f cereals which rivalled those of Babylonia, and included
among their produce wheat, barley, millet, and sesame. But few olive
trees were cultivated, and the dates were of inferior quality; indeed,
in the Greek period, these fruits were only used for fattening pigs and
domestic animals. The orchards contained the pistachio, the apple, the
pomegranate, the apricot, the vine, the almond, and the fig, and, in
addition to the essences common to both Syria and Egypt, the country
produced cedrats of a delicious scent which were supposed to be an
antidote to all kinds of poisons. Assyria was not well wooded, except in
the higher valleys, where willows and poplars bordered the rivers, and
sycamores, beeches, limes, and plane trees abounded, besides several
varieties of pines and oaks, including a dwarf species of the latter,
from whose branches manna was obtained.

[Illustration: 143.jpg THE 1ST ASSYRIAN EMPIRE--MAP]

This is a saccharine substance, which is deposited in small lumps, and
is found in greater abundance during wet years and especially on foggy
days. When fresh, it has an agreeable taste and is pleasant to eat;
but as it will not keep in its natural state, the women prepare it for
exportation by dissolving it in boiling water, and evaporating it to a
sweetish paste, which has more or less purgative, qualities. The aspect
of the country changes after crossing the Tigris westward. The slopes of
Mount Masios are everywhere furrowed with streams, which feed the Khabur
and its principal affluent, the Kharmis;* woods become more frequent,
and the valleys green and shady.

* The Kharmis is the Mygdonios of Greek geographers, the
Hirmas of the Arabs; the latter name may be derived from
Kharmis, or it may be that it merely presents a fortuitous
resemblance to it.

The plains extending southwards, however, contain, like those of the
Euphrates, beds of gypsum in the sub-soil, which render the water
running through them brackish, and prevent the growth of vegetation.
The effects of volcanic action are evident on the surface of these
great steppes; blocks of basalt pierce through the soil, and near the
embouchure of the Kharmis, a cone, composed of a mass of lava, cinders,
and scorial, known as the Tell-Kokab, rises abruptly to a height of
325 feet. The mountain chain of Singar, which here reaches its western
termination, is composed of a long ridge of soft white limestone, and
seems to have been suddenl