Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-05-02

city, however, thhn lis baths, theatre anu 'oW-
er, was its school Of law, which was establish
ed and fostered for ages by the Roman emper-
ors, and attracted crowds of students from the
East. Justinian styled the city 'lhe nurse Of
ihe Law" in reference TO the celebrated school,
its learned professor, and numerous students
and lie conferred on it, in connection with Rome
and Constantinople, the exclusive right to have
professors TO expound the Roman jurisprudence.
The celebrity and authority of this law school
are indicated by the fact, that Herod the Great,
the murderer ofthe babes of Bethlehem, once APP
peared here in person 10 plead against his two
sons, whom he falsely accused of conspiring
against his life; and whom, having procured
their condemnation by the judges, he soon after
wards put TO death. The place was important
in the time of the Crusaders, who built three
castles, one OF which remains almost i'll per-
feet state, while the the two others, standing
on rocks running into the sea, and both within
the limits of the old town, were nearly annihil-
atcd when Sir Charles Napier bombarded the
city in the year 1910. The renowned Saladin,
some of whose descendants are now found in
Damascus, in extreme poverty and debasement
once led his victorious forces here, ana eXpel-
ling the last of the Crusaders, gave the place
into the permanent possession of the Moslems.
At an early period in history, Sennacherib,
King of Assyria, marched his powerful army
along the coast and through this town, as he
went down to invest and annihilate Jerusalem ;
while in subsequent times his successors and the
Kings Of Egypt conducted their forces by this
same route, when they made war upon each
other
Like other cities of the East, Beirut has been
devastated by earthquakes, twice utterly, and ii
has repeatedly suffered, more or less, ION their
recurrence. 1t was, indeed, one Of these ter
rible yisilations which broke up the famous law
school. A crowd OF students were in attend
ance, from all parts of the country, aud The most
honorable families. Suddenly the earth shook
and the buildings toppled, burying great num-
Der 0i the young men under the ruins. This
occurred A. d. SOC. In all parts of the :own,
within the walls, and in what are called "the
Gardens" extending for miles around it, mon
umenis of these desolating visitation are to be
seen. Tesselaied pavements, shafts, and ped
esas of columns are found alike in the gardens
and on the sea shore, and great part of the
quay forming the harbor is constructed of frag-
menls of pillars, some Of which appear 10 have
been of great size and highly finished AS
these are of granite, which is not found in any,
part of this country, they must have been brought
from Upper Egypt. Though these remains are
of little value in the eyes Of the antiquary they
may, as an old traveller has quantity remarked
''instruct The pensive behoider with their ex-
emplary frailtie." Wherever excavations are
made, memorials of past and forgotten genera
tions are encountered, even ten feet or less be-
meath the surface.
One Of the most interesting and important
discoveries was made some ten or fifteen years
since, in laying the foundations of new build
ing, just outside the walls. The workmen
struck upon Roman aqucduct, so deep beneath
the surface that it is now reached by flight of
forty stone steps, ard 50 large that man is
able to stand erect in it, the whole cut in The
solid rock 1t is not known how far it extends,
though it has been traced for cons iderablc
distance by the air holes Gu, at intervals, nor
is II known from what source it is supplied with
water, though it is supposed from the Beirut
river about three miles distant. Freed from
distractions and cleansed at the air hole which
was first disvocered, the water flows again,
which had been motionless and useless ror ages.
Such was The past of this city.
If you would see il as it is at present, you
should approach it from the island of Cyprus,
about 100 miles northwest, when You will see
Lebanon, stretching along north aud south, and
It's snow-clad peaks rising IL 600 feet into a
cloudess sky, with lis spurs reaching down
here and there TO the very sea, and in other
places leaving plain from three TO six miles
wide. When you come nearer, you see a tri-
angular cape projecting from the roots of the
mountain, with a base of ten miles, and sides
of about six. Beirut is built upon the north
side of the triangle, than which nothing can
meet the eyes more peaceful and varied The
land rises and opens in the form of an amphi-
theatre, the houses overlooking one another as
they recede from the sea TO the distance of about
two miles, the outside and highest tiers looking
at each other from side to side, and down into
the basin and the walled city at the end The
streets extend along the sea shore full three
miles, though the old town is of much smaller
dimensions, being about half mile square, and
surrounded by wall, well preserved, flankej
with towers, and about thirty feet high, except
on the sea side, where there is none. The
town, however, being surrounded by The heights,
the walls would prove but feeble defence
against artillery. So exceedingly massive,
however, is their construction, that, in the opn-
ion of Admiral Napier, it would not be an easy
matter 10 do them serious damage; and he
could base his opinion upon his experience
The walls have six gates, which formerly were
closed at sunset, but now are left open night and
day. The streets are of the narrowest width
possible, being often over-arched and dark and
looking like tombs cut out of solid masonry. -
On each side Of the streets there is raised
paved walk for foot passengers, while a channel
is made between them for animals and water
The bazaars display all the varieties of Euro
pean and Oriental goods, and as much activity
as is possible for operators who sit upon their
launches from morning till night, in stores hardly
six feet square, smoking the chibouk all the hile
1t is instructive, as well as musing, to pass
along and contemplate this most absurd and
bizarre life. Millions worth of goods are an
nually imported, 1876 English vessels arriving
here the last year, and 90 steamers now CON-
ing and departing every month. Yet the Gus