148 



THE ASH. 



is imported in chests, in long pieces, or granu-j 

 lated fragments, of a ^yhitish or pale yellow co- 

 lour, and in some degree transparent. The in- 

 ferior kind is of a dark brown colour, in adhesive 

 masses, and is moist and unctuous when felt. 

 Manna from the Ash has a peculiar odour, and a 

 sweetish taste, accompanied with a slight degree- 

 of bitterness. It was formerly used in medicine, i 

 but is now chiefly used to disguise other drugs i 

 in administering them to children." — Loudon, \ 



In the deserts of Syria and Arabia is abun-j 

 dandy produced a leguminous plant,* called by 1 

 Hasselquist, Ononis spinosa; by Tournefort, ■ 

 Maurorum, from which is procured a substance, 

 answering yet more closely than the above to the 

 description of the manna of the Israelites. At first 

 it resembles drops of honey, but candies when ex- 

 posed to the air, granulating into pieces not larger 

 than coriander seed. The Arabs have a tradition 

 that it fell in unusual quantities to supply the 

 Israelites vrith food during their wandering in 

 the wilderness. The supply of manna on that 

 occasion, however, being purely miraculous, can 

 be explained neither by reference to ancient 

 legends nor modern science. The very meaning 

 of the name, " ivhat is it,'' would imply that it 

 was a substance with which the Israelites were 

 unacquainted : and the silence of Moses on the 

 occasion is sufficient evidence that he had met 

 with nothing of the kind during his previous^ 

 residence of forty years in Arabia. 



As a timber-tree the Ash is exceedingly valuable,- 

 not only on account of the quickness of its growth. 



^" LegTiminous plants are those which produce their seed in pods, as i 

 the bean, pea, vetch, laburnum. | 



