Page:Travels from Aleppo to the city of Jerusalem, and through the Holy Land, in the year 1776.pdf/3

Rh ruinate, and there were few people to be seen, it being the time of making white silk, and most of the people in their gardens.

May 15. After three days treatment by the consuls (English, French, and Dutch) with extraordinary civility, about five in the morning, we rose from thence, and advanced with our guides to take a view of Lebanon, which, when taken at large, is about 300 miles in circumference, and consists of two large mountains Lebanon and Antilibanus, and appears at a distance to resemble the shape of a horse shoe with its opening towards the north. The mountain is exceeding high, and looks like as it were four mountains rising one above another: the first has fruitful soil, excellent for vines; the second is barren; the third enjoys an almost perpetual spring; the fourth is often covered with snow. The cedars on the top of it, which were anciently very numerous, are now reduced to a few, but some of them very large. Our guide told us that it was very dangerous to go near the top of the mountain as there were vast numbers of lions, lepards, and other wild beasts frequented it; so we could only admire the cedars at a distance. Here Jordan has its rise, and several other great rivers. The tower of