feet; the sides hewn down out of the solid rock, but not forming isolated walls as in the last, for here the cultivated ground was on a level with the top of the sides all round, and the corn seen high above it. It faced nearly the four cardinal points, being closed on three sides and open on the north. The side walls commenced there by a slope, growing gradually higher till they reached the centre, and then going in a straight line. They were here, about twelve feet high, and in the centre of the southern wall at least fifteen. In each of the two innermost corners were isolated pillars, joined in angles, as if forming the angular pillars of a square colonnade. They were of a square form, and at the east end of the open front were two similar ones, but no traces of others in correspondent directions. Oblong square niches were seen at regular distances around the walls; and as they would not require lamps in an open temple, they were probably for offerings.

In the centre of this court stood a pedestal of rock, eight paces square, and about ten high, left excavated all around. On it was raised a sort of throne of masonry, open towards the north or front of the court. It appeared about twelve feet high, and ten wide in the clear of the inside. The inner front had a flat arched top, once stuccoed, as some of the stucco remains; the outer or overhanging part of the canopy is flat, and has four gutters in what may be called the soffit. The whole is crowned with a plain frieze in front, and a torus and cornice all around, perfectly Egyptian; thus differing from that of the tomb first described, as that was a concave moulded cornice, while this is convex like those of Egypt. This was, probably, a temple, and the central edifice the throne of the idol, probably the sun, to which the Phoenicians were accustomed to pay adoration in open temples.

We were now nearer the upper road to Tartoose, as there is one close by the sea, and the other about half a mile distant from it. We therefore went up into it, and in a few minutes after entering it passed over a ditch hewn down into the natural rock, its sides. descending in steps to the bottom. It lies nearly east and west, and

extends for four or five hundred yards; but what was the original intention of this did not suggest itself to me on the spot. It lies about N.E. from the open temple last described, about 500 yards, and might possibly have had some connection with it.

From hence we continued our way along the upper road to Tartoose, passing many old quarries and sepulchres in the rocks by the way, no doubt the works of the ancient Aradii, and in about half an hour we came to the river called Nahr-el-Roumtra. It was easily fordable, being about 25 feet wide and three deep, and its bed firm and hard. Just below where we crossed it, were the ruins of a bridge, with an apparently artificial mound of earth on the southern bank, of an oblong form, sloping at the ends. The island of Arwad bears from the mouth of this river W.S.W., distant from two to three miles, and all along from its southern point in the direction of the coast runs a line of rocks and breakers, extending for several miles. There is every reason to think that this river is the ancient Eleutherus, and probably a continuation of that, the dry bed of which we saw in the valley of Hhussan, and afterwards observed filled by other springs in our journey of this morning. It would thus unite what have been thought discordant testimonies, and perfectly correspond with all the authorities cited for its position, except that of Ptolemy as quoted by Terrarius, who places it between Orthosia and Balanea, or Tartoose and Beineas, which is somewhat more to the northward. "Strabo," says Maundrell," will have it somewhere between Orthosia and Tripoli, as a boundary dividing Syria from Phoenicia (page 518). Pliny places it near Orthosia, emptying itself into the sea over against Aradus (Nat. Hist. lib. v. cap. 20.); and the writer of the Maccabees lays it in the land of Hamath, which country, whatever it were, was certainly without the borders of Israel, as appears from the same author. To this Josephus agrees, placing Eleutherus to the north of Sidon as may be collected from him, (Ant. Jud. lib. xiv. cap. 7, 8.) where, speaking of Mark Antony's donation to Cleopatra, he reports how that extravagant gallant gave her all

the cities between Eleutherus and Egypt, except Tyre and Sidon." p. 33. 8vo. edit.

It seems remarkable that Maundrell, who resided at Aleppo, should not have thought of the present Hamah, the largest city near Aleppo, and in constant intercourse with it, as the land of Hamath, mentioned and called in the Scriptures, Hamath the Great.* It is mentioned as a northern boundary, in contrast to Baal-Gad under Mount Hermon, the land which yet remained for the Israelites to possess after they had secured the land of Canaan. In this land, the river in question actually rises; whether it be the one whose dry bed we saw near Hhussan, or any of the others that we observed flowing through that plain. It empties itself into the sea over against Aradus, and it is situated between Orthosia and Tripoli. It seems unaccountable, therefore, that this river should have been assigned by any modern geographers to the river between Tyre and Sidon, called Cassimere, as that rises near Balbeck, and has not one local feature in correspondence with those assigned to it.

We continued our way now still nearer to the sea, and over a sandy road, in which we saw a large black serpent, and a number of the beautiful birds called by the French, syrens. They are said to be birds of passage, and to come from Europe to Egypt and the north of Africa in the autumn. I remember to have seen them in great numbers both at Alexandria and on the Nile about that season, but there was no one near to inform us whether they were stationary here; or, if not, what was the usual period of their

visit.

On approaching Tartoose, the large Gothic church without the town was a very conspicuous object, and seen a long way off. In half an hour after crossing the river, and just at sunset, we reached

• Hamath is spoken of by Benjamin of Tudela as retaining its ancient name, and being seated along the river Jabok. He states that 15,000 men had perished there in a single day by an earthquake, which so completely destroyed the town as to leave only 70 of its inhabitants alive.

the town. There being no entrance at the southern end, we were obliged to make the circuit of it on the east, and enter by the northern gate on a stone bridge leading over a ditch, and ending in a porch of Gothic architecture. Beyond this we passed a second ditch, and saw some vestiges of noble Christian ruins; when, getting into the centre of the town, we alighted at the public coffee-house, and after passing the evening with a large party of mule-drivers from Latikea, sailors from Arwad, and dervishes and chess-players going to Sham or Damascus, we stretched ourselves out upon a bench among the rest to repose.

I

FRIDAY, May 3, 1816.-The S.W. gale of yesterday still continued, and instead of showers, it brought down steady torrents of rain, so that there was no moving in the morning at least. Our escort from Hhoms now left us, as their commission had ended, though they delayed their departure until to-morrow. had been advised to apply to the Aga for three or four of his men, but this would have required a handsome present both to the master and the servants. I would have gone over to Arwad, and sought a passage up by sea, but there was no possible communication with the island, except in fine weather. The roads were represented by all to be the most unsafe in Syria, from the depredations of the Nesseary; and stories were told us of a Frank and six people of the country being murdered between this and Lati