are the remains of an ancient temple, probably Phenician. Passing over the higher ground southeast of the city we forded Nahr Beirut at some distance south of the bridge; and crossing two low ridges, which here lie between the river and the foot of the mountain, we began to ascend along the projecting buttress or angle of the mountain, formed between the western declivity and that towards the south along the deep gorge of the Beirût river. The way led up by el-Mansûrîyeh and some other smaller villages. It was steep, rough, and difficult, passing often over tracts of naked rock, sometimes smooth and slippery, sometimes rising by steps and layers. In some places the road was a narrow lane between parallel walls, filled in nearly or quite to the top with loose round stones, and presenting the worst possible footing for the horses. Such roads are not unfrequent in Lebanon; but we nowhere found them worse.

The sides of the mountain are laid off into terraces, wherever there is soil enough to permit it; and even where only a few feet of soil can be scraped together, it is cultivated. Tracts of land, which at first seem wholly covered with stones and rocks, are thus reclaimed; and the rude narrow terraces, rising in steps and covered above with strong mountain soil, become verdant with grain and the foliage of mulberry and fig trees. These terraces constitute a very striking feature in the agriculture of the mountains. They prevail especially along the western slopes of Lebanon, and mark these as the home of a hardy, industrious, and thrifty population.

The gorge of the river was on our right, as we continued to ascend; and we could see in it the remains of an ancient aqueduct along its southern side, by which the water of a large fountain not far above was once conveyed to Beirût. At one point the aqueduct crossed a branch of the gulf in a double tier of arches; and further down is said to have been carried for some distance through a tunnel in the rock. A few days later, in returning from 'Abeih, we saw the continuation of this aqueduct stretching across the plain towards the city.

The convent stands on the top of this buttress, where the sides rise for a time still more steeply in order to form the crest. This part is too steep for any path. We wound around the western slope, and ascended with difficulty from the northwest to the top of the ridge, five minutes back of the convent. Here the traveller finds himself on the crest of a thin ridge of Lebanon, lying in front of the interior basin and chasms of Beirût river. This ridge is broken through, or rather terminated, by the gorge through which the river issues upon the plain. The

1

According to Callier, there were originally three tiers of arches; Revue Archéol. Mai 1846, p. 83.

convent stands upon the high extremity, at an elevation of 2200 feet above the sea.

The view from this point is extensive and interesting. Towards the west it commands the city of Beirût and its whole plain with the Mediterranean beyond. Probably the island of Cyprus is visible in clear weather; but it did not occur to us at the moment to look for it. On the south, beyond the gorge, the view takes in the districts of the Upper and Lower Ghurb. Towards the east are seen the two branches of the river in rocky valleys, which coming from the east and northeast meet below in a chasm so deep and precipitous, that the eye cannot reach the bottom; and so wild and inaccessible, that leopards are said still to haunt it. The tract along and between these branches is the district el-Metn, one of the richest portions of the mountain. Beyond are the snowy summits Sunnîn and Kuneiseh, standing out upon the high crest of Lebanon. The aspect of the mountain, as it then appeared, was dark and dreary. The verdure of the trees and fields was not yet sufficiently advanced to overcome the effect of the vast masses of rock, much of which in these parts is dark sandstone. It is only in connection with this sandstone, that the pine (Pinus halepensis) is found on Lebanon; and orchards of this tree are seen along the branches of the river and throughout the Metn. The river itself is not visible in the depths of the valleys; and the huge walls of rock rise up from below, like immense bastions.

1

The road from Beirut to Damascus and also to Ba'albek passes up on the south side of Beirût river, between its sources and the head waters of the Dâmûr; and then crosses the high ridge of Lebanon just south of Jebel Kuneiseh. A little on the south of this road, between the basins of the two rivers, lies the village of Bhamdûn, the summer residence of Dr Smith and other American missionaries. It is not in sight from the Deir. Many villages of the Metn, however, were before us; and one of the largest, Râs el-Metn, was directly opposite, on the high point above and between the forks of the river. The region is rich and prosperous, especially from the culture of silk.-On the north, this basin is separated from that of Nahr et-Kelb by an elevated ridge.

The remains of the ancient temple at Deir el-Kŭl'ah were fully described by Dr Smith several years ago. They measure 106 feet long from southeast to northwest, by 54 feet broad. The front was towards the northwest, looking down upon the plain and sea. Here was a portico 29 feet deep, consisting

1 For the character of the sandstone of this region, see Dr Anderson's Geol. Report, p. 100 sq.

2 See an article in the Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, pp. 557–563.

Portions of four

of two rows of columns, four in each row. columns, and the pedestal of a fifth, are still in place; but no corresponding capitals are found. The columns measure at their base nearly six feet in diameter; the height of one of them is still 18 feet. Of the body of the temple, only the foundations and portions of the lower courses remain; and among these are stones of 12 and 14 feet long by 5 and 4 feet broad. The lower course, as it lies, has a bevel along the top; but not at the ends of the stones. The convent church is built on and within the old foundations at the northwestern part; and its roof affords the finest view of the noble prospect.-Ancient sarcophagi are found back of the convent, and also below it.

Scattered about on stones built into the walls and other parts of the convent, are not less than eight or ten Greek and Latin inscriptions. Most of them obviously mark votive offerings, such as tablets, altars, or stela, consecrated to the god of the temple. Their present position, and the circumstance that the inscribed face is on the outside, are merely accidental; and not improbably other stones in the wall bear inscriptions on the inner surface, whch are thus hidden from view. One of the longest of the Greek inscriptions is on the fragment of a square pillar or altar, which now forms the corner of the raised hearth in the kitchen. Another fragment ending with TANP, the continuation apparently of the same inscription, (the letters are of the same form and size,) is built into the outside of the southern wall of the convent. One is on a pier between two arches in the court; another on the threshold of an inner door; another upon a cylindrical hollow stone, now used for watering cattle; and so of the rest.1

The chief point of historical interest brought to light by the inscriptions, is an epithet of Jupiter or Baal not found elsewhere. In the long Greek inscription, now in the kitchen, he is addressed as ΒΑΛΜΑΡΚΩΣ ΚΟΙΡΑΝΕ ΚΩΜΩΝ.... AЕCПOТa, Balmarkos, Sovereign, Lord of Sports; the latter words being apparently a translation of the name. In a shorter Latin inscription we find the dative: IOVI BALMARCODI. As now, in the Old Testament, Baal is mentioned as an object of worship among the heathen of Canaan, under the titles Baal-berith (Lord of the covenant), and Baal-zebub

1 These inscriptions, or some of them, were copied by Seetzen in 1805; Reisen I. p. 257. They were first published by Francke, Berl. 1830; see Letronne in the Revue Archéol. Mai 1846, p. 78. They were again copied in 1843, by Dr Smith, E G. Schulz, and Mr Wildenbruch; see Biblioth. Sacra 1. c. Monathsbericht der Ges. für Erdkunde in Berlin, 1843, p. 144

sq. So too by Krafft in 1845; Topogr. Jerusalems. They were also published by Boeckh, mainly from Wildenbruch's copies, in his Corpus Inscriptt. Tom. III. p. 243.

2 Bockh reads by conjecture: Baλμapκώς, κοίρανε, κωμῶν καὶ κλίματός σου δέσποτα. But this affords no clew to the epithet contained in Baλμaoκws.

(Lord of flies); so here this noble temple, crowning a height of Lebanon, was consecrated to Baal-markos, Lord of sports or revels.2 It was one of the "high places" of Phenician idolatry. Many similar temples are found in and around Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon; and this was the first of thirteen which I visited, besides the larger ones at Ba’albek.

The convent is occupied by twenty-eight Maronite monks. They received us very courteously, and gave us all the information in their power. As we sat down among the rocks to take our lunch, they brought us red mountain wine, olives, and sweetmeats; the latter we found quite a delicacy. But they declared us at once to be heretics, because we were eating meat in Lent. The superior of all the Maronite convents happened to be present; and with him Dr De Forest bargained for the two stones with the parts of the Greek inscription. He made no objection to selling them; fixed a fair price; and promised that they should be delivered in Beirût shortly. But they never came.

We returned home by another route; passing first to Beit Miry, a large village just back of the Deir northeast, on a higher point of the ridge. It lies in part straggling upon the steep eastern side, looking down into the deep gulf below. Across this gulf, the inhabitants are able to make themselves heard by the people of the villages on the other side in the Upper Ghurb; a distance of nearly or quite two miles in an air line. A portion of the village lies in a saddle of the ridge, beyond the higher point just mentioned. Here we were obliged to apply to the Bitar or horse-shoer of the village, to fasten the shoes of one of our horses. This was done in a primitive way. The hoof is pared by an instrument drawn towards the operator; and the nails clinched after first placing the animal's foot firmly upon a smooth flat stone. The Bitar is strictly a horse-doctor, who includes shoeing as a portion of his art. He is not a blacksmith; but procures the shoes and nails from the latter.

Beyond Beit Miry we came upon the remains of an ancient aqueduct, which ran along the saddle above mentioned, and also along another still lower neck or saddle nearer to Brummâna. In some parts it is like a wall of large stones, laid up in an orderly manner to cover and protect a line of perforated stones or tubes, through which the water flowed. Some of these perforated stones remain along the way. They are about two feet long, with a hole nearly a foot in diameter. By this con

1 Judg. 9, 4. 2 K. 1, 2.

* From the form of the dative MARCODI, the root would seem to have been a Phenician verb corresponding to the Heb. to leap, to skip, to dance. No other trace of this root has yet been found in the VOL. III.-2*

C

Phenician remains; but it occurs in Chaldee and Syriac. In the former we have the participle p a dancer. The heathen dances were truly revels, k@uol.— See Biblioth. Sacra 1. c.

trivance, the water was conveyed across the low neck to the higher site of Beit Miry; precisely as the Croton aqueduct is carried over the Harlem river on the high bridge. Whether the water was anciently carried beyond Beit Miry to the temple, is doubtful. Similar perforated stones are said to have been found nearer the convent; but this needs confirmation. There is nothing now in or around the ruins, that indicates a former abundant supply of water.-The water was brought from the great fountain 'Ar'ar near Mar Mûsa, two hours distant in the northeast.

Brummâna is also a large village, lying upon the crest of the ridge, with a wide prospect west and east. An immense oak tree in the middle of the village, and the palaces of the Emîrs, are seen at a great distance in all directions.-From this village we descended by the road to Beirût, along the north side of the gulf of the Nahr el-Maut. The road led by several lesser villages; and was rocky, slippery, and difficult. It was dark when we reached the foot of the mountain, at the corner of the bay; whence we had to grope our way as we could along the still muddy and rough roads.

On the next Tuesday, the usual examination of the boys' seminary was to be held at 'Abeih, preparatory to the annual meeting of the mission. On Monday, therefore, Dr De Forest took us thither by a less usual route, in order to visit on the way some remarkable ancient sarcophagi. The direct road to 'Abeih is for most of the distance the same with that to Deir el-Kamr. We, however, kept along the coast road leading to Sidon nearly an hour and a half, leaving Burj elBurâjineh and Shuweifât on our left, to a small deserted building, called (I believe) Dukkân el-Kusis, about half an hour short of Khân Khulda. Here we turned off by a pretty direct route through 'Arâmôn to 'Abeih in the upper Ghurb. A valley here comes out from the mountains; and the road passes up along the high ground on its southern side.

We kept along the bottom of this valley for a time, to a point where its two branches unite; and then ascended the ridge between the forks. This ridge is strewed over with huge isolated rocks; and we had not far to go, before we came upon the object of our search. Here on the summit of the ridge, in two main groups, we counted thirty-five large sarcophagi; and there seemed to be others further up. A large rock was

The words IEPOAPOMON TANP, in the second part of the long Greek inscription, have been read by Pres. Woolsey and Letronne as ἀεροδρόμον ὕδωρ, and referred to an aqueduct. They are, however, not applicable to this aqueduct, which had no

arches and ran along the surface of the ground; but rather to the one in the gulf below, leading to Beirût, which still has in one place two or three tiers of arches. See Letronne's Letter to T. D. Woolsey, in Revue Archéol. Mai 1846, p. 78.