ADANA,—MOUNT TAURUS IN THE DISTANCE.

Adana, which retains its ancient name and situation on the banks of the river Syhoon, the ancient Sams, is still a considerable town, and the capital, till lately, of a pachalic, including the greater part of Cilicia Proper. It is now, with the surrounding district, ceded to Ibrahim Pasha. This city was formerly, next to Tarsus, the most flourishing in Cilicia: it was one of the towns to which Pompey banished the pirates, and it subsequently shared the same fate as Tarsus. The modern town is situated on a gentle declivity, surrounded on all sides with groves of mulberry, peach, apricot, fig, and olive trees, and vineyards. It is large built: the population, composed chiefly of Turks and Turcomans, is nearly equal to that of Tarsus, from which it is twenty-eight miles distant Part of the ancient walls remain; and a noble gateway in the middle of the bazaar, forms a lively contrast to the flimsy architecture of the Turks. Near the bridge, on the bank of the river, is a castle about a quarter of a mile in circuit, the work apparently of the Mahometans. The river Syhoon, which passes through Adana, and afterwards through the plain of Tarsus into the sea, near which its width is 270 feet, holds its course for some distance within a few miles of that of the Cydnus, both flowing through the same plain. Livy and Appian make mention of the river Sarus, when relating the destruction of the fleet of Antiochus by a violent storm.

From Adana the snowy range of Mount Taurus is grand: it is bolder in character than Lebanon, from being more broken, and from the rugged precipitous aspect of its loftiest pinnacles, where there are probably glaciers. There is usually a battalion or two of troops stationed here: on the bridge in the foreground, some of the soldiery are entering the castle, which is partly ruinous; on the opposite side are the encampments of the cavalry. Adana is a large and gloomy town, with bazaars well furnished with provisions, &c The surrounding plain is fertile, and better cultivated than is usual in Asia Minor. It is not easy to procure a lodging here: the stranger is obliged to present the firmoun of Ibrahim Pasha to the governor, and solicit him to procure one, which is almost sure to prove very bad and comfortless; and instead of wandering about in a vain effort to move the kindness of its wealthier people, he had better apply at once to the Frank physician, who will accommodate him beneath his roof; and this roof is welcome, after a visit to the squalid apartments selected by the governor, from which his foot was quickly turned in disgust, and he was on the point of asking the shelter of the soldiers' tents when rescued from his homeless state by the physician.

K

The troops defiling over the bridge to the ancient castle, are a part of the forces of Ibrahim Pasha, in a costume half Asiatic, half European: the tents of the cavalry are pitched on the banks of the Sihoun: these men all fought gallantly in the battles which gained Syria and Asia Minor for their leader: the Nubian infantry, well disciplined by French officers, proved themselves equal in bravery and firmness to the Albanians, who were the flower of the Turkish army: the writer saw the Nubian troops, when training carefully; tall of stature and slender, and well accoutred, it was not easy to recognize in these soldiers, in close rank and file, the wild and ungovernable inhabitants of the desarts, save by their swarthy complexion. They have learned, after much pains, the use of the bayonet, frequently charging in this campaign, with the order and determination of Europeans: and the Turks, unused to this mode of fighting, often recoiled from the charge. The treaty of peace between the Sultan and his victorious subject was delayed on account of the principality of Adana: Ibrahim, aware of the value of its position, was inflexible in his demand that it should be rendered to him: and the Sultan was reluctantly forced to comply; and at the same time gave to his conqueror the titles of Pasha of Abyssinia and Jidda, and Governor of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The French officers, whose long discipline and persevering efforts prepared the Egyptian forces for these successes, served the Pasha well; a few of them have fallen by sickness or the sword: the most eminent was Colonel Selves, a great favourite of the Viceroy of Egypt, who allowed him a large salary: he followed Ibrahim to the Morea, where he died of his wounds, in a war which he deeply regretted—without glory, or plunder.