, 1843-02-04
The Cedars Of Lebanon.

! The Cedars Of Lebanon.
A curious arcountof The IIuStriou
:, cedars of Lebanon. is given by d.
La Rogue, in his "Voyage de Syle e
du Mouni Liban, I772."
This little forest is Composed o
twenty ceiars, Of a prodigiwIs size
> so large, indeed, that the finest palm.
sycamores. & other large trees which
we had seen, could no, be compared
: with them. Besides these principal
cedars, there were a great number nj
: lesser ones, and some very small
mingled with the large trees. or in
little clumps near them. They differ.
ed not in their foliage, which resem-
bles the juniper, and is green through.
out the year; but the great cedars
spread at their summit, and from a
perfect round; whereas The small ones
rise in a pyramidal form like the c,-
press. Both dliuse the same pleas
ant odor; the large ONES only yield
fruit. n large one. in shape aIrost
like that OF the pine. but of Il brown
err color and compacter shell. 1t
gives Il very pleasant mios. AMI Goa.
Iains n sort Of Thick aud IIansp rent
balm, which cat lhruu-h sntll
aperIures. and falls drop nv inp.-
This fruit. which II Is driHculi { srpe.
rate from the stalk. Contains nut
like that ID TIE cyt.es-; it grows at
the end Of the boughs aud turn. its
n"jpt upwards
eI.vnnfne 'iitt,,re ri this tree is not to
lie rm,i AID The first iir5Ihcfies; rTr
he Iugrst c-d RS Nhi'h re s,w. did
M, ~ ttrr hei -, o gtels trunks. ex.
iced SIX - seven irrt. Fs"m lhi,
InN. bat cn-rnri>ly III CD b "iy. p u
,%iIniun- branches RISE. spreading as
thew rise, and 'urnIng. 10y tue dIspnsl.
iipn ottheir boI.iis and leaves. winch
point upwards. ii surf al Wheel, Which
appears like the work OF art. The
b trk Of The cedir except at the trunk,
is smooth and shining. of Il brown
color. It's wood, White mi oft. ~,
meintely under the bHk bat had
aad red within. ami very bitter. which
renders It incorrupribIe. and almost
immortal. A fragrant Gun issues
from the tree.
The largest cedar wi ich we mea-
sured. was seven feet In cifcumter-
ence, wanting two inches; and the
extent Of its branches. which
il was easy To measure. from their
perfect ~roundnrss, formed Il cIrcum-
of about one hundred and
twenty feet.
The patriarch of the Maroniles,
|ullv persuaded of the rarity of these
and wishing. by the preServa-
ion of those that remain, To show I
lis respect for a forest SO celebrated
Scripture. has pronounced canonl-
al pains, and ever accommodation, {
any Christians who shIll dare
o cut them: scarcely will he permit
little 10 be sometimes taken for
.rucifxes and little tabernlclrS in r
he chapels OF Il missionaries. n
The Maronires themselves have S
uch n venerali"n for these cellars.
hat on the day of the trIn>fgura'inn. $
hev celebrate the festival under them $
With great so!emnity; the patriarch d
dictates and says mass pont'flcllly,
nd among other exercises Of drvn- '
ION. they particularly honor the Vir- l
in Mary then. and sing her praise.
cause she is compared to the ce u
ars of Lebanon. and Lebanon itself
sed as a metaphor for the mother Of "
T
y
The Maronites say. that the SHOWS h
ave no sooner begun To tall, than
ne cedars, whose bnughs, IN their IN u
mite number, are all s" equal in !!
that they appe" t" have be'"
norm. and form, ms we have sad. 81 q
,rt OF wheel ar pa~ras"l-'h"n these
| sav. never fail Ut th,t iinr a
, change their fsurp. the bfnnrh ia
which heEnre spread themselves. II
So insen>ib!y. gathering '"a't hcf. II u
NV he said. an | turn their l"'iu'S up u
.arI towards He,vcn.. f':n,ing al "
,srrhrr a pyramid. il is nature.
'ev say. that insp,'rs this m"r"men'. c
nj makes them assume Il new shaTe. a
Iilhout which these trees never could "