CHAP. 21. (11.)—METHODS OF MAKING TAR—HOW CEDRIUM IS MADE.
In Europe, tar is extracted from the torch-tree [Note] by the
agency of fire; it is employed for coating ships and for many
other useful purposes. [Note] The wood of the tree is chopped [Note]
into small billets, and then put into a furnace, which is heated
by fires lighted on every side. The first steam that exudes
flows in the form of water into a reservoir made for its reception: in Syria this substance is known as "cedrium;" [Note] and
it possesses such remarkable strength, that in Egypt the bodies
of the dead, after being steeped in it, are preserved from all
corruption. [Note]
