west. There are remains of much larger columns, near the road, at
the southern extremity; of this large; mass of building | and we feel
confident that matter of' considerable interest is still to be found
beneath the rich;soil which covers it, in their immediate vicinity and
neighbourhood. Corn is now growing over a great part of the ground
in question ; and an old Arab, who was employed in cutting it down,
when we measured the remains of building just described, was greatly
astonished at the trouble we gave ourselves in walking over and
examining them in a very hot day; when he could scarcely himself
make his mind up to cut down his wheat, which was certainly a
matter (he said) of much more importance. He had his gun ready
charged by his side, and moved it along with him as he changed his
position in reaping; a ceremony at which we should have been a little
surprised, if we had not before seen frequent instances of similar
precaution in the Arabs of the Syrtis and Cyrenaica. In fact, the
Bedouin, like the Albanian or the Corsican, never stirs out without
his gun, if he has one ; for it rarely happens that any individual has
not some feud upon his hands, and it is necessary to be provided with
the means of defence, in a country where every man is the legal
avenger of his own or his family’s wrongs. We use the term
Bedouin, because, although our swarthy friend was cutting wheat,
he was at the same time a wandering Arab; and only visited the
place periodically, chiefly during the summer season. For three
parts of the year Cyrene is untenanted, except by jackalls and
hyaenas, and the Bedouins pitch their tents chiefly on the low
ground to the southward of the range on which the city is built.
Were it not for its elevated position, Cyrene would probably, on
account of its luxuriant pasturage, and the abundant supply of fresh
water which it possesses, be: at all times a favourite haunt of the
wandering tribes of the Cyrenaica: but the Arab, for an active man,
is one of the most lazy of any race of people with which we are
acquainted, and will rather forego a very decided advantage than
give himself much trouble in acquiring or maintaining i t ; he would
in consequence easily persuade himself that the advantages which
Cyrene must be acknowledged to possess, would be more than counterbalanced
by the trouble of ascending and descending its hills, and
of driving his flocks and his camels to water in places which would
be thought inconvenient.
j We are not aware that it will be of any service to dwell further
upon the nature and condition of the buildings of Cyrene; as much
as we were able to collect (with the time and means which we had
at our disposal) has already been given of the objects most worthy of
notice; and to say more would only be to offer conjecture, on subjects
which do not afford sufficient data to authorise particular description.
In fact, the whole of the existing remains of this, ancient and once
beautiful city are at present little more than a mass of ruin; and
the tombs afford the most perfect examples of Grecian art now
remaining in Cyrene.. To give plans of half these would be impossible,
unless whole years of labour were devoted to the task; but
we really believe, that any zealous antiquary, any person with
tolerable feeling for the arts, would with pleasure devote every day