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find that the men, whom Moses had sent to 

 spy the Land of Canaan, returned with a 

 bunch of grapes, which they bare between 

 two, upon a staff. The Damascus grapes, 

 at the present time, are often found to weigh 

 upwards of twenty-five pounds the bunch. 

 In the accounts of ./Egidius Van Egmont, 

 envoy from the States to the King of Naples, 

 and John Heyman, professor of the oriental 

 languages in the university of Leyden, who 

 have published their observations of the pre- 

 sent state of Asia Minor, it is mentioned 

 that, in the town called Sidonijah, which is 

 four hours' journey from Damascus, some of 

 the grapes were as large as pigeons' eggs, and 

 of a very exquisite taste. From these cir- 

 cumstances, we may fairly conclude that the 

 vine is a native of Syria. That we do not 

 hear more of the enormous clusters of grapes 

 growing in the eastern parts, is owing to that 

 country having been in the hands of the 

 Saracens since the seventh century, when 

 Abubeker over-run it; and these people 

 being Mahomedans, a religion that prohibits 

 the use of wine, it is natural to suppose that 

 the management and culture of the vine 

 should be greatly neglected. 



Although wine is not made in Egypt, 

 vines are much cultivated, and the grapes 



