It has been imagined, that the principal matter used by the Ægyptians for embalming was the asphaltus; but what we found was certainly a vegetable production. The smell in burning was very unlike that of asphaltus nor did it resemble that of the common pitch of the fir-tree: being rather aromatic.

It was compared with a variety of resins and gum - resins; but seemed not to resemble any of them, excepting myrrh; and that but very slightly.

In all probability, it was not a simple substance; but might be a mixture of the resinous productions of the country, with the pitch of that tree which they had in greatest plenty.

The Αλειφαϱ τȣ Κεδϱȣ of Herodotus^[1], and the Κεδϱια of Didorus Siculus^[2], was most probably the tar of the cedar; it is the substance laid by these authors to be used for embalming; Galen^[3] mentions its power of preserving bodies; and ^[4] Dioscorides calls it Νεϰϱȣ ζωη. Pliny, speaking of the cedar, says; that the tar was forced out of it by fire, and that in Syria it was called cedrium: cujus tanta vis est, ut in Ægypto ^[5] corpora hominum defunctorum eo perfusa servetur.

Some branches of the cedar were procured from the physic garden at Chelsea; and, being treated in the manner described by Pliny, yielded tar and