Capt. Mangles supposes to be Machærus, where John the Baptist was beheaded. For this conjecture, we are probably indebted to their companion Mr. Bankes; but we wish some reason had been assigned. We are sometimes sadly perplexed with our worthy Captain's orthography. Having, however, only his ear to guide him, it is not surprising that he should have come no nearer to the original. Thus Kalaat (castle) el Rabbad is written Callah-el-Rubbat; Djenne is spelt Eugen; Djelaad and Djelaoud (Gilead), are written Gihad Gilhood; but what Kaffer Baiter and Bait Forage mean, we cannot conjecture. The last-mentioned would seem to promise good

accommodation for man and horse. A considerable tract is assigned in the map, to the Benesuckher Arabs, and the name occurs perpetually in the text. It was some time before we recognised them as the tribe mentioned by Dr. Richardson, bearing the name of Ben Issachar, or, as Burckhardt spells it, Beni Szakher. It would have been easy, by means of Burckhardt and other authorities, to avoid these needless and perplexing variations.

At Jerusalem, our Travellers spent a month, but they have nothing to say about it: they refer us to Maundrell, through whose spectacles they looked at every thing. They represent the water of the Dead Sea to be as bitter and as buoyant as 'people have reported.'

Those of our people who could not swim, floated on its surface like corks. On dipping the head in, the eyes smarted dreadfully, and we were much surprised to observe, on coming out of the lake, that the water did not evaporate from the body as is the case on emerging from fresh water, but adhered to the skin, and was greasy to the touch.' p. 330.

The tour to Petra and round the Dead Sea, which occupies the fifth Letter, is in some respects the most interesting portion of the volume. It was the most adventurous expedition, and the travellers were fully repaid for their enterprise. Two Europeans only had ever been at either Kerek or Wady Mousa,— Sheikh Ibrahim (Burckhardt) and Mr. Seetzen; and these were both dead. The party consisted of Mr. Legh with his attendants, Mr. Bankes with his, and Captains Irby and Mangles, mustering altogether eleven persons. So bad a character do the wandering tribes of the desert bear, that they were unable to obtain from any of the public authorities, either assistance or firmaun extending to this route. On entering the great plain at the end of the Dead Sea, they found the soil sandy, and perfectly barren. Even the wood which the Lake had thrown up at high-water-mark, was so impregnated with

salt, that it would not burn. Exclusive of the saline appearance left by the retiring waters, several large fragments of clear rock-salt were found lying about; and the sand-hill on the right of their track, was found composed partly of salt and partly of hardened sand.

In many instances, the salt was hanging from cliffs in clear perpendicular points like icicles, and we observed numerous strata of that material of considerable thickness, having very little sand mixed with it. Strabo mentions that to the southward of the Dead Sea there are towns and cities built entirely of salt; and although such an account seems strange, yet, when we contemplated the scene before us, it did not seem improbable.'

Leaving the salt hill, their track led for an hour and a half across the barren flats of the back-water, ‘now left dry by the • effects of evaporation,'* intersected by drains, some wet, and others dry. They then entered on a very prettily wooded country, covered with a rich variety of remarkable wild plants. Among the trees, they noticed various species of the acacia, the dwarf mimosa, the doom,' the tamarisk, the 'oschar,' and one · curious tree' the fruit of which resembled the currant in its growth, but with the colour of the plum: ‘it has a pleas'ant, though strong aromatic taste, exactly resembling mus• tard, and, if taken in any quantity, produces a similar irrita • bility in the nose and eyes to that which is caused by mus• tard.' The leaves have the same pungent flavour as the fruit, but not so strong. The Authors suggest, that this, rather than the mustard-plant of the North, may be the tree alluded to in our Saviour's parable ; this being really a tree, the plant an annual not growing above five or six feet high. But it is clear, that the plant to which our Lord alludes as raised from the smallest of seeds, was not a tree, but “ the greatest of herbs” (naxavy), only becoming a tree (devdpov), or plant (fruter arborescens, Schil.), at its utmost growth. After crossing the Houssan, they proceeded along the foot of mountains, bounding the plains on the East. Their track, which was rugged and barren in the extreme, was strewed with innumerable fragments of red and grey granite, grey, red, and black porphyry, serpentine, black basalt, breccia, and many other species, all from the neighbouring mountains ; they are, however, said to be composed chiefly of sand-stone and bad marble. In refreshing

• They afterwards had an opportunity of observing the effect of the evaporation, arising from the Lake in broad transparent columns of vapour, not unlike water-spouts in appearance, but very much larger.' (p. 447.)

6

contrast to this barren scene, they found the Wady el Derrah covered in profusion with the palm, acacia, aspine, and oleander in full flower and beauty, perfuming the whole place. The same rich vegetation clothed the banks of the river Souff Saffa. (qy. Szafszaf?) Kerek or Karrak-a common name, says Burckhardt, in Syria-contains, according to that Traveller, about 400 Turkish and 150 Christian families; the latter, descendants chiefly of refugees from Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Beit Djade. Our Authors suppose the numbers to be about equal. The Christians are on very good terms with the Turks, and appear to enjoy equal freedom. Within the castle, apparently of Mahommedan architecture, is a Christian church, ill constructed of small stones, with small narrow windows, a circular end, and arched front, like the house of St. Peter at Tiberias. As Godfrey of Boulogne took Kerek, (calling it Mons Regalis,) the church is probably referrible to the days of the Crusaders. On the walls, there is an imperfect inscription in Gothic letters. The Christians are Greeks, the least observant of religious duties of any of that Church in Syria; and the place (under the name of 'Petras) is the see of a Greek bishop, who, of course, is a non-resident, living at Jerusalem, but visiting his diocese every five or six years. About a mile to the S.W. of the castle is a source, the name of which is a memorial of the occupation of this country by the Crusaders : it is called Ain-el-Frangee, or the Franks' Fountain.

Soon after leaving Kerek, they entered on a country of fine downs, interspersed with sites of towns on every eminence or spot convenient for the construction of one; and, as all the land is capable of cultivation, there can be little doubt that this now deserted country once presented a picture of fertility and prosperity. The Arabs reported to Volney, that, to the S.E. of the Lake Asphaltes, within three days' journey, there were upwards of 800 ruined towns absolutely deserted. Capt. Mangles thinks, that this must be the quarter alluded to by the Arabs, and that the statement was at least founded on fact.

In descending into the Wady-el-Hussein, the Travellers observed on their right, a great quantity of lava and black volcanic stone, which seemed to have issued from the neighbouring ridge. Further on, three dark volcanic eminences were distinguishable from the sand; and the lava that had streamed from them, formed a sort of island in the plain ;' while on the right of the road, was another volcanic mount, covered with scoriæ of a reddish colour, and extremely light. At Shobek is a church, the interior of which is in the pure

Gothic style; the exterior has more of the Oriental. Å Latin in

a

scription in the architrave of the principal door, leaves no doubt that this was another of the works of the Frank kings' of Jerusalem. Shobek, with the great district surrounding it, is under the dominion of the shiekh Mahommed Abou Raschid. To this spirited young chief the Travellers were entirely indebted for being able to make their way to Wady Mousa, in spite of the determined opposition of the inhabitants of the village, who conceded the point at last with an ill grace, clearly through dread of the stronger party. Some hundred yards below the head of the stream, begin the outskirts of the vast Necropolis of Petra. The description of this most singular and interesting site is much too long to transcribe; but we must make room for a few extracts. The most remarkable tombs stand near the road, which follows the course of the brook. The first of these is cut in a mass of whitish rock, in some measure insulated.

The centre represents a square tower with pilasters at the corner, and with several successive bands of frieze and entablature above; two low wings project from it at right angles, and present each of them a recess in the manner of a portico, which consists of two columns whose capitals have an affinity with the Doric order, between corresponding antæ; there are, however, no triglyphs above. Three sides of a square area, are thus enclosed; the fourth has been shut in by a low wall and two colossal lions on each side; all much de. cayed. The interior has been a place of sepulture for several bodies.'

The taste which prevails in the decoration of most of the façades of these excavatious, is fantastical in the extreme; they are loaded with ornaments, in the Roman manner, but in bad taste,' displaying an unmeaning richness and littleness of conception. In one instance, upon a plain front without any other decoration than a single moulding, are set, in a recess, four tall and taper pyramids. The effect is singular and surprising, but combining too little with the rest of the ele vation to be good. Our attention,' says Capt. M. was the

nooks and recesses of the mountain. Such quadrangular towers, our Travellers remark to have been a fashionable form of sepulchre in several inland districts of the East: they abound at Palmyra, and are seen in the Valley of Jehoshaphat; but there, the details and ornaments betray an imitation of Roman architecture, while at Petra they bear the marks of a peculiar and indigenous style. Their sides have generally a slight degree of that inclination towards each other, which is one of the characteristics of Egyptian edifices, and they ' are crowned with the Egyptian torus and concave frieze." Chateaubriand has remarked on the manifest alliance of the Egyptian and the Grecian taste in the tombs at Jerusalem. From this alliance resulted,' he says, a heterogeneous kind of monuments, forming, as it were, the link between the Py'ramids and the Parthenon.' Among this multitude of tombs, two only contained inscriptions: the characters of these, Mr. Bankes detected to be exactly similar to those which he had seen scratched on the rocks about the foot of Mount Sinai, and they are supposed to be some form of the Syriac. It was the eastern approach to Petra which the Travellers were pursuing. As they advanced,

the natural features of the defile grew more and more imposing at every step, and the excavations and sculpture more frequent on both sides, till it presented at last a continued street of tombs, beyond which the rocks, gradually approaching each other, seemed all at once to close without any outlet. There is, however, one frightful chasm for the passage of the stream, which furnishes, as it did anciently, the only avenue to Petra on this side. It is impossible to conceive any thing more awful or sublime than such an approach. The width is not more than just sufficient for the passage of two horsemen abreast; the sides are in all parts perpendicular, varying from four hundred to seven hundred feet in height; and they often overhang to such a degree, that, without their absolutely meeting, the sky is intercepted and completely shut out for one hundred yards together, and there is little more light than in a cavern. The screaming of the eagles, hawks, and owls who were soaring above our heads in considerable numbers, seemingly annoyed at any one approaching their lonely habitation, added much to the singularity of this scene. The tamarisk, the wild fig, and the oleander grow luxuriantly about the road, rendering the passages often difficult in some places, they hang down most beautifully from the cliffs and crevices where they had taken root. The caper plant was also in luxuriant growth, the continued shade furnishing them with moisture.

'Very near the entrance into this romantic pass, a bold arch is thrown across at a great height, connecting the opposite sides of the cliff. Whether this was part of an upper road upon the summit of the mountain, or whether it be a portion of an aqueduct, which seems less probable, we had no opportunity of examining; but, as the tra