fertile and lovely meadows have been deservedly celebrated (Cant. ii. 1; Is. xxxv. 2). Neret in April found the fields covered with tulips. Chateaubriand says they are in spring covered with red and white roses, narcissus, anemones, white and goldcolour lilies, gilliflowers, and a species of odorous evergreen.

On the south of Joppa, Ramleh, and Jamnia, begins the level coast, inhabited of old by the Philistines. Here were their five confederate cities, namely, Gath, Ashdod (Azotus), Askelon, Ekron, and Gaza. This plain bears the appellation of Sephela, that is a low country,' and is the plain mentioned in Josh. xi. 16 (comp. 1 Maccab. xii. 58). Travellers describe it as very fruitful, though almost neglected. On the south of Gaza begins the broad and barren desert of Arabia.

CHAPTER VII.

THE VALE OF THE JORDAN.

The two extended hill ranges,-that on the west, or Western Palestine, and that on the east, or Perea,-are divided by the valley of the Jordan. This valley, which is of volcanic origin, is

a long curving and deep ravine, which increases in breadth and in depth as it proceeds towards the south. Of old it bore the descriptive name of Aulon, that is, a deep dale or watercourse between two hills. The Aulon of the Jordan is said by Jerome

to be a great and low-lying vale, extending in immense length, and enclosed by hills on both sides from Lebanon to the deserts of Zin and Paran. This long channel, especially the southern portion of it, from the Elanitic Gulf (Gulf of A'kaba) to the Dead Sea, bears the name of the Arabah. In Scripture also it has the same appellation (Deut. i. 1, 7, ii. 8, 'the plain;' Deut. iii. 17; Josh. xii. 3). Its more usual name among the modern Arabs is el-Ghor, which in Arabic denotes a deep vale between two mountains. Thus all the designations of this valley agree in describing it as a deeply sunk and lengthened depression or a low-lying channel, lined on each side by a succession of hills.

Down through this depression flows the Jordan with a rapid stream and in a serpentine course. The Hebrews shewed they were aware of the now clearly ascertained fact, namely, that the flow of this river is literally a descent or fall, in giving to it the name Jordan, which is connected with a root signifying to descend or run down. The Arabs call the stream by its old name, Orden, as far as the Galilean Lake. Below that, it bears with them the name of Sheri'at el-Kebir. The Jordan, which in general may be said to rise on the western side of Antilebanon, is connected with a stream lying to the east of its course, called the Dan ('the little Jordan' of Josephus, Antiq. viii. 8, 4), with the Paneas, which springs from a grotto at Panias, the ancient Cesarea Philippi, and which was erroneously thought to receive water from a small lake lying on its eastern side (Birket el-Ram, of old Phi'ala), and with the Hasbeny, which has its source far up in the mountains in what is called the Hasbe'ya. The Hasbeny has more water than the other two sources combined, but it is not agreed that it flows immediately into the Jordan. Its immediate receptacle is the Lacus Samochonitis, or the Sea of Merom, a name which denotes the high (that is highest) water. As, however, the waters of Merom (el-Hule) overflow so as to feed the Jordan, the Hasbeny may be considered as contributing to the supplies of that river. The Jordan is fed also by lateral streams, by winter rains, and by the dissolving snows of the southern portions of Lebanon. The latter coming down in a body from the mountains in spring, rapidly swell the volume of the river, but, if travellers have rightly ascertained the facts, not to such an extent as to cause an overflow, save in particular parts. In ancient times, however, the Jordan overflowed, or at least filled, 'all his banks all the time of harvest' (barley harvest in spring, Josh. iii. 15). That both the rise of the river was considerable and its course rapid, may be learnt from what Josephus says where he relates that Jewish fugitives were prevented from making their escape because the Jordan 'had been lately augmented by rains and was not fordable' (Jew. War, iv. 7, 5). After a swift course of about three hours from the Lake Merom, and over a narrow stony bed, the Jordan enters the 'Sea of Tibe

D

rias. Leaving this lake near its south-western corner, it runs strongly down in a meandering course with a general inclination towards the western hills; then, with a still serpentine way, it sends its waters towards the east. Afterwards, with less considerable but frequent bendings, it keeps onward in the middle of the valley, till, following the trend of the mountains, it runs suddenly to the east, and so keeping alongside of the eastern hills, and having in its course received many wadys (or rivulets), it falls with a rapid current into the Dead Sea, where it loses its separate existence. The Jordan, with its banks near Jericho, and near the spot where, according to tradition, Jesus was baptised by John, is thus spoken of by Dr. Wilson, a recent as well as very learned traveller-Early after we set out, we left the stream of Elisha and the wild verdure which it nourishes, and then came to an absolute waste of clay, much impregnated with salt, and presenting frequent incrustations and florescences where little pools of water had been standing. It is probable that it was in this soft alluvial soil that the vessels of the temple were cast in the days of Solomon (1 Kings vii. 46). In advance of this clayey soil we came upon a sort of natural embankment, and then descended to a lower level. Before we reached the river, we had another similar descent, which brought us to the marginal and almost impervious thickets of the Jordan, consisting of shrubs, trees, and high grasses, some of which were of the species which natives of India use for writing-reeds. After moving along the thicket for some distance, we at last found a small opening, which enabled us to approach the turbid river; and we sat ourselves down

On the bank of Jordan by a creek,

Where winds with reeds and osiers whispering play.

'This rapid stream was to us, by its numerous and sacred associations, the queen of rivers. The water of the river was three yards lower than the embankment bounding its channel; but it had evidently, not many hours previous to our visit (March), been more than a foot higher. The river at this place we found to be exactly forty yards in width. Our Arabs estimated its depth at five fathoms; but owing to the rapidity of the current, which, following pieces of wood that we threw into it, we reckoned at least three miles an hour, we were not able to make of it a satisfactory measurement. Maundrell speaks of the river being 'too rapid to be swam against;' and his description is certainly correct; for our Egyptian servant Deiri, who, like a true son of the Nile, is an excellent swimmer, was carried down to a considerable distance, notwithstanding all his efforts to the contrary, before he could cross it to the land of Moab. On reaching the other side, his naked carcase was in a sorrowful plight among the thorns and bushes, among which he had to carry, or rather push, it

some hundred yards along the course of the stream upwards, in order to cross over again to us at the break in the thicket where we were reposing.' Among the trees and bushes on the margin of the Jordan on both sides of it are many acacias. They seem to have given name to the valley of Moab, near the Jordan, which is called Abel Shittim, Plain of Acacias (Numb. xxxiii. 49; comp. xxv. 1).

The opinion was generally prevalent that the Jordan at one time, emerging from the Dead Sea, kept forward in a southerly direction till it fell into the Red Sea at Ezion-gaber or Elath. But recent travellers have shewn that this could not have been the case in the present geological era. The Arabah, or that part of the great Jordanic vale which runs between the Dead Sea and the Elanitic Gulf, rises considerably as it proceeds southwardly, till coming to its highest point at 300 N. lat., it then descends till it reaches Akaba (the eastern arm of the Red Sea). The whole structure of the country on both its sides has a corresponding formation. In consequence, at 300 N. lat. the waters divide, and the country is drained partly northwardly into the Dead Sea, partly southwardly into the eastern arm of the Red Sea.

The valley of the Jordan has features of peculiar importance. Most prolific was it of old. Its historical associations are of the most profound interest. Across its stream Joshua led the rejoicing Israelites to the conquest of the inheritance promised to Abraham. In its waters John baptised disciples when on his mission preparatory to that of Christ. There, too, Jesus submitted to baptism, that emblem of inward purity, in order that, by complying with proper usages, he might fulfil all righteousness before he entered on his great career of holy and loving obedience to God, in and through which he redeemed the world. In its physical relations, the river, though the most considerable in Palestine, and the largest that the Hebrews knew west of the Euphrates, is more remarkable for other features than the magnitude of its volume or the length of its course. The valley through which the Jordan flows is wide, having several platforms or stages on the western side. The river itself meanders greatly in its course, and in different places has on its banks rank vegetation and lovely spots. But its chief peculiarity is its depression combined with its diversities of level. Springing in the sides of Lebanon, whose highest summits run up to near 10,000 feet above the level of the Mediterranean, it sinks in the Lake Tiberias to 750 feet below that level, and this depression continues till in the Dead Sea it amounts to 1312 feet. If to the latter, which represents the depression of the surface, we add the depth of that peculiar collection of water, namely, 1350 feet, we see how very great is the sinking of the land, and that it is impossible the Jordan would, in the present structure of the country, have ever been the outlet for the waters of the Jordan.

And here we may remark, that the diversity of level to which we have now referred, affects the whole of Palestine in a very remarkable manner. Taking in the whole reach of country from Lebanon to Sinai, we have the two extremities rising each to about 10,000 feet above the sea-level, with midway a depression at the bottom of the Dead Sea of 2662 feet, producing, in about 400 miles, a difference of level which amounts to nearly 13,000 feet. This makes the general outline of the surface of Palestine peculiar. Sinking from the heights of Lebanon down to the hills of Galilee, it suddenly falls in the plain of Esdraelon, and, as suddenly rising in the hill country of Ephraim and Samaria, it continues in an upward direction till it comes to Jerusalem, which is 2642 feet above the level of the Mediterranean. Here, however, the rise does not stop. Going on increasing till it comes to Bethlehem (2705 feet) and Hebron (3029), it begins gradually to fall, till, running into the desert et-Tyh, it resumes the ascent, and at last towers up in the craggy peaks of Sinai. The difference in height between the middle uplands of Western Palestine and the vale of Jordan is strikingly seen when two towns, not more than seventeen miles apart, are compared together as to their level: we allude to Jerusalem, whose average height above the ocean is, as we have stated, 2642 feet, and to Jericho, which stands 764 below that level, making in this short distance a difference of level not less than 3406 feet.