272 SYLVA FLORIFERA. 



They were laden generally with palm wine 

 and worked by two men, and on board 

 there was carried one live ass or more ac- 

 cording to the size of the raft, which was 

 various. When these vessels arrived at Ba- 

 bylon, which was always their destination, 

 the owners, after having disposed of their 

 cargoes, put up the wicker-work of their 

 boats to sale, and loading the asses they had 

 brought with them with the hides, returned 

 again to their country by land, to perform a 

 similar journey in a similar manner. The 

 impetuosity of the current of the Euphrates 



made it impossible for them to return by 

 water. 



The willow also formed a defence from the 



unhallowed tread of man over the mouldering 



corpse of his friends and ancestors. 



" Those graves with bending osier bound, 

 That nameless heave the crumbled ground." 



Parnell. 



The uses of the willow are perhaps equal to 

 those of any other species of our native 

 trees. Scopoli observes that it supports the 

 banks of rivers, dries marshy soil, supplies 

 bands or withes, feeds a great variety of in- 

 sects, rejoices the bees, yields abundance of 

 fire-wood, affords nourishment to cattle with 

 its leaves, and yields a succedaneum to Je- 



