February, 1879.
THE WEST SHORE.
for Gadcs, an ancient Phoenician col
ony. Besides extending their com
merce by sea, they traded overland,
with many of the interior countries of still visible in the older portion of the
a seaport. Beirut conspicuously shared
in the vicissitudes brought about by the
terrible Crusades, vestiges of which are
Asia and Africa ; and it is believed, by
the intelligent historians, that they
found their way to India through the
Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Two
of the cities of Pho-nicia, Tyre and
Sidon, were governed by their own
kings. The names of two of these
sovereigns, Hiram and Pygmalion, the
brother of Dido, arc preserved, the
one in sacred, and the other in profane
history. It will be remembered that
Hiram was the friend and patron of
David and Solomon, and furnished
much valuable material for the building
of the temple. But I am digressing,
town. It was also the scene of the
victory of St. George, of Cnppadocia,
over the Dragon. Modern Beirut owes
its existence to the energy of Djezar,
and it has been greatly improved and
strengthened by the eminent and enter
prising Mchemct Ali. When the lat
ter invaded Syria, Beirut was bom
barded, but the city was ably defended
by Solyman Pasha, aided by Ibrahim
I'asha with a large and tolerably well
disciplined land force. It was finally
evacuated, however, when the allien
landed and took possession of the town.
The bay in front of the city is large
Lebanon range. The country through
out the whole of Phoenicia is atill very
fertile and productive, being, as it is, a
semi-tropical region; and especially in
the vicinity of Hcirut, the rural districts
are favored with an even tenicrnture
through almost the entire year. The
markets in the city are at all times
stocked with as line specimens of fruits
as I have ever seen in central ami
southern California. The principal ce
reals grow almost spontaneously, uotl
wheat might he exported in large qiiim
tities were there but a spark of enter
prise among the people.
A ride in the country, a few miles
from the city, is like a tour through
the confines of I'aradise. As Bishop
llclici says in his beautiful hymn !
and my only apology is the fact that
it is difficult to give a popular descrip
tion of the present city of Beirut with
out citing some essential preliminaries
from the pages of ancient history.
Mullein Beirut, even in its subsidence
and decay, is a splendid scajort, sit
uated upon a small river of the same
name. As a Turkish city, it is reck
oned as one of the places within the
Paahalic of Acre. Its approximate
population may Ik stated at 30,01x1.
Arabic and Turkish arc the prevailing
languages, while its inhabitants com
prise a motley assemblage of Turks,
Arabs, Armenians and Christians, with
the usual foreign element incident to
BEIRUT) PALB8TWI
and commodious, and ulTords good
anchoring ground, where shis may
ride in safely from most of the storms
that prevail in this part of the Levant.
The view from the sea Is leautiful in
the extreme, but the essential tcatuies
of the picturesque quickly vanish as
soon as the tourist steps upon the rocky
levee. Like so many Other oriental
cities, Hcirut is sadly alllictcd with
'crooked streets and dirty lanes. The
engraving sent herewith gives a truth
ful view of the modern town from an
elevated stand-point looking towards
the north. A plain extends from the
sea a few miles beyond the city, where
it is cut short by the foot hilla of the
"Where rt'ljf iimml pIcSMS,
Anil "iily man U ilt"
In a word, the enterprise of the peo
ple is blasted by the despotism of the
government. Itrirut would stand, to
day, one of the most lieauliful cities in
the world, were it owned and controlled
by a Christian anil enlightened nation;
but nlas, an incubus has settled down
uMti it which must be coeval with Ike
curse of Mohammedanism. 1 would
detail the social condition of the people,
Itul il would only lie relating much
thai has U'cn said concerning tht In
habitants of Cairo and Constantinople.
Onibnt.
Indian trouble in Sitka.