Show an ancient art rediscovered at a meeting of the asiatic society of london some I 1 time ago a human hand and a piece of beef preserved by means of a preparation of ve beget t able tar found on the borders of the red sea ea in the vicinity of mocha were presented a specimen of the tar accompanied them col I 1 holt who presented I 1 the specimens s s observes during my residence on the red sea a conversation with some bedouin arabs in the vicinity of mocha led me to suspect that the principal ingredient used by the ancient E egypt eions in the formation of mummies mummies was mot nothing more than the vegetable tar of those countries which are called by the arabs katren my first trials to prove rove the truth of this conjecture W were legs of mutton and though made in july when the thermometer ranged at 94 deg in the shade they succeeded so much to my satisfaction that I 1 forwarded some to england and have now the pleasure to send to the society a human hand prepared in a similar way four years since the best informed among the arabs think that large quantities of ca camphor nip hor I 1 tae myrrh r rh aloes frankincense ac were wed used i in the preparation of the mummies these sp eci mens will however prove that such additions were by no means necessary as the tar applied alone ates and discolors the bone this tar is obtained from the branches of a small tree or shrub exposed to a considerable de degree gree of heat and it is found in most parts of syria and arabia felix |