98 REPORT—1852. 
great reyenues arising from transit dues, from the increased value of adjacent and 
fertile, but rebellious and neglected territories, and lastly, from the facilities the canal 
would afford to the pilgrims, who now have a toilsome and dangerous march of more 
than six weeks in the desert, between Damascus and Mecca. 
On the Antiquities of the Island Ruad, the ancient Aradus, and.on the an- 
cient Harbour of Seleucia in Pieria. By Capt. W. Auten, R.N., 
PRS. PR.GS. 
Travellers, to whom the maritime renown of the Pheenicians is familiar, cannot 
fail to be struck by the disproportion of the means by which it was attained. The 
island of Tyre, little more than half a mile long, situated near the dangerous coast 
of Syria, formed their principal harbour. A colony from Sidon took advantage of 
similar circumstances at a more northern part of the coast, in the little island of 
Aradus, the modern Ruad, which is still smaller ; yet it soon became so flourishing 
as to be the parent of colonies, and Strabo describes it as full of inhabitants and 
lofty houses. The vestiges which remain show that he did not overrate its pros- 
perity. It is situated in lat. 34° 48’ N, and long. 35°51! E.; the extreme length 
is about 800 yards, lying N.W. and 8.E.; so that the side towards the coast presents 
tolerable protection from the prevalent S.W. wind. 
Considering that this little island may again become a place of shelter for ships 
in the increasing trade of Syria, and especially as a convenient coal depot for steamers, 
Capt. W. Allen, R.N., made a survey of it in the spring of the year 1851*. 
The whole N.E. side of the island is converted into two little ports by three piers, 
which all more or less show their ancient construction: the most northern is quite 
in ruins ; that to the southward still answers its purpose, but is occupied by a mosque, 
and therefore could not be examined ; but the middle pier is almost perfect. It is 
constructed with massive blocks of sandstone, 16 feet long by nearly 7 in depth and 
breadth, placed transversely ; with large bollards at the extremity of the pier. On 
either side are quays of concrete, now “a wash.” The length of the pier from the 
present waterline is 224 feet. In both ports are also traces of similar quays. From 
the base of the northern pier is a fine bed of concrete, stretching across the island, 
about 150 yards long by 125 yards wide, very nearly level, the slight inclination 
being towards the port, where its margin forms the quay. Pococke, with great 
reason, supposed that this was used for drawing up the smaller shipping for shelter. 
The concrete round by the west is about 30 yards wide, increasing on the south side. 
Its probable purpose here was to increase artificially the dimensions of the island, 
which having in its natural state been surrounded on the exposed side by numerous 
rocks and islets, the summits of these were leveled, and the interstices filled with 
the fragments and squared stones, imbedded in concrete as hard as the rock itself, 
which it perfectly resembles. Along the three outer sides of the island are gigantic 
remains of the ancient walls, which in two places have still five or six courses of 
stones, 15 to 18 feet in length, lying transversely and forming the thickness of the 
wall. On the west side, however, the wall, for about 10 feet high, is of the solid 
rock, which to seaward, at this part only, is cut in the form of a moat and glacis. 
The purpose of this, doubtless was to break the fury of the wayes in S.W. gales. A 
small culvert, leading from the ‘ moat,” through the wall and the concrete, towards 
the port, led to the conjecture that the water from the waves rushing up the glacis 
being received in the moat at a higher level, might have been conducted by this cul- 
yert to the port for the purpose of cleansing it. 
The central or natural portion of the island is covered by the modern town, which 
has wonderfully increased during the last century, Pococke in 1738 found very few 
houses, except in the castles, which were defended by cannon against corsairs. Fifty 
years later Volney says, ‘‘ there does not remain a single wall of that crowd of houses, 
which, according to Strabo, were built with more stones than those of Rome itself.’ 
Now, according to the report of an old man, there are 500. When he was a child 
there were very few, and he had heard that 100 years ago, there were only 5 houses. 
The present inhabitants retain some of the spirit of the ancient Arcadians, as they 
* The hydrography has since been more completely done by Mr. Hooper, of H,M.B. 
Frolie under Commander Vansittart. 
