"بعثة لإجراء عملية مسح لنهري دجلة والفرات، تم تنفيذها بأمر من الحكومة البريطانية، في السنوات ١٨٣٥، ١٨٣٦، ١٨٣٧؛ تسبقها إشعارات جغرافية وتاريخية للمناطق الواقعة بين نهري النيل والسند. في أربعة مجلّدات. مع أربع عشرة خريطة ورسمًا، ومزينة بثلاث عشرة لوحة، بالإضافة للعديد من الرسومات بالحفر على الخشب. المجلّد الأول." [‎٤‎٥‎٠] (٩٠٥/٥٣٥)

450
nAhr-el-kebir.
[chap. xix.
Rivers. the nature of mountain torrents, flowing westward into the
Mediterranean. The river next in point of size, the Nahr-el-
Kebir, waters the northern extremity of the district, and it
is formed by the confluence of several streams near Ai'n-el-
Labben, two of which, the Ain-el-Afschan, and the Ain-el-
Suka, descend from the Ansarian mountains; whilst the
northern and largest, which is formed by two branches, the
Moie Ham and the Moie Erdjeg, comes from the eastern
extremity of Jebel Kraad. From their junction at A'in-el-
Labben the trunk flows along a deep and narrow valley, at
the foot of Jebel Sahun, and preserves a south-westerly
direction till it carries into the sea, about two miles south
ward of Ladlkiyeh, a body of water which is considerable
even in summer.
Course^ the Between this river and Tortosa the country is intersected
6 ir ' by a number of torrents, to which, a little beyond that place,
the Nahr-el-Kebir, a more considerable stream, succeeds.
The latter has, in the neighbourhood of Mar Djordjos, several
sources, which meet a little to the westward of Djopta, from
whence the trunk thus formed, which represents the ancient
Eleutherus, 1 flows nearly west by south along the valley
separating the Ansarian range from that of the Lebanon, and
finally reaches the Mediterranean nearly 10 miles southward
of the town just mentioned. During the winter the Nahr-
el-Kebir occasionally becomes so much swollen that the
Hamath caravans are at times obliged to remain for weeks
on its banks before they can cross. 2
River of Tripoli. The river of Tripoli, another considerable stream, is formed
by three branches, viz.: the Gubban, the Nahr Bashan, and
the Abri All or Kodis Chai', all of which come from the
vicinity of Bshirrai, in the valley of Eden; these having
united a little to the eastward of Tripoli, the trunk flows
through the town and into the sea at the port.
The eastern side of the district presents a succession of
steep slopes, covered with timber or pasture, and having
patches of cultivation around the villages and hamlets of the
1 Plin., lib. V., cap. xx. 2 Burckhardt's Travels in Syria, p. 161.