174 



♦ KNO^VLEDGE 



(Dec. 30, 1881. 



is indicative of "soiim('s.s" of the soil. By this expression 

 is t<) l>c understood tlie presence of an excess of acid humic 

 inatt4'rs ; tlie.se acid niatt<Ts on the application of lime are 

 neutralised, and the nitro;;en, held in conil)ination in a stat<; 

 dillicult of solution, is converted into ammonia, and (inally 

 into nitric acid which, comluninr; with the lime, foniis a 

 most valualilc manure, and one easily ahsorbcd liy the plants. 

 The felspathic particles are likewise slowly act<'d on, the 

 lime taking the place of the potash, which then becomes 

 soluble in water, and fit for alisorption by the plants. 

 These, then, are the changes produced liy lime ; but there is 

 considerable danger incurred if they are allowed to take 

 place too often by repeated applications of the manure, for 

 the organic matter will be reduced t^o much, as also 

 the potash minerals, which in a poor .soil may not be too 

 abundantly present J!ut lime jiroduccs other as well 

 as chemical changes, in that it lightens a heavy soil, and 

 consolidates a light one, merely because it is a substance 

 whose texture is opposed to a clay or to a sand. The 

 lightt'iiing of heavy soil is, however, not to be ascribed 

 wholly to the physical admixture of lime, but also to a some- 

 what complicated chemical change which occurs in the soil. 

 To explain what actually does take place, it is necessary to 

 know that when lime is exposed to the air, it gradually 

 absorbs carbonic acid, and is transformed into carbonate of 

 lime, or chalk : when, then, th<- acid humic matters of the 

 soil come in contact with the chalk, carbonic acid is set free, 

 but not being able easily to escape, it remains enclosed in 

 the pores of the soil, causing the soO to swell and to become 

 lighter, and, if the evolution of gas be not too great, much 

 benefit is the result; but if, on the other hand, this porous 

 condition is excessive, a loss of fertility ensues, in which 

 case the land is said to be " over-limed." As a proof that 

 this is one of the causes of " over-liming," it may be 

 stated that rolling the land is found to be highly beneficial, 

 as thereby the soil is rendered more compact, a portion of 

 the imprisoned gas being forced out. To produce this 

 porosity, it appears that we are not wholly dependent on 

 lime, as the addition of carbonate of lime tends to produce 

 the same result, and without such violence of action as 

 is exerted by caustic lime. 



Considering, next, farmyard manure, we see how different 

 is its working, for by its application, actual food is given to 

 the plant, though not in the form best suited for assimilation; 

 hence the manure is slow in action, and produces its effects 

 over a period of three years, as its constituents are but 

 slowly brought into the soluble condition. Farmyard 

 manure may be considered as consisting of nitrogenous 

 matters, capable of conversion into ammonia, potash in a 

 soluble state, and some phosphoric acid ; and besides these 

 compounds, there is a certain amount of organic or vegetable 

 matter, such as straw, partly transformed into humus, 

 and partly in its original condition. When this manure 

 is applied to the fields, the soil retains all the valuable 

 portions as they become soluble, handing them over to the 

 plants seeking for food ; but, at the same time, it is im- 

 proved in character, for, if hea\y, it is lightened. It is 

 found that it is principally the straw which renders a 

 heavy soil lighter ; for, as it slowly decays, giving off 

 carbonic acid gas, it leaves, as it were, its cast in the soil, 

 thus forming passages which the air can readily tra\erse. 

 In tliis decomposition of the straw, we liave one of the 

 sources of the carbonic acid which acts upon the lime, as 

 referred to above, and which also aids in the destruction of 

 the minerals, as previously stated in No. V. 



According to an analysis of Professor Frankland, the water of the 

 Holy Well of Zemzcm, at Mecca, is spwago more than seven times 

 as rich as the average sewage of London. 



BABYLONIAN SUN-WORSHIP. 



NABUPALIDDINA was the contemporary of the 

 Assyrian kings, Assur-naziqial and Shalmanesar, 

 and the sculptured, in.scribed memorial of his reign, which 

 has been restored to us, is cortaiidy one of the most im- 

 portant records that have rewarded the explorer in Baby- 

 lonia. In the upper part of the tablet, the dimensions of 

 which are 2 ft long by 1 ft broad, is a small sculptured 

 panel representing the worship of the Sun-god by Nabu- 

 paliddina and attendant priests. The god is represented 

 as seated on a throne beneath a baldacchino, or open 

 canopy shrine. He has long beard and hair, like most 

 conceptions of the Sun-god, and holds in his hand a ring, 

 the emblem of revolving time, and a short stick ; too sm^ 

 for a sceptre, we may, perhaps, see in this the fire-stick 

 which was closely connected with the Sun-god. Before 

 him, on a small table-altar, is a large disc, ornamented 

 with four star-like limbs and four seti of wave-like rays. 

 Above this group is cut the in.scription : " The Disc of the 

 Sun-god, and the rays (of his) eyes." The scene here 

 depicted is clearly indicative of the fact that the priests 

 of Sippara were worshippers of the solar disc and 

 solar rays, and their creed seems to bear a close re- 

 semblance to that of the disc - worshippers of the 

 eighteenth Egv-ptian dynasty, who, under Amenophis III. 

 and his son Khunaten, for some time held their ground 

 against the priests of Amnion. This heretical creed was 

 introduced into Egypt by Thi, the Asiatic wife of Ameno- 

 phis III., and its tenets have been made the subject of & 

 special memoir by Sir Charles Nicholson. The discovery 

 of this sculpture and inscription from the ruins of the 

 temple of the Sun-god at Sippara tends very strongly to 

 place the origin of the creed in Babylonia. The inscription 

 on the back and front of this memorial tablet is a valuable 

 record of the religious life and ceremonial of the Baby- 

 lonian temples, and the list of the solar festivals in the fifth 

 and sixth columns shows how far back into the remote past 

 we must place the rise of Babylonian sun - wor^p. 

 Astronomers will welcome this ancient list of festivals, as 

 it proves veiy clearly the high character of the astrono- 

 mical knowledge of the Babylonian priests. The six fixed 

 festivals recorded in this inscription are : — 



1. Nisan, seventh day, Festival of the Rays (vernal 

 equinox). 



-. Airu, tenth day. Festival of the Rays. 

 ■i. Ulul, third day, Festival of the Illumination of the 

 Temple. 



4. Tasrituv, seventh day. Festival of the Illumination ot 

 the Palace (autumnal equinox). 



■''. ^Marchesvan, fourteenth day. Festival of the Rays. 

 fi. -Vdar. fifteenth day, Festival of Illumination of PalaceL , 

 The discovery of an impoi-tant list of solar festivals such 

 as we have here is an important addition to our knowledge 1 

 of Babylonian astro-theology. The first month of thftti 

 Babylonian calendar was the " month of sacrifice, ' or "the , 

 altar,'' and its position was fixed by the venial equinox, 

 wliich was in the time of Nabupaliddina, in the sign of I 

 Aries — the ram being the chief object of sacrifice. Students 

 of Biblical ai'diiixilogy will find an abundant fund of matter 

 in the caaefully compiled rules as to the distribution of the 

 sacrificial victims. " Sheep,"' " oxen," " rams," " fruits of 

 the earth," were objects of sacrifice, and portions of each 

 offering were set aside for the priests. Tliese offerings 

 were burned on the great altar of the temple discovered by 

 !Mr. Rassani in the chamber adjoining the record room. 

 The great central court of this temple seems to have been 

 styled " the court of the Sun-god,'' and there was also an 

 outer court " called the court of Bel.'' — Times. 



