the most famous river in ancient Syria, rises at the foot of Anti-Libanus, winds along in a northerly course for 200 miles, and then taking a sudden bend near Antioch in a south-westerly direction, flows over a space of 40 miles to the Mediterranean Sea. The notices of its fame in classical times are chiefly found in Strabo. His account is, that the river flowed for a part of its course under ground; that its name was derived from a certain Orontes who built a bridge over it; and that it had been originally called Typhon, from a fabulous dragon which, in his flight for shelter, wore out the channel of the stream with his tail, and opened up the fountain-head by his plunge into the earth. In the present day, the Orontes dwindles down into a paltry rivulet during the heat of summer. In winter, however, it becomes swollen by the melting of the mountain snows, and whirls along its deep and narrow bed with a resistless rapidity which has gained for it its modern name of Aorsi ("The Rebel").

OROSHÁZA, a town of Hungary, county of Bekes, 40 miles N.E. of Szegedin. An active trade is carried on in cattle, sheep, and pigs, of which large numbers are reared in the vicinity. The wine made in the neighbourhood is the best in the county. Pop. (1851) 10,915.