351 
Tarsus or Tarsis (for it is pronounced both ways)s 
a tolerably large town, the houses of which are extreme- 
ly ugly, being built of earth. It is situated in a large 
plain surrounded with gardens not far from the river in 
which Alexander the Great nearly perished whilst bath- 
ing. It was in the neighbouring plains, east of the town, 
that he vanquished the unfortunate Darius. 
There was at this time but a single European in the 
place, and he was a Frenchman. 
Cotton and silk appear to be the principal branches 
of commerce. 
The rain fell in torrents all night. 
Saturday, 3d October. 
I set out at seven o'clock in the morning, first in a 
north-east direction; but half an hour afterwards, having 
traversed the river of Tarsus upon a bridge of three 
arches, I turned directly to the north, and followed the 
same direction the whole day. 
Being arrived about nine o'clock at the extremity of 
the plain, I had to climb several hills, on quitting which 
I entered upon the chain of Mount Taurus, composed, 
as far as I could judge, of horn rock and trapp, some- 
times grouped in enormous masses, sometimes in thin 
strata more or less oblique, and at others in very 
elevated points, forming a combination of perpendicular 
prisms, and presenting the appearance of crystallization; 
in fact, what is any primitive mountain but a colossal 
crystallization? I did not perceive the least trace of 
granite or porphyry. 
This part of the chain is covered with superb forests 
consisting chiefly of oaks, cedars, cypresses, and len- 
tisks. From every thing which presented itself to my 
view this day, I was led to presume that the high moun- 
