and holding in his beak the joined ex-for them is filled in by some elegant ornatremities of two festoons, each of which is ments, probably indicating that the soveheld at the other end by a figure repre- reign was childless. One tablet that I senting a winged genius, is carved in bas- examined had ten children, another only relief upon the soffit. The genius to the three; the fourth compartment being an right of the eagle is defaced. elegant design. Our entrance into the body of the temple created a great panic amongst a host of birds that had settled there, and the lizards retreated into their hiding-places, alarmed at our unwelcome presence. It is 118 feet long, by 65 feet in breadth, and on each side of the entrance there is a square staircase, leading out to the top of the temple. The entire roof has fallen in. At the western extremity there appears to have been an arch or canopy over the throne of the chief idol-probably Baal supported by two beautiful Corinthian columns, 25 feet distant from the wall, with double square Corinthian columns in the two corners, and pilasters at the ends and sides, forming a partition between the body of the temple, and the throne, or altar; and on that part of it which remains, may be seen sculptures in relievo, representing Neptune, Orion and his dolphin, various sea-gods, fishes, tritons, &c. The remainder of the two sides of the temple have three-quarter Corinthian columns, six feet apart, with niches between them, evidently designed for the reception of statues. These niches are in two rows, the upper row having pointed, the lower one semicircular tops. The entire roof has fallen in, and the large blocks of compact primitive limestone of which it was formed are heaped in confusion in the open space in the centre, some mossed over with gold, and others partly covered by the brier or the tendrilled plants that luxuriate here, and entwine themselves around the sculptured masses. Around the temple there was a row of beautiful Corinthian columns, 45 feet high, 19 feet in circumference, and 9 feet apart, and the same distance from the wall. They were surmounted by a beautiful cornice, 7 feet high, with the space between it and the wall covered by a carved ceiling of separate stones, measuring about 13 feet 8 inches long, by 10 feet 3 inches in breadth. Each one is sculptured in bas-relief, and represents some of the reigning monarchs, surrounded by their children, in some instances; in others, the space appropriated The tablets on the north side had the king and queen placed at either end of them, and the children in the centre; but those on the south side had the children at the extremities, and the monarchs in the centre. One tablet represented one of the queens nursing a child, and as the right breast was deficient, it is reasonable to suppose that she was intended to represent an Amazon. Many of the columns that surrounded the temples are displaced; there were fourteen on each side originally-sixteen in front of the pronaos or ante-temple, and eight in the rear, counting the corner ones of both numbers. Six of those in the front row of the colonnade of the pronaos are fluted; nine remain on the north side with the ceiling, and four on the south, with six on the west. Each column consists of three pieces of stone, joined together by a square piece of iron, fitted into the centre of each block, and they are so nicely fitted together, that it is impossible to force the blade of a penknife between the blocks. Near to the south-east corner there is a building, square outside; the walls of prodigious thickness, and entered by a beautiful Saracenic niche, with a staircase on one side, leading to the top, which is partially lighted by a circular opening, and narrow lancet windows at the sides. The roof is arched over, so as to enable it to sustain huge masses of stones, belonging to a ruin on its summit. If the mind is filled with astonishment at the grandeur, size, and execution of the details of the interior of the Temple of the Sun, and led to inquire how such masses of stones could be raised to such a height as the top of the building, how much more will this feeling be increased upon visiting the exterior of the enclosure in which the principal ruins stand; for the blocks of stone, forming part of the old wall on the western side towards the plain, are enormous; they lie, consecutively, in the same course, and about 25 feet above the ground. What power did they employ to raise such stones? One measured 63 feet in length, 13 feet in height, and 10 in width; two others habitants, that in 1785 they only amounted were each 60 feet long, and 12 feet broad to 200. Burckhardt, who visited the town and deep. The whole of the wall of which in 1810, estimated the number of the Metathese stones form a part, is composed of weli families at 70, and the Greek Catholies huge blocks; but they appear insignificant at 25. Now, allowing only 3 to each family, by the side of these monsters. On the north this would give 285; and in this he has side there are huge stones, and at the foot not enumerated the Maronites, or wandering of Anti-Lebanon, about half a mile from tribes. At the period of my visit in 1843, the town, and to the south of it, is a quarry, the number of persons residing in the town which contains one large block hewn out, was about 180. but not separated from the rock, measuring 69 feet 2 inches in length, 12 feet 10 inches in breadth, and 13 feet 3 inches in thickness, which would weigh about 1135 tons, supposing its specific gravity to be the same as Portland stone. Space will not permit me to describe the two subterranean passages beneath the grand temple, running east and west, and connected by another passage with the sculptured inscriptions; and scarcely to allude to the small octagonal building, about half an hour's walk from the town-called by the natives Kubbet Duris—with its Corinthian ornaments. The Metaweli women have, generally, very fine features, large black eyes, full of expression and vivacity, luxuriant raven hair, brown complexions, and fine figures. A Metaweli has a different idea of beauty to ourselves, for corpulency is considered as an especial claim to the appellation of "belle;" and their standard of female beauty is "Eyes black as the gazelle's; a skin white as milk, and smooth as amber; a mouth like a row of pearls set in coral; and a face full as the moon." They are taller in proportion than the men, averaging five feet; and are quiet and retiring in their dispositions, and devoid of the brutish expression the men so often exhibit. Their chief occupation is in spinning cotton, and tending the goats we have mentioned before, which are of an uncommon species. The town itself presents a most wretched appearance, being a confused heap of dilapidated hovels, that have suffered much from the earthquakes; they have flat roofs, and are built of sun-burnt brick or mud. A ruined bath, and two mosques with a lofty minaret, and the Emir's serai or palaceas it is termed—are the only buildings to be seen. The fountains of the mosques, and the town itself, are well supplied by an abundant stream of delicious water, that flows through its centre. The rising mists, and crimson glow of evening, warned us to depart; and thanking the superior of the convent for his attention to us while there, we bade adieu to Baalbec, probably for ever. I urged not my horse as we rode away from its neighbourhood, for there is a charm about its ruins that almost binds you to the spot. Those who have seen Baalbec by moonlight and sunrise can never forget it: it is an epoch in the life of a traveller. The lustrous light of the moon, with her star-bespangled train, afforded us a glimpse of the road we were travelling; but there was little to interest us-no beautiful scenery or majestic ruins; and on we went, with monotonous tramp, until we arrived at Zahle, where we halted for the night. At day-break we were again on our way, being desirous of paying a visit to the ruined temple of Hermes Nieha, which is about two hours' distance from Zahle. The ruins stand in a valley surrounded by barren rocks, having a spring near to them to the eastward, which rustled in merry mood in its time-worn channel; leaping by the em bedded rocks, while flocks of goats lined its banks, nipping the scanty herbage and blades of grass. The population of Baalbec has decreased considerably of late years, in consequence of oppression, want, and disease. In 1751, when Volney visited the town, it contained 5,000 inhabitants; but the earthquake of 1759, which caused so much destruction to the temple, and overthrew many houses, The temple faced the west, and a grand also destroyed 20,000 lives in the valley of flight of steps, twelve feet broad, with a Baalbec, and many in the town. The sub-column three and a half feet in diameter at sequent wars of the Emir and Djezzar the extremity of the lower step, formed the Pasha so reduced the number of the in-approach to a spacious pronaos, in which are the remains of columns. A doorway, six feet in width, leads to the cellar, the roof of which has fallen in, and covers the floor, while only half of the side walls remain. It is 36 feet long by 16 in breadth, and on each side on the walls stood six pilasters of an indifferent Ionic order. At the extremity of the chamber are steps, choked up with fragments of columns and walls, which led to a platform, where, in all probability, the statue of the idol stood. The temple appears to have been built in the latest ages of Paganisim, and is remarkable for its want of elegance in design and execution. On the right side of the entrance door is a staircase in the wall, leading to the top of the building, similar to the one at Baalbec. Leaving this ruin we pursued our route along the hills, and crossing the plain, before reaching the Lebanon range, we dined; and while refreshing ourselves and our horses, we admired the beauty of the scenery around us. In yon valley are luxuriant crops of vines, melons, maize, and tobacco; and the slopes and sides of the mountain are cultivated in terraces, to prevent the rains washing away the soil; and they are thickly studded with fig, olive, mulberry, lentisk, sycamore, oleander, pine, and carob trees; gardens, orchards, and vineyards, alternating with rocks, precipices, and mountain falls, or bubbling brooks; dirty khans send their smoke high into the air, and the low huts of the peasants and square white houses relieve the landscape, as they peep from their leafy nooks; herds of goats grazed around where we lay, "And heard the tinkling caravans and a peaceful brook, fed by the mountain streams at our feet, glided amid a mass of flowers that rendered the air fragrant and refreshing; the skylark over head, the chirping grasshoppers far and near, and the humming bee, supplied us with Nature's music. Oh! I could live amid such scenes, content with wandering here, and rambling there, unfettered by society's chains-with the heavens for a canopy, the sandy plain or mossy banks for a bed, Nature for an instructor, and my horse as a companion! There is a charm about an Arab's life, that makes me long once more to ramble among "Those grassy hills, those glittering dells, Proudly ramparted with rocks,' Our way, henceforth, was such as I can never hope or expect to witness again; and they are dotted down in my note-book in wild confusion as they occurred, without many comments, and therefore the reader shall have the advantage of the headings, leaving much to the imagination to fill up. At first we rode with gentle pace over a luxuriant plain, then succeeded in quick succession wastes without a tree, yawning precipices, woody hills, babbling streams shining amid luxuriant banks, woodland nooks with clustered trees, whose"Tremulous leaves with soft and silver lining" 1 the bright greensward, with deep shadows delight the eye and relieve the landscape; cast from forest monarchs, and banks. covered with chameleon-like moss; hang ing rocks riven, by the convulsive efforts of Nature; and delicious orchards of pomegranate, citron, mulberry, and other trees. At length we gained the highest point we had to reach, and soon espied the town of Beyrout before us. A race to the town was proposed, and now— "Helter-skelter they fly O'er stone, through brier, O'er the dry land, through the mire, until the plain of Beyrout was gained; then drawing rein, we trotted to St. George's Bay, where we found our boat, ready to convey us to our ocean home."-KAF. 66 ABUSE OF WORDS. ONE of the most powerful instruments of vice, the most fatal of all its poisoned weapons, is the abuse of words, by which good and bad feeling are blended together, and its deformity concealed, from an apparent alliance to some proximate virtue. Prodi-. gality and dissipation, are liberality and high spirit. Covetousness, frugality. Flattery, good breeding. As society advances in civilisation, the power of this engine does not diminish. To give harsh deeds soft names is one of the evils of refinement. In preventing this confusion-in preventing this abuse of words-in sustaining a high tone of moral feeling, by giving harsh names to harsh deeds, the preservation of the boundaries between virtue and vice mainly depends. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF HEALTH CHAPTER THE SIXTH. ON THE GENERAL RULES FOR TAKING FOOD AND SECURING HEALTHY DIGESTION. HAVING given an account of the structure of the organs of digestion, and the special functions which they perform, we shall now proceed to give a few practical directions with regard to the taking of food, in order to secure healthy digestion. so that by change of diet the evils of deficiency are avoided. As an illustration of the necessity of variety in diet, we may mention that on board ships where sailors are kept for a long time on the same diet, a disease known by the name of sea-scurvy breaks out. The great remedy against this disease is fresh vegetables, which are no sooner supplied to the system than the person gets well. It is now known that the fresh vegetables, lemon juice, and other substances which thus cure scurvy, contain a constituent which exists only in small quantities in the salt meat and hard biscuit which forms the sailors' fare. Having said thus much with regard to variety of food, we will now say a few words on the mode of eating, and the time of taking food. Although to persons in health this may appear perfectly needless, yet we would warn all our readers against supposing, that they can for any length of time neglect the laws which regulate healthy digestion without suffering. We are, in fact, so In the first place, food should be properly constituted, that the infringement of any cooked. Many substances which are very of the laws which secure health to a part indigestible when in the raw state, are of the body, will react upon the whole. rendered perfectly digestible by cooking. We find that death is as likely to result Although the stomach is capable of digestfrom disease of the liver, the stomach, or ing fruits, and some kinds of seeds withbowels, as from disease of the lungs, brain, out any exposure to heat, yet as a rule the and heart. There is, however, a reason why breaking down of the tissues which occurs above all other organs those of digestion in cooking greatly facilitates the digestion should be kept in a state of most perfect of both animal and vegetable food. But integrity, and this is, that they have to pre- whilst that cooking is proper which enables pare the materials out of which the whole the stomach more easily to reduce the food body is formed. If there is a fault in those to the condition of chyle, there are extremes first processes, by which the food becomes of preparation which, however palatable, changed into the constituents of the body, are to be avoided. Food that is much preit extends to the blood, and through this pared, so as to reduce it to a fluid condition, fluid to every organ of the system. Many -as soups, stews, and various made dishes, a person lays the foundation of irrecover- do not present sufficient solid matter for able disease by neglecting the first warnings the healthy process of digestion to be carof painful or disturbed digestion; whilst the ried on. When the object is to prevent the tone and vigour which is given to the sys-stomach from doing duty, such food is tem by digestive organs kept in health, by wise regulations is sure to lead to a hale and vigorous old age. In a subsequent volume of The Family Tutor we shall speak of the various kinds of food, their sources, and the functions they perform in the human system. We shall then show the reason why it is one of the most important rules of diet, that a due variety be observed in it. Not only is it objectionable to the palate to partake of the same diet for a long time together, but it usually happens, that constituents necessary to the system may be absent in one class of foods that are present in another; proper. It may also be taken occasionally with advantage as a variety in diet, but food taken long together in this form is injurious. Much indigestible food at a time should be avoided. Many of the articles of our diet are less digestible than others, and when taken in small quantities are not injurious. It is when such substances are made the principal constituents of a meal that danger is likely to arise. To mention only a few of the less digestible kinds of food:-Unfermented bread and biscuits, uncooked vegetables eaten as salad, unripe fruits, cheese, pie-crust, fat meats smoked as bacon, and the fat of meat, some kinds of fishes, especially the crustacea, crabs, lobsters, &c. Heavy meals of any one of these articles of diet, or mixtures of them, may be very injurious, and produce serious attacks of indigestion, if not other diseases. Solid food should be well masticated before it is swallowed. The teeth are organs given us on purpose to perform this function, and its accomplishment is attended also with the mixture of the saliva with the food, which seems to be an important step in the process of digestion. Although by hasty mastication persons in business hope to save their time, they should know that at least it is a loss of food, if not immediately & loss of health. Much more food is digested when it is well masticated, than when it is swallowed very hastily in large masses. Food that is imperfectly masticated is digested with difficulty, and remains sometimes so long in the stomach, as to produce irritation of the stomach, and remaining unacted upon, it putrefies, producing pain and tainting the breath. Even where mastication is very complete, it is always better to swallow slowly, as by this means every part of the food is brought more fully under the influence of the gastric acid of the stomach, by which it is prepared for absorption into the blood. Full and heavy meals should be avoided. It is better to get up from table with an appetite, than to feel that no more food could be taken. It is always difficult to say how much should be with propriety taken. Some systems will bear twice as much food as others, whilst there are those who require twice as much food as others. Scales and weights are dangerous instruments at table, as some men will starve on what others will thrive. There is an instinct which, if obeyed, constantly cries, "Hold, enough;" which if men would listen to, would always guide them right. The feeling after eating should be one of refreshment and comfort-feelings that are not often present when too large a meal has been eaten. Habitual stuffing is as great an evil as habitual drinking. Both should be avoided. All food taken into the system and not wanted, is likely to be in the way, and the processes adopted by nature for getting rid of the incubus, are not unfrequently attended by disease and death. Persons who habitually over eat, are frequently obliged to have recourse to medicines to correct the errors of their indulgence. Such an unnatural way of correcting the evils of an unnatural habit, is itself likely to produce disease in the system. The pithy answer of a celebrated surgeon to a panting alderman, "Live upon six-pence a day, and earn it first," is worth all consideration by those who eat too much. Active bodily exertion should not be taken immediately after the principal meal. The stomach requires a supply of blood to perform its functions. If the current is diverted to other organs, digestion is prevented. On this account reading at meals is an objectionable practice. The brain in this process gets the blood which the stomach requires. Long walks and hard study should both be avoided after a full meal. Long fasting is bad. It is bad when the body is resting; it is much worse when the body is actively engaged. The stomach, like all other organs, performs its functions in virtue of the stimulus afforded it by the blood. If the blood is allowed to go a long time without a renewal of its constituents, it no longer supplies the nervous system with energy; the stomach and even other organs flag in the performance of their duty, and as a consequence, digestion is imperfectly performed. How often should man eat in the day?-In the morning, at noon, and at night, is the answer given by the instincts of man. But how many try to reduce these three periods to two. Breakfast in the morning, a biscuit at noon, and dinner at night, is the plan adopted to save the necessity of eating in the middle of the day. This is the custom of clerks, merchants, professional men, and many tradesmen. The working man is spared this trial of strength. He works with the arm, and must be fed. He dines in the middle of the day: it is not till the clerk, merchant, and others follow this example, and eat a good meal-call it lunch or dinner-in the middle of the day, that we shall cease to hear of terrible examples of the destructiveness to health of their present system. The body can go longer without food. whilst resting than when awake; hence persons may with safety go a longer number of hours between the night and morn |