They Had One Entrance, Seventy Feet In Breadth, Which Was Shut
Up And Secured By Strong Chains Stretched Across It.
One of these harbours
was exclusively set apart for merchant ships; and in its vicinity were to
be found every thing necessary for the accommodation of the seamen.
In the
middle of the other harbour was an island called Cothon; though, according
to some writers, this was the name of the harbour itself. The word Cothon,
we are informed by Festus, (and his etymology is confirmed by Bochart and
Buxtorf,) signifies, in the oriental languages, a port not formed by
nature, but the result of labour and art. The second harbour, as well as
the island in it, seems to have been intended principally, if not
exclusively, for ships of war; and it was so capacious, that of these it
would contain 220. This harbour and island were lined with docks and sheds,
which received the ships, when it was necessary to repair them, or protect
them from the effects of the weather. On the key were built extensive
ranges of wharfs, magazines, and storehouses, filled with all the requisite
materials to fit out the ships of war. This harbour seems to have been
decorated with some taste, and at some expence; so that both it and the
island, viewed at a distance, appeared like two extensive and magnificent
galleries. The admiral's palace, which commanded a view of the mouth of the
harbour and of the sea, was also a building of considerable taste.
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