reservoirs, immense quantities of pottery (of which I send you some examples), a great quantity of flint arrow and spear heads, ancient hammers made of green porphyry, and a quantity of round stones of polished green porphyry, about the size of cannon-balls—I suppose intended to be projected from slings and machines, like the ancient balista. I have brought away with me about a dozen of them, also some hammers, and a large quantity of spear and arrow heads. Upon the summit of the small conical hill I found a small circular tower, evidently intended as a watch-tower, where a sentinel was, no doubt, continually posted, as it commanded no less than eight different roads, and, in fact, every avenue by which an enemy could approach. I never saw a more interesting or impregnable position. On examining more closely, I found that the walls first alluded to, after descending the mountain, ascended the opposite hill as far as the precipice which contains the mines of Magharah; and at the southern extremity a similar wall descended one side and ascended the other, so as completely to enclose all the caves and mines, and effectually protected the miners whilst at work. On examining more closely, I found to my surprise, near the bottom of the mountain, on a flat ridge, forty more houses, and that all the various ledges of the mountain had likewise been covered with houses, so as altogether to amount to 400 or 500. On examining the mountain, I found some beautiful tablets, and at the south-east corner I found the rocks covered with Sinaitic inscriptions, the best of which I have copied, along the entire length of the Wady, which proceeds northwards from this point. I also found vast numbers of inscriptions; and I do not exaggerate when I say, that since I last wrote to you, I have found upwards of 500 inscriptions never before seen, and most of them in places where no other European has been except myself. I likewise found the remains of an immense reservoir formed by damming up a valley, the embankment of which still remains, and near these some houses, most substantially built, and quite perfect except the roof. There were two of these, one at each end, probably inhabited by those who had charge of the water. Near this were the remains of ancient furnaces. I forgot to mention that the length of the table-land on the summit of the fortress is 660 feet, and 260 broad. There is another discovery I have made not less interesting. I have made a week's excursion to the shores of the Red Sea, and what was my astonishment to find the remains of the piers and wharves whence they shipped their metal! The harbour was composed of two beautiful little bays, protected in front by a coral reef, with a narrow entrance, so that no vessel could be injured when once inside. This is a short account of my discoveries near the Wady Magharah. And now for this place: I have found, about five miles from here (the Sarabut El Khadem), ruins of houses in such quantities that convince me there was a large town containing the mining population of this district, the rocks and stones all around covered with innumerable inscriptions that quite astonished me. I likewise found five immense reservoirs formed by damming up various Wadys, and so disposed that when one was full the surplus ran into the other, and so in succession,

so that they must have had water enough to last for years. Also, on the summit of the mountain where the Temple of Sarabut stands, I found a great many additional caves, mines, and reservoirs." *—From the Athenæum.

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Prophecy.

DEAR SIR,-As the very interesting subject of the Holy Oblation of Ezekiel has occupied a portion of your very valuable Journal, will you kindly give space to the following observations, should you deem them worthy of that favour?

The two points to which I would beg more particularly to draw attention, as different opinions have been formed respecting them, are, The relative position of the three portions, with respect to each other, into which the oblation is divided; and, secondly, In which of these shall the sanctuary stand?

I quite concur with Mr Dell, whose letter appears in the forty-fourth number of your Journal, that Jerusalem shall be rebuilt on its present site; but when we find it said "that the Lord God shall give unto him (Jesus) the throne of his father David," I apprehend that it simply implies that he is to have special and personal dominion over the house of Israel, as heir to David's throne, of which He takes possession at His second advent; and when we remember that He shall there appear in glorified humanity, the term "throne may be taken as simply indicative of that kingly power which He shall then assume as "King of the Jews," and " King over all the earth," in that day-an authority which, gloriously displayed, and emanating from the holy oblation, of which Jerusalem and Mount Zion constitute a portion, shall be acknowledged to the uttermost limits of the habitable globe. I would here adopt the language of that truly excellent article on "The Dispensations," contained in the above-mentioned number of the Quarterly Journal of Prophecy :--" The world to come is not put under angels (Heb. ii. 5); but we apprehend that the risen and glorified saints will be the instruments for carrying on God's government during the Lord's reign on the earth, so that the earth will be, as it were, put under them, in accordance with Rev. v. 9, 10, Thou hast redeemed us, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign over (eπì) the earth.' Citizens of the heavenly city (Phil. iii. 20), the new Jerusalem, their habitation will be over the earth, in the air, from which the devil shall have been cast out." And no doubt all this glory, over-canopying the holy oblation, as the antitype of the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, which rested above the tabernacle in the wilderness, shall cover Mount Zion during the millennial age, as predicted by Isa. iv. 3-6; while the sanctuary itself may, as before, be the place of immediate and direct communication.

Turning, then, to the two points specially referred to, I would remark that it is quite agreed that the holy oblation will be a square of 25,000, and that divided into three portions. Two of these are 25,000 × 10,000, and the remaining one 25,000 × 15,000.

Mr Dell says, in his letter in your forty-fourth number, that "the firstquoted text (Ezek. xlv. 1-6) would place the sanctuary in the priests' portion

*We suspect some exaggeration in the above description. It is given by a traveller of May 1859.-Ed. Q. J. P.

of 25,000 × 10,000;" and there I believe it to be, as there stated, and in accordance with the plan given in the preceding number of the Quarterly Journal of Prophecy, and also with that offered by myself, and which you were so kind as to publish in your April number for 1850.

Taking these divisions in the order in which they are arranged in Scripture, they lie relatively north and south of each other.

The first, or most northerly portion, is for the sanctuary and priests, as defined by Ezek. xlv. 1-6, and xlviii. 9-11.

The next, of like dimensions, 25,000 × 10,000, and immediately adjoining it on the south, is allotted to the Levites (Ezek. xlv. 5, and xlviii. 12–14). And, lastly, the third and smaller portion, 25,000 x 5000, being the most southerly of all, is expressly assigned for "the city," and in which there is no mention of any sanctuary at all (Ezek. xlv. 6, and xlviii. 15-19).

The 3d verse of the 40th chapter may, according to our translation, appear somewhat obscure, and seem to place the sanctuary in the midst of the whole oblation, if we are to understand by that word there used the precise centre; but otherwise it is so clearly and distinctly stated in the passages referred to that the sanctuary is to be in one of the larger portions, and that portion the most northerly of all, that it is difficult to adopt the theory of Mr Dell, and place it in the smallest portion of the three, and make that portion the centre one of the oblation, so contrary to the general arrangement of Ezekiel, and to the explicit declaration that the portion in which the sanctuary shall stand shall be 10,000 in breadth. If we are to understand the 8th and 21st verses as referring to the oblation generally, and that the "sanctuary of the Lord" (ver. 21-house) "shall be in the midst thereof," may it not be sufficient to apprehend this as simply asserting that it shall be within it, and not as contradictory of the full and explanatory statements contained in the adjoining verses?

With regard to the Scriptures, which, he observes, "seem completely to identify Jerusalem as the place of the Lord's throne, as well as of the sanctuary," I would briefly observe, that in Scripture a portion is often taken for a whole; and as the city of Jerusalem shall be within the oblation, and the metropolitan city of "the kingdom," the one may be taken in a general sense for the other, the whole oblation being specially dedicated to the Lord -"the place of His throne, and the place of the soles of His feet, where he will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever." I apprehend, however, that the special manifestation of the Lord's personal glory will be in the midst of His risen and redeemed Church, who are to sit with Him on the throne of His glory, in the "New Jerusalem," immediately above the holy oblation, veiled by the cloud of Isa. iv., and in which His glory may be occasionally displayed to the whole congregation below-such as on the great festivals when the "families of the earth shall go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts"-just as the glorious presence was occasionally manifested to the children of Israel in the cloud of the tabernacle, while the tabernacle itself was the ordinary place of communication.

Afraid of occupying too much space, I have touched very briefly indeed on the above; and would now beg permission to offer a few very concise remarks on the letter of "J. B." on the same subject, and inserted in the preceding number of your Journal.

In his arrangement of the divisions of the oblation, and in placing the sanctuary in the most northerly one, next to the tribe of Judah, I entirely concur; but I do not perceive that we have sufficient warrant for believing that we shall have two cities-the one within the profane division of the oblation, the other altogether without it, in the tribe of Judah, and immediately adjoining the oblation on the north. Assuredly there is no mention by Ezekiel, in his general plan, of any such city as the last mentioned being there placed.

I believe, with "J. B.," that the city of Jerusalem shall be rebuilt on its VOL. XI. 2 F