The western base of Lebanon does not correspond with the shore-line. In some cases bold spurs shoot out from the mountains, and dip perpendicularly into the sen. forming Ijluff promontories, such as the "Ladder of Tyre," Tromontorium Album, or " White Cape," the well-
knowTi pass of the Dog River, and the Theoprosopon, now called Ras esh-Shuk'ah. In other places the momi- tains retire, or the shore-line advances (as at Eeyrnt and Tripolis), leaving little sections of fertile plain, va- rying from half a mile to three miles in width. This was the territory of the old Phoenicians, and on it still lie the scattered remains of their once great cities. See Phcenicia. From the promontory of Theoprosopon a low ridge strikes northward along the shore past Tripo- lis, separated from the main chain by a narrow valley. When it terminates, the coast -plain becomes much wider, and gradually expands, till it opens at the north- ern base of Lebanon into the valley leading to the " en- trance of Hamath" (Robinson, iii, 385).
(3.) Eastern Declivities.- — From the east Lebanon presents a totally different aspect. It does not seem much more than half as high as when seen from the west. This is chiefly owing to the great elevation of the plain extending along its base, which is on an average about 3000 feet above the level of the sea (Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 175). The ridge resembles a colossal wall, its sides precipitous, and thinly covered, in most places, with oak forests. There arc very few — only some two or three — glens furrowing them. The summit of the ridge, or backbone, is much nearer the eastern than the western side; and extending in gentle undulations, white with snow, far as the eye can see to the riglit and left, it forms a grand object from the ruins of Ba'albek, and still more so from the heights of Anti-Lebanon. A near- er approach to the chain reveals a ne^v feature. A side ridge runs along the base of the central chain from the town of Zahleh to its northern extremity, and is thinly covered throughout with forests of oak intermixed with a wild plum, hawthorn, jmiiper, and other trees. A little south of the parallel of Sunnin this ridge is low and nar- row, and the Buka'a is there widest. Advancing north- wards the ridge increases in height, and encroaches on the plain, until, at the fountain of the Orontes ('Ain el- 'Asy), it attains its greatest elevation, and there the plain is narrowest. From this point southwards to where the road crosses from Ba'albek to the Cedars, the central chain is steep, naked, and destitute of vegetation, except here and there a solitarj^ oak or blasted pine clinging to the rocks (Porter's Damascus, ii, 303 sq. ; Robinson, iii, 530 sq,).
The side ridge above described sinks down in grace- ful wooded slopes into wady Khalcd, ■which drains a part of the plain of Hums, and falls into Nahr el-Kebir. The main chain also terminates abru]itly a little farther west, and its base is swept by the waters of the Kebir, the ancient river Eloutherus (Robinson, iii, 558-GO).
(4.) Rivers. — Lebanon is rich in rivers and for.ntains, fed by the eternal snows that crown its summit, and the vapors which they condense. The '• streams from Leb- anon" were proverbial for their abundance and beauty in the days of the Hebrew prophets (Cant, iv, 15), and its " cold-flowing waters" were types of richness and luxury (Jcr. xviii, 14). Some of them, too, have ob- tained a classic celebrity (sceRcland./V//rr.<i'.p. 209,437). They arc all small mountain torrents ratlicr than riv- ers. The following are the more imjiortant : 1. The Eleu- therus (now Nahr el-Keblr), rising in the plain of Emesa, west of the Orontes, sweeps round the northern base of Lebanon, and falls into the Mediterranean midway be- tween Tripolis and Aradus. Strabo states that it form- ed the northern border of Phcenicia and Coele-Syria (xvi, 753; Robinson, iii. 57C). 2. The Kadisha, or '-sacred river," now generally called Nahr Abu-Aly, has its high- est sources around the little cedar grove, and descends through a sublime ravine to the coast near Tripolis. At one spot its glen has perpendicular walls of rock on each side nearly 1000 feet high. Here, on opposite banks, are two villages, the peojile of which can converse across the chasm, but to reach each other requires a toilsome walk of two hours. In a wild cleft of the ravine is the convent of Kanobin, the chief residence of the Maronite patriarch {Handbook/or Syr. and Pal. p, 586). 3. The
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Adonis (Nahr Ibrahim), famous in ancient fable as the scene of the romantic story of Venns and Adonis. Kill- ed by a boar on its banks, Adonis dyed with his blood the waters, which ever since, on the anniversary of his death, are said to run red to the sea (Lucian, De Stjria l>ea, (5 ; Strabo, XV, 170). Adonis is supposed to be identical with Tammuz, for whom Ezekiel represents the Jewish women as weeping (viii, 14). The source is a noble fountain beside the ruins of a temple of Venus, and near the site of Apheca, now marked by the little village of Afka (Eusebius,riV. Const, iii, 55; Porter, Damascus, ii, 297; Kitter, Pal. unci Syr. iv, 558). 'J'he Adonis falls into the sea a few miles soutli of the Biblical Gebal. 4. The Lyons flumcn, now Nahr el-Kelb, or " Dog Kiver," rises high up on the flank of Sunnin, and'breaks down through a picturesque glen. At its mouth is that fa- mous jiass on whose scidptured rocks Assyrian, Egyp- tian, Koman, and French (! ) generals have left records of their expeditions and victories (Robinson, iii, G18; Jfaiulbool; p. 407 sq. ; Strabo, xvi, 755). 5. The jMagoras of Pliny (v, 17) is probably the modern Nahr Beyriit. 6. The Tamyras or Damuras (Strabo, xvi, 756 ; Polyb- ius, V, (58) rises near Deir el-Kamr, the capital of Leba- non. It is now called Nahr ed-Dammiir. 7. The Bos- trenus of ancient authors appears to be identical with Nahr el-Awaley, though some doubt this. 8. The Le- ontes has already been' mentioned. The lower section of it is now generally termed Kasimiyeh, and the upper section Litany. Its chief sources are at Chalcis and Baalbek ; but a large tributary flows down from the ra- vine of Zahleh, and is the only stream which descends the eastern slopes of Lebanon. See Lkontks. ^ 2. Anti-Lebanon. — (l.) Peals. — The centre and cul-