156 JOURNEY FROM what he terms modern geography, Signor Della Celia now assumes a more decided tone, and taking boldly for granted what he has just advanced on supposition, proceeds to deduce from it an unqualified conclusion ; and this leads him into his favourite practice of scepticism, for which his deeply-rooted antipathy to all commentators and editors seems to have given him a most decided partiality.

“ Encouraged by this coincidence,” (are the Doctor’s own words) “ in my opinion, so plausible, of ancient and modern geography, I no longer hesitate to believe that the ancient ruins which we met with on the road, after three hours’ journey from Elbenia, point out the spot which is called, by Strabo, Charax.”

Without attempting to give the least description of these ruins?

or any explanation of the reasons why he thinks they are those of Charax, the Doctor all at once proceeds to criticise the passage in Strabo, and to offer a new reading for the approbation of his friend, the professor, on the subject of the silphium and the liquor which was extracted from it. We do not pretend to any skill in logic, but the train of argument here adopted by Signor Della Celia does certainly appear to us a little extraordinary : it seems to run thus — “ If Zaffran be Aspis, the tower with a cupola must be the tower of Euphrantas ; and, as the tower of Euphrantas was a boundary under the Ptolemiesj the three square piUars with the illegible inscriptions are also boundaries ; and the ruins which are met with three hours afterwards are those of Charax, which Strabo says was used by the Carthaginians for a fair, at which the juice of the silphium was exchanged for wine ; and, as I read in this passage, juice of the sil-