y, forms a long strip of mountains and tableland
intersected by fertile valleys, lying along the eastern end of the
Mediterranean from the Taurus range in the N. to the Egyptian border on
the 8., and extending to the Euphrates and Arabian desert The coastal
strip and waters fall within the LEVANT (q. v.). In the S. lies
Palestine, embracing Jordan, Dead Sea, Lake of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee),
Jerusalem, Gaza, &c.; in the N., between the parallel ranges of Lebanon
and Anti-Lebanon, lies the valley of Coele-Syria, through which flows the
Orontes. Important towns are Aleppo, Damascus, Beyrout (chief port), &c.;
principal exports are silk, wool, olive-oil, and fruits. Four-fifths of
the people are Mohammedans of Aramaean (ancient Syrian) and Arabic stock.
Once a portion of the ASSYRIAN EMPIRE (q. v.), it became a
possession successively of the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs,
Egyptians, and finally fell into the hands of the Ottoman Turks in 1516,
under whose rule it now languishes. For further particulars see various
names and places mentioned.

SYRIANUS, a Greek Neoplatonic philosopher of the 5th century; had
PROCLUS (q. v.) for a disciple; left a valuable commentary on
the metaphysics of Aristotle.

SYRINX, an Arcadian nymph, who, being pursued by Pan, fled into a
river, was metamorphosed into a reed, of which Pan made his flute.

SYRTIS, MAJOR AND MINOR, the ancient names of the Gulfs of Sidra and
Cabes on the N. coast of Africa, the former between Tripoli and Barca,
the latter between Tunis and Tripoli.

SYRUS, PUBLIUS, a slave brought to Rome, and on account of his wit
manumitted by his master; made his mark by composing memoirs and a
collection of pithy sayings that appear to have been used as a
school-book; flourished in 45 B.C.

SYSTEME DE LA NATURE, a book, the authorship of which is ascribed to
BARON HOLBACH (q. v.), which appeared in 1770, advocating a
philosophical materialism and maintaining that nothing exists but matter,
and that mind is either naught or only a finer kind of matter; there is
nowhere anything, it insists, except matter and motion; it is the
farthest step yet taken in the direction of speculative as opposed to
political nihilism.

SYZYGY, the point on the orbit of a planet, or the moon when it is
in conjunction with, or in opposition to, the sun.

SZECHUAN (71,000), the largest province of China, lies in the W.
between Thibet (NW.) and Yunnan (SW.); more than twice the si