12 



THE RIVER XANTHUS. 



being retained, with the alteration of a letter, 

 in the name of the modern village. 



The following morning, we left Minara for 

 Xanthus. The first part of our route lay over 

 flat-topped clay hills, their summits often being 

 formed of tabular masses of limestone or con- 

 glomerate. We found in the clay some well- 

 preserved fossils, all of them fresh-water shells 

 of tertiary age. Passing over a plain, we went 

 through several small but comfortable villages, 

 surrounded by well-cultivated fields. Crossing 

 a thickly wooded hill of scaglia, which projected 

 into the valley like a peninsula, and on which 

 are the ruins of some ancient building, pro- 

 bably a temple, we came in sight of the plain, 

 extending from Xanthus to the sea, and of 

 the acropolis of the city on the opposite side 

 of the river to that on which we stood. The 

 river itself was extremely rapid, and charged 

 with pale yellow mud, derived from the de- 

 posit of tertiary clay, through which it has to 

 run a great part of its course. We found the 

 party at the ruins enthusiastically engaged in 

 their work, though damped in spirits in conse- 

 quence of a melancholy accident which had 

 occurred the previous day, two of the sailors 



