Tfl 



BABA, CAI'K. 



BABYLON. 



even the second coone in formed of stone* which are from 29 to 

 87 feet long, ami about 9 feet thick ; under thin at the north -weal 

 angle and about 20 feet from the ground, there are three stone* 

 which alone occupy Is- feet 9 inches in length, by about 12 feet 

 thick; two are 60 feet, and the third 62 feet 9 inches in length. 

 The material is a white granite with large shining reins like gypsum. 



BepnsenUUon of the great tonc of the buement of the great Temple, 

 from Pococke's Trattli in Syria. 



This stone abounds on the spot and in the adjacent mountains ; 

 quarries have been opened in several places. In one of these there is 

 still among other stones of a vast size one worked on three faces, 

 which is nearly 70 feet long, and about 14 feet in thickness each way. 

 The more ornamental parts of these buildings were carved out of a 

 ooarae white marble, which was brought from a more distant quarry 

 west of the city. 



A village of about 100 mean houses with flat roofs now stands on 

 the south-west part of the site. A large portion of the space within 

 the walls is entirely neglected, while a small part is laid out in gardens. 

 The date of the foundation of Baal bee and the name of its founder 

 are alike unknown. It is supposed by some to be the Baalath of Solo- 

 mon; and Benjamin of Ttidela conjectures that here stood the palace 

 which that king erected for the daughter of Pharaoh. The city, judging 

 from its architectural remains, appears to have attained its greatest 

 prosperity under the Roman empire. It was taken by the Arabs 

 under Obeidah, general of the Calif Omar, and from that time it fell 

 rapidly into decay. In 1401 Tamerlane seized it, and what remained 

 of the city in 1759 was reduced to still greater desolation by the 

 terrible earthquake of that year. 



(The Ruint of Baalbec, by Wood and Dawkins ; Journey from 

 Aleppo to Jerutalem, by Maundrell ; De la Roque's Travels; Voluey's 

 Voyage Pittoraque ; Chesney's Euphrates and Tigris), 



BABA', CAPE, the Lectum of the Greeks, is a rocky bold headland 

 of Anatolia, north-west of the northern extremity of the Gulf of 

 Adramyti, the ancient Adramyttium, and between the islands of 

 Lesbos (Mitylcnc) and Tenedos. The cape, which is scarcely 12 miles 

 distant from the northern extremity of Lesbos, is in 39 30' N. lat., 

 26 E. long. It is an offshoot of Mount Ida, the numerous tops of 

 which are seen in the distance. The whole line of the coast from the 

 head of the Qulf of Adramyti to Cape Baba is very rocky and steep, 

 and inland from the bleak cliff* there runs a continued chain of moun- 

 tains that gradually increase in elevation as they recede from the sea 

 and approach the summits of Mount Ida. After the cape M fairly 

 doubled the long level of the plain of Troy presents itself in striking 

 contrast ; for it is so flat and low that when observed from a short 

 distance at sea it looks like a mere line nearly all the way from Cape 

 Baba to the promontory of Sigeium and the Hellespont. Projecting 

 from Cape Baba there is a curious group of small islets, called anciently 

 from their number Hecatonnesoi, or the Hundred Islands, but named 

 by the modern Greeks Muskonisi. Six leagues to the north of the 

 Cape, and in the Trojan plain, are the ruins of the ancient city of 

 Alexandreia Troas, and about 4 league! to the south, and standing 

 upon a bold hill facing the sea and Lesbos, are the more important 

 remains of the ancient city of Aasos. 



A small town called Baba, and sometimes by the Franks St Mary's, 

 stands on a shelving point of Cape Baba, immediately above the sea. 

 It contains a mosque and a half-ruined castle. The dwelling-houses, 

 occupied by Turks and Asiatic Greeks, are built of unbaked brick, 

 and are mean in the extreme. In front of the town of Baba there is 

 a little port formed with massive fragments of rock ; but it is only 

 capable of receiving small fishing boats, and even they are not safe in 

 it during gales from the south or west Yataghans and large knives, 

 said to be of superior quality, are manufactured in the town. The 

 wild uncultivated hills, rising from the sea like the Sussex Downs, 

 afford good pasture for part of the year : during the remainder the 

 inhabitants, who are chiefly a pastoral people, conduct their flocks to 

 the slopes of Mount Ida. The voyager pausing between the island of 



Lesbos and the main may often see 

 their broad-tailed sheep gracing 

 among the ruins of the once large and 

 prosperous city of AMOS. Assos is 

 said to have been founded by a colony 

 from Lesbos ; it is mentioned by St. 

 Paul, who visited it in his return from 

 . : \ . . Troas (Acts xx.), for ASM* was a sea- 



port strongly fortified by nature and 



art. Wheat of a superior quality was exported from it. Very consider- 

 able remains of the city still exist, including a large portion of the 

 walls, an acropolis, a theatre, several temples, a cemetery, and a large 

 mass of other ruins. Its site is now marked by the miserable village 

 of Bairaia-Kaleat The neighbouring country abounds in extensive 



woods of valonea oak. The large cups that contain the acorns of 

 this species of oak are used for tanning, and form a principal article of 

 export from Asia Minor. The valonea (as the product is commercially 

 termed) is either exported directly from the Gulf of Adramyti, or it is 

 conveyed by coasters to Smyrna, where it is re-shipped for Europe. 



BABEL. [BABTLOK.] 



BAB-EL-MANDEB, the name of the strait by which the Red Sea 

 is joined to the Indian Ocean, and which here separates Asia from 

 Africa. From the Arabian shore a cape of moderate height pro- 

 jects, which is called Cape Bab-el-Mandeb ; the much more elevated 

 land on the African side runs nearly in a straight line. Opposite 

 Cape Bab-el-Mandeb the coast of Abyssinia may be distant 15 or 16 

 miles. Within the strait there is a low, rocky, and barren island, 

 called Pertm, from 4 to 5 miles long, the channel on the eastern side 

 of which is 4 miles wide, with a depth varying from 9 to 14 fathoms ; 

 on one small shoal it is only 7 fathoms. On the south-west side of 

 the island there is a cove, which affords shelter against nearly every 

 wind, and a good anchorage in from 4 to 7 fathoms. The western 

 channel is from 9 to 10 miles wide, and to the south of it, near the 

 coast of Africa, are eight small islands, or rather rocks, called the 

 Eight Brothers. In the midst of the strait no soundings are found 

 with 100 fathoms of line ; but close to the Eight Brothers, along the 

 coast of Abyssinia, the depth of the sea varies from 16 to 30 fathoms. 

 Cape Bab-el-Mandeb, the ancient Palindromos, projects a great way 

 from the mainland, which here is low, so that when seen from a 

 distance it has the appearance of an island. It rises to no great height, 

 but it is rocky and nigged on its southern side, and extremely barren., 



There U a current through the strait into the Gulf of Aden from 

 May to October, owing to the general prevalence of northerly winds 

 during that period iu the Red Sea. During the rest of the year, 

 when winds from the south prevail, the current flows back with great 

 rapidity from the Indian Ocean, and as there is no escape for the 

 waters to the northward, the surface of the Rod Sea, especially in its 

 northern part, becomes then considerably higher than during the 

 period of the north winds. 



The name Bab-el-Mandeb (the ' Gate of Tears ') was probably given 

 to this strait in consequence of the dangers to which small and light 

 vessels are exposed in a narrow sea, surrounded by rocky shores, and 

 subject to frequent gusts of wind. 



BABER, or BABBER, a small island of the Indian Archipelago, 

 lies between 8 and 9 S. lat, and close to 130 E. long. It is about 

 20 miles long and 10 miles wide. It is surrounded by several islets ; 

 the largest of these is Wetang, which lies west of Baber; and between 

 them is good anchorage iu from 14 to 160 fathoms. The island is 

 mountainous, but does not rise to a great elevation. On the western 

 and eastern shores there are small settlements. They constitute two 

 independent communities, which are continually at war with one 

 another ; and the principal object of their military incursions is to 

 kidnap young persons, who are sold as slaves to the vessels that visit 

 the island, or obliged to cultivate the fields for their captors. The 

 greater part of the island is xtill covered with trees and bushes ; but 

 the remainder is cultivated, and produces several kinds of roots, 

 Indian corn, and plantains. There are also considerable plantations 

 of cocoa-nuts and sago-trees. The principal animals are cattle, hogs, 

 and goats. Fowls and birds are numerous, especially several kinds of 

 pigeons. Fish is also plentiful, but the natives do not turn it to 

 account. The inhabitants belong to the Malay race ; they have a few 

 pr&hus, from 10 to 20 tons burden, with which they occasionally visit 

 the neighbouring islands. When the Dutch spread over the Indian 

 Archipelago they had a small establishment on this island, but they 

 soon abandoned it There is some intercourse between the islanders 

 and the Dutch of Bands. 



BABUYA'NKS ISLANDS, a cluster of small islands forming part 

 of the Philippines, and lying to the north of Luzon. Babuyan, tin- 

 most northern of the cluster, is in 19 48' N. lat, 122 E. long., and 

 U about 25 miles in circumference. Four others of about the same 

 size are situate*! as follows : 



Calayan 19' 28' N. lat 121" 80' E. long. 

 Camiguen 19 2' 121 68' 

 Dalapiri 19" 16' 121' 

 Fuga 19 12Y 30' 



The remainder are little better than rooky islets. The inhabitants of 

 the five which are peopled carry on trade with the Chinese, whom 

 they Kupjily with gold, wax, cassia, and cocoa-nuts. 



BA'BYLON, a celebrated city of Assyria, the ruins of which cover 

 a large space on the bank* of the Euphrates, near Hilhili, which was 

 built out of the ruins of the ancient city, A.D. 1101. Hillah stands in 

 about 82" 29' N. lat, 44" 26' E. long., and is about 60 miles S. from 

 the city of Baghdad. 



Herodotus, who visited Babylon, says that it "was the most 

 celebrated city of Assyria. The kings of the country made it their 

 residence after the destruction of Nineveh. The city, situated in 

 a great plain, was of a square form, each side 120 stadia in length, 

 which makes the circuit 480 stadia. It was so magnificent that none 

 oould be compared with it It was moreover encompassed with a 

 wide ditch, deep, and full of water. Besides this there was a wall 

 60 royal cubit* thick and 200 cubits high. As soon as the earth was 

 dug out to form the ditch, it was made into bricks, which were burnt in 



