name may be said to be literally significant or expressive. Mount Casius, rising abruptly from the sea, high above all the hills in its vicinity, and peculiarly of a pointed form, and situated between the once famous cities of Seleucia and Laodicea, is repeatedly mentioned by ancient writers; and the preposterous terms in which they describe it, sufficiently show how greatly it was renowned for its height, so as appropriately to bear the designation of a "very high mountain." Its locality is undoubted, as marked by Strabo1 and Pliny, near to Seleucia, and by Ammianus Marcellinus, as the Orontes flows by its base. Its height is described by Pliny and others, in an oft-repeated statement, which merits ridicule alone, as such, that at the fourth watch, the sun, (three hours before its rise,) is to be seen from its summit; so that the spectator, by turning round, or looking from the east to the west, can equally see both day and night at once;3 and somewhat less extravagantly, he marks its altitude as four miles by the steepest ascent. Its bare and lofty pinnacle, as reflecting the first rays of the sun, might indeed be the first herald of the morning, after-if not, as alleged, before-the crowing of the cock." Noted as Mount Casius of Syria thus 1 Strabo, p. 1068. 2 Orontes imos pedes Casii Montis illius celsi praetermeans. Amm. Marcel. lib. xiv. c. 8. (al. 26.) p. 33, edit. Lugd. Bat. 1693. Super Seleuciam Mons Casius, cujus excelsa altitudo quarta vigilia orientem per tenebras solem adspicit, brevi circumactu corporis diem noctemque pariter ostendens. Plin. lib. v. c. 22. In Monti Casio, quam videndi solis ortus gratia noctu adscendisset, &c. Had. Spartian, c. xiv. 'Præstituto feriarum die Casium montem adscendit nemorosum, et terreti ambitu in sublime porrectum, unde secundis galliciniis videtur primi solis exortus. Ammian. lib. xxii. c. 14, (33), p. 256. Hi omnes de Syriæ Monti Casio illam de prematuro solis ortu narrationem habent. Vide Cellarii Geograph. Ant. tom. ii. p. 251. rays. was for the early rising of the sun as seen from its summit, the fact may plainly be inferred, that of all the hilly region around, the "pinnacle of Casius," from its superior elevation, was daily first gilded by the solar For the same reason, it would prove the first and most conspicuous landmark from the sea, situated as it is on the lip of the ocean. Without attempting to define its situation, Pococke, who passed it, affirms that it is certainly, (giving unconsciously the very translation of Hor-ha-hor in the Vulgate,) a very high mountain, though, as he very safely states, " Pliny's testimony seems to exceed the truth." The reason which he assigns why a southern summit of the same mountain could alone, in his estimation, be Anti-Casius, viz. that "all the other hills being very low with regard to (in comparison with) Mount Casius," may serve at once to show why it has been so peculiarly celebrated for its height, and how it is thereby aptly fitted, as if raised on purpose by the God of nature, who is also the God of Israel, for forming the termination of the western border of Israel's inheritance along the Mediterranean Sea, and the point where the northern begins. The peculiar position of Mount Casius, not only on the very verge of the sea, but also at the northern termination of a long maritime plain, and the termination too of the river and valley of the Orontes, (or, according to Abulfeda, of the river of Hamath,) tends, together with its pointed form, to render it more conspicuous and remarkable than loftier mountains in other regions, whose pre-eminence is not so marked. Thus while, in that pure atmosphere, it is seen for so long a distance in the northern coast of Syria, and also from the sea, it is no less conspicuous at the distance of more than sixty 1 Pococke's Description of the East, p. 187. 2 Ibid. miles in an opposite direction; for the same travellers by whom we have been led to the first view of it, state that Mount Casius was in sight from Sermain, which lies on the farther side of the land of Hamath. Mount Casius is, we may confidently affirm, the only mountain on any part of the coast which lies over against the land of Hamath, that is anywhere visible from it, or from any region beyond it. But if Mount Casius be the very high mountain from which the entrance into Hamath has to be pointed out, where is such an entrance to be seen from it? That entrance is the very object in immediate view lying at its base, and stretching inland to Antioch, as, from the north end of the land one goeth unto Hamath, &c. The Orontes empties itself into the sea at the foot of Casius, a narrow plain intervening at its entrance. And that mountain is as fitting a station from whence the entrance into Hamath may be pointed out, as it is itself a peculiar landmark from the sea. "From the sea ye shall point out to you a very high mountain, and from that mountain ye shall point out the entrance into Hamath." And not till Mount Casius is ascended, is any entrance into Hamath seen; but its northern side is that also of a valley, which needs but to be pointed out as the sought-for border of Israel. Descriptions by unconscious travellers may show, that the relative connection between the high mountain and the entering in of Hamath, is as close in fact, as in the text. "The southern part of the city (the ruined Seleucia) commands a view of the sea, Mount Casius, the port, the plain to the south, and the Orontes running through it." "From the mountains the country appears like a plain all the way to Antioch; but about a league to the east from the sea, there are low hills almost as far as that city, which have fruitful valleys between them."1 "The valley in which the Orontes winds down and discharges itself into the sea, is well seen from hence, (Seleucia). Its southern boundary is the range of Jebel Okrab, (Mount Casius,) the steep sides of which seem to rise abruptly from the sea, and continue their ascent till they terminate in its grey and bare peak, at the height of perhaps 5000 feet from the base. Its northern boundary is the range of mountain called Jebel Moosa, the western extremity of which slopes down into a cape at the distance of less than a mile north of the moles and entrance of the ruined port of Antioch; and its even summit runs along to the eastward, until it loses itself among more uneven hills. The inner or eastern parts of these ranges gradually approach each other till they seem to meet, thus leaving a triangular valley or plain between them, its base line being the edge of the sea-coast, and its whole length from eight to ten miles. It is nearly in the centre of this that the Orontes winds down its course; and the whole of the space on its northern bank is occupied by corn-fields, mulberry grounds, gardens of fig trees, and detached cottages, all excellently built."2 "I set out" (from Antioch,) says Mr G. Robinson, "for Suidieh, situated in a plain five hours and a half south-west of Antioch, and one from the sea. The road to it is over a country slightly undulated, and crossed occasionally by streams, falling from the mountains to the north, and running towards the Orontes." "From the ruins of Seleucia, I crossed over the plain southwards, about four miles, to the mouth of the Orontes. The entrance is marked by the whitened tomb of a 'Pococke's Description of the East, p. 186. 2 Buckingham's Travels among the Arab Tribes, pp. 550, 551. Turkish santon. Djebel Okrab, Mount Casius, on the south side of the river, appears from this spot to great advantage, rising abruptly from the sea to the height of between five and six thousand feet, and terminating in a sharp peak. Its lower part is cultivated, but toward the top it is grey and bare of trees, from whence it derives its name, Okrab, meaning in Arabic, 'bald.' From the mouth of the river, I ascended the right bank, till I came to a large basin, which, I was told, was the ancient port of Antioch." Mr Robinson returned to Antioch on the southern side of the river, partly along the north declivity of Mount Casius: "In one hour I reached the banks of the Orontes, near the place, where issuing from the mountains, it enters the plains previous to emptying itself finally into the sea, two miles from hence. At this stage of its course, though not very wide, it is a fine, deep, and steady flowing river, and navigable for vessels about a hundred tons burden. On crossing the river, and reaching the opposite side, we commenced ascending the left bank of the stream, and, in a quarter of an hour, entered a mountain pass of surprising beauty. For more than two hours from hence, the Orontes is seen flowing between a double line of high hills, winding and turning incessantly-as the ground on which it passes presents obstacles to its free course-though enabling it thereby to distribute alternately to either side, the fertilizing powers of its waters. In this interval the road is naturally subject to the caprices of the river. At two hours from the western entrance of the pass, the mountains on the right bank of the river suddenly dwindle into comparative insignificance, and shortly after the view opens again to the plain of Souedie. Following the path along the hills, which overlook the Orontes, in three hours we reached Antioch, making a total of seven from Suedieh. The road we took on our return |