ancient streets in Hît can be traced, notwithstanding the masses of ruins and rubbish that have accumulated in them during the course of ages. They are narrow and tortuous, and thus bear a marked contrast to those of other towns in this region which are manifestly of Roman origin, or at least were reconstructed in the Roman age. The houses are all massive and simple in plan, with stone roofs supported on arches, and stone doors. Some of the latter are finely panelled, and otherwise ornamented with tasteful mouldings.* Among the ruins of Hît there is a considerable number of Greek inscriptions, some of which have been copied by Burckhardt, and may be seen in his Travels in Syria.' Mr. Barnett and I copied all we could find, and succeeded in obtaining some which Burckhardt had overlooked. The latter I will here insert. The first is from a stone over the door of the sheikh's house. It merely records the dedication of some building or altar to Jupiter by a certain Arabianos (?) :— 1. ΔΙ ΜΕΓΙΣΤΑΡΑ BI////NOCAIOMHAOYC The second is from a small building resembling a fountain on the north side of the town, and is to the effect that Aelius Mazimos the Governor erected the structure: • In this town a large majority of the houses are mere heaps of ruins; many, however, are still nearly perfect, and the present inhabitants occupy exclusively ancient dwellings. VOL. II D 2. ΑΙΛΙΟΣMAZIMOCΕΠΑΡΧΟΣ ΤΗ ΠΑΤΡΙΔΙΕΚΤΙΣΕΝΔΙΑ ΗΡΩΔΟΥΙΔΙΟΥΚΑΙ ΔΙΑ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥΜΑΛΧΟΥΚΑΙ ΑΔΔΟΥΑΚΡΑΒΑΝΟΥ ΕΠΙΜΕΛΗΤΩΝ. The third is from beside a door in the building called the church : 3. ΙΔΡΥΣΕΦΑΙΔΡΟΝ ΔΕΜΟΣ ΕΙΘΗΝΩΝ ΚΑICAPHION ΤΟΝΑ On the east side of the village, on a large stone, lying beside the foundation of a small square structure of very superior masonry, is the following inscription in good characters : Of the inscriptions copied by Burckhardt, one appears to have the date 14 of the Bostrian era, which would be equivalent to A.D. 120; and on another is the date, 520, probably of the era of the Seleucidæ, and thus corresponding to A.D. 208. But none of the inscriptions as yet discovered, so far as I can understand them, throw any light on the ancient name of the place. At Hît there is no fountain of living water, but in the centre of the town is a spacious tank for collecting rainwater during the winter. There is besides, we were informed, a subterranean aqueduct coming from the mountains toward the south, which still conveys sufficient water for the domestic uses of the inhabitants. Beyond the walls is a large subterranean reservoir, and from this small canals formerly conducted the water to each of the principal houses. We did not see any of these works, but we drank of the water, and found it excellent, and we were assured that even during the heat of summer it is cold as ice. It is generally believed that the source is somewhere in the distant mountains, but I think the water is collected in the same way as many of those streams which are now seen in the plain of Damascus, by a canal carried along for several miles at a little depth beneath the surface. Due south from Hit, about ten miles distant, a lofty conical peak shoots up over the surrounding hills, and forms a prominent object in the landscape. It is called Tell Abu Tumeis, and is one of the highest summits in the Jebel Haurân. It is visible from a great distance like its rival the Kuleib, and these two are remarkable as standing at about equal distances from each end of the mountainrange. Our kind host used every effort to persuade us to spend the day with him; but when he saw that we were deter mined on proceeding, he sent with us his nephew and another horseman, to serve as both guide and guard of honour, while he himself stated that he would ride direct to Shahba, and acquaint his brother Fâres of our intention to visit him. We ordered our servants to accompany him with the baggage, as we wished to make a long détour in order to visit the ruins of Bathanyeh and Shŭka. At 1110 we rode out of the court-yard, amid the salâms and prayers of the assembled villagers, and proceeded across the fields in a direction about north-east straight towards the ancient town of Bathanyeh. The soil in this region is of unrivalled fertility, and the wheat is celebrated as the finest in Syria. The fields were already green with the new crop, which was springing up with a luxuriance seldom seen in other parts of Syria. In several places I observed traces of an ancient road, with large sections of the pavement still remaining, and the foundations of walls along each side. The day was bright and cool, the turf firm and smooth, our horses fresh, and our own spirits high, the effect of the hearty welcome we had received, and the magnificent and interesting country around us. Our new companions, too, were eager to display the metal of their fine steeds, and their own skill in horsemanship; so, giving rein to our horses, we dashed across the slopes, and soon reached Bathanych. The distance from Hît is about an hour, but in less than half that time we accomplished it. Bathanyeh, or Bathanîyeh, as it is sometimes called, is situated on the northern slope of the Jebel Haurân, commanding an extensive view to the north and north-west. About an hour below the town the gentle declivity termi nates in a plain, which stretches away to the lakes of Damascus and the Tellûl. About half an hour to the north-west are two little conical hills, beside which stand the large deserted villages of Ta'ala and Ta'alla, and beyond them, a little to the right, rises the lofty Tell Khalediyeh, crowned with ruins. These ruins were referred to by the Druzes as extensive and beautiful, and we regretted much our inability to visit them. But we now saw that a month would be requisite to explore thoroughly the interesting remains of antiquity scattered through this mountain range alone. Deserted and partially ruined cities, with multitudes of inscriptions, were said to exist on their eastern declivities and along their base, extending far into the great plain. Time did not admit of our visiting these; but it is to be hoped that some enterprising traveller with time at command will ere long leave the beaten track of his predecessors on the west of the Jordan, and penetrate these unknown regions. From every place where we reached the boundary of our prescribed route I turned aside with regret; far away beyond it the eye rested on enticing ruins and unexplored towns and villages. From Bathanyeh I saw three in the plain, in addition to those above referred to; there were thus six interesting deserted towns within view in this direction alone, none of which were much over two hours distant, and all of them well worthy of a visit. On the south-east, about half an hour distant, are two lofty tells, which shut in the view in this direction. Bathanyeh is not quite so extensive as Hît; but the buildings are of a superior style of workmanship, and in better preservation. On our arrival we observed the |