52 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO ]6g5. 



young man, not above 25, well featured, and an excellent horseman ; Hamet 

 Shideed, the other prince, was more elderly, being about 40, and was not in 

 the tent, but sat under a palm-tree near it. He treated them with coffee, 

 camels' flesh, and dates, and inquired of their journey, and the cause of their 

 coming : they told him it was only curiosity to see those ruins ; he said that 

 formerly Solomon Ibn el Doud built a city in that place, which being destroyed, 

 it was built again by a strange people ; and he believed, that we understanding 

 the writing on the pillars, came to seek after treasure, he having but 6 moons 

 before found a pot of corra crusses. After this he went out of the tent, 

 leaving them smoking tobacco, to the janizary and servant, and told them, 

 that never till that day any Franks had been at that place, and that now 

 we know the way through the desert, we might inform the Turks to their ruin 

 and destruction, so that it would be convenient for them to destroy us all : but 

 that we coming as friends, he would only have 4000 dollars as a present, else 

 he would bang them and the two Franks up, and go fight the rest. This 

 message being brought them, they wished they had excused themselves from 

 this embassy, and answered, they could say nothing to that demand, not know- 

 ing our minds, but if he would permit them to go and speak with the rest, 

 they would return an answer. Hearing this, he threatened present death, but 

 at length gave leave to our janizary to carry us a letter from them, wherein 

 they showed the danger they were in, and earnestly intreated us to redeem 

 them, the price set on them being 2000 dollars, one half in money, the other 

 half in goods, as swords, clothes, tents, &c. which the Emir promised to 

 estimate at their worth. 



In consequence we made him up in money and goods to the value of 1500 

 dollars, which was all we could ; he valuing our things as he pleased ; his 

 design being not so much to complete the sum, as to take from us all we had. 

 On account of this usage the ruins could not be examined, and the party re- 

 turned to Aleppo. 



As far as we could conclude from our journeys, and the position of the ways 

 taken by two good compasses, the distance of Tadmor from Aleppo is about 

 150 English miles, and the course S. S. E. or rather somewhat more southerly, 

 considering the variation of the compass, which is above half a point west in 

 these parts. 



In the second journey, we set out from Aleppo for Tadmor, on Michaclmas- 

 day, i6qi, being in all 30 men, well armed, having obtained a promise of 

 security from Assyne, then king of the Arabs, and one of his own people for a 

 guide. This day our road pcnnted S. by E. and in 4 hours we came to a foun- 

 tain called Caphir-Abiad, leaving Old Aleppo about an hour distant on the 



