entangled among the roots of the trees, and rose to the surface, but though he seized some overhanging branches with the grasp of a perishing man, the current was too strong, and he was again carried away by the stream. He was however saved at some distance lower down, but the Greek was never seen after he first sunk. I was told that a Turk was also drowned at the same place, but I did not witness the circumstance. It excited little attention among the people, and they continued to enter the water with the same fear lessness as before. chosen for the purpose, as there must of necessity have been a great number of persons constantly passing from one region to the other, and the gradual slope of the bank, and the comparative shallowness of the water, would render the exercise less dangerous than in places where the stream was rapid and the bank precipitous. It was near the same spot that the children of Israel passed over the river, and thus the ark of the covenant must have rested near the place where Christ was baptized, who is received as "the mercy-seat," by which the children of the adoption now receive power to enter into the promised land of the heavenly Canaan. The spot chosen by the Greeks is some miles to the southward o. the bank opposite Jericho. The Jordan, though the principal river of Canaan, is but an inconsiderable stream, at this place not more than 20 yards across, muddy, and very rapid. Its whole course is about 130 miles: it rises about four miles north-east of Banias, From the Jordan we accompanied some English passes through the waters of Merom and the lake travellers to the Dead Sea, and were attended by of Tiberias, and discharges itself with great im- a guard of soldiers. The hills we passed have petuosity into the Dead Sea. The banks are much the same appearance as those in the valley about twelve feet above the water. On the east- of the Nile, and are equally barren. As we apern side there is a lower bank in addition, covered proached the shore, all traces of vegetation began with reeds, willows, and oleanders, in which the to cease, and the last mile was over sand, upon wild beasts find a shelter in the dry season, but which were incrustations of salt. There was a are forced from their refuge at the swelling of the gloom over the sea, which continued during the river by the rains. The Jordan overflowed ALL whole of our stay in its neighborhood, and preits banks all the time of harvest, in the days of vented us from seeing more than four miles over Joshua, a circumstance which never occurs at its surface. It is bounded on the east and west present. I know it is said that the lower bank by mountains, and in this part, which is a kind o alone is here meant by the sacred writer, but why bay, may be about twelve miles across. The beach then does he expressly say "ALL its banks?" is covered with logs of wood, and other matters, There must therefore have been a greater quan- brought down by the Jordan, and as I observed tity of rain in former times than now, which ac- these only close to the water's edge, I should not counts for the apparent discrepancy between the have supposed, from inspection-though all trapresent state of the land, and the glowing descrip- vellers seem assured of the fact that it rises and tions of the prophets. The Israelites had many falls at certain seasons. There was a very gentle promises given unto them, that if they obeyed the ripple upon the surface, but not the slightest apcommandments of the Lord their God they should pearance of a wave dashing on the shore: its apreceive the rain in due season, and a scarcity of pearance may be best compared to an immense rain was to be the punishment of their disobe- sheet of ice when seen through a fog. It must dience. The plain of Jordan during the summer not be supposed that this stillness is constant, heats cannot be better described than in the pro- though Tacitus says "the wind raises no waves phecy of Moses: "The heaven that is over thy there," as at the time it was visited by some friends head shall be brass, and the earth that is under of mine, the waves were so high that they were thee shall be iron." It was long doubted by what afraid to bathe. We observed almost close to the medium the waters of the Jordan were discharg-water a pile of large stones, that appear to have ed previously to the formation of the Salt Sea, but recent discoveries have led to the supposition that they were carried into the Red Sea through its eastern gulf. The place at which the pilgrims bathed is about four miles from the mouth of the river, and the spot where they suppose that Christ was baptized by John. It appears that after the temptation of our Lord, John was baptizing "in Bethabara, beyond Jordan." The word Bethabara is said to mean in Hebrew, "the place of passing over," and in Scripture there is frequent mention of a common ford or ferry, by which, in times very distant from each other, the people were accustomed to pass to the opposite bank. This ford was "right against Jericho." The exact place of our Lord's baptism is not stated in the New Testament; but as some of the circumstances mentioned by the other evangelists as immediately previous to the baptism, are said by John to have taken place at Bethabara, we may safely conclude that it was at this place the sacred rite was received by Christ. The situation was admirably been squared, and some have supposed that they once belonged to the cities of the plain. The fable is exploded that no bird can fly over it, as we saw several skimming its surface with as much apparent ease as in any other place, but we observed no signs of fish, and I am inclined to the belief that there are none in it. Upon the shore were a number of shells, but this proves nothing, as I have seen the same in all parts of Judea, and they are probably brought down by the river or washed from the mountains. It was now our turn to bathe, and perhaps there might be in our minds something of the same feeling as that for which a little time before we had been accusing the pilgrims. The water was so buoyant that, in swimming, we had great difficulty to keep our legs under it, and I had to hold my head back like a sphinx, in order to breathe. It was so dense, that we could not swim to any distance without using great exertion. We could remain in the water without the least motion, and did not sink. I could not dive, though more expert swimmers might perhaps succeed. The taste is most nau of the world at the temptation. The ruins of a convent are seen at the top, and in the sides are many ranges of caves, one above the other, now inhabited by Bedouins, some of whom came out, and said they would allow us to approach, on the promise of a present. I went part of the way towards them, but as no one would follow me, there was no alternative but to return. seous, and in places where my skin was exco- On the N. W. of Jericho there is a high mounriated by exposure to the sun, the smart was ex-tain, very precipitate, from the summit of which it cessive. The skin had an uncomfortable sensa- is said that Satan showed our Lord the kingdoms tion for several days after, and it required an immensity of soap and water to free us from the particles we had imbibed. The water is clear, and it is said to contain one-fourth of its weight of salts. The surface is said by Josephus to change its appearance three times every day, according to the direction of the sun's rays. He speaks also of there being ships upon it, which shows that its consuming power is not so great as some have imagined. In 1818, some English travellers made the circuit of the sea, and by their account, it is not more than thirty miles in length: 66 There are the remains of a khan and castle at the foot of the hill. It is thought by many that the ancient Jericho stood in this direction; indeed, the conjecture is highly probable, as Josephus says, "It stands in a plain, but a naked and barren mountain of very great length hangs over it.”— There are several large tumuli. Near one of them is a fine fountain of water, which there can be little doubt is the same that Elisha purified, at the request of the sons of the prophets. Josephus says of this fountain, that "it arises near the old ter, and it contains some small fishes. The stream irrigates several acres of land, that produce doura and other kinds of grain, and appear from their richness like an Oasis in the desert. It has formerly been carried to considerable distances by aqueducts, of which there are still many remains, and over a ravine near the camp is one of nine arches, that might still be used. The thorn is abundant, and affords shelter for many small birds. We slept at night as before. Our servant having accidentally set fire to the dry grass, the flame spread several miles, and produced a fine effect. I have visited many scenes of desolation, but this surpasses them all; yet this very spot, we are assured by Scripture, was once "as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt." The sea is called in sacred writ, the Salt Sea, the Sea of the Plain, and the East Sea. It occupies what was formerly the vailey of Siddim, in which stood the five cities of the plain, Sodom, Gomorrah, Ad-city." A tree spreads its branches over the wamah, Zeboim, and Bala. These guilty cities were utterly destroyed by the righteous vengeance of the Lord, and their very sites have been hid from the face of heaven by waters that are alone among all the waters of the world. The awful prophecy of Moses must needs, when considered amid the scene that here presents itself, bring fear to the mind of the sinner, and conviction to that of the skeptic. The stranger that shall come from a far land shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses, which the Lord hath lain upon it, and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not The camp broke up about midnight to return sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth there-to Jerusalem. The few torches tended only to on, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, dazzle our sight, and render darkness visible. The Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew road was dangerous by day, and to pass it in the in his anger and in his wrath; even all nations night seemed to be an absolute impossibility. I shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto was afraid that the people would hurry forward, the land? What meaneth the heat of this great and not seeing what was before them, would preanger? Then men shall say, Because they have cipitate one another into the deep ravines. This forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their was happily prevented by the narrowness of the fathers." Deut. xxv. 22, 25. The Israelites re-road at the entrance, for as only one person could fused to listen to the warning voice, and the prophecy has been fulfilled in the utmost force of its terrible import. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” pass at a time, the crowd was kept back, and as we were among the first, it was no hinderance to us, and the road was afterwards comparatively free. There was another stream of people that The guard hurried us away from the sea, as proceeded by a different range of hills, but we they pretended to be afraid of the Bedouins. We could hear their shouts, and see their torches returned by a different route. The surface of the across the dark valley between us. The Bedouins ground is a mere incrustation, and as the feet of had lighted a fire near the khan of the good Saour horses went through it, they were in constant maritan, round which many of them were sitting danger of a fall. There is a low shrub very com- upon parts of the ruins. When we approached, mon, much resembling thyme, with a beautiful as fuel was heaped on, and the flame rose for a small flower. It was not my good fortune to meet moment, we could trace their forms; and as we with any of the far-famed apples of Sodom, nor saw them in their wildness, with their firelocks in with any thing that I could suppose had given their hands, and the knives in their girdles reflectrise to the account. Nearer the camp the grounding the flashes of the fire, we could not but feel is marked in a most singular manner by the ants, so as to resemble the lines and circles drawn in plans of fortification. The pilgrims were all in quietness by the time we joined them. I was delighted, whilst reclining under the shade of a thorn bush, to hear the voice of the cuckoo, after an interval of years: it brought home-scenes very powerfully to my remembrance. Towards evening we took a walk upon the plain. thankful that their obedience was secured. I was not sorry when daylight began to appear. The view of Bethany was pleasing, the sides of the hill upon which it is situated being cultivated in terraces. We went a little way from the road to visit the tomb of Lazarus, a cave, and descended to it by twenty-five steps. The houses of Lazarus and Mary Magdalene are also shown. The identity of those places may he fabulous, but it is no fable that Jesus here wept, and that he is still moved with the same sympathy, mercy, and affection. "For we have not an high-priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. iv. 15, 16. The village is now inconsiderable, but the situation is most agreeable. The view of Jerusalem, with which we were soon afterwards presented, was more imposing than usual, as the rising sun was shining with great brilliancy upon the walls, domes, and minarets. The hills were again covered with females to witness the return of the pilgrims; but we turned off near Siloam to avoid the confusion, and entered the city through the gate of Zion. BETHLEHEM. The neighborhood of Bethlehem produces the olive and fig, in comparative abundance, with the trees planted in terraces. The situation of the place would be agreeable, if the country over which it looks were brought under cultivation, or planted with trees. The valley around it is not large, nor is the hill elevated upon which it stands, as it is in "the hill country," and the summits of many other hills are seen from it, at nearly the same elevation. The interesting transactions related with so much simplicity in the book of Ruth, took place in this neighborhood. It was in the gate of Bethlehem that Boaz sat, when his kinsman came by, unto whom he said, "Ho such a one, turn aside, sit down here: and he turned aside and sat down;" and then before ten men, elders of the city, he redeemed the possession of Naomi, and received with it the hand of Ruth, the affectionate Moabitess, who had said unto her mother-in-law, "Thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God." The sweet singer of Israel upon these hills tended his flocks, and here have been heard the soft tones I AND my servant rode over to Bethlehem, April of his harp, and the glad breathings of his voice, as 20, a distance of about six miles. It was with he called upon all creation to praise the name of some difficulty that I made my way through the the Lord. It was in one of these valleys that the gate of the city, as the avenue leading to it was glory of the Lord appeared unto the shepherds by crowded by the horses and camels of the pilgrims, night, when they heard the rapturous music of the who were detained by the soldiers until their pass- heavenly host, as they ushered in the Saviour's ports could be examined. A Turk took hold of birth with a song, the appropriate burden of which my horse's bridle, and did all he could to assist me, was glory, and peace, and good-will. In all these perhaps with the expectation of receiving a pre- coasts mothers have wept over their murdered sent for his services. We crossed over the upper infants, refusing to be comforted, when the sword part of the valley of Gihon, and having ascended of Herod was red with blood, and every stain was the opposite hill by a rocky path, found ourselves from the blood of innocence. It is almost imposupon a cultivated plain, which extends about four sible to visit these scenes without referring back miles, and is the only pleasant portion of road I to the period when they afforded materials for had seen near Jerusalem, all the other paths being some of the most beautiful compositions ever writeither situated on a declivity, or obstructed by ten by man, even when under divine inspiration. rocks, or covered with loose stones. There are The heavens, as before, declare the glory of God, many erections in the plain, well built, with large and the firmament, in characters as clear as ever, stones, some of them having ornamented windows: showeth his handy work; but it would be like a they might pass for watch-towers, or castles; but mockery of mirth to call upon these barren hills, I was told that they are all tombs. There are or desolate valleys, or deserted streams, now to others of a similar description in the plain on the rejoice, for if it were in their power to take to north of the city, but they are more ruinous. At themselves words and reply, they would answer, the convent of Mar Elias, near which the cultiva-"How shall we sing the Lord's song under the tion ceases, there is a well of most excellent water, and the road then passes over surfaces of rock. The mountains of Moab were seen upon our left, and between them and us the gloom indicated the near position of the Dead Sea, but I could not from any part perceive its surface. We passed what is called the tomb of Rachael, which may possibly be the place of her interment, but the building is modern. There is a conical hill in the direction of the sea, which is supposed by some travellers to have been a volcano, and the instrument by which the cities of the plain were destroyed; but a friend of mine, who visited it, assured me that there is no appearance of a crater near it, and that on its summit there is a very ancient ruin. It may be the Massada of Josephus, situated on a steep rock, which was fortified by Jonathan, the Asmonean, and rendered impregnable by Herod. It was taken possession of by a noted band of assassins, and when they in their turn were besieged, they slew each other by lot, and the last survivor set fire to the castle. rule of the heathen oppressor?" The poetry of the land has gone, but the voice of instruction has taken its place, and seems to say to the Christian, in whose heart the Redeemer of Bethlehem again tabernacles in mercy, "Let him that most assuredly standeth, take heed lest he fall." With these events to reflect upon, I wanted no guide to excite my smile, or perhaps my indignation, by some story as probable as a fairy tale; though even with these tales there is connected a melancholy interest, from their having been repeated for ages, and believed by many thousands of deceived pilgrims with as much confidence as the written word. The town is situated upon the summit of a hill, stretching from east to west, and may contain about twelve hundred inhabitants, a good proportion of whom are Christians. The convent built over the supposed birth-place of our Lord is the most conspicuous object in the view, and with its strong walls and massy buttresses appears to be little in accordance with "the peaceable fruit of righteousness," intended to be the consequence of the Messiah's advent. I visited it with little interest, having no faith in its pretensions. The low entrance-door opens upon an extensive church, the body of which is ornamented by two rows of Corinthian pillars on each side, ten in each row, and some of them have figures of saints painted upon the shaft. The roof and walls are plain, and the edifice does not appear to be used at present for religious purposes. I was taken through a passage narrow and dark, I suppose for the sake of effect, and thence was ushered into a cave, illuminated with many lamps, the walls of which were hung with pictures, and the floor was paved with marble. The place of the birth of our Saviour is marked by an altar, under which is the inscription-" Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est;" and a few paces from it, cut out of the rock, is the manger in which the holy child Jesus was laid. The exact spot where the star stood to point out the place to the wise men from the east, is now occupied by a representation of the luminary, but it is not HIS star. There are separate churches for the Latins, Greeks, and Armenians; the first is the most splendid. I was shown the cave in which Jerome made the translation of the Scriptures into Latin, known by the name of the Vulgate, and also that into which the bodies of the infants were thrown after the massacre, and different other tombs and sacred places; but it was well that I was careless about their history, as the old Arab who accompanied me was not one of the most intelligent of guides. The superior of the convent was at first a little distant, as I had put on a coarse Arab dress that I might not attract attention, but he soon relaxed his features into pleasantness, and ordered an excellent breakfast to be provided for me in the refectory, though it was a fast-day, consisting of fried eggs, cheese, boiled beans, omelet, salad, and wine. I purchased a few of the curiosities made here in mother-of-pearl, brought from the Red Sea, and from the sale of which the people of the place derive their principal support. They chiefly consist of rosaries, crucifixes, and scallop shells, carved with devices from sacred history and the traditions of the saints. I was shocked to see many intended representations of the Father, as the familiarity with which the people are brought to regard these mysteries is too manifest in the levity with which they treat all sacred subjects. There was a school belonging to the convent, in which I was pleased to see about eighty boys learning to read and write. In the valley there is a well, supposed by Dr. E. D. Clarke, to be the same as that from which the three mighty men procured the water which David would not drink, but poured out before the Lord, because it was the blood of men that went in jeopardy of their lives; but the doctor has been most unfortunate in nearly all his attempts to fix the localities of the Holy Land. The Bethlehemites are often at variance with the reigning power, which renders it impossible at tines for travellers to visit the place, but they were then happily at peace with the men of Jerusalem, and we returned in safety. The country to the south of Bethlehem is well worthy of attention, but it was in too disturbed a state to be visited without danger. In this direction are the pools of Solomon, Hebron, the plain of Mamre, the cave of Macpelah, and other places of interest. It is said by a recent traveller, that the water ascends in the water-courses of Solomon, though it has been supposed that the principle in hydraulics by which fluids find their own level, was unknown to the ancients. From Bethlehem to Beersheba, the southern extremity of the promised land, is a distance of about thirty-four miles. GERIZIM.-SHECHEM. WE prepared for our departure from Jerusalem, We were appre We had with us a German me chanic, who had been in the employ of the pacha of Egypt. He was now on his return home, and travelled in company with us that he might have our protection. There is an appearance of industry about Ain Brood that is not common. The stones are all carefully gathered up from the ground, the vines are properly trained, and the gardens are protected by good walls. The site of BETHEL is not far distant, where Jacob saw the vision of the angels, and Jeroboam set up the golden calves. The tribe of Benjamin extended some miles further to the westward, eastward as far as the Jordan, and southward as far as Jerusalem. In the time of the patriarchs these hills probably belonged to the Jebusites. of the Jordan,—and when the men, women, children, and strangers, thinking on these things, with one voice shouted Amen, the acclaim must have reverberated among the rocks around with true sublimity, and have swelled in majestic volume towards heaven. The whole would form a fine scene for the pencil of Martin. The hills are of equal height, about 600 feet, and are neither of them cultivated, but Gerizim has the more pleasing appearance. From the top of this mountain, Jotham addressed his fable of the trees to the men of Shechem, when they made Abimelech king. According to Josephus, the first temple erected here was by Manasseh, after the captivity it was dedicated to the worship of God in association with the worship of idols."They feared the Lord, and served their own gods.' 2 Kings xvii. 33. Upwards of 11,000 Samaritans were here slain by Cerealis, com We left the well about sunrise, April 24, and the face of the country improved as we advanced. We passed many fertile valleys, with villages upon the hills. We had a steep descent to Khan Lebn, now a total ruin, and soon afterwards en-mander of the 5th Roman legion. tered upon a valley of greater extent, with the The ancient Shechem of the Old Testament, green corn moving in graceful waves from end to and Sychar of the New, stood near the site of the end when agitated by the gentle breeze. At noon present Nabloos, a corruption of Neapolis, in the we were upon an extensive bed of limestone, and same valley, under the northern side of Gerizim. the white ground reflected the rays of the sun so It may at present contain about 6,000 inhabitants: strongly as to render our eyes almost useless.— soap is the principal manufacture, and cotton the Well wearied with our ride, after passing the re-principal product of the fields. The gardens by puted tomb of Joseph, we entered the pass that which it is surrounded had a richer appearance separates mount Gerizim from mount Ebal. It than any I had seen since leaving the valley of was here the affecting ceremony took place that the Nile. It was here that God first appeared to was commanded by Moses, carried into effect by Abraham after his entrance into Palestine, and Joshua, and never afterwards repeated. Six of "he builded an alar unto the Lord, and called the tribes stood over against Gerizim to bless the upon the name of the Lord." There are some people, and the other six upon Ebal to curse. It ancient sepulchres in the rocks of Ebal. Jacob would appear that the whole of the law was read bought here "a parcel of a field, where he had over by Joshua, and that the Levites spoke unto spread his tent," and erected an altar, and it was all the men of Israel with a loud voice the words the prince of this city who caused the destruction of the curse, to which the people answered, and of his people at the hands of Simeon and Levi, said, Amen. "And all Israel, and their elders, assisted probably by their own immediate serand officers, and their judges, stood on this side vants and friends, for the insult he had offered to the ark, and on that side before the priests the their sister Dinah. The bones of Joseph, which Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, the Lord, as well the stranger, as he that was were buried in the parcel of ground bought by his born among them; half of them over against father. Shechem was one of the cities of refuge. mount Gerizim, and half of them over against It was here that our Lord held the interesting mount Ebal; as Moses, the servant of the Lord, conversation with the woman of Samaria, in which had commanded before, that they should bless the this sublime truth was communicated to the world, people of Israel. And afterwards he read all the "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, worship him in spirit and in truth." John iv. 24. according to all that is written in the book of the There has been a great difference of opinion about law."-Joshua viii. 33, 34; Deut. xxvii. 11. A the exact sites of all these places, and especially better situation could not be conceived for this about Jacob's well. Some of the wells are too purpose, as the hills are at such a distance from far from the city, others too near, and others not each other that the hosts of Israel might stand " deep." This is almost the only place I saw in between, and the voice from either side be heard Palestine where such a question could be enterdistinctly on a calm day throughout the whole as-tained, as a city thinks itself favored if it have one sembly. It must have been an imposing specta- good spring at a convenient distance, but here cle: the ark of the covenant in the centre, sur- there are several. A Jew informed us he had rounded by the elders, officers, and judges, with read in an old book that there are three hundred the venerable Joshua at their head, the banners springs near this place, which he regarded as a of the tribes marking their different positions as romance until a few winters ago, when there was appointed by God, which they were now to occu- a greater quantity of rain than usual, and springs py for the last time, and the millions of Israel ex- appeared in every direction. There is a well tending in firm phalanx as far as the eye could near the present road from Jerusalem, at the enreach it must also be remembered that every trance of the valley, and nearly in the centre, the individual of that vast company had but a little situation of which answers better than that of any time before beheld the most striking wonders per- other to Jacob's well, but it is at present shallow, formed in their own behalf,-the falling down of and requires "nothing to draw with." It has the walls of Jericho, and the dividing of the stream | been supposed by some high authorities that the |