BEYROUT

or Beirout (ancient Berytujt), sea-port of Syria, 60 miles N.w. of Damascus, about 70,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom Christians. In trade and commerce it holds chief place in Syria. It stands on a tongue of projecting into an open bay, and spreading out wards the land into a beautiful plain, backed by mountains of Lebanon. It consists of the old town, composed generally of narrow dirty streets, the residence of the poorer cla es, and the busine place the merchants; and of the new town, which stretches around it. The latter, with its modem houses, carriage roads, and gardens — ^its churches, colleges, schools, and hotels — ^has little or nothing of the oriental in its composition. Beyrout has rapidly increased since 1835, when its population was only 12,000, rise being largely due to the extension of the trade, of whic£ it is the centre. The better protection afforded both to foreigners and natives by being tiie residence of the consuls-general has contributed to its prosperity. It has extensive manufactures of silks and cottons. The imports in were valued at £1,240,000, the exports at £530,000. In ancient times it was a large and important Phoenician city, and under the Komans was celebrated for its school of jurisprudence. Byzantine emperor Theodosius II. raised it to rajik of a metropolis. After being destroyed by earthquake in 551, it again rose to a considerable town in the time of the Crusades. In later times was long in the po e ion of the Druses. It bombarded and taken by the British in 1840.