The inhabitants are a mixture of Christians and Ma nommedans, often difficult to he distinguished from each other. The former occupy the valleys of Libanus under AIaronite bishops; and the Druses, who have a religion peculiar to themselves, possess the mountains of Antili banns. (See DausEs.) The country is overrun in all quarters by plundering tribes of Arabs. The population is so very thin, and the aspect of the country so desolate, that a doubt has been thrown upon the accounts of its population in ancient times, which, from the statements of sacred scripture, cannot have been less than six millions. This would allow a proportion of 800 or 900,to every square league, which is thought altogether incredible. But, in the time of Vespasian, it is described by profane writers as actually containing six millions of inhabitants. The present mountainous country of the Druses is stated by Volney to contain 40,000 fighting men. The popula tion of Barbadoes, neither the most healthy nor the most fertile part of the globe, contains at present 900 inha bitants to every square mile. The mode of living in eastern countries is favourable to the support of a nu merous population on less produce than in other quarters of the world. The fertility of the country is acknowledged
to be naturally very great ; and the cultivation of the land is known to have been carried in former times to the ut most extent. The limestone rocks and stony valleys were covered v; ith plantations of figs, vines, and olive trees. The hills were formed into gardens from their bases to their summits. The sides of the most barren mountains were rendered productive by being formed into terraces, whereon the soil was accumulated with astonishing labour. There are still many vestiges of this extraordinary culti vation, sufficient to prove that not a spot was neglected, and that the most unpromising situations were rendered fertile by the labours of industry. See ASPHALT1TES, DRUSES, JERUSALEM. JEWS, and JUDEA. See also Memoir by Abbe Guenee on The Fertility of Judea ; Clarke's Travels, vol. ii. ; Chateaubriand's Travels ; Buckingham's Travels in Palestine ; Burckhardt's Travels in Syria ; and Mr. Rae Wilson's Travels in Palestine. (q)