have here an
easy and palpable reason why, carried of yore hither
by the Jews themselves, it is to this day found and
and known in every hovel and haunt of Affghanistan.
But, perhaps, the most conclusive fact of the whole
we have to adduce is the following, which, based
upon the divine organizatidns of the Jewish economy,
substantiates the position. The Holy Land, had by
the Divine Being himself, been invested by solemn
and unchangeable covenant, in " Abraham and his
seed for ever." From this high progenitor, Solomon
was the direct descendant, and consequently could
not. without breaking the most sacred taw or obliga-
tion imposed by the. Ahnighty upon the Jewish na-
tion, alienate, or by any means disjoin, a single frac-
tion from that land, which was to be solely and for
ever the inheritance of his own race. This conviction
ai,pears to have pressed so heavily upon some of the
religious critics who have dwelt upon the passage, that
they, with unanimous accord, state that the cities or
land of Caulnd, thus ceded from Solomon to Hiram
were " heathen" cities, and could not have belonged to
the " Promised Land." They knew very well, that
Solomon could not make a cession to any one, on any
score, of a single yard• arm's length of thatland, which
was pre-eminently styled "Holy," and which was
inalienably vested in him and his race. No form of
then-existing law—no meeting of the Elders in the
Gates—no solemnest decision or compact drawn up
either by him or by them, 'could possibly alienate a
tithe of V the land to another. That the "land of
Caubul," therefore, and the cities forming it were
extra-Hierosolymite, or without the absolute
range of the Holy Land borders, is undeniably
certain. Moreover, the coincidence of opinion on
this point is a common matter, and the fact, as al-
leged, is subscribed to by the chief biblical authorities
who are admitted into the list of sacred critics. When,
hap-hazard, therefore, such an admission comes
unasked for, upon us, coupled with the foregoing cir-
cumstances, doubt as to the identity of the one
Caubul with the other, seems scarcely to admit of pre-
varication or incertitude. -