680 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Oct. 



Asia Minor. He was accompanied by Lieutenant Murphy and Mr. Ainsworth, 

 both invalids; also Mr. Staunton. The party proceeded by Antab to Killis, 

 and thence to the Eastern acclivities of the Amanus, in the parallel of the Issus, 

 but no passage could be effected at that season of the year. Repelled to the 

 south, the mountains were passed by Payrae, through the Bsilan pass, to Scan- 

 deroon, from whence the party proceeded by the Cilician Gates and By as to the 

 plain of the Issus. Sufficient time having been devoted to the examination of 

 the various questions of historical geography, connected with this most interest- 

 ing district, the great road towards Constantinople was followed by Demer 

 Kapon to Kurd Kulac," the Wolf's ear," (Jardiquiea) and by the plain of 

 Tachokour Ova, " the valley of the ditcl)." Crossing the Gebel Elnour, the 

 mountain of the light, bearing on its rocky summit to the north, Shah Merar, 

 " the Castle of the Serpent," and along the left bank of the Jihoun, Djekan soo, 

 " tlie river of the world," to Missis, the ancient Mopsuestia, now almost in ruins, 

 but once (like Tarsus) one of the chief cities of Cilicia. From Missis the party 

 continued, cross the plain by Adana (head-quarters of the Pachalic) to the 

 list mentioned town, where they found the French Cousul, Mons. Gilet, 

 engaged in excavating a monument close to the place, of great solidity, and 

 apparently very remote antiquity. It consists of an enclosure in tlie form of a 

 parallelogram, with two transverse masses of similar format one extremity; 

 the walls and masses were of the most solid construction, without the least 

 appearance of any thing like a sepulchral chamber in any part of this extensive 

 mass, — at least as low down as the level of the ground around it. 



The road followed on leaving Tarsus led over the sub-alpine country at the 

 foot of the Tarsus, consisting of tertiary rocks in great variety. Near the 

 centre of the Tauric chain the lead mines of Kule Boyhaz were visited: they 

 occur in limestone belonging to the cretaceous series, and are in the valley 

 south of the grand pass of the same name, but worked most injudiciously. 

 The pass itself was then examined almost to the summit level, and the party 

 regained the more level country on the south side of the great mountains, in 

 order to visit the town of Sis, and the border territories of the Sultan and 

 Pacha. Here the inhabitants had so bad a name, that no muleteer or guide 

 could be induced to proceed along the mountains in that direction, and whilst 

 overcoming the difficulties made by the alarms of the people, Colonel Chesnky 

 and Mr Ainsworth were separated from the rest of the party, and made their 

 way to Sis on foot by one line, whilst Lieutenant Murphy and Mr. Staunton 

 reached it by another; each traversing a romantic and beautiful couutry formed 

 by the wooded abutments of the Taurus, and well peopled by the best disposed 

 peasants imaginable, instead of being all robbers, as they were represented. During 

 about 125 miles of country, composed almost entirely of tertiary sandstone, 

 (ostracite sandstone of Kupffer,) they crossed the Seihoun, the Jei/ioun, the 

 Corry/coon, and several smaller, yet good sized rivers watering this interesting 

 country, which terminate at Sis, the residence of an Armenian Patriarch, the third 

 in importance at the present day, with a respectable palace, and a large convent 

 in his charge ; whilst at Sis an incursion was made into the Taurus and tlie 

 mountain of Kara Sis, Black Sis ascended, after crossing a part of the 

 crystalline plutonic formations. The researches were then directed towards 

 Anasaiba on the plain. The ruins of the city are still extant, backed by an insu- 

 lated mountain, bearing a castle of various architecture. Such solitary hills rising 

 out of the plains are not unfrequen there, and they mostly bear castellated build- 

 ings on their summits, as Sis Shah Meran, Toome, Anasaiba, and others. From 

 Anasaiba the party crossed the plain of the village and district of Kars, and 

 there entered the mountainous country which led by Analat to Marash. The 

 chain was not crossed without much difficulty ; the narrow pathway was carried 

 alongside, and down precipices that were very steep ; so much so, that it be- 

 came necessary at times to unload the horses, and carry the baggage over the 

 most dangerous places. The culminating point of this part of the Taurus is 

 called Durdoon Dayh. The chain is composed of mica slates, clay slates, with 

 graphite or plumbago, quartz, schists, quartzites, and diorites, with up- 

 lifted limestones belonging to the supra-cretaceous series. The great and 

 massive mountain which rises above Marash, and is there known by the name of 



