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Travellers have generally represented | Mesopotamia, between Urfah and Mardin ; Damascus as almost wholly destitute of Mr. Porter also calls the attention of fuancient remains. Mr. Porter shows that ture explorers to the tells in the valley of if ruins do not stand out here in bold re- the upper Orontes, ancient Calo Syria, lief from a desert plain as they do at Pal- more especially near Hums. myra, or lift their proud heads in solitary grandeur far above the crumbling ruins around them, as in Baalbek, Busrah, or Jerash, they still abound, encompassed by modern mansions or buried in the labyrinth of bustling bazaars. Indeed, with the help of a valuable Arabic MS. of Ibn Asaker's "History of the Celebrated Tombs and Mausolea in and around Damascus," ," and his own persevering and long-continued researches, we are present ed with such a picture of Damascus as it once was, and Damascus as it is now, as has never been attempted before, or is likely to be superseded for detail and accuracy for many a year to come.

Oriental archæologists, also, owe Mr. Porter a debt of gratitude for his researches on the plain of Damascus, more particularly his determination of the Tell es-Salahîyeh as an Assyrian ruin.

"The Tell es-Salahiyeh is one of the most interesting remnants of antiquity in the whole plain. It is an artificial mound of an oval form, about 300 yards in diameter and about 100 feet in height. The whole surface is covered with loose earth, composed mainly of brick-dust and fragments of broken pottery. On the southern side, next the bank of the river, a portion of the mound has been cut away, and here may be seen the regular layers of sunburnt brick of which the whole appears to have been constructed. From the present form of the mound it seems that there was originally a large platform built, from twenty to thirty feet high, and then in the centre of this stood a lofty conical structure, which during the course of long centuries has gradually crumbled down to its present form. On the western side of the mound, beside the little village, I found, on my first visit to this place, a limestone slab, about five feet long by three wide, containing a bas-relief representation of an Assyrian priest. The workmanship is rude and the stone has been defaced; but still it was sufficiently plain to show the costume and attitude of the figure. I sketched it at the time, intending on some future occasion either to obtain a cast or the stone itself; but, unfortunately, it has since disappeared, and I have been unable to discover what has been done with it."

There can be no doubt that none of these tells, so numerous in Syria, but would repay the archæological explorer more or less. We have already particularly called attention to the groups of artificial mounds in North Syria, between Antioch and the Euphrates, and in Northern

"Almost the only objects of interest in an antiquarian point of view in this whole region are the artificial mounds that meet the eye in every part along the bank of the 'Asy. They are regular in of the plain, but which occur in greatest numbers form, generally truncated cones, and vary in height from 50 to 250 feet. The sides and summits are universally covered with loose whitish gravel, like the débris of some structure originally composed of bricks and small stones united with cement. These mounds are also found in the Bukâ'a and plain of Damascus. Villages generally stand either upon or beside them, and fountains, or large cisterns, and wells are always found near those that are situated at a distance from the river's bank. They appear to be in every respect similar to the mounds on the plains of Mesopotamia and Assyria described by Layard and others, and from which monuments and sculptures of such great interest and beauty have lately been brought of the more extensive of the Syrian mounds excato light. It is highly probable that, were some vated, sculptured tablets, like those of Nimroud and Kouyunjik, would be discovered, at least in sufficient number to repay the labor and expense. The bas-relief already referred to at the tell elexistence of sculpture in some of them, and forms Salahîyeh, on the plain of Damascus, proves the an interesting and important monumental evidence of the occupation of this region by the ancient Assyrians, and of the truth of the statements in the Sacred Record."

The mound on which Hums itself stands is of the same character; so also is the great mound of Jisr Shogher; as also in part that of Aleppo, and of most other towns in Syria that have a mound, whether crowned with a citadel or buildings,

or not.

Mr. Porter by no means confines his researches to the immediate neighborhood of Damascus. He visits Palmyra, and experiences, on crossing the desert, all those annoyances from lawless Bedouins which are inevitable in that part of the of the Pharpar and Jordan also come in Mount Hermon and the sources country. for his critical and controversial remarks, and he again falls foul of the unfortunate De Saulcy. The determination of the site of Helbon, and the description of the site itself, is a gem of archeological topography.

But the great points of interest are decidedly associated with the Hauran, a wild, rocky, desert region, covered with

ruins of ancient time, but now given up to robber tribes, and rarely visited since the days of Burkhardt. Here was the kingdom of Bashan, here also the ruins of Kenath, of Bozrah, of Salcah, and of a hundred other remarkable sites of antiquity. Mr. Porter grapples with the whole subject like a man who has studied it thoroughly, and traces the history of the country through its various political phases in Biblical and in Roman times. He makes us more than ever familiar with those peculiar stone houses and tombs with stone doors of one massive slab, as have also been detected in modern times at Kohrasar, in Northern Mesopotamia.

To show under what adverse circumstances the ruins of ancient towns have to be explored in these regions, we extract the following account of an adventure in Edhra, the ancient Edrei or Adra:

"While we stood examining the exterior of this building, and trying to decipher the inscription, we noticed that a crowd of some sixty or seventy people had collected round us in the court. We paid little attention to this, however, as we had got accustomed to such evidences of popularity; and so intent were Mr. Barnett and myself on our antiquarian work, that we did not hear the remarks passed or the threats uttered by them. Nikôla heard these, and felt alarmed; but, just as he was about to inform us of them, we turned and went into the interior, while Mr. Nikôla, and the shiekh remained without; Mahmûd and our servants were in the house where we had left our luggage and arms. Shortly after we had entered, Mr. Barnett was some yards in front of me, writing, and I stood, with my arms folded and my back against a column, looking at the building. Ten or twelve men had followed us into the building. While I was thus standing I received a heavy blow on the shoulder from a large stick or club. I turned round suddenly, for I was completely taken by surprise, as not a word had been spoken, or a question asked, or a sound heard. The club was again raised, and I got another stroke on the arm which had been aimed at my head, but by starting back I escaped it. Several men, armed with their clubs, now attempted to close upon me, but I leaped back, and demanded what they wanted; at the same time, throwing open my large over-coat, I drew a pistol, which I had fortunately put in my belt at Busr el-Harîry. These things quickly attracted Mr. Barnett's attention, and he saw at a glance the danger of our position, and also drew a small pistol from his pocket. The cowardly ruffians had watched their opportunity, and, as soon as they saw our little party divided, they rushed upon us. They had no doubt thought we were altogether unarmed, and, having two of us inside the church and two outside it, they felt that it would be easy to accomplish their purposes. The moment, however, VOL. XXXVII.-NO. III.

they saw our pistols they rushed out of the door; but we, knowing the great number without, felt that our position was very critical. We, consequently, followed them, but the moment we appeared we received a volley of stones. In the crowd I could not see our companions or the shiekh, and I supposed they had either escaped or had been driven off. There was no possibility of my making my way to the door of the court, and to remain where I was would have been almost certain death; so, dashing forward, and pushing those before me to each side, I leaped over the wall in front to the hollow ground below. Just as I reached the ground a large stone struck me on the back, and stunned me. Exerting all my strength, I ascended a little mound of rubbish, and turned upon my assailants, who were now attempting to descend the wall. I again drew the pistol, and threatened to shoot the first who would descend. This checked them for a moment, and I then attempted to reason with them, inquiring what we had done that they should thus beat and abuse us like dogs. The only reply was a savage yell, Kill him! kill him!' A perfect shower of stones followed this, and one of them striking me on the hand carried away the whole flesh of the sides of two of my fingers. I now observed Mr. and Nikôla, in the midst of the crowd, going out of the little gateway, and Mr. Barnett, I saw, had got round to near where I stood. The whole fury of the attack seemed directed against me, and, while I was meditating what to do, I was struck with a stone on the back of the neck, but the thick collar of my coat in part deadened the blow. Fifteen or twenty men came close to the little mound I occupied ; all were afraid, however, to close upon me, though the stones came thick and fast. I saw that my only chance was in flight, for, even should I fire, it would not save my own life; and if I should kill or wound any of my assailants, I well knew that not one of our party would leave the village alive. I turned, and ran across a field, as I thought, in the direction of the house where Mahmûd and the servants were. In my way I met a respectably-dressed man, whom I took for the shiekh of the village, and I entreated him to keep back the mob, or they would murder me. He made no reply, and I continued my course. now saw an opening in the range of houses before me, and entered it, but to my horror, found it shut up by a lofty wall a few yards in front. I wheeled round on the moment, and ran to the summit of a mound of rubbish; here, however, some twenty or thirty men were close upon me, and flight seemed no longer possible. Before I had time to consider what I should do, the stroke of a stone on the back and another on the head brought me to the ground. Those that were before afraid to approach now rushed on me en masse. Though greatly stunned and exhausted, I was perfectly conscious, and saw one fellow deliberately aiming a blow at my head with his club. I received it on my left arm, and leaped to my feet. A vigorous effort drove a few of my assailants to some distance, and again I seized my pistol, and the crowd began to retreat, but at that 27

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moment a man from behind threw his arms round | great doubts of his being able to sit on horsemy body, and entreated me not to attempt to fire. back, even should we manage to get away. I I cast him off, after a hard struggle, but he still discovered that a small leather case, in which I grasped the pistol, and prayed me not to use it, had carried my note-books, letters, and the coins or we should all be murdered. Looking at him, and medals I had collected, had been lost in the I recognized the respectably-dressed man I had struggle." met a few minutes previously. What am I to do then?' I demanded. 'Give me the pistol, and I It was with great difficulty that the will save you.' He looked honest, and I thought party made their escape during the darkmy life would be sacrificed at any rate; so, withness of midnight from these bigoted and a quick motion of my finger, I struck off the caps ruffianly villagers. Nor was the treatment and gave up the pistol. This precaution I took they met with at some of the other villages lest it should be used against myself. Having of a much less hostile and inhospitable got it, he told me to run. 'Where?' I asked. He pointed out the path, and away I ran, while character. And no wonder, for the Arabs he restrained the mob behind. I soon overtook of the Hauran acknowledge themselves to Mr. and Nikola, who were likewise running, be thieves by profession, as may be deand the old shiekh trying to restrain their pur- duced from the following colloquy: suers. I inquired for Mr. Barnett, but at that moment he too came up without hat or shoes, and the blood flowing from his head. We now ran along, guided by some men, and soon reached our

house.

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"What brought you to the Deir when saw us there?' I asked him.-'To strip you,' he coolly replied. And why did you not do it?''Because Mahmûd was with you.' 'But why would you plunder us? we are strangers, and not your enemies.' 'It is our custom.' And do you strip all strangers?' 'Yes, all we can get hold of." And if they resist, or are too strong for you?' In the former case we shoot them from behind trees, and in the latter we run.' 'How do the people of your tribe live? Do they sow or feed flocks?" We are not fellahin! We keep goats and sheep, hunt partridges and gazelles, and steal !' 'Are you all thieves?'Yes, all!'

Notwithstanding all these difficulties, Mr. Porter was enabled to accumulate a mass of curious and important details and discovery, which will render his work one of permanent importance to the student of sacred and classical geography.

STATE PATRONAGE OF LETTERS.-A mu- | knowledge! A reward of £25 a year, or nificent pension has recently been bestow- £2 1s. 7d. a month, or 9s. 7d. a week, or, ed by her Most Gracious Majesty upon as we have said, just 1s. 41d. a day, for Mr. Joseph Haydn, the laborious com- ingenious and laborious research among piler of the well-known Dictionary of the treasures of chronology-for sedulous Dates. A munificent pension of-ahem! and earnest, and devoted application to -how much? Can any one guess? Ac- the interest of literature-for very appretually a pension of £25 a year! Other- ciable though not easily calculable service wise a reward of £2 1s. 8d. a month! to the cause of popular instruction, the or, 9s. 7d. a week! or, just 1s. 41d. a great and good cause of national educaday! A reward for-what? For the tion, abandoned for the most part to the work of a shoeblack? For journeyman spontaneous self-sacrifices of such men as tailoring? For sweeping the staircases of Mr. Haydn by the negligence or incompeBuckingham palace, or weeding the gar-tence, or procrastination of the Imperial dens of Osborne,or rolling the gravel walks Government! A pension of £25 a year of Balmoral? Nothing of the sort. Instead of this, for long years of intellectual labor-years consumed, first of all, in the accumulation and diffusion of valuable

for this! Why, a scullion in the Queen's kitchen might look for a reward equivalent in value, after growing old among the kettles and pans of Windsor.-Lond. Sun.

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In the fishing village of Penlanrhyn- | upon the ear, left by a deaf tourist, the doldovey, in North Wales, I spent the summer before last. There was too, a very longest day of all my life; the place single half-sheet of note-paper and a pen, had several more syllables than I have the feather of which had been used in written down, but I think I have given varnishing; but, after a few attempts at enough for practical purposes. The Tre- composition, which resulted, as they often madoc coach had dropped me there on do, in my masticating the latter instruSaturday evening because it had begun to ment, I folded up the paper, and moodily drizzle; but I made up my mind that the devoured that also. There was one more Tremadoc coach should pick me up again thing to be done; but I had done it these on Monday morning, though it should three or four hours consecutively already; rain cats and dogs and Welsh rabbits. I and that was to stare at the picture of made it up at breakfast-time, and kept on Penlanrhyndoldovey, suspended over the making it tighter all day long; for I had nothing else to do-it was a wet day, and it was a Sunday. The Leck was, I doubt not, situated in the most picturesque portion of the principality; but at this particular time it was located between two living walls of perpendicular rain. That Penallyn frowned down on it from a gigantic altitude, I took on trust from the guide-book; that the falls of Leckwymn at Pontiniog could be easily reached by a short mule-track, I credited with readiness, and only trusted that the short mule-track might not have been taken advantage of by the torrent to reach us. The village, they said, lay close behind us, and the sound of a little bell came up from it through the pauses of the storm, as the still small voice of conscience makes itself heard amidst human passions. That image suggested itself to me after seeing my landlady going to church for the second time-taking the steeple upon her head with her, I thought-upon a couple of as comfortable legs, as far as I could see (and I saw a good way) as any Jumper in the district, leaving me alone in the house with Aprhys, and two Jenny Joneses, who could not speak one word of English. There was, at the Leck, in the way of literature, a Bradshaw, a work, (selling sixty thousand daily, it said) of one of those Americanesses who have struggled in at the gate of the heaven of popularity before it could be shut after Mrs. Beecher Stowe; and a medical book

mantlepiece. Like most views found in such places, it comprehended little of the beauty of the surrounding country; but the public buildings of the town (if it might be called so), and the harbor, and the little pier, were executed with apparent fidelity and exactness. The church itself, though small, was a very pretty one, with the massive gray tower, which becomes so well a mountainous district. The market-house for fish might rival that of St. Peter's, at Guernsey; and there were also two other well-built edifices, whose use I could not at all discover. When Mrs. Aprhys returned, with her rather less comfortable legs, I interrogated her on this matter. The rows of cottages, with porches and gardens, were alms-houses, she said, for the widows and families of men who had been lost at sea (an accident which happened often on that dangerous coast); as pretty and pleasant places to end one's days in as one could wish to have; and thinking that to be more in my line, perhaps, she added: "There's a bittock of Latin over the outer gateway: In memoriam, R.O., ob. eighteen hundred and twenty-five. Miss Davies built it; and the little house at the pier-head, she built that also; and night and day there were fires kept in it, and brandy, and blankets, and what not, to recover, if it might be, any of those that were found drounded."

"Dear me!" said I, coolly; for I was out of temper with Penlanrhydoldovey,

and did'nt think the people much worth | and loveliness of its own. saving, "She must be a worthy person."

"You may say that, sir, indeed; and we should never have had church or market if it had not been for her."

"Bless me, my dear Mrs. Aprhys," for I was a raw bachelor at that period, and quite prepared to run the risk of matrimony for an adequate consideration: Why this Miss Davies must be very rich ?"

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"Well, sir, you may see her soon, judge for yourself. I wonder she has not been here before; but she's sure to call this evening, on her way home. She lives, with a servant or two, all alone in the cottage on the hill there."

Now I perceived that, for some reason or other, my dear landlady was in a quarter of a second or so of a good cry; so, by way of changing the conversation, I said: "And what a beautiful view she must have from it, both of land and sea?" "Ah! yes, indeed," she sobbed, and the tears stole over her plump cheeks, and into the dimples about her little mouth, in a flood that only Mr. Aprhys could (with propriety) have dried up or impeded in quite the correct way. "And sad and sore sights she has seen from it, as ever woman's eyes have borne to look upon."

"Good gracious! What a charming -I mean, what a dreadful-mystery! Pray tell it, Mrs. Ap"-But just as the tender-hearted little woman was making herself ready for a start as improvisatore, there came a knock at the door.

"Hush! it's her!" she said; and she trotted off on her comfortable legs like metaphor fails me-like anything.

Now, I am not naturally of an inquisitive turn of mind; but, as a late philosopher observed to his friend, "we must stop somewhere ;" and I stopped at the parlor-door and looked through the crack. I felt conscience-smitten and rightly punished the next instant: they spoke in Welsh, and the lady was sixty, if she was a day. Yet her face had not only the remains of beauty, but a present charm

Her hair was

snow-white; and her blue eyes, though far from bright, were full of tenderness and expression; her voice was as soft and musical as a girl's; and I fancied that I could discern in it that she was accustomed to speak with the sick and sorrowful; for her part, it was clear, by the deep, though quiet mourning that she wore, that she had had woes irreparable of her own; woes not recent, for a settled resignation seemed to possess her features, as if where the harrow of trouble had once passed, the seeds of patience and benevolence had sprung up and effaced its cruel

traces.

I backed cautiously to the fire-place, and waited for the interview to be over with some eagerness; for I was getting interested, in spite of myself, in Penlanrhyndoldovey and the house upon the hill. I beat up the cushions of the armchair, and placed a foot-stool for the accommodation of Mrs. Aprhys. I even put a chair for the landlord in the middle, in case "her" should be of a jealous_temperament, and desire to be present. I was meditating as to what would be the correct drink for me to offer so obliging a a hostess when she appeared suddenly herself with my tea.

"Another cup, if you will be so good,"

said I.

So, over that cozy meal, she told me the story.

"It so happens," she began, "that this very day is the properest of any to tell you this sad tale. I forgot the date, which no poor soul in this village is likely to have done, but remembered it so soon as ever I saw Miss Ellen's face. She has been with the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, since early dawn, and now she has gone back to her lonely home. Though the storm has been driving down this ten hours, she has brought calm and sunlight to many a dwelling; and amongst the huts by the sea-beach, where there live men that would seem to you mere brutes, she has carried such help and comfort, that they would risk life and limb for the sake of her. Them that the waves and winds make mock of she cares the most for, because she mourns night and day for one beneath the seas; and especially them that are lovers, the fisher lads and lasses, for whom she speaks to their parents, and makes a little golden road for true love to run smooth on-perhaps,

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