nr INS OF RALE EC. 
807 
violent llireata on hisi sid'P, the sum v-as reduced to (wcnty-seveti 
piastres ; on receiving vvhieh he v/ent away, and troubled us no 
more. ' 
“The sun had set on the vast temple, and the mountains around 
it, with indescribable grandeur : the ciiain of Anti-Libaniis in front 
was covered with snow; and the plain, wild and beautiful, stretched 
at its feet farther than the eve could reach. The pigeons, of many- 
coloured plumage, Hew iu clusters around the ruined walls, at whose 
feet were a variety of trees and flowers, amidst which ran a clear and 
rapid stream. The outer wall that encloses the great area of the 
building to the north, is immensely high, and about six hundred feet 
long ; the western wall is lower, being more broken ; and mid-w'ay of 
its height are the three enormous stones, about sixty feet long and 
twelve wide. The temple itself is near one hundred and eighty feet 
in length, and half that in width, and is surrounded by a single row of 
pillars, forty-four in number, nearly sixty feet high, and twenty-six 
feet in circumference : they are, as w'ell as the temple, of a fine gra- 
nite of a light red colour; their capitals are of the Corinthian order, 
of exquisite workmanship, and are very little defaced : indeed, the 
entireness and preservation of the decorations of this superb temple 
are surprising. The architrave and cornice are beautifully carved ; 
three or four of these columns, separated from the roof, recline against 
the wall of the temple ; and, on the south side, one noble pillar has 
sunk from its position into the c lear au,d beautiful pool formed by the 
fountain beneath the temple, against the body of which half itslerrgth 
and rich capital still suj)port themselves. 
“The magnificence of this corridor can scarcely be imagined. Ils 
w-estern aspect is towards the plain ; and at your feet lie masses of 
broken pillars, capitals, and friezes, over w'hich you must pass fo 
approach the temple. From the north you look dowm on the vast 
area within the walls, the sides of which are lined with ruined cham- 
bers, elegantly carved and adorned, and numerous niches for statues, 
now', however, empty'. The south hangs over the fountain and sheet 
of water below, in whose bosom it is clearly reflected. The interior 
of the building is above a. hundred and twenty feet long, but is 
narrov*^ in proportion to its length, lo the sides of the walls is a 
double row of pilasters, and betw’een these are numerous niches, 
where statues formerly stood. In many parts of the temple, around 
the place of entrance, and on the roof of the corridor, are sculptured 
in an exquisite manner figures of the heathen deities, of the eagle 
with outspread wings, &c. The roof of the interior is entirely gone. 
“ The hands of the natives have-, nodoiibt, committed many ravages 
here. Faccardioe, prince of the Druses, destroyed or injured several 
parts of these ruins ; but when he afterwards visited Italy, and con- 
tracted a taste for its architecture, he bitterly lamented the sacrilege 
he had committed at Balbec. The Turks have, without doubt, used 
it as a fortiheation, as they have made additions to some parts of the 
walls, and left many vestiges of their barbarian architecture blended 
with the colossal remains of the temple. 
“ About a hundred feet from this edifice is a row of Corinthian pil- 
lars, much loftier and more slender than those of the great corridor; 
