Dec.4] PROCEEDINGS. [1S94.but to the place whencetheyderivedtheirshipsandtheirstrength.
Tarshish, Mr. Renouf himself admits, " is always mentioned in
connection with ships or commerce," not in connection withthe
territoryon which Tyreand Sidonstood. It was not the " ships of
Tartessus,"thatweretoldto howl becausetheirstrength waslaid
waste,but the "ships of Tarshish." So also the siege of Tyre by
Shalmaneser,couldobligethe inhabitants to fly to Tarsus, but not
to Tartessus, still less " compel the population of Tartessus to over
flowits land in flight."
In the prophecy of Ezekiel (chapterxxvii),the ship boardsof
Tyrianvessels are described as derived fromthe fir-trees of Senir
(Hermon),the masts fromthe cedars of Lebanon, the oars fromthe
oaks of Bashan, and the benches of ivory are said to have been
broughtfromthe isles of Chittim (Cyprus?). It is evident fromthis
thatthe smallervesselsor galleys, wereat times constructedfromthe
sparsematerialsto be obtained, independentof the sources before
alludedto ; but the great shipsdestined for long voyages,as to the
Cassiterides, Tartessus, the coast of Africa and Ophir, were all
"ships of Tarshish." Tarshish is also here mentioned as the
" merchant of Tyre," by reason of the multitude of all kinds of
riches; with silver,* iron, tin and lead theytraded in thy fairs."
This is at once explained by assuming thatthe ships of Tarshish
broughtthe produce of remoter landsto their ownport,whencethey
tradedwith Tyre and this is corroborated in verse 25 of the same
chapter,whenaftera long and interestingenumerationof nations,
and of the cities trading with Tyre, it is said. " The ships of
Tarshish" (not the ships of Tyre), " did sing of thee in thy market ;
andthouwastreplenished,and madeverygloriousin the midst of
the seas." Herealso(verse35) "the isles"are made mentionof, not
as of the islets off the coast of Phoenicia, but as the isles of the
Mediterranean,havingtheirownkings!
Mr. Renoufreadsthis remarkable andgeographicallyimportant
chapter, as that "Tarshish is Phoenicia, and that the 'merchant '
- Jeremiah (x, 9) says that silverspread into plates was brought from
Tarshish. In the time of the writer, IbrahimPashahadengagedan Italian to
re-open twowell-known ancient silver(argentiferous gal.na)mines, at the
KulakBoghaz,or Gates of Cilicia, in Taurus ; but when we visited them,all
effortshadbeenvain,for want of means andmaterial. Therewereplentyof
evidences,however,of extensive workshavingbeencarriedon in former times.
(Pen.Narr.of the Euph. Exp.,Vol.I, p. 149.)
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