CECKOPS 



4Vrro|is, a iviosgii! hero, the first king of 



Anir;i. -martini.-- i vpi .-M-iit ed as half man an<l 

 half dragon. He divided Attica into twelve com 

 iiimiitics, founded Athens, the citadel of which, 

 at lirst called < Vcropia, commemorated his name, 

 instituted marriage and the worship of the gods, 

 and introduced agriculture, navigation, and com- 

 merce. Late writers explained Cecrops as the leader 

 ii a '-olony from Sais in Kgypt. 



< Vdar. <>r CEDAR OF LEBANON, a tree much 

 celebrated from the most ancient times for its 

 lieauty, its magnificence, and its longevity, as well 

 as for the excellence and durability of its timber. 

 It is often mentioned in Scripture ; it supplied the 

 woodwork of Solomon's temple ; and in the poetry 

 of the Old Testament it is a frequent emblem of 

 prosperity, strength, and stability. It belongs to 

 the natural order Conifene, and is the Pitnts Cedrm 

 of I he older botanists; but is now ranked in the 

 genus Cedrus under the name of C. Libani, in 

 reference to its best- known habitat, Mount Leb- 

 anon. It is found, however, on other mountains 

 of Syria and Asia Minor, and also in Cyprus. 



Of the celebrated Cedars of Lebanon only a few 

 now remain. Situated at the head of the Kedisha 

 Valley at 6314 feet elevation, they consist of a grove 

 of trees, 377 in number in 1875, five only being of 



CKDAK 



41 



Cedars of Lebanon. 



gigantic size, measuring 30 feet round. In age 

 they may vary from 50 or 80 to 800 or 1000 years ; 

 but as they have long ceased to add regularly yearly 

 concentric rings of wood to their trunks, tfiere are 

 no reliable data by which to estimate the age of 

 the few patriarchal cedars that yet remain on the 

 Lebanon. Arabs of all creeds have a traditional 

 veneration for these trees ; and Maronites, Greeks, 

 and Armenians annually celebrate mass on a 

 homely altar of stone at tneir feet. 



The general aspect of the cedar is distinct and 

 majestic in fully developed trees. The trunk i- 

 massive, but attains only a moderate height 50 to 

 80 feet much branched ; the branches assume the 

 proportions of timber, are horizontal, and spreading 

 usually so as to exceed the total height. They 

 are arranged in apparent whorls, or stages, and the 

 branchlets springing from them in a flat fan-like 

 fashion in great profusion and density impart a tabu- 



liform appearance in graduated stages from base to 

 summit of the tree. The leaves are about an inch 

 long, arranged in clusters, ;.-i -i-t<-nt for about two 

 years, at first bright green, but changing with age 

 to a deeper tint, with a glaucous hue, which m 

 some individual trees increases to an almost silvery 



Branch of Cedar of Lebanon. 



whiteness that gives to them a strikingly venerable 

 aspect. The cones are erect on the upper sides of 

 the branches, from 3 to 5 inches long and 2 to 2$ 

 inches broad, blunt at both ends. They require 

 two years to reach maturity, and do not, as in the 

 case of other allied conifers, drop from the branches, 

 but when ripe the scales only along with the seeds 

 drop to the ground, and leave the axis of the cone 

 attached to the branch. 



The timber of the Lebanon cedar enjoyed a high 

 reputation for durability in ancient times, which, 

 however, is hardly supported by modern experience. 

 The wood of trees that have been grown in Britain 

 and other parts of Europe has proved light, soft, 

 brittle, liable to warp, and far from durable, prob- 

 ably owing to the immaturity of these compara- 

 tively young, though well-developed, samples, and 

 also perhaps to climatic influence. The superior 

 quality of the timber of the Lebanon trees is 

 attested by Sir Joseph Hooker, who visited the 

 famous cedar grove in 1860. 



The secretions of the cedar of Lebanon have long 

 been celebrated for remarkable properties. The 

 whitish resin (Cedria) which it exudes, it is said 

 the Egyptians used in embalming their dead. 

 Ancient writings were kept in cabinets or boxes 

 of cedar-wood, but it would appear to be rather 

 dangerous to commit modern pnnted documents to 

 such repositories. Mr Smee, in My Garden, says : 

 ' The wood of the cedar contains a volatile essent ial 

 oil, which has the curious property of unsettling 

 printers' ink and making it run. Some years ago 

 a Bank of England note was ottered to the cashier 

 with its printing disturbed. Inquiry was set on 

 foot, and it was traced to several individuals, who 

 satisfactorily explained its custody and possession. 

 It was then brought to me, when I suggested that 

 the detectives should inquire whether it had been 

 kept in a cedar box ; it was then discovered that 

 the last possessor had kept it in a new cedar box 

 which she had recently bought, and thus the 

 mystery was solved.' In very ancient times, cedar- 

 oil, a kind of turpentine, was prepared from the 

 wood, and was spread on books in order to their 

 better preservation. The branches of the cedar, 

 like those of the larch in warm countries, exude a 

 sweet substance, which is known by the name of 

 Cedar Manna. 



The botanist Belon brought a Lebanon cedar 

 with him to France in 1549 : when it was intro- 



