as far as which it may be supposed the river does, or at least did, anciently overflow at some seasons: viz. at the time of harvest," or as it is expressed in 1 Chron. xii, 15, in the first month.' But at present, whether it be because the river has, by its rapidity of current, worn its channel deeper than it was formerly, or whether because its waters are diverted some other way, it seems to have forgot its ancient greatness: for we could discern no sign nor probability of such overflowings when we were there, being the proper time for these inundations. Nay, so far was the river from overflowing, that it ran at least two yards below the brink of its channel." Between the outer and real bank of Jordan, Maundrell tells us, that the ground was covered with trees and bushes, particularly willows, tamarisks, and oleanders; so that he could see no water till he made his way through them. And it was in this thicket that several kinds of wild beasts were wont to conceal themselves; which, being washed out of their covert, by the overflowings of the river, gave occasion for the prophet to compare the impatience of Edom and Babylon, under God's judgments, to the coming up of a lion from the swellings of Jordan."

Thus have we followed this noble river from its source, till it empties itself in the Dead Sea. A few notices of that remarkable lake shall finish the present general description. The Dead Sea is stated by Josephus to be 580 furlongs (723 miles) in length, and 150 furlongs (183 miles) in breadth.a Maundrell found its waters to be very limpid; not

с

b Jer. xlix. 19; 1. 44.

c War, iv. 8.

a Josh. iii. 15.
The modern maps make it only about fifty miles long.

only salt, but bitter and nauseous, and uncom monly buoyant: which last circumstance is owing to the immense quantity of salts of various kinds it is known to contain, being nearly 25 parts in 100, while common sea water is only 1 in 32. The quantity of bitumen which is found either floating on its waters, or lying on the shore, hath been often noticed; and the death-like appearance which it everywhere presents, by the baneful influence of saline effluvia on vegetation, naturally reminds the traveller of those awful judgments which were the cause of its formation: while the constant influx of the waters of Jordan and other streams into that extensive lake, without increasing its geographical limits, is an additional example of the law of evaporation, which restores to the clouds what had descended from them in dews and rains. Dr. Shaw notices this difficulty, and satisfactorily removes it. "Such a quantity (of

a The following is the result of the experiments made by Dr. Marcet, of Guy's Hospital, London, on a bottle of Dead Sea water, which had been brought by Mr. Gordon of Cluny, and given by him to Sir Joseph Banks.

It is perfectly transparent. Re-agents demonstrate the presence of marine and sulphuric acid. There is no alumine. It is not saturated with marine salt. It does not change turnsol and violet. It holds in solution the following substances, and in the under-mentioned proportions:

A bottle of the water of Jordan, analysed at the same time, contained no salt. (London Philosoph. Transact. for 1807, part ii. art. 16.)

water," says he, " as the 6,090,000 tuns formerly mentioned) daily received from Jordan without increasing the limits of that sea, has made some conjecture, that it is absorbed by the burning sands; and others, that it is carried off through subterraneous cavities, or that it has a communication with the Serbonic Lake. But if the Dead Sea is, according to the general computation, 72 miles long and 18 broad, by allowing, according to Dr. Halley's observation, 6914 tuns of vapour for every square mile, there will be daily drawn up in clouds, to refresh the earth with rain or dew, 8,960,000 tuns, which is near one-third more than is brought into it by this river :"—and which of course may be applied to the quantity discharged by the other streams of less note which surround the lake."

We shall conclude the section with some information concerning the Ghor, or valley of Jordan, on either side of the Dead Sea; and its original extension beyond that lake. "The mountains," says Burckhardt," which enclose the Ghor, or valley of Jordan, open considerably at the northern extremity of the Dead Sea; and encompassing it on the west and east sides, approach again at its south extremity, leaving only a narrow plain between them; which, on the west side, between the sea and the mountains, is covered with sand, and is unfit for cultivation; but on the east side, and es

a Tacitus gives us an interesting account of the Dead Sea, in his Historiar. v. 6. But those who wish to understand the geography of Judea more perfectly, ought to consult Bochart's Phaleg and Canaan; Reland's Palestina; De Lisle's Terræ Sanctæ Tabula; Wells's Sacred Geography; Paxton's Illustrations of the Geography of Judea; and Heming's Complete Survey of Scripture Geography, with a superb and accurate Atlas by Asseton, printed 1818.

pecially towards the south extremity, where it continues to bear the appellation of El Ghor, it is in many places very fertile. Its breadth varies from one to four or five miles; and the heat of the climate of this low valley, during the summer, renders it almost uninhabitable."-But if there be a northern Ghor, or valley, extending from the sources of Jordan to the Dead Sea, as when examining the course of the Jordan we saw there was; and a middle Ghor, which contains the Dead Sea, and the plains on either side of it, as Burckhardt has told us there is; there is also a southern Ghor, which reaches from the southern extremity of the Dead Sea, to the Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea. This is clearly laid down in the map which accompanies Burckhardt's Travels, and is said by him to be “similar to the northern Ghor in shape, but which the want of water makes a desert, while the Jordan and its numerous tributary streams render the other a fertile plain." This southern Ghor, Mr. Leake, in his preface to Burckhardt's Travels, very naturally supposes to have been the ancient course of the Jordan, before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, when the basin containing the Dead Sea was probably formed; and consequently, that, instead of being evaporated, as it is now from the Dead Sea, it emptied itself, before that awful event, into the Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea. The direction of the valley, and the immense volume of water contained in the Jordan, which would not probably be dried up in so short a course, render the conjecture of Mr. Leake extremely probable.

Travels in Syria and the Holy Land, p. 391.

b Ibid. p. 442.

Jerusalem, when founded; in what tribes situated; the different gates in the city wall, viz. the sheep-gáte, fish-gate, old gate, gates of Benjamin and Ephraim, the corner-gate, valley-gate, dung-gate, gate of the fountain, prison-gate, water-gate, horse-gate, gate Miphkad, golden gate, St. Stephen's gate. Mountains within the city wall: Mount Zion, Moriah, Acra, Beżetha. Some of the public buildings and streets. Present state of Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM is thought to have been founded by Melchizedec about the year of the world 2023, and called Salem, which signifies peace. After his death it was possessed by the Jebusites 847 years, and called from them Jebus; when it was taken by David, and made the capital of his kingdom, under the name of Jebus-salem, or (euphoniæ gratiâ) Jerusalem. In that state of eminence it continued 477 years, and then was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. During the seventy years' captivity it lay waste after which it arose from its ashes, and continued 562 years, till it was destroyed by Titus.

It did not belong to any one tribe, but was partly in the tribe of Judah, and partly in the tribe of Benjamin; and the distinguishing line went through the very court of the temple. For the whole of the court of the Gentiles on the east, the whole of the court of the women, the east end of the court of Israel, and of the priests, and the south-east corner of the altar, were in the tribe of Judah; and the

a 1 Chron. xi. 4.