CONTENTS. xvii

Mahommed Bey — Civility and attention received by our Party from Signor Regignani the

British Agent at Derna — Tahe leave of Mr. Tindall, who sails on board the Adventure — Departure from Derna on our road to Apollonia — Gradual increase of Vegetation observed

on the Route — Thickly-wooded Ravines and dangerous Passes on this Road — Beautiful Stream at Elthroon — Arrive at El Hilal — Capacious Harbour at that place — Ancient Remains

observed there — Arab Encampment at El Hilal — Dishonest Conduct ofour Chaous — Arrive at

Apollonia — No Water to be found there — Begin to dig a Well in order to procure some, our

stock being wholly exhausted — Bad Success of this attempt — Continue our Journey to Cyrene — Miss the Path over the Mountain, and lose our way among the Thickets and Underwood — Inconvenience of this mistake to all Parties — Find the right track, and at length reach the

Fountain of Apollo — Rencontre of our Servants with some female Inhabitants of the Moun-

tain— Singular position of the Caves which they lived in — Gain intelligence at Cyrene of a

Spring in the neighbourhood of Apollonia — Set out again for that place — Description of the Road — Architectural Remains, and beautiful appearance of the Country through which it

passes — Meet with an Hyaena in the dusk of the evening — The forest much infested by these animals and Jackalls — Peculiarities of both — Arrive at Apollonia, and find the Springs

described to us — Other Caves in the Mountain — Unwillingness of their Inhabitants to admit

us — Description of the City of Apollonia . - - - 467

CHAPTER XVIII.

Observations on the Position of Ras Sem — Remarks of Bruce connected with this place — Diffi-

culty of reconciling the several positions assigned to it — Extravagant Stories related of its

Petrifactions, supposed to be those of Human Beings — Fallacy of these Statements as

recorded by Shaw — Report of Petrified Remains at Ghirza made to Captain Smyth by Mukni

(Bey, or Sultan, of Fezzan) during the progress of his Excavations at Lebda — Journey of

Captain Smyth in search of the objects described to him — Description of the actual Remains at Ghirza — Monumental Obelisk discovered there, and Tombs, combining a mixture of the

Egyptian and Grecian styles of Architecture — Indifferent Taste and Execution of these Remains— Veneration in which they are held by Mahometans of all classes, who suppose them

to be Petrified Human Beings of their own persuasion — Geographic Position of Ghirza

determined by Captain Smyth — Further Observations on the Remains at Apollonia — Return

of our party to Cyrene — Account of that City continued - - - 501

CHAPTER XIX.

Historical Sketch of Cyrene— Its Foundation by a Lacedaemonian Colony — Dynasty of the

Battiades, or Family of Battus— Cession of the Country to Ptolemy Lagus — And afterwards

to the Romans by Apion, the last of the Ptolemies who possessed it — Cyrene becomes a Roman Province, and is united in one Government with Crete — Illustrious Persons who were

natives of Cyrene — Tenets of the Sect of Philosophers termed Cyrenaic — Decay of the Clty^ and its final Desertion in Christian times after the Transfer of the Bishopric to Ptolemeta —

Return of the Expedition to Bengazi, and its subsequent Departure for Malta - 538