flowing over a bed of pebbles, tolerably clear" and sweet. Assuming these various statements to be correct, it would seem that, between the end of January and the end of March, the Jordan rises at this part, from nine to ten perpendicular feet - a height quite sufficient to produce a very extensive inundation, when its channel was shallower. This rise appears to be rapid, being occasioned by the mountain torrents formed by the early and the latter rains. The second bank (which is, according to Maundrell, about a furlong distant from the outer one, but the width of this lower plain varies,) is "so beset with bushes and trees, such as tamarisk, willows, oleander, &c., that you can see no water till you have made your way through them. In this thicket anciently," he adds, "and the same is reported of it at this day, several sorts of wild beasts were wont to harbour themselves; whose being washed out of the covert by the overflowings of the river, gave occasion to that allusion, Jer. xlix. 19; 1. 44. He shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan.' On the other side there seemed to be a much larger thicket than on that where we were."

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Mr. Buckingham was informed by his Arab guides, that, about a day's journey to the southward of Jericho, at the foot of the mountains, is a place called Merthah, supposed to be the site of a city of the giants," where there are many sepulchral caves, from which had been taken human skulls and bones of at least three times the size of those of the human race at the present day: these the Arabs professed to have themselves seen and handled. Mr. Buckingham conjectures that this Merthah may be the Maresha or Marissa of Josephus. Mareshah was among the cities built or fortified by Rehoboam: it was in the tribe

The

of Judah, and apparently not far from Hebron.* Jewish historian mentions the bones of giants that were in his time shewn near the latter city.

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At about two hours' distance northward of Rihhah, Mr. Buckingham noticed the ruins of a fine Roman aqueduct, at the distance of a mile to his left: there appeared to be about twenty arches still perfect. In this direction was Cypros, one of the cities built by Herod, and named in honour of his mother. Near this spot, too, our traveller remarks, must have stood the ancient city of Ai or Hai, † which was to the east of Bethel, that lay in the hills. Proceeding about half an hour further to the north, over the same kind of plain, we opened on our left," says this same traveller, a beautiful valley, now highly cultivated, and spread over with a carpet of the freshest verdure, seemingly of young corn. This place, we are told, is called Waad-el-Farah, or the Valley of Farah; and a town was spoken of near it, in the side of the hill, bearing the same name, and larger and more populous than Rihhah." The situation corresponds, apparently, to that of Phasaelus, a city in the Valley of Jericho, built by Herod, and named in honour of his brother.‡ At this point, which they estimated to be little more than six miles north of Rihhah, the travellers turned eastward to cross the Jordan; where, for the present, we leave them, and, returning to the Jewish capital, prepare to set out for Galilee, and the shores of the far-famed Lake of Tiberias, in our way to which we must needs pass though Samaria. § Here we shall

Jos. Antiq. lib. xii. cap. 8; lib. xiii. cap. 15. + Gen. xii. 8; xiii. 3. Josh. vii. 2; viii. 12. Neh. vii. 32.

Buckingham's Travels, vol. ii. p. 88.

Ezra ii. 28.

ý John iv. 4.

again join company with Dr. Richardson, who, in the suite of Earl Belmore, took this route to Damascus.

ROUTE TO NABLOUS AND TIBERIAS.

FOR Some hours after leaving Jerusalem, the route to the north lies over a rugged and mountainous country, which, though susceptible of cultivation by being terraced, now presents an aspect of frightful nakedness and sterility. The road, if it may be

*

called such, is rough and stony; and no object of interest occurs before the traveller arrives at Beer, which is three hours and a half (about ten miles) from Jerusalem. The name of the place is derived from its well, which Beer signifies. It seems, Dr. Richardson says, to have been once a place of considerable consequence; and Maundrell supposed it to be the Beer referred to Judges ix. 21, to which Jotham fled from the revenge of Abimelech. "It is supposed also," he adds, to be the same with Michmash,

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"For the husbanding of these mountains, their manner was, to gather up the stones, and place them in several lines, along the sides of hills, in form of a wall. By such borders they supported the mould from tumbling, or being washed down; and formed many beds of excellent soil, rising gradually one above another, from the bottom to the top of the mountains. Of this form of culture you see evident footsteps wherever you go in all the mountains of Palestine. Thus the very rocks were made fruitful. The hills, though improper for all cattle, except goats, yet, being disposed into such beds as are before described, served very well to bear corn, melons, gourds, cucumbers, and such like garden-stuff, which makes the principal food of these countries for several months in the year. The most rocky parts of all, which could not well be adjusted in that manner for the production of corn, might yet serve for the plantation of vines and olive trees, which delight to extract, the one its fatness, the other its sprightly juice, chiefly out of such dry and flinty places." MAUNDRELL'S Journey from Aleppo, &c.

1 Sam. xiv. 5." But Reland, on the authority of Eusebius, places Michmash nearer Jerusalem, in the direction of Rama. Close to the well, which is at the bottom of the declivity on which stands the village, are the mouldering walls of a ruined khan; and on the summit of the hill, two large arches still remain of a ruined convent-Maundrell calls it an old church, and says, it was built by the empress Helena, in commemoration of the Virgin's coming as far as this spot in quest of the child Jesus, as related Luke x. 24! A little beyond Beer two roads meet: that on the right conducts to Nablous. "After two hours' travelling along the same rocky path," says Dr. Richardson, 66 we passed the village of Einbroot, which is finely situated on our left, on the top of a hill. The adjoining valley is well cultivated, and the sides of the hills are raised in terraces, and planted with the olive, the vine, and the fig-tree. On approaching Einbroot, the guide of the caravan called out for us to march in close order. Here it was reported that we were in danger of being attacked by banditti, and that the muskets were seen pointed at us over the stones; but upon the guide, who rode considerably in advance, informing them who the party were whom they meant to attack, that they travelled under the protection of a firman from the Porte and the pasha of Acre, and, what was, perhaps, as powerful a dissuasive, that we were armed, and could fight as well as they could, they withdrew their weapons of offence, and remained quiet. A little further on we passed two villages on our left, the names of which I did not learn. The road lay partly through a rocky dell, and partly through a narrow cultivated valley; but the general

• Maundrell mentions an Arab village, which he calls Selwid, a little beyond Geeb, and on the same side of the route,

aspect of the country was particularly wild and barren. The next village that we passed was called Engeeb, also on the top of a hill on the left, and the adjoining ground was well cultivated in the same manner. After this, we passed a fine-looking picturesque hill, every way susceptible of cultivation, at the foot of which we entered the small valley of Khan Leban, where we found the ruins of an old khan, with many mouldering vaults, and a plentiful spring of clear water, much infested with small worms. It derives its name from a village called, Leban, at the other end of the valley. It is eight hours from Jerusalem. Here we pitched our tents for the night, the place being agreeable and convenient, with plenty of grass for the animals."

Maundrell describes this spot as 66 a delicious vale," and says, that either Khan Leban, which is on the eastern side, or the village which is on the opposite side, is supposed to be the site of the ancient Lebonah. He notices also a village called Cinga, lying at some distance on the traveller's left, about three quarters of an hour south of Khan Leban; and, between this and Engeeb, he describes a very narrow valley between two high rocky hills, where he found the ruins of a village and a monastery, supposed to mark the site of the ancient Bethel, which was on the confines of Ephraim and Benjamin. The monastery is almost sufficient to awake the suspicion that this was not Bethel: possibly, the Arabs, who are the best authorities, could decide the point, as they have almost uniformly preserved the ancient names. But neither the empress Helena nor the monks ever thought of consulting them.

"Having passed the village of Leban," continues Dr. Richardson, "the road, winding with the valley, proceeds in a northern direction. Here the ground