eks of overflow, washed
and refined as it was, lent itself readily to the operation. The sun,
moreover, gave forth sufficient heat to dry the clay blocks in a uniform
and gradual manner: later, in July and August, they would crack under
the ardour of his rays, and become converted externally into a friable
mass, while their interior would remain too moist to allow them to be
prudently used in carefully built structures. The work of brick-making
was inaugurated with festivals and sacrifices to Sin, Merodach, Nebo,
and all the deities who were concerned in the art of building: further
religious ceremonies were observed at intervals during the month to
sanctify the progress of the work. The manufacture did not cease on the
last day of the month, but was continued with more or less activity,
according to the heat of the sun, and the importance of the orders
received, until the return of the inundation: but the bricks intended
for public buildings, temples, or palaces, could not be made outside a
prescribed limit of time. The shades of colour produced naturally in the
process of burning--red or yellow, grey or brown--were not pleasant to
the eye, and they were accustomed, therefore, to coat the bricks with an
attractive enamel which preserved them from the disintegrating effects
of sun and rain. The paste was laid on the edges or sides while
the brick was in a crude state, and was incorporated with it by
vitrification in the heat of the kiln. The process was known from an
early date in Egypt, but was rarely employed there in the decoration
of buildings, while in Chaldaea the use of such enamelled plaques was
common. The substructures of palaces and the exterior walls of temples
were left unadorned, but the shrines which crowned the "ziggurat,"
the reception-halls, and the headings of doors were covered with these
many-coloured tiles. Fragments of them are found to-day in the ruins of
the cities, and the analysis of these pieces shows the marvellous skill
of the ancient workers in enamel; the shades of colour are pure and
pleasant to the eye, while the material is so evenly put on and so
solid, that neither centuries of burial in a sodden soil, nor the wear
and tear of transport, nor the exposure to the damp of our museums, have
succeeded in diminishing their brilliance and freshness.

To get a clear idea of the industrial operations of the country, it
would be necessary to see the various corporations at their work, as we
ar