mascus; but the trade of the latter city as yet went more to Aleppo, and turned westwards only at a later period. The articles purchased and exported by the French from Saida, were cotton both raw and spun, silk, rice, nutgalls, ashes from the desert, bird-lime, senna, and a few other drugs. Hitherto these had been paid for in money; but about this time the French began to import various articles in return; among which the chief were cloth, spices, dye-stuffs, and some jewelry.' The French consul at Saida enjoyed great consideration throughout the country. His jurisdiction and title included also Jerusalem; and it was a part of his duty to visit the Holy City every year at Easter, in order to afford protection to the sacred places , and to the Latin monks.2 3 Such, with occasional alternations, though with a gradual extension, continued to be the state of the French trade at Saida down to near the close of the last century. In Pococke's day, the merchants all resided in the great Khân, and exported chiefly raw silk, cotton, and grain. Hasselquist in A. D. 1751 gives a more particular notice of their trade. More than twenty ships were every year freighted for France, laden chiefly with spun cotton and raw silk; but carrying also the beautiful silken and half-silken stuffs of Damascus to Italy, and likewise nutgalls, oil, and ashes to France. The imports were cloth, spices, Spanish iron, and dye-stuffs; all of which were mostly 1) D'Arvieux Mém. I. p. 334, seq. 465, seq.-The French consul and merchants had originally resided at Damascus, and removed thence to Saida; ib. II. p. 464. 2) Maundrell accompanied him on this journey in A. D. 1697; see his Journal March 19th. 3) In A. D. 1665 and for some years afterwards, the Frank trade was greatly depressed by the exactions of the Turks; and for this, among other reasons, D'Arvieux returned to France; Mém. Tom. III. pp. 341–374. Comp. Nau Voyage p. 542, seq. 4) Pococke Descript. of the East, II. p. 87. fol. sent to Damascus, which now furnished great part of the trade both of Saida and Beirût.' In Volney's time the French continued to be the sole European traders at Saida; and had there a consul and six commercial houses. Cotton, both raw and spun, and silk, were still the chief commodities. The same traveller gives a general account and estimate of the French commerce in Syria at that period.2 But in A. D. 1791, Jezzâr Pasha drove the French out of all his territories, including Saida;3 and since then its little trade has been carried on chiefly by the natives. At the present day, the tide of European commerce has turned to Beirût; and Sidon is rarely visited by foreign vessels. Tuesday, June 26th. The sun rose upon what proved to be our last day of travelling in Syria. Our journey lay along the coast from Saida to Beirût, usually reckoned a distance of nine hours. But the road is difficult; leading most of the way over heavy sands or across rocky promontories; and presents comparatively little of interest. An We set off at 5h 10', keeping along the sandy beach; and after a few minutes, passed the Lazaretto of Saida in a pleasant shady spot on our right. attendant of Duke Maximilian of Bavaria, a mulatto, had been left here by his master ill of the plague; he now lay at the point of death; and in Bei rût we heard of his decease.5 We came to the Nahr el-Auly at 8 o'clock, and in order to cross it, turned for some distance up along its southern bank, to a fine old bridge of hewn stone of one arch, with mills and a Khân upon the northern side. This bridge is the work of Fakhr ed-Dîn.' The stream rises in Mount Lebanon, northeast of Deir elKamr and Bteddîn,2 from fountains an hour and a half beyond the village of el-Bârûk; it is at first a wild torrent, and its course nearly southwest. Where it issues from the mountains, its waters are taken out to supply the city of Saida, and to irrigate the surrounding plain. Yet it here was still a fine broad stream, flowing rapidly in a deep channel through a verdant region. Maundrell remarks, that before his time this river had been mentioned by no geographer; since then it has been noticed by all. Yet all appear to have overlooked the fact, that this can be no other than the ancient Bostrenus, described by Dionysius Periegetes as the "graceful" river, upon whose waters Sidon was situated.* Mount Lebanon; e. g. Bsherreh, Bhannis, Bzummar, etc. Something of the same kind is found in Beisân for the Heb. Beth-Shean. See Gesenius Notes on Burckhardt p. 491. 1) D'Arvieux says it was erect ed by an Italian architect brought home by the Emîr; Mém. I. p. 327. 2) Bteddîn, vulg. for Beit edThis singular contraction, or rather hurried pronunciation of Beit, which thus assumes the form of a simple b, is very frequent in 206. Dîn. 3) Burckhardt's Travels p. 4) Dionys. Perieget. Orbis Terr. Descr. 905: Καὶ Τύρον Ωγυγίην, Βηρύτου τ' αἴαν ἐραννήν, Ναιομένην χαρίεντος ἐφ' ὕδασι Β οστρηνοίο, κ. τ. λ. This passage is translated by both the later Latin poets Avienus and Priscianus, as follows. Avienus: Priscianus: Hic Tyrus est opulens, et Berytus optima, Byblos, Antiquamque Tyrum, Beryti et moenia gratae, The passages are cited in full by Reland, Palaest. p. 437, seq.-Mannert holds the Auly to be the Leontes of Ptolemy, which however was more probably the Kásimiyeh; see above p. 410, Note 1. The whole region of the Auly is full of fig and mulberry orchards, intermingled with Pride of India and other ornamental trees. The loftier peaks of Lebanon here began to appear; the hills became higher and more romantic. Just beyond this spot, indeed, the tract of mountains on the West of the upper part of the Auly approach the sea, and send out their roots quite to the shore. Here the fine plain of Sidon, as also the great Phenician plain, terminates; and for many hours further north, the rocky and uncultivated coast along the foot of the mountains, is interrupted only by a succession of sandy The ancients sometimes reckoned this as the beginning of Lebanon on the South.' The Auly is still, in this part, the southern boundary of the territories of the Emîr Beshîr of Mount Lebanon, extending from Belâd esh-Skŭkîf to some distance north of the cedars, and including the whole mountain, from the shore of the sea to the Bŭkâ'a, as well as part of the latter. Only the town of Beirût, and its immediate environs, are excepted. coves. At 6h 10', in crossing the first promontory beyond the Auly, there was a charming back-view of Saida and its groves and gardens. The way was now uneven and rough, for nearly two hours, across the rocky tract. At 7 o'clock we came upon the remains of an ancient Roman road, laid down among the rocks and stones, which continued visible for some distance. The first cove begins shortly after, having a long beach of dry heavy sand curving inland, along which the path leads. Just beyond the middle, we reached at 8h 10′ Khân Neby Yûnas, situated near the shore. Close by is the Wely Neby Yûnas, with a white dome, marking the place where, 1) Plin. H. N. V. 20, "Sidon, artifex vitri... a tergo ejus mons Libanus orsus, mille quingentis stadiis Simyram usque porrigitur," according to the Muhammedan legend, the prophet Jonas was thrown up by the fish. Back of this spot the mountains retire a little, and give place to a small plain covered with mulberry orchards, around the village el-Jîyeh.1 These trees are kept trimmed down very close, in order to make them put forth a greater quantity of leaves, for the supply of the silkworms; but they thus come to have almost the character of dwarf trees, and contribute little to the beauty of the country, except by their verdure. We halted at the Khân, for breakfast. All the Khâns of this region differ from those we had formerly seen, along the great Egyptian and Syrian road. The latter are very large, and were constructed merely for the accommodation of caravans, carrying with them their own provisions, both for man and beast. But the Khâns this side of Tyre, (except that near the river el-Kâsimîyeh,) and those still further along the coast, are small; and while they afford to the traveller no lodging beyond a mere shelter, yet they are inhabited by a keeper who sells coffee, provisions, and the like, to the guests, so far as they may need; and furnishes them with fire and the means of cooking for themselves. They are hence called in Arabic shops (Dukkân); and supply in some small degree the place of inns. Connected with the Wely is a building, containing two or three good rooms, in which travellers often lodge for hire. At this spot, or in the immediate vicinity, is doubtless to be placed, as suggested by Pococke, the ancient city Porphyreon, mentioned by Scylax, between Sidon and Berytus; and marked in the Jerusalem Itinerary, at eight Roman miles north of Sidon.2 We 1) D'Arvieux mentions this village with the Wely Neby Yonas near it, writing the name 'Gié ;' Mém. ÍI. p. 329. Also Pococke, as "Jee;" II. 89. fol. 2) Itiner. Hierosol. ed. Wesseling p. 583. Scylax p. 100; quoted also in full by Refand, Palaestina p. 431. |