tion, and immediately opposite to them is an outer wall of a semicircular
form. We naturally searched here for another entrance to
the. town, but could find no appearance of there ever having been
one : yet, except it were for the defence of a gateway, there does not
seem-to be any sufficient reason why these turrets should be larger
than the rest-; and if there were no entrance through: them to the
town-there has been none on the south side at all*. On the north
side of Teuchira (it will appear in the plan) no part of the city wall
is remaining, and it is probable that it has been undermined by the
sea which appears to have here advanced (as it has on other parts of
the coast) beyond fits original bounds.
The fine described by the walls, although somewhat quadrangular,
is by no means a regular figure—a diagonal drawn, from the opposite
corners, at the north-east and south-western angles, would he
a line of about three thousand two hundred English feet; while that
which would pass through the north-west and south-eastern angles
would be about nine hundred feet shorter. The circuit of the walls
has been estimated by Signor-Della Celia at about two miles ; but we
found it, by measurement, to be less than a mile and a half; being
comprised in a line of eight thousand six hundred English feet f .
* Nearly opposite to these turrets, without the wall, are the remains of a very strong
fo rt; and this circumstance would perhaps seem to favour the idea of there having been
a gate in the place here alluded to, the entrance to which would have been well defended
by the fart.
+ The turrets attached to the walls are also described by the. same author as round;
and it is difficult to imagine what could have occasioned this mistake, since they are all
of them quadrangular, as will appear by the plan.
On the, interior of the wall, as we have a lr e a d y stated, there are a
good many Greek inscriptions ; ; but we were not fortunate, enough to
find their, contents quite so; interesting ;as.Dr., Della Celia has supposed
they might have:been, when he tells us; that “all the annals of
the city might perhaps be found, registered on its walls#.” We examined
the .whole space, however, .very attentively and found only a
collection of names, which we should scarcely have thought it worth
while to copy had not the Doctor’s assertion; made it necessary to
shew what portion of information the inscriptions actually contained-
They will be found, with other inscriptions from the excavated
tombs of Teuchira, in page 386 ; and it will be seen that the names
are chiefly Greek, and the character, for the most part, Ptolemaic ; but
no other dates could be found, on any part of the surface mentioned,
excepting the few which appear in the plate. The inscriptions alluded
to by Signor Della Celia, on a quadrangular building, towards the
centre of the. city, consist: also wholly of names and dates ; they are
encircled by a wreath, and it will be seen by the plate that these
names are for the most part Koman. A few names, within a similar
enclosure, were also visible on thè wall of a turret, one of which (the
most legible) we have copied.
The excavated tombs in the neighbourhood of Teuchira contain
a vast number of Greek inscriptions; but these also afford; only
names and dates, of different countries and. periods ; and the most
interesting piece of information that we were enabled to derive from
* Le mura-della città sono tàlmeiiti tapezzaté di Gréèhi inscrizioni che forse trovaftsì
qui registrati tutti gli annali di questa città- (Viaggio:da Tripoli, &c- p. 199.)
3 B 2