these luxuriant and happy plains, where they determined to terminate their wanderings, and establish their permanent residence.

But, admitting that Noah and his family descended from the mountain on which the ark rested, near the sources of the Tigris, into the plain of Shinar, still it may be truly asserted, in the words of the inspired historian, that they journeyed from the east; for it shall be shown in the next chapter, that Shinar stretched away to the north, along the western bank of the Tigris: and, by consequence, Noah and his family no sooner descended into the level country, than they found themselves due east from the northern or upper parts of that plain; and, therefore, as they journeyed along the foot of the mountains toward the upper part of Shinar, they literally journeyed from the east.

The learned Capellus considers Kedem as the name of a country, from Kedma, the youngest son of Ismael; and interprets the words of the sacred writer in this manner :-When the posterity of Noah had descended from the mountains of Armenia, into the region which afterwards received the name of Kedem, they found a plain in the land of Shinar.

Not satisfied with this conjecture, Bochart offers another. In his opinion, the inspired writer adopts the common language of the Assyrians, who denominated all that part of their empire which was situated beyond the Tigris, the east, and the provinces on this side, the west: the terms east and west being taken from that river, which, flowing nearly from north to south, divided the Assyrian empire into almost two equal parts. The mountains of Ararat, according to this division, may with propriety be said to belong to the east, as being a part of the empire which lay beyond the Tigris.

*

But a more satisfactory reply may be given, by a slight change in the translation. The original phrase * Lib. i. cap. 7, p. 31.

(Mikedem) evidently denotes, in some parts of the Mosaic writings, not from the east, but on the eastside; and is so translated in our version. When God expelled our first parents from Paradise, Moses informs us, He placed at the east of the garden of Eden, that is plainly on the east side, cherubims and a flaming sword.* In a following chapter it is stated, that the patriarch Abraham removed from the plain of Moreh unto a mountain (Mikedem) on the east.† Hence the phrase in this passage may be translated, As they journeyed on the east side they found a plain in the land of Shinar. When the sons of Noah descended from the mountains, they entered the level country on the east side of the Tigris, and pursuing their journey along the same side of the river, arrived at the plain where they resolved to settle. Or, if the words of Moses be supposed to refer more properly to the land of Shinar than to the river, it will be shown that the Tigris washes the eastern border of that country; and therefore, in journeying down the Tigris, they travelled on the east side of the valley. Viewing the sacred text in this light, it may be admitted, without injury or danger to the hypothesis which has been more generally received, that the plain of Shinar, in which the tower of Babel was afterwards built, lies directly south from the Gordiæan mountains: for the words of the inspired historian only mean, that the Noachidæ travelled along the east side of the country, till they found a plain in its southern extremity, where they resolved to settle. These observations render it extremely probable, that the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat, within the limits of Armenia, and on one of the summits of the Gordiæan range, which rising to a stupendous height above the rest of the chain, overlook the rich and extensive plains of Babylonia.+

* Gen. iii. 24.

† Gen. xii. 8. Bocharti. Phaleg. lib. i. c.5, p. 24; Well's Sacred Geography, vol.

Ararat forms the angle of an immense chain of mountains, on the loftiest pinnacle of which, the natives of the country believe that part of the ark yet remains. It is a most sublime and stupendous object, which excites in the mind of the beholder the mingled emotions of admiration and terror. One of the great features of this mountain is the immense chasm which extends nearly half way down, over which impends a cliff, discernible at a great distance, whose enormous masses of ice are from time to time precipitated into the abyss with a noise resembling the loudest thunder.* 'Nothing,' says Mr Morier, can be more beautiful than its shape; more awful than its height. Compared with it, all the other mountains sink into insignificance. It is perfect in all its parts; no hard rugged feature ; no unnatural prominences; every thing is in harmony; and all combine to render it one of the most sublime objects in nature. Spreading originally from an immense base, its slope toward the summit is gradual, until it reaches the regions of the snows, when it becomes more abrupt. The cone is surmounted with a crown of ice, which glitters in the sun with a peculiar i. p. 30. [In addition to the arguments adduced in the text in proof of the Gordiæan Mountains being the resting-place of the ark, and not Caucasus, it may be remarked, that while a strong current from the swell of the Persian Gulf drove that gigantic vessel in a northerly direction towards Armenia, a still stronger current from the north arising from the Black and Caspian Seas, between which Caucasus is situated, must have prevented its being wafted so far north as that mountain. The only startling objection to this opinion, which rests on a venerable tradition, all but universal, has originated with a modern traveller (Tournefort, lett. 7), who says he does not perceive where the dove could find an olive branch, on the supposition that the ark rested on the mountains of Armenia, as the olive does not appear to grow in the whole neighbouring country; nor, says another (Tavernier), does it grow in any part of Asia beyond Aleppo. But to this it may be replied, that whatever may be the case in these countries at the present day, we have the most satisfactory evidence, that the olive was cultivated anciently in all the regions in and about Armenia. Assyria is described as producing olive oil in 2 Kings xviii. 32; and Strabo mentions that the olive grew in Gogarene, a province of Armenia, B. xi. p. 800.]-Editor.

* Kinneir's Geographical Memoir of the Persian Empire, p. 326.

and dazzling brightness. As a foil to this stupendous work, a smaller hill rises from the same base, near the original mass, similar to it in shape and proportion, and in any other situation entitled to rank among the high mountains. The mountain is divided into three regions of different breadths. The first, composed of a short and slippery grass, or sand as troublesome as the quicksands of Africa, is occupied by the shepherds; the second, by tigers and crows; the remainder, which is half the mountain, is covered with snow which has been accumulating ever since the ark rested upon it; and these snows are concealed during one half of the year in very dense clouds.' This stupendous mountain Mr Morier and his party endeavoured to scale; and, after excessive fatigue, arrived on the margin of eternal snow. But they found it impossible to proceed and penetrate the highest region; and not easy to go back. At length, utterly exhausted, they reached the bottom, and gave thanks to God for their safe return.*

Sir R. Ker Porter's work affords a still more graphic picture of this sublime mountain :- From the elevation of the spot where I stood, and the numerous mountains, though inferior to it, that obstructed my view, its appearance did not strike me in the way I had expected. But the true effect, like that in my perfect sight of the Caucasus, after a similar disappointment, was only postponed. Proceeding south-east for nearly forty wersts, at the extremity of a very long valley, we arrived at the ruins of a caravansary, where we halted an hour to rest our horses. At this place a pleasant change presented itself, both in the face of nature and the state of the atmosphere. The universality of the snow had been gradually disappearing during our last day's journey; and the unencumbered heights began to shoot out a little grass. Here the opening of the valley showed still less of white and more of green;

* Morier's Travels in Persia, vol. i. pp. 306, 307, 309; and vol. ii. p. 407.

and the air, though cold, had something of a springlike elasticity, no unnecessary cordial to the traveller who reaches this point from the cheerless tract we had just passed over. In fact, during our whole march from the Valley of Kotchivan till we arrived at the caravansary, we had seen neither man nor beast out of our own little band; and the dead aspect of all objects around, assisted the impression of our being in some vast depopulated wilderness. On leaving our haltingplace,' he continues, ‘a fuller view of the great plain of Ararat gradually expanded before us, and the mountain itself began to tower, in all its majesty, to the very canopy of heaven. It bore south-east from the line of our caravansary. We now took a descending position due east, over a stony and difficult road, which carried us, for more than ten wersts, through several close and rocky defiles, and over as many frozen streams, till we reached a small Mohammedan village on the side of the Moschian hills. On the morning of the 17th November (O.S.), we left our hospitable Mussulmans, for whether they were so inclined, or overawed by the fierce looks and glittering arms of my attendants, I will not pretend to say, but I had no reason to complain of their want of civility. We set forth over a road as bad as that of the day before, in a direction south-east, and gradually descending from a great height, through a very extended sloping country, towards the immense plain of Ararat.'

'As the vale opened beneath us in our descent, my whole attention became absorbed in the view before me. A vast plain, peopled with countless villages; the towers and spires of the churches of Eitch-maiadzen arising from amidst them; the glittering waters of the Araxes, flowing through the fresh green of the vale, and the subordinate range of mountains skirting the base of the awful monument of the antediluvian world. It seemed to stand a stupendous link in the history of man, uniting the two races of men before