122 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. ■ - [aNNO IGqG. 



Account of a Booh, viz. — The Anliquities of Palmyra, or Tadmor, built by 

 King Solomon in the Desert of Arabia ; containing the History of that City 

 and its Emperors, from its Foundation to this present Time. By Ab. Seller, 

 8vo. N° 223, p. 358. 



The preface accounts for the rites and customs of the East, which are still 

 continued by the Arabs, who are very tenacious of ancient customs, of which 

 the author gives several instances, particularly the mourning for Thammur or 

 Adonis. 



The history shows that the city was founded by Solomon, as a frontier to his 

 large territories ; that it was probably taken by the kings of Syria from the Jews, 

 when their kingdom was divided and impaired, till the kings of Babylon seized 

 it ; that on the ruin of the Persian empire it submitted to Alexander ; that it 

 was probably repaired and beautified by Seleucus, one of his successors, in gra- 

 titude to whom they used the common computation of most of the Eastern 

 cities, the sera Seleucidarum ; that Pompey, when he made Syria a province, 

 reduced Tadmor, constituting it an appendage to that province ; that Mark 

 Antony designed to pillage the city, to gratify his discontented army, after his 

 ill success in Persia, but was disappointed ; from which time to the reign of 

 Trajan, history is silent concerning the city, and so are all the inscriptions found 

 there, none of which is older than that emperor. Adrian visited, rebuilt, and 

 called it by his own name; Antoninus Caracallus made it a colony Juris Italici, 

 and it continued firm to the Roman interests under the succeeding emperors, 

 assisting Alexander Severus and the youngest Gordian, in their expedition 

 against the Persians, with their forces ; and when the emperor Valerian was 

 conquered and made prisoner, Odenathus, the governor of Palmyra, asserted 

 the rights of injured majesty, baffled the Persians, and was declared by Gallienus 

 his co-partner in the empire, which authority continued in his family for more 

 than 10 years; under Aurelian the city was ruined ; after which it made a poor 

 figure in story, till Justinian repaired and fortified it : in which condition it con- 

 tinued till the Mahometans made themselves masters of that country, and suf- 

 fered the fortifications to go to ruin, since which time it has been a nest of 

 Arabian banditti. 



Account of the opening of the Body of a Boy, ivho died suddenly. By Dr. 



Charles Preston. N° 224, p. 302. 

 Being called to the dissection of a boy, about g years of age, who died 

 suddenly, after a fit of vomiting, a little before his death ; Dr. P. observed in 

 the lower belly, after having laid open the common integuments, that the left 



