Port of Latakia (Latachia), Syria. Coloured aquatint by L. Mayer, 1810.

"Port of Latachia, in Syria. ... Latachia carries on a considerable commerce, consisting chiefly of tobacco, of which upwards of twenty cargoes are annually sent to Damietta: the returns from which place consist of rice, which is bartered in upper Syria for oil and cottons. ... It stands on the ruins of the ancient city, and is built partly with it's remains. The same may be asserted of Tripoli, Antioch, Berut, and most of the towns on this coast, occasioned, in all probability, by earthquakes that have destroyed them at various periods.* The annexed drawing is taken from the rocks between the custom house and the fort, and represents the latter building, with the harbour and surrounding country. *Since this view was taken, Latachia has again experienced this dreadful calamity, by which great part of the town is said to have been destroyed."--Mayer. loc. cit.