* * * * *

I should talk on a little longer about other shrubs, herbs, and flowers,
(particularly of flowers) such as the "pink-eyed Pimpernel" (the poor
man's weather glass) and the fragrant Violet, ('the modest grace of the
vernal year,') the scarlet crested Geranium with its crimpled leaves,
and the yellow and purple Amaranth, powdered with gold,

A flower which once
In Paradise, fast by the tree of life
Began to bloom,

and the crisp and well-varnished Holly with "its rutilant berries," and
the white Lily, (the vestal Lady of the Vale,--"the flower of virgin
light") and the luscious Honeysuckle, and the chaste Snowdrop,

Venturous harbinger of spring
And pensive monitor of fleeting years,

and the sweet Heliotrope and the gay and elegant Nasturtium, and a great
many other "bonnie gems" upon the breast of our dear mother earth,--but
this gossipping book has already extended to so unconscionable a size
that I must quicken my progress towards a conclusion[096].

I am indebted to the kindness of Babu Kasiprasad Ghosh, the first Hindu
gentlemen who ever published a volume of poems in the English
language[097] for the following interesting list of Indian flowers used
in Hindu ceremonies. Many copies of the poems of Kasiprasad Ghosh, were
sent to the English public critics, several of whom spoke of the
author's talents with commendation. The late Miss Emma Roberts wrote a
brief biography of him for one of the London annuals, so that there must
be many of my readers at home who will not on this occasion hear of his
name for the first time.

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF INDIAN FLOWERS, COMMONLY USED IN HINDU
CEREMONIES.[098]

A'KUNDA (_Calotropis Gigantea_).--A pretty purple coloured, and slightly
scented flower, having a sweet and agreeable smell. It is called _Arca_
in Sanscrit, and has two varieties, both of which are held to be sacred
to Shiva. It forms one of the five darts with which the Indian God of
Love is supposed to pierce the hearts of young mortals.[099] Sir William
Jones refers to it in his Hymn to Kama Deva. It possesses medicinal
properties.[100]

A'PARA'JITA (_Clitoria ternatea_).--A conically shaped flower, the upper
part of which is tinged with blue and the lower part is white. Some are
wholly white. It is held to be sacred to Durga.

ASOCA. (_Jonesia Asoca_).--A small yellow flower, which blooms in large
clusters in the month of