JOURNIES, &c. The Journey of MONS. MONCONYS, 1647, by the lowest and most Southern Road, to Suez and the Red Sea. Vol. I. p. 405. April 14 DEPART from their caravansary through the desert at five o'clock---and travel a quarter of a league; then mount their camels, and travel for three hours. 15. Set out at six, and travel for three hours on foot; then mount their camels, and in two hours arrive at a plain. 16: At sun-rise travel three hours on foot. Arrive at a valley, and a well called Gian Dabi. After dinner go through another valley, which looked like the bed of a river, and abounded with shells; pass through pieces of plain ground, which seemed covered with fine sand. 17. Pass over some more plain ground, and arrive at eleven at the beginning of some mountains. After dinner travel between the mountains, in a road thirty or forty paces wide, till they arrive at a large spot of plain ground, which reached to the sea; and in about three hundred paces from the entrance afforded a fine prospect. Travelled in this opening till eight at night. 18. Travel in this valley for an hour on foot, which began to be more and more contracted between the mountains, and appeared very much like an artificial canal; only much too wide for a work of art, being nearly two leagues wide. At eleven they came to the end of it, which terminated at the Red-sea. (N. B. This valley is the same as the ancient Clysma, now called Bedea, and runs from west to east.) Here, upon the border of the sea, they dined; and then turned to the left and towards the north, and coasted the Redsea till the evening.-Nous marchames vers le nord, laissant les montagnes au couchant, et la mer du coté du levant. This part of the coast between the mountains and the sea, which they went over after their turn to the left and to the north, is, as I have supposed, the place of the encampment, where the Israelites halted before their transit through the sea. 1 19. Set out at day-break, and in nine hours arrive at Suez, the ancient Arsinoe, which is situated at the northern point of the Red-sea. The Journey of MONS. MONCONYS to St Catharine's, at Mount Sinai. P. 412. April 20. Set out at day-break, and in seven hours arrive at the fountains stiled the Fountains of Moses. The water hot and salt. 21. Pass through a plain between the mountains to the east, and the sea to the west, upon the right hand. 22. Pass through a plain country between mountains for two hours, and then come to a fine spring and small rivulet of water; but he thinks it could not have been that called Mara, on account of its distance. 23. Set out before day, and pass through fine valleys between higher grounds. Some of these abounded with casia. Found some good water. 24. Set out half an hour after sun-rise, and come to difficult ways. 25. Proceed in their journey, but refresh themselves under the shade of a mountain, where they repose the greatest part of the day. Сс |