less than 100; which last, from the geographical extent of Judea, seems to be the true one. But after having run so long a course, and received the tributary streams on either side, it may well be supposed to have acquired a very considerable magnitude. The reader, therefore, will be gratified with the following extract from Dr. Shaw's Travels, where we are told, that with respect to the rivers, the Jordan was not only the most considerable in the Holy Land, but, next to the Nile, was by far the largest he had seen, either in the Levant or Barbary : he could not compute it, however, to be more than thirty yards broad; but that was made up by its depth; which, even at the brink, he found to be nine feet. If then, says he, we take this during the whole year for the mean depth of the stream, which runs about two miles an hour, the Jordan will daily discharge into the Dead Sea about 6,090,000 tons of water.-Chateaubriand found it in October, 1806, to be, "six or seven feet deep close to the shore, and about fifty paces in breadth," and of a yellow colour, probably from the autumnal rains. As for the scenery near the foot of the Jordan, the following was the aspect it presented to Maundrell (1697 :) "Somewhat less than a furlong from the river, there runs along a small descent, which may be fitly called the first and outermost bank, as far as which it may be supposed the river does, or at least did, anciently overflow at some seasons: viz. at the time of harvest, or as it is expressed in 1 Chron. xii. 15, in the first month.' But at present, whether it be because the river has, by its rapidity of current, worn its channel deeper than it was formerly, or whether because its waters are diverted some other way, it seems to have forgot its ancient greatness for we could discern no sign nor probability of such overflowings when we were there, being the pro

a

Chap. 2.

b Travels, vol. i. p. 406, 409.

⚫ Josh. iii. 15.

per time for these inundations. Nay, so far was the river from overflowing, that it ran at least two yards below the brink of its channel." Between the outer and real bank of Jordan, Maundrell tells us, that the ground was covered with trees and bushes, particularly willows, tamarisks, and oleanders; so that he could see no water till he made his way through them. And it was in this thicket that several kinds of wild beasts were wont to conceal themselves, which being washed out of their covert, by the overflowings of the river, gave occasion for the prophet to compare the impatience of Edom and Babylon, under God's judgments, to "the coming up of a lion from the swellings of Jordan."a

Thus have we followed this noble river from its source till it empties itself in the Dead Sea. A few notices of that remarkable lake shall finish the present general description. The Dead Sea is stated by Josephus to be 580 furlongs (723 miles) in length, and 150 furlongs (183 miles) in breadth. Maundrell found its waters to be very limpid; not only salt, but bitter and nauseous, and uncommonly buoyant: which last circumstance is owing to the immense quantity of salts of various kinds it is known to contain, being nearly 25 parts in 100, while common seawater is only 1 in 32. The quantity of

• The following is the result of the experiments made by Dr. Marcet, of Guy's Hospital, London, on a phial of Dead Sea water, that had been brought by Mr. Gordon of Cluny, at the request of Sir Joseph Banks.

It is perfectly transparent. Re-agents demonstrate the presence of marine and sulphuric acid. There is no alumine. It is not saturated with marine salt. It does not change turnsol and violet. It holds in solution the following substances, and in the under-mentioned proportions:

bitumen which is found either floating on its waters, or lying on the shore, hath been often noticed; and the death-like appearance which it every where presents, by the baneful influence of saline effluvia on vegetation, naturally reminds the traveller of those awful judgments that were the cause of its formation: while the constant influx of the waters of Jordan and other streams into that extensive lake, without increasing its geographical limits, is an additional example of the law of evaporation, which restores to the clouds what had descended from them in dews and rains. Dr. Shaw notices this difficulty, and satisfactorily removes it. "Such a quantity (of water," says he, "as the 6,090,000 tons formerly mentioned) daily received from Jordan without increasing the limits of that sea, has made some conjecture, that it is absorbed by the burning sands; and others, that it is carried off through subterraneous cavities, or that it has a communication with the Serbonic Lake: but if the Dead Sea is, according to the general computation, 72 miles long and 18 broad, by allowing, according to Dr. Halley's observation, 6914 tons of vapour for every square mile, there will be daily drawn up in clouds, to refresh the earth with rain or dew, 8,960,000 tons, which is near one third more than is brought into it by this river:"—and which of course may be applied to the quantity discharged by the other streams of less note which surround the lake."

It is worthy of remark, that a phial of the water of Jordan, analysed at the same time, contained no salt; and thereby refuted the infidel objection as to the excessive saltness of the Dead Sea being occasioned by the salt brought down the river Jordan, and deposited in that lake.-London Philosoph. Transact. for 1807, part ii. art. 16.

a See a map of the Dead Sea and the country adjacent, in Lightfoot's Chorographical Decad. on Mark, ch. ii. sect. 3; and Tacitus's account of this singular lake in his Historiar. v. 6.

SECT. II.

The Jewish Capital:

Jerusalem, when founded; in what tribes situated; the different gates in the city wall, viz. the sheep-gate, fish-gate, old-gate, valley-gate, dung-gate, gate of the fountain, gate of Ephraim, gate of Benjamin, prison-gate, water-gate, horse-gate, gate of Miphkad. Mountains within the city will: Mount Zion, Moriah, Acra, Bezetha. Some of the public buildings and streets. Present state of Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM is thought to have been founded by Melchizedec about the year of the world 2023, and called Salem, which signifies peace. After his death it was possessed by the Jebusites 847 years, and called from them Jebus ; when it was taken by David, and made the capital of his kingdom, under the name of Jebussalem, or (euphonæ gratia,) Jerusalem. In this state of eminence it continued 477 years, when it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. During the 70 years' captivity it lay waste after which it arose from its ashes, and continued 562 years, till it was destroyed by Titus.

It did not belong to any one tribe, but was partly in the tribe of Judah and partly in the tribe of Benjamin, and the distinguishing line went through the very court of the temple; for the whole of the court of the Gentiles on the east, the whole of the court of the women, the east end of the court of Israel, and of the priests, and the south-east corner of the altar, were in the tribe of Judah, and the rest of the altar, and all the rest of the 500 cubits space that lay to the west, belonged to Benjamin. It is natural to think, that when it became the capital of the kingdom, and the place where the temple was built, every mean would be used to render it impregnable and accordingly, high walls, massy gates,

• 1 Chron. xi. 4. Lightf. Chorog. Cent, of the Land of Israel, ch. 21.

and towers of observation and annoyance, were the most natural and effectual measures adopted. But we do not hear distinctly of these till after the return from the captivity, when Nehemiah recorded the portions which each of them repaired. This document is therefore deserving of our attention, both as on account of the then eircuit of the city, and as settling the situation of the gates and streets which are mentioned in Scripture. Let us accompany, therefore, Nehemiah in his description, and notice the various objects which present themselves. He begins with the sheep-gate, which, from the subsequent account, and its proximity to the temple, whither the flocks of sheep for sacrifice were driven, was evidently placed on the south side of the city, and near to the south-east corner of that side: it is therefore called by Jeremiah" the gate of the corner;" and in John v. 2, it is represented as in the neighbourhood of Bethesda, which we know to have been in that direction.-Travelling from this sheep-gate along the side of the south wall, and with our faces to the west, we come next to the fish-gate, between which were the two towers of observation named Meah and Hananeel. The The old-gate was also on the south side of the city, but farther west than the fish-gate; and ❝ the broad wall,” mentioned verse 8th, appears to have been near the south-west, and so named from the lowness of the ground in that quarter, which required the wall to have a wide foundation, in order to raise it to the height of the rest. These, then, were the gates on the south side of the city. The valley-gate is understood to have been on the west side of the city, and not far from the southwest corner, where "the tower of the furnaces," mentioned verse 11th, evidently were. The dung-gate1 was

d