New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-28
INSTRUCTION FROM MUMMY-CASES

When the ancient Egyptians embalmcd their
dcad with so much care they dld ho' suspco'
that thousands of years after their uhie Quiet
races would open their scpulchrcs ana sar-
conhagi and find therein evidence OF grea.
voue and significance for the expcauon Oh
modern world problems. 1t was custom OF
those ancient Egyptians to bury sec S and me-
,;mcs nlants with their dead. They commonly
made a light bier for the body of freshly cnS
Green boughs with the leaves on, and it was Gus
tonarv in swathng the corpse with its mortuary
bandaccs to inclose this light bier In them.
These plant remains, with many others more
p,,rposcly deposited on or about the bodies or
in the scpulchral chambers, have been resur-
rccted recently from many Old tomus never
before opened, and the information they give IS
interesting and suggestive. Professor W iiiia'h
Carruthers, president of the biological section
of the British Association, discussed these dis
covcrics in his opening address, and while
he rcfraned from making any application OF
the facts ascertained, the mere statement Of
them is enough to demonstrate their scope and
bearing.
II results from the hermetic scaling of tho
plants and seeds referred to that they have
been preserved for the most part as fresh rs
when they were deposited, and very fortu-
nately their first examination has been made
by an eminent botanist, DIR. Schwelnfurth, who
has for quarter of a century been exploring
the fora of the Nile Valley. BY putting these
plants in warm water DR., Schweinfurth has
restored them almost completely. "Thc colors
of the flowers are still present, even the most
cvanesccnt, such as the violet of the laIkspur
and knapwccd, and the scarlet of the poppy {;
the chlorophyll remains in the leaves, and the
sugar in the pulp of the raisins." DR.. Schwcin-
furth has determined no less than ffty-ninc
Species and what is most remarkable Is that the
characteristics Of nearly every one of these
species are identical with those of the same
family at the present day. An exception ,>eX-
lists in the Of a certain vine. the under
surface OF whose leaves was formerly clothed
with white hairs which are no longer found.
But the great majority Of the plants seeds, and
even the weeds discovered in the tombs, re-
semblc in all respects the modern species, and
when we realize that this fact indicates a
stability Of forms and character during from
| four to Ave thousand years it will be seen that
the facts possess strong suggestivcness In rcla-
ton to the evolutionary theory.
Barley 5.4OO years old has been found by
Mariette Bey in grave Of the fifth dynasty,
at Sabhara This barley is precisely similar to
the grain OF to-day The increase OF agrcult-
ural science has produced no apparent I'M
proyement In the grain during that long period,
nor has it changed from its primal type In any
way. A garland was found in another tomb, Of
wild celery. "1he leaves, flowers and fruits
Of the wild celery have been examined with the
greatest care 10y DR.. Schwenfurth. who has
demonstrated in the clcarest manner their
absolute identity with the indigenous form Of
this species now abundant in moist places In
Egypt" No doubt it is true that the periods
required for the cooling and gradual stocking
of the earth with vegetation and animal tIc
by modern geology seem to afford ample space
| for the evolution of species. But Wheh VIC
find that q large number of plants have under
gone no changes at all In five or SIX Thousand
years. it Is apparent that the evidence, Ihough
not in any sense conclusive, makes against lhe
bvnothesis which is most generally accepted al
nrcsent. But it is possible to go very much
further back than Egypt for evidence. Plant re-
mains have been found in sedmentary deposits
older than the glacial drift-glvlng then Ill
age of from $4,000 to 100000 yeais-ahd lhos'
nlants present no differences from the same
sncc;cs as thew exist to-day. 1t may be sad
therefore. that the testimony OF ancient plan
remains. so far as it goes, seems 10 oppose lh'
evolutionary hypothesis or at least 10 ieluit'
the assumption Of perhaps even longer pcfiou'
for mutation than the most liberal estimates ol
the modern biologists have allowed lor Ii''
carih's formation.