406 MERGE TO GYRENE.

On the morning of the 29th, we left the plain of Merge and proceeded on our journey to Gyrene. The road, after crossing the plain, leads over a rugged hill in which it has been cut ; and we soon found from the deep and continued marks of chariot-wheels that we Avere following an ancient track. F rom the hill we descended into a beautiful valley named Bograta where we found some ancient wells situated upon a rising ground in the centre of it, at which we watered our horses. From hence we proceeded through a hilly country, well clothed with trees of various kinds, and pitched our tents for the night at Hareebe, a delightful valley, studded with olive-trees, and possessing two wells of good water. The next day we passed through other remarkably fine vallies, which we found for the most part cultivated, and through copses and thickets of pine, cedar, laurel, laurestinus, carob, cypress, myrtle, box, arbutus, and various other trees and shrubs, which were flourishing in the greatest luxuriance.

Among these the convolvulus and honeysuckle twined themselves ; and red and white roses, marigolds, and other flowers, with a great variety of beautiful ferns, were everywhere scattered over the hills and valhes *. Idle forms of the landscape were at the same time * The flowers of the Cyrenaica are stated by Athenaeus to have been famous for the odours which they emitted ; and we learn from the same author that a most excellent oil, or ointment of roses, was made at Gyrene in the time of Berenice (the great Berenice, as the author here terms her, wlro was probably the daughter of Magas). Both Arsinoe and Berenice are said by Athenaeus to have been great jjatronesses of fragrant oils and ointments at Alexandria ; and we may believe with probability, that the Rigges and Gatties of Gyi-ene were equally encouraged by the royal protection. The roses which we saw had however no smell, (probably from want of attention,) although the woodbine and