like the traces of so many of our ancient limekilns, which are found in the neighbourhood of

this lake.

The bitumen is, in all probability, accompanied from the bottom with sulphur, as both of them are found promiscuously upon the shore. The latter is exactly the same with common native sulphur; the other is friable, and heavier than water, yielding upon friction, or by being put into the fire, a fœtid smell. Neither does it appear to be, as Dioscorides describes his asphaltus †, of a purplish colour, but is as black as jet, and exactly of the same shining appearance.

Game of all kind, such as bustard, partridge, francoleens, woodcocks, snipes, teal, &c. hares, rabbits, jackalls, antilopes, &c. are in great plenty all over these countries. The method made use of in taking them, is either by coursing or hawking. For which purpose, whenever the Turks and Arabs of better fashion travel, or go out for diversion, they are always attended with a number of hawks and grey-hounds. These are usually shagged, and larger than those of England; whereas the hawks are generally of the same size and quality with our goss-hawks, being strong enough to pin down a bustard to the ground; and artful enough to stop an antilope in full caThis they perform, by seizing the animal first by the head; and making afterwards with their

Ασφαλτος διαφέρει ή Ικδαίκη της λοιπης Εςι δε καλη ή πορφυροει έως σιλβεσα, ευτόνος τη οσμή και βαρεια. Η δε μελκινα και ρυπώδης Pavλn Dioscorid. 1. i. c. 100.

their wings a continued fluttering over its eyes, they perplex, and thereby stop and retain it so long, till the grey-hounds come up and relieve them.

But the only curious animals that I had the good fortune to see, were the skinkôre, and the daman Israel; both of which have been already delineated*, though neither of them is well described. The former, which are found in plenty enough in a fountain near Bellmont, are of the lizard kind, all over spotted, and differ from the common water-efts in the extent and fashion of their fins. These, in the male, commence from the tip of the nose, and running the whole length of the neck and back, to the very extremity of the tail, are continued afterwards along the under part of the tail, quite to the navel; whereas the tails only of the female are finned. The body and tail of this animal are accounted great provocatives, and are therefore purchased by the Turks at an extravagant price.

The daman Israel is an animal likewise of Mount Libanus, though common in other places of this country. It is a harmless creature, of the same size and quality with the rabbit, and with

the

* Vid. Thesaur. Rer. Natural. Alberti Seba, p. 22. Vol.i. Pl. 14. fig. 1. & p. 67. Pl. 41. fig. 2. The first exhibits the figure of the skinkore, calling it Lacertus Africanus dorso pectinato, amphibios mag. Fœmina pectinata caret pinna in dorso. The latter gives us the figure of the Cuniculus Americanus, which is very like our Daman Israel.

+ Animal quoddam humile, cuniculo non dissimile, quod agnum filiorum Israel nuncupant. Prosp. Alpin. Hist. Nat. Ægypt. pars. i. c. 20. p. 80. et l.iv. c. 9.

the like incurvating posture and disposition of the fore-teeth. But it is of a browner colour, with smaller eyes, and a head more pointed, like the marmots. The fore-feet likewise are short, and the hinder are nearly as long in proportion as those of the jerboa*. Though this animal is known to burrough sometimes in the ground; yet, as its usual residence and refuge is in the holes and clifts of the rocks, we have so far a more presumptive proof, that this creature may be the saphan of the Scriptures than the jerboa. I could not learn why it was called daman Israel, i. e. Israel's lamb, as those words are interpreted.

Besides Greeks, Maronites, and other sects of Christians that inhabit this country, there are Turks, Turkmans, Arabs, Souries and Druses. Of these, the Turks are masters of the cities, castles and garrisons; the Turkmans and Arabs possess the plains, the latter living as usual in tents, the other in moveable hovels. The Souries (the descendents probably of the indigenæ or original Syrians) cultivate the greatest part of the country near Latikea and Jebilee; whilst the Druses maintain a kind of sovereignty in the Castravan mountains, particularly above Ba

route.

As far as I could learn, the Druses and the Souries differ very little in their religion, which, by some of their books, written in the Arabic language,

VOL. II.

X

language, that I brought with me, appears to be a mixture of the Christian and Mahometan; the Gospels and the Koran being equally received as books of divine authority and inspiration. For to omit, what is commonly reported by the other inhabitants of this country, of their being circumcised; of their worshipping the rising and setting sun; of their intermarrying with their nearest relations, and making their children pass through the fire; we may well conclude, from their indulging themselves in wine and swines flesh, that they are not strict Mahometans; as the Christian names of Hanna, Youseph, Meriam, &c. (i. e. John, Joseph, Mary, &c.) which they are usually called by, will not be sufficient proof of their being true Christians. The Druses are probably the same with the XAEYEIOI of Phocas, whom he places in this situation, and describes to be neither Christians nor Mahometans, but a mixture of both.

CHAP

* Vid. Phocæ Descript. Syriæ, apud L. Allații vita.

Of the symbolical Learning of the Egyptians.

FROM Syria and Palestine, let us now carry on our physical and miscellaneous inquiries into Egypt. Here we have a large and inexhaustible fund of matter, which has engaged the studies. and attention of the curious, from the most early records of history. For besides the great variety of arts and sciences that were known to the Egyptians, we read of no other nation that could boast of the like number, either of natural or artificial curiosities. It was the fame and reputation which Egypt had acquired, of being the school and repository of these several branches of knowledge and ingenuity that engaged Orpheus, Pythagoras, and other persons of the first rank in antiquity*, to leave their own countries

to

*Such were Musæus, Melampus, Daedalus, Homer, Lycurgus, Solon, Plato, Democritus, &c. Vid. Diod. Sic. l. i. P. 53.