nt on. There is a rock in the
quarry at Baalbec that is larger than any of those in the ruins,
although it was never entirely cut out, the length of which is
sixty-eight feet, and the width varies from about thirteen feet at one
end to seventeen feet at the other. It is about fourteen feet thick, and
the estimated weight is fifteen hundred tons. Some of the stones in a
ruined building, once a tomb, standing on the hill above the town, give
forth a metallic ring when struck. Farther on is a small cemetery, in
which some of the headstones and footstones are as much as nine feet
apart. If the people buried there were that long, surely "there were
giants in the land in those days." I went down on the opposite side of
the hill from the tomb and entered a vineyard, where an old man treated
me with kindness and respect. The modern town is poorly built of small
stones and mud, but there are some good buildings of dressed stone,
among which I may mention the British Syrian School and the Grand New
Hotel. I staid at another hotel, where I found one of those pre-occupied
beds which travelers in the East so often find. About midnight, after I
had killed several of the little pests, I got up and shaved by
candle-light, for I wasn't sleepy, and there was no use to waste the
time.

Leaving Baalbec, I went down to Rayak and on to Beyrout again. This old
city is said to have been entirely destroyed in the second century
before Christ. It was once a Roman possession, and gladiatorial combats
were held there by Titus after the destruction of Jerusalem. An
earthquake destroyed it in 529, and the British bombarded it in 1840.
The population is a great mixture of Turks, Orthodox Greeks, United
Greeks, Jews, Latins, Maronites, Protestants, Syrians, Armenians,
Druses, and others. A great many ships call here, as this is the most
important commercial city in Syria. The numerous exports consist of
silk, olive oil, cotton, raisins, licorice, figs, soap, sponges, cattle,
and goats. Timber, coffee, rice, and manufactured goods are imported. At
one time Arabic was the commonest language, and Italian came next, but
now, while Arabic holds first place, French comes second. The British,
Austrians, Russians, and perhaps the French, maintain their own
postoffices. Considerable efforts are being made by American, British,
and other missionary institutions to better the condition of the
natives. The American Mission, conducted by the Presbyterians, has bee