The Hellenion became a flourishing Greek community on the Egyptian soil; and precisely as Canton for a long time was the only Chinese port at which Europeans could trade, so for many years after the death of Amasis, Naukratis remained the only port of Egypt open to the Greeks. Ascending the Canopic branch of the Nile, all their vessels were required to proceed direct to Naukratis; and if a Greek ship attempted to enter any other mouths of the river, the crew were obliged to declare that the mistake was the result of accident.

69. Amasis reigned forty-four years (570-526 B.C.), and was ever afterwards remembered as one of the greatest and most popular of the Egyptian monarchs. Among his military actions was the complete reduction of Cyprus to be a dependency of Egypt. Towards the close of his reign he was threatened with an invasion by the Persian king, Cambyses. While it was pending, he died, leaving as his successor Psammenitus, his son by a Grecian wife. This prince had not reigned six months, when Egypt was conquered, and annexed to the Persian empire (525 в. c.) At this point, accordingly, the history of Egypt as an independent state terminates.

As an example of hieroglyphic writing, there is here given a representation of an inscription from the obelisk of Philæ. The symbols enclosed within the elliptical ring or cartouche signify the word 'Cleopatra'-there being a phonetic character corresponding to every letter in the Greek name, together with the symbols (a small semicircle and oval) of the feminine termination. Thus, beginning at the top, and reading from right to left, we have nine signs respectively agreeing with the nine letters K-L-E-O-P-A-T-R-A-the small oval and semicircle on each side of the last bird, or A, marking the feminine termination.

THE PHOENICIANS.

70. The whole of the extensive region lying between the Mediterranean and the river Tigris was by the ancients called Syria. The condition of Syria, at the earliest period to which history reaches, seems to have been that of a vast tract of country divided into a number of petty principalities, each having a city for its centre, and each under the rule of a chief who bore the appellation of king. In the course of time the country was divided into Phoenicia and Palestine on the Mediterranean, and the more inland region stretching to the Tigris which received the name of Assyria, though divided into several kingdoms. In order to avoid a confusion of terms, the ancients used to speak of the Jews as the Syrians of Palestine, and of the Phonicians as the Syrians of Phoenicia; while, as a designation for the inhabitants of the remainder of Syria, they retained the general term Assyrians.

71. Phoenicia, or Phoenice, as it is more properly named, was a very small country. -a mere strip of the Syrian coast lying between the Mediterranean and the chain of mountains called Libanus. Its length from its northern extremity, the river Eleutherus, to its southern, Mount Carmel, was 120 miles; its greatest breadth was only about 20 miles. The coast of this limited territory was in general rocky, but indented with numerous bays. The climate was good, and the soil fertile, being watered by numerous small streams which flowed from Libanus to the sea, and which, in consequence of their rapid descent, were liable after raihs to heavy floods. The various grains and fruits of the East were produced in Phoenicia in abundance; but in consequence of the excessive population in proportion to the extent of territory, the supply of native produce was not nearly sufficient for the demand, and the Phoenicians accordingly were

large importers of corn. Among the natural features of the country, one of the most important was the plentiful growth of timber - trees. The entire range of Mount Libanus, with its ridges towards the sea, was almost a continuous forest of cedar, fir, and pine-the trees best adapted for the purposes of shipbuilding. The timber of Mount Libanus was cut down, floated or carried to the Mediterranean, and built into ships; and by the navigation of these ships to all parts of the known world, the Phœnicians, or, as they are called in Scripture, the Canaanites, became one of the greatest of the nations of antiquity.

72. Originally the condition of Phoenicia was the same as that which has been described as the primitive condition of Syria in general-a tract of country containing numerous towns, each the centre of a limited territory, and each governed by its own king or chieftain. From among these communities the great cities of Phoenicia gradually became conspicuous-Aradus, Tripolis, Byblus, Berytus, Sidon, Sarepta, Tyre, Acre, and others of less importanceforming a chain of ports situated at short intervals along the entire coast.

In

73. Regarding the individual histories of these towns there is little distinct information. According to ancient tradition, the oldest of them was Sidon, the founder of which is said by the Jewish historian Josephus to have been Sidon, the eldest son of Canaan. That Sidon possessed claims to a very high antiquity, is at least indicated by the reference made to it in Joshua, xix. 28, where it is called 'great Zidon;' a designation shewing that, even at that early date (1450 B. c.), it was a city of note. Homer also (1000-800 B. c.) frequent mention is made of the merchants and skilful artists of Sidon. About this time, however, it began to yield in importance to Tyre, which was believed to have been originally a colony of Sidon, and whose more advantageous position had enabled it to rival the mother city. The importance of Tyre, even while Sidon still continued to be regarded as the metropolis of Phoenicia, is proved by the manner in which Hiram, its king, the contemporary and friend of Solomon (1012 B. C.), is mentioned in 1 Kings, v., where an account is

given of Solomon's application to him for assistance in the building of the Temple. Not long after this Tyre had superseded Sidon as the chief of the Phoenician cities, and had come to exert, as Sidon had till then done, a virtual supremacy over the others.

74. Phoenician history is divided into two periods-the first, the period of the supremacy of Sidon, extending from immemorial antiquity to about the year 1000 B. c.; and the second, the period of the supremacy of Tyre, extending from about 1000 to 550 B. C.

75. The pursuits of a people are usually determined by the nature of the country they inhabit. In a rich level territory they are agriculturists; in a mountainous region they devote themselves to the pasturing of cattle and sheep; on the shores of the sea they become fishermen, or engage in foreign trade. The position of Phoenicia made its people mariners and merchants. On the left lay the Red Sea, the high road to India, where the natural luxuries and artificial elegances of the East were produced in vast abundance. On the right, and in front, was the Mediterranean, by which the whole world, as known to the ancients, could be readily reached. The Phoenicians thus very naturally, like the British of the present day, attained distinction in commercial pursuits

that is, in buying goods, the produce of inland and Eastern countries, and selling them to the nations who bordered on the Mediterranean and Western Europe. In exchange they obtained vegetable, mineral, and other produce from Europeans, and in this manner they may be said to have had in their hands the commerce of the world.

76. All national greatness has small beginnings. Little by little, favoured by circumstances and encouraged by profitable enterprise, the Phoenicians rose to eminence as a mercantile people as early as 1500 B.C.; and when, five hundred years later, Tyre attained a supremacy over Sidon, the nation was in a flourishing condition, and its proficiency in the arts considerable. As the trade of Phoenicia is one of the most interesting things connected with ancient history, it will be of use to describe it in detail.

77. The trade of the Phoenicians, which was at its height about a thousand years before Christ, or three thousand Meryears ago, was of two kinds-inland and maritime. chandise was brought from Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, the borders of India and Egypt, the transit from which countries was by means chiefly of camels. Great numbers of these animals, forming caravans, traversed the deserts with

their burdens, under the charge of men experienced in this toilsome species of traffic.

78. The commodities supplied by Arabia were chiefly perfumes, precious stones, and wool; and their chief source appears to have been the district of Yemen, called also Arabia Felix, in order to distinguish it from the desert character of the remaining territory. From the various districts furnishing these products they were collected for the purposes of trade into two great marts: one in Arabia Felix, in the neighbourhood of the present towns of Mocha, Sana, and Damar, near the Straits of Babelmandel; the other in Eastern Arabia, at the town of Gerra, situated on the Persian Gulf. These marts also served as stations of communication with Ethiopia and India. Thus near Babelmandel were collected frankincense, gold, ivory, and slaves,