TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI. 
79 
On his return from a journey into the interior, in search of the 
ruins of Ghirza, (to which we shall hereafter allude) Captain Smyth 
observed three hills of moderate size in one of the branches of the 
Messellata range; which, from their number, appear to answer to 
the HiUs of the Graces, considered by Herodotus as the source of 
the river Cinyphus. The distance of this range from the sea will 
not at all correspond (as we have already observed) with the 200 
stadia mentioned by Herodotus as the distance of the HiUs of the 
Graces from the coast; but, without relying too much upon their 
triple form, which might be equally peculiar to other hills, the cir- 
cumstance of finding in these tumuli the source of the only stream 
which will answer to the position of the Cinyphus, should, we think, 
be esteemed as conclusive ; and we may hereafter consider the mea- 
surements of Herodotus, as given in the passage which we have 
quoted above, to be decidedly (from whatever cause) erroneous. We 
may however observe, that we have had, at various times, so many 
opportunities of admiring the general accuracy of the father of his- 
tory, that we should rather consider this error to have resulted from 
some mistake of the numbers, which may have occurred in transcrib- 
ing the manuscript, than from any incorrectness on the part of Hero- 
dotus. We give the remarks of Captain Smyth on this subject in 
his own words. 
From Benioleet I went to the north-eastward, in hopes of finding 
some remains of Talata, Tenadassa, and Syddemis, which were in 
the chain of communication with the stations of the Syrtis, Cydamus, 
and the Tritonis; but I met with only a few dilapidated towers, and 
