Beyrout

Beyrout, or Bairut, a fortified port on the coast of Syria, 57 miles N.W. of Damascus, to which it serves ns a commercial depot. It is a very ancient place, the Berothah or Beryta, probably, of the Phoenicians. The walls are three miles in circumference, but the suburbs extend far beyond. The old harbour having silted up, a new one was constructed in 1873, when waterworks were also established. There are many European churches, convents, and schools, and most of the powers are represented here by consuls. The local manufactures consist of gold and silver thread, silk tissues, and cotton goods. Sponges, galls, gums, madder, silk and wool are exported, and great quantities of goods from the West pass by this channel into Asia.