for an hour or more, quite to the mountains which skirt the eastern shore. The estuary of the Jordan here presents an unusual appearance. The strong southerly winds have driven up a bank of sand before the mouth, which now rises above the water, and being connected with the eastern shore, extends out for fifteen or twenty rods S. W. forming a channel for the river for some distance along the shore on that side. We had thought of crossing the Jordan and encamping on the other bank; but as we found the stream not easily fordable with the luggage, and the ground also at this point was not favourable for encamping, we concluded to go to some tents which we saw on the western bank, eight or ten minutes higher up. An intervening marsh, occupied in part as a rice-field, compelled us to make a circuit quite to the foot of the hills; and after a quarter of an hour we reached the tents and pitched for the night in their neighbourhood. Among the tents were several huts slightly built of reeds; these are common in this quarter, as well as around the south end of the Dead Sea. The Ghawârineh who dwell here, have a few magazines rudely built of stone. Other similar encampments of the same people, are scattered upon the plain east of the river. This plain, skirted, as I have said, on the East by the mountains which enclose the lake, is shut in also on the North by similar mountains of considerable altitude, which approach close to the Jordan higher up, and confine it to a valley of no great width. The plain has much the appearance of an alluvial deposit brought down by the Jordan; or more probably driven up by the prevailing southerly winds from the bottom of the lake. At the N. W. corner of the plain, a lower 1) So Seetzen, Zach's Monatl. Corr. XVIII. p. 346. spur or promontory from the northern mountains, runs out for some distance southwards along the river, and forms for a time the eastern wall of its valley. On its southern extremity we could distinguish ruins; the people on the spot call it simply et-Tell, and knew for it no other name.' The plain itself bears the name of Batihah, signifying a low tract liable to be overflowed by streams.2 As we approached the north end of the lake, I had for some time felt myself unwell. The thermometer for some hours had risen to 95° and 96° F. with a strong S. W. wind of the same temperature, sweeping over the lake. I had perhaps unwisely exerted myself too much, in ascending the hill by the Round Fountain under such circumstances, and then in overtaking the party on foot at Wady er-Rubŭdîyeh. Whatever might be the cause, I now felt myself seized by a burning fever, and the wind came over me with a scorching glow; although to my companions it was cooling and refreshing. I sought for a shade; but not a tree was in sight which afforded one; the many thorn-bushes, although large, yielded no shadow; and all I could do, while the tent was pitching, was to cast my Arab cloak over one of these latter, in order to procure shade at least for my head, while I lay down for a few moments in the vain hope of sleep. But the heat was too scorching, and I was glad to retreat as soon as possible to the tent, heated 1) This appears naturally to be the "Tallanihje" of Seetzen; Zach's Monatl. Corr. XVIII. p. 346, seq. But on looking further, it would seem, that Seetzen travelled from the bridge Benât Ya'kôb, not along the Jordan valley, but over the higher land further east ; and therefore may possibly have reached the plain and the village "Tallanihje" on its border, at some distance east of the Tell in question. We heard of no such name nor village. 2) Burckhardt heard of this name as he crossed the Jordan at the bridge higher up; and by a not unnatural mistake applies it to a village at this point; p. 316. His orthography is also incorrect; see Freytag Lex. Arab. Tom. I. p. 130. and confined as the air there was. We had proposed to cross the river in order to explore the beautiful plain, and examine several sites of ruins which the Ghawârineh spoke of; and the Sheikh, a very civil and intelligent man, had offered to accompany us. But in my present state, it would have been madness for me to attempt such an excursion; and I was therefore compelled, with sadness, to see my companions depart without me. My only remedy lay in abstinence and sleep. They were absent nearly two and a half hours, and returned highly gratified. The following notices of the plain are drawn chiefly from Mr. Smith's notes. Taking the best mules, and accompanied by the Sheikh on his fine mare, they forded the river below our tent near the lake on a sand-bar, where the water came half way up the sides of the mules. Leaving the ford at 5 o'clock, their course lay at first about S. 40° E. along the shore. In five minutes they came to the ruins of a village of moderate size called elA'raj, consisting entirely of unhewn volcanic stones, like those along the western coast. The only relic of antiquity noticed here, was a small sarcophagus of the same material. Proceeding still in the same direction along the coast, they reached at 5h 20' the similar village of elMes'adîyeh. The houses, built of the same species of stone, are mostly in ruins; but several of them are kept in a sort of repair by the Ghawârineh, as magazines for their grain and other products.' The Sheikh spoke of Dûkah as another like ruin, further down upon the coast; they went on and reached it at 5h 47'. It occupies a slight eminence projecting a little into the lake, and is considerably 1) The following bearings were taken here: Tiberias S. 39° W. A'raj N. 40° W. et-Tell N. 5° E. larger than either of the villages already described. Like them, it is composed entirely of volcanic stones, and several of the houses are repaired as magazines. It lies within a short distance of the eastern mountains, where they come down to the sea and give to the coast a southern direction.1 The party had now rode, in forty-seven minutes, over nearly the full length of the plain along the lake, but at a much more rapid pace than usual; so that the whole distance may be taken at somewhat more than an hour, according to the ordinary rate of travel with mules. The average breadth they estimated at perhaps half the length. The general direction of the coast from the mouth of the Jordan to Dûkah is about S. 25° E. From Dûkah to the Tell the course lay diagonally across the plain, and afforded an opportunity of examining it more closely. It is perfectly level, and a more fertile tract can scarcely be imagined. There is a striking resemblance between it and the Ghuweir north of Mejdel, in form, climate, soil, and productions; yet the Batîhah appears, if any thing, to be superior. Like the other, it is given up to the Ghawârineh, who cultivate upon it wheat, barley, millet, maize, and rice. Burckhardt says the inhabitants raise large quantities of cucumbers and gourds, which they carry to the market of Damascus, three weeks before the same fruits ripen there. The excellent honey, which according to that traveller is produced here, we did not hear of. The Ghawârineh have also large herds of horned cattle, among which are many buffaloes; all these were now returning from pasture across the plain, to pass the night near the tents of their owners; and presented a greater ap 1) From Dûkah, Tiberias bore 8. 54° W. Kurûn Hattin S. 70° W. et-Tell N. 5° W. VOL. III. 39 2) Burckhardt's Travels in Sy ria, etc. p. 316. pearance of ease, not to say of wealth, than we had yet seen among the Arabs. uses. These buffaloes are of course a different species from the vast herds bearing that name, which roam over the western wilds of North America. They are very common in Egypt, being kept both for milk and for labour; and are found also in Italy, especially in the Pontine marshes. In Egypt, as likewise here and around the lake el-Hûleh, they are mingled with the neat cattle, and are applied in general to the same But they are a shy, ill-looking, ill-tempered animal. They doubtless existed anciently in Palestine; though probably in a wild state, or unsubdued to labour, as at the present day in Abyssinia.' The remark was made to me in Egypt, that the Abyssinians, when they come to that country, are astonished at the comparative tameness of the buffalo, and stand in much greater fear of them than the Egyptians do. The actual existence of this animal in Palestine, leaves little doubt that it is the Reem of the Hebrew Scriptures; for which both ancient and modern versions have substituted the apparently fabulous unicorn. The present name of the buffalo in Arabic is Jâmûs. 2 The plain is owned by the government, which receives a share of the produce from the Ghawârineh, its only cultivators. The extreme fertility is owing not only to the fine soil of black loam, but also to the abundance of water. Not less than three perennial streams, besides the Jordan, contribute to its irrigation. These were crossed by my companions in passing from Dûkah to the Tell, The easternmost and 1) See Bruce's Travels, etc. Vol. V. p. 82. 2) Num. xxiii. 22. Deut. xxxiii. 17. Job xxxix. 9, 10. Ps. xxii. 21. [22.] xxix. 6. xcii. 10. [11.] The Reem is several times coupled with, or compared to the ox; ses especially Job 1. c. |