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MANNA  OF  SINAI  AND  MANNA  OF  SYRIA. 
of  the  manna  gathered  at  Sinai*  may  be  regarded  as  settled,  ac- 
cording to  the  researches  made  upon  the  spot  by  MM.  Ehren- 
berg  and  Hemprich.  "Manna,"  says  Ehrenberg,  "is  found  at 
the  present  time  in  the  mountains  of  Sinai" ;  it  falls  upon  the 
earth  from  the  regions  of  the  air  (that  is  to  say,  from  the  top 
of  a  shrub,  and  not  from  the  heavens).  The  Arabs  call  it  Man, 
The  indigenous  Arabs  and  the  Greek  monks  collect  it,  and  eat 
it  with  bread  in  the  same  way  as  honey.  I  have  seen  it  fall 
from  the  tree,  1  have  gathered  it,  brought  it  myself  to  Berlin 
with  the  plant  and  the  remains  of  the  insect."  This  manna 
flows  from  the  Tamarix  mannifera  (Ehr.)  Like  a  number  of 
other  mannas,  it  is  produced  under  the  influence  of  the  puncture 
of  an  insect,  the  Coccus  manniparus  (H.  and  Ehr.) 
If  the  origin  of  the  Siani  manna  be  thus  established,  it  is 
not  so  with  its  chemical  nature.  And  this  is  a  subject  the  more 
interesting,  because  the  chemical  analysis  can  alone  explain  its 
character  as  a  nutritive  agent.  The  result  of  my  researches 
among  sugary  substances  has  led  me  to  make  some  experiments 
in  this  respect.  I  have  operated  upon  the  following  substances, 
the  one  identical  with,  the  other  analogous  to,  the  manna  of 
Sinai: — 1st.  The  Manna  of  Sinai;  2ndly,  The  Manna  of  Syria, 
or  rather  of  Kurdistan. 
1st.    The  Manna  of  Sinai. 
The  specimen  was  given  to  me  by  M.  Decaisne  ;  it  was  pro- 
duced from  the  Tamarix  mannifera;  it  had  been  gathered  and 
brought  home  by  M.  Leclerc,  who  accompanied  the  Princes  of 
Orleans  in  a  voyage  to  the  East  (1869 — 1860). 
This  manna  presents  the  appearance  of  a  yellowish  syrup, 
thick,  and  containing  vegetable  remains.  It  contains  cane 
sugar,  interverted  sugar,  dextrine,  and  water.  The  weight  of 
the  water  was  about  a  fifth  of  that  of  the  whole  mass.  Its  com- 
position, after  the  removal  of  the  water  and  vegetable  remains, 
was  as  follows  : — 
Cane  sugar,       ......  55 
Interverted  sugar  (levulose  and  glucose),  .  25 
Dextrine  and  analogous  substances,     .       .  20 
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