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closed by a river, which serves them as a rampart againstthe inroads of the barbarians. The land abounds withbitumen, which renders all its vegetable productions un-wholesome. The natives are short-lived, for as the wateris impregnated with this unctuous matter, it leaves a noxi-ous sediment in the stomach. Their principal food is de-rived from a hill, adjoining the village, which on account ofits being higher than the surrounding waste, is sown withcom, as its soil is esteemed good. There is a traditionamong the natives, that seven hundred and eighty Eretrians were made prisoners, of whom all were not fighting men,because in that number were included some old men andwomen, and I suppose children. A great part of theEretrians, we are informed, fled to the promontory Capha -reus, and the mountainous regions of Eubea ; but aboutfour hundred men and ten women came to Susa; themortality which began after their leaving Ionia and Lydia,having caused the difference to fall away in proportion asthey advanced farther into the country. As the hill wehave mentioned supplied them with quarries of stone,and as many among them were acquainted with the art cf 'cutting it, they built temples after the models of theGreeks, and a forum suited to their circumstancesThey likewise built altars, two in honor of Darius, one inhonor of Xerxes , and many to Daridceus.* From thetime of their captivity, till that of Daridceus, passed eighty-eight years. The manner of their writing was after theGreek fashion, and their ancient sepulchres were inscribedthus—“ Here lyeth such a one, the son of such a one.”The characters are in Greek, but our travellers said, theynever saw such before. The inscriptions engraved on theirtombs were all expressive of the several professions which

* Who this Daridceus was, I have not been able to learn from any ofthe commentators.