grotto, or, as it was called by the ancients, the Ear of Dionysius, is a cave of 170 feet in length, 60 in height, and from 20 to 35 in width, with so strong an echo, that the slightest noise is overheard in the small chamber near the entrance, in which Dionysius is said to have listened to the conversation of his prisoners.

The fountain of Arethusa can no longer boast of ornaments, being the resort of the laundresses of the place. It continues, however, a striking object, from its discharge of water, which is such as to resemble the stream of a river. The fountain of Cyane, a few miles from the town, has also a copious discharge. The harbour exists in all its beauty. It is capable of receiving vessels of the greatest burden, and of containing a very numerous fleet. Though at present entirely neglected, it might easily be rendered a great naval and commercial station. The environs of Syracuse are fertile. The exports from the town are limited to wine, oil, hemp, nitre, and some wheat. The climate is mild, and the town well adapted for a winter residence, but in summer it is rendered unhealthy by the marshes at the head of the harbour. It contains no remarkable buildings, nor any thing that deserves the name of a square. It has, however, an hospital, and a number of churches and convents. It is the see of an archbishop, and is 30 miles S. 8. E. of Catania, and 80 6. S. W. of Messina. Long. 15. 27. 3. E. Lat. 37. 3. 0. N.

SYRESHAM, a parish of England, in Northamptonshire, 4 miles N. E. of Brackley. Population 593.

SYRESTON, a parish of England, in Nottinghamshire, 5 miles S. W. of Newark.

SYRIA, a fine country of Asia, situated along the most interior coast of the Mediterranean, which bounds it on the west, while on the north Mount Taurus and its branches divide it from Asia Minor, and on the east a vast and trackless desert, stretching northwards from Arabia, and partaking of the dreariest character of that region, separates it at an undefined point from the Persian or independent provinces of Kurdistan and Irak Arabi. On the north it has Palestine. That country, indeed, has been often considered as part of Syria, the frontier of which would thus be extended to Arabia and Egypt. As, however, Palestine has already been described at some length, it will be in a great measure excluded from our present description of Syria.

་་་

There is no country in Asia more cele brated in antiquity, or which recalls more solemn recollections than Syria. In the earliest periods of the Jewish history, we find it already formed into a powerful king

dom, having Damascus for its capital. most remarkable district, however, consi ed of the sea coast, entitled Phoenicia, which commerce first derived its origin, a flourished to a degree unexampled in a cient times, unless in its own colony Carthage. After the conquests and dea of Alexander, Syria was erected by his lie tenant, Seleucus, into a separate kingdo which at first comprehended the whole w of Asia, and even after its limits were duced, opposed, under Antiochus, a lo and vigorous resistance to the Roman arr Even under Rome, Antioch was still splendid and luxurious capital of the es and, next to Rome itself, and to Alexa dria, the greatest city in the empire. the rise of the Saracen power, Syria, posed to their immediate inroads, among the first to fall under their sw Soon, however, when the crusading arm poured into Asia, it became the gr theatre of contest between the armies the cross and the crescent; and its plai during many ages, were deluged with blo At length the Moslem force triumphed o armies whose resources were at so great að tance, and whose strength lay only in romantic enthusiasm with which they w animated. Syria was finally absorbed the Turkish empire, of which it has form one of the richest appendages. Its sit tion, however, is sufficiently distant to mi it be with difficulty kept in regular subj tion. Chiefs have from time to time star up, who have for some time set the por of the Porte at defiance. Among the eat est was Fackerdin, emir of the Druses, well known people, inhabiting the mou tainous district of Lebanon. Not conten with reigning over them as a tribut: prince, he made himself master of Bairo and successively of all the towns on t Syrian coast. He pretended to be only t instrument of the Porte in punishing fractory pachas, and recommended hims by remitting a larger tribute than befo He remained for a considerable time alm absolute master of Syria, till, having aba doned himself to ease and luxury, whi he had learned during a visit to Italy, t Porte, whose jealousy was now fully aw kened, sent against him a strong for by which the emir was defeated, taken, a put to death. His posterity, however, co tinued to administer the affairs of the Dr ses, but entirely as vassals of the Port About the middle of the last century, D her, a powerful Arabian sheik, establishe in Syria a power so independent, that th Porte, in order to preserve any form of a legiance, was obliged first to grant him a annual lease of his dominions, and then t confirm it to his successor; thus renderin

him completely an independent sovereign. At length the Porte, determined to vinditate his power, dispatched a large army into Syria; and though Daher, fortified by the dance of the celebrated Ali Bey, gained repeated victories, he was ultimately overwered and put to death. During his administration, he had greatly improved the condition of Syria. He made no distinctiin point of religion; and his justice had established among the people a sense of security elsewhere unknown in Turkey. Hccessor was the celebrated Dsjezzar Pain, who soon raised a power almost Aqually independent, but the savage energy whose administration was not accompanied by the improving and protecting system of predecessor. The reign of this chief was dered remarkable by the invasion of Syrit by Bonaparte, when Dsjezzar, with the if British seamen, gave that dreaded ander the first serious check he had rived. After the death of Dsjezzar, the power reverted to the Porte, and Soleiman sappointed pacha. About this time the of Syria became critical, in consege of the formidable inroad of the Wabis, who had entirely blocked up dhere to Mecca. They would no longemit the great armed caravan from scus to proceed thither, though they dowed passage to single and unarmed pilprim. The Porte sent repeated injuncto the pacha to avenge this insult to he majesty of the empire. Under this impe, Abdallah, pacha of Damascus, undok repeated expeditions, but was alobliged to return without reaching Me He was supplanted by Yussuf Pata, who made a good governor, and by tjat and protecting system, had greatly ved the territory under his jurisdic; but he was not successful in resisting Wahabis, who, advancing through the n desert, alarmed Damascus itself. Another deadly sin of Yussuf was the being ry sparing in his remittances to the Porte, who therefore transferred the pachale of Damascus to Soleiman, under whose arment Acre and Tripoli had already placed. In 1811, accordingly, when Burckhardt was at Damascus, Soleiman eigned over the whole of Syria and Paleste, except the pachalic of Aleppo. Compared to the average of Turkish pachas, he es to bear a fair character, and to afford spect of at least preserving that meare of prosperity which the districts under his government enjoyed.

The leading feature in the physical pect of Syria consists in the great mountain chain traversing it from south to north, and known, from its highest pinnacle near Tripoli and Bairout, under the name of

Lebanon, or Libanus. Connected with Mount Casius, which stretches farther to the north, it forms a continued range, locking in with Mount Taurus on the frontier of Asia Minor. While Lebanon faces the Mediterranean, a parallel chain, called Anti Libanus, looks eastward upon the Syrian desert. Thus Syria, in its inhabited districts, may be considered as a country of vallies; but many of these vallies are blessed with extreme fertility, as well as with the utmost felicity of climate. That interposed between Lebanon and the Mediterranean, where it is of any breadth, yields amply all the richest products, being preserved by the vicinity both of the mountains and the sea, from that aridity which forms the usual source of sterility in tropical regions. Besides all the most valuable grains, its fruits are held in especial esteem, particularly the oranges of Tripoli, the figs of Bairout, and the pistachios of Aleppo. As we ascend the sloping sides of Lebanon, all the varieties of European climate are successively experienced. These mountain tracks being possessed by free and industrious tribes, are much more diligently cultivated than the plains, whose tenants are continually exposed to the extortions of the pachas. The vine and the mulberry are reared by care to great perfection; silks and wines are produced, which rival those of Italy and France. Olives and tobacco are also cultivated successfully, and to a great extent. Lebanon is chiefly composed of lime-stone, and presents those castellated rocks, and those extensive caves, which are characteristic of that formation. To the cast of this chain vast plains extend, which, as long as they are refreshed with any portion of its moisture, yield most abundant crops of grain. The plains of the Hauran and the Lesge, to the south of Damascus, are peculiarly celebrated for their fertility. From this to the Euphrates, a vast track of desert intervenes, entirely given up to the wandering tribes of the Bedouins.

The commerce of Syria has never been so great in modern as in ancient times, and may now be stated as inconsiderable. Scanderoon, Tripoli, Saide, and other ports on the Mediterranean, are the residence of a few Frank merchants, and carry on a limited intercourse with Europe. A very extensive land communication has generally been carried on from Syria, with Arabia, Persia, and the interior of Asia; but the domination of the Wahabis in the former country, and the civil wars in the latter, have almost entirely blocked up the passage of the pilgrims and caravans. This cir cumstance, with the oppression of the pachas, has nearly ruined this celebrated

emporium of Syria. The city contains only a small proportion of its former inhabitants, and the plains round it lie deserted and uncultivated. The vicinity of Damaseus, on the contrary, which depends more upon agriculture, and has been mildly ruled, exhibits an appearance of populousness and prosperity.

The political state of Syria does not differ from that of the rest of Asiatic Turkey, to which general head we shall here refer. Few countries present a greater variety of population. Its open plains, separated by no defined boundary from Arabia, Persia, and Asia Minor, are variously occupied by the wandering population of these respective countries. Turks and Greeks form, as elsewhere, the basis of population in the cities. The only tribes which can be considered as appropriate to Syria, are the tenants of the heights of Lebanon. The most remarkable of these are the Druses and the Maronites. The former have been sometimes represented as Christians; and a slight resemblance of name has been employed to make them appear original followers of a count de Dreux, who made a figure in Palestine during the crusades. In fact, however, the Druses are mentioned prior to that era. They are the votaries of Hakem, the caliph of Egypt, who in the 11th century set up pretensions to divinity, and recommended his faith by the abolition of fasting, circumcision, and all the burdensome parts of the Mahometan ritual. The Druses have ever since lived with little outward form of religion, the observances of which are chiefly confined to the okkals or doctors. Their language, which is pure Arabic, clearly disproves the idea of any European origin. The Druses live in a species of rude independence, and are the only people in this part of Asia who have any semblance of a free government. They have a king, indeed, who governs under the Porte, and a hereditary nobility possessed of high privileges; but the people still retain the free possession of the fruits of their industry, and these rude mountains yield more ample produce, and maintain a larger population, than many of the most fertile districts of the Turkish empire. When the cry of war is raised, the whole nation takes arms, and 15,000 men have been raised on a very short notice. They have no idea of regular warfare; their armies are merely a collection of peasants, with short coats, naked legs, and armed with muskets. They never en gage in close combat or on the plain; but maintain a war of posts, firing from a distance, or rising in ambuscade. Their obstinacy and hardihood in this species of warfare renders their frequent rebellions

very formidable to the Turkish empir They can muster 40,000 men, which pro bably implies a total population of abo 200,000.

The Maronites are another people of L banon, inhabiting the mountain district Kesraouan, which rises behind Tripol They are more orderly and peaceab than the Druses. They are Christians, an have joined the Romish communion, ha ing renounced all the heresies of the founder Maron, except the marriage of th priesthood, which nothing can ever indu them to relinquish. Their soil produc nothing but the mulberry, which they c tivate with the greatest care, and depe upon almost solely for subsistence. Th chief place, and the residence of the p triarch, is at Cannobine, a convent situat high up the mountain, which the freshn of the air, its picturesque hills, and bea tiful arcades, render a delightful residen Their number is supposed to exceed 100,00 Tribes of less importance are the Mutual who inhabit the plain between Libanus a Anti Libanus; and the Arisarians, w occupy the northern ridge of hills contin ed from Lebanon, and bordering on A Minor, called Mount Casius. It see impossible to form even a conjecture as the amount of the mixed population of th part of the Turkish empire.

SYRIAN, a very ancient, and formerly large town, of the Birman dominions, pi vince of Pegue. It is situated on t banks of the Appoo river, and was forme the port at which several of the Europe nations had factories. The British facto was destroyed in the year 1744, during t war between the Birmans and Pegue The town also suffered much on that oc sion, and since the removal of the trade Rangoon, has dwindled into a mere villa Long. 96. 17. E. Lat. 16. 49. N.

SYRMIA, a palatinate of the Austri province of Sclavonia, lying in the east that province, between the Danube and t district called "the frontier regiment Peterwardein.” Its superficial extent 910 square miles; its population betwe 90,000 and 100,000. It contains the mou tain of Carlovics, but is generally lev and of great fertility, though in son places marshy, and consequently unhealth The chief products are wheat, maize, wi of a remarkably heating quality, and t spirit extracted from plums, called Sliv vicza. Some silk is also raised, but th quantity is not large. The chief town Vukovar.

SYSELAND, a parish of England, in Nor folk, 10 miles Ŝ. E. of Norwich.

SYSRAN, a considerable town in the cas of European Russia, in the government o

siderable height, and containing 1800 in habitants.

SZALONTHA, a small town of the east of Hungary, in the county of Bihar, on the river called the Black Koresch. It is inhabited by Calvinists.

Simbirsk, at the confluence of two rivers called the Sysranka and the Krymsa. It contains 6300 inhabitants, has some trade both by land and water, and is the chief town of a circle, in which is a manufactory of cloth, and one of saltpetre. Like other Russian towns, it is built chiefly of wood. At a village called Koschytschi, near this plate, are the ruins of some stone build, belonging apparently to an ancient tova 78 miles S. of Simbirsk.

Sex, a parish of England, in Linnire, 4 miles N. E. by N. of Gran

SISTON, a parish of England, in Lei estershire, 5 miles N. N. E. of Leicester. Population 1223.

Srazkovo, a small town of the west of European Russia, in the government of Gradio, on the Niemen.

STTECHEVSK, a small town in the intefr of European Russia, in the government of Smolensk, on the river Wasuga, 14 miles W. by N. of Moscow.

STELL, a parish of England, in Northmshire, 4 miles W. of Wellingbo

Several names of towns in Hungary, is beginning with these two letters, be found in this Gazetteer without ; thus SZATHMAR, see Sathmar. STABADSZALLAS, a small town in the terior of Hungary, in the district of Little Kumania, with 4000 inhabitants, all Calvinists. They have no manufactures, and few mechanical occupations, being emed in agriculture, rearing cattle, and ating the grape. 43 miles S. by W. of

SZALAD, a county of Hungary, lying to the north-east of the Drave, and the north of the lake of Balaton. Its superficial extent is 2130 square miles; its population best 230,000, of very diversified origin, bing composed of the descendants of Magyars, Croats, Slowacs, and German settlers. It contains the mountains of Ra dastong, and a part of the forest of Rakong, but has also a great deal of level ground, and contains part of the lake of Balaton. 1: produces wine, and is fertile in corn. The number of hogs reared in the forests abo large. The chief town is Egers

SZALONAK, OF SCHLANING, a small town in the west of Hungary, in the county of Laburg, situated on a steep hill of cou

SZAMOBOR, a small town of Austrian Illyria, 22 miles N. by E. of Carlstadt, with 2700 inhabitants. It has a Francis can monastery, and several schools, and in the neighbourhood is a rich copper mine. SZAMOS. See Samosch.

SZAMOS-UJVAR. See Armenierstadt. SZARVAS, a large town in the east of Hungary, in the palatinate of Bekesch, on the river Koresch. It has a Lutheran school, several of the seminaries called in Germany schools of industry, and an institution for the practice of economics. The object of these is to convey more scientific information on practical subjects, such as agriculture, manufactures, and trade, than can be acquired by a common apprentice from his master, or in an ordinary school, particularly in such countries as Hungary, where a knowledge of the arts is as yet very imperfectly diffused. In other respects, Szarvas has the characteristics of most Hungarian towns: it has hardly any manufactures; and its inhabitants, nearly 8000 in number, are employed partly as mechanics, more as agriculturists. The adjacent pastures are good, and about 10,000 head of cattle belong to inhabitants of the town. 82 miles E. S. E. of Pest, and 21 N. N. E. of Csongrad.

SZARYGRAD, a considerable town in the south-west of European Russia, in the government of Podolia. It has nearly 7000 inhabitants, and is the chief place of a circle, but contains nothing deserving of mention, resembling altogether the other towns of Russian Poland, being built chiefly of wood, with ill paved streets, few manufactures, and a very poor population.

SZASZ-REGEN,REGINU,Or REEN-MARKT, a large market town of Transylvania, in the county of Thorda, inhabited chiefly by the descendants of Saxon settlers, who are employed in weaving or in tanning leather. They are distinguished from the aborigines both by their dress and manner of building their houses.

SZATZK. See Schazk.

SZCZERKOW, a small town in the west of Poland, on the Widawka, 25 miles S. S. E. of Sieradz. Population 800.

SzczucZIN, a small town in the northeast of Poland, 104 miles N. N. E. of War saw, and 27 N. by E. of Lomza. Population 2000. It has a large free school, taught by the Catholic monks called Piarists.

SZEBELLOB, or SZEBELEB, a small town of the north-west of Hungary, in the