PAPERS READ

BEFORE THE

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

-Outlines of a Journey in Palestine in 1852. By the Rev. Dr. E. ROBINSON, E. SMITH, and others.

Communicated by the DUKE of NORTHUMBERLAND.

Read December 13, 1852.

EVER since the publication of my work on Palestine I had cherished the desire of once more visiting that interesting country, partly for the purpose of examining some points anew, but still more in the hope of extending my researches into those portions which had not yet been explored.

In March of the present year (1852) I arrived at Beirût, on my way to carry these plans into execution. Here I was detained for some time at first by the unsettled state of the weather, which continued variable much later than usual, some of the most violent storms of the season having occurred after my arrival ; aud then in order to be present at the annual meeting of the American Mission in Syria, which was held this year at Beirût. I desire here to express my deep feeling of obligation to the Mission for the interest manifested by them in my undertaking, and for the arrangements adopted to secure to me the aid and company of some one of the missionaries during the whole journey.

It had already been arranged that, before the meeting, I should accompany Mr. Thomson to Hasbeiya, and from thence visit the region of Bâniâs and Phiala. But just at that time the movements of the Druses, to evade the threatened conscription, made those districts insecure. I was therefore obliged to content myself with short excursions to the mouth of the Nahr el-Kelb, with its Egyptian and Assyrian tablets; to the remarkable temple at Deir el-Kul'ah; and to 'Abeih, the seat of the Boys' Seminary belonging to the Mission. To the latter place, under the guidance of Dr. De Forest, we took a less usual road, and visited a spot on a rocky ledge between two valleys, where there are many ancient sarcophagi cut in the scattered rocks. Their huge lids have been

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removed, and lie mostly near by. The place is utterly lonely, and almost desolate, a few patches of wheat only being interspersed among the rocks.

On the 5th of April, the Rev. Dr. E. Smith and myself found ourselves once more on the way from Beirût to Jerusalem. On the 26th of June, 1838, we had together arrived at Beirût from our former travels, and we were now setting off from the same point to continue our explorations. We encamped for the night at Neby Yûnas (Porphyrion), more than halfway to Sidon. After the tent was pitched, the beds arranged, and the frugal meal ended, it was with an overpowering feeling that we compared the present with the past. Here we were in our tent, not the same indeed as formerly, but yet so like it as hardly to be distinguished the furniture and all our travelling apparatus were similar-several things were the very same-and our places in the tent were as of old. The intervening fourteen years seemed to vanish away, as if we were but continuing a journey of yesterday. And when we reverted to the reality, we could not but gratefully acknowledge the mercy of God in preserving our lives, and permitting us once more, after so long an interval, to prosecute together the researches which we had together begun. We could not but regard it as a high, and certainly an unusual, privilege, thus, after fourteen long years, again to take up the thread of our investigations.

Under other circumstances we might, perhaps, have regarded it as an unpropitious omen, when, during the night, a violent sirocco wind arose, and blew down our tent upon us as we slept. It was pitched upon the sand, the only foundation which the neighbourhood afforded. At first we tried to sleep on beneath the fallen tent, but the flapping of the canvas compelled us to rise; and as the day was already breaking in the east, we decided to make an early start. This we did; and, fording the Auwaly near its mouth, reached Sidon soon after 7 o'clock.

The observations we made along the coast were not many; but they serve to correct the maps in a few particulars. We were now struck with the remains of the ancient Roman road, traces of which are visible from near the river Damûr for most of the way to the Auwaly.*

From Sidon we turned eastward towards Lebanon, and after a ride of more than 2 hours pitched our tent at Kefr Fâlûs. For some distance on the N. and E. of Sidon the mountains retire, and the interval is an open, uneven, rolling tract, highly cultivated,

It is singular that no regular survey has ever yet been made of the Syrian coast; and it therefore gives us the more pleasure to learn from the highest authority that such a survey will probably be undertaken by order of the British Government during the next year.

and abounding in the finest fruit. From Sidon to the roots of Lebanon is about 3 hours, and then the mountain ridges rise by degrees.

The next day, our plan was to have kept on to Rûm and the high conical point of Ruweiset Rûm; then to have ascended and travelled along the high ridge of Jebel Rîhân, S. of the angle of the Auwaly, until, reaching the road from Jezzîn to Jerjû'a, we could descend to the latter village, situated high up on the flank of the mountain, on the N.W. brink of the great gorge of the river Zaherâny. We accordingly sent off our baggage-mules by the direct road to Jerjû'a, there to await our arrival. But we had proceeded hardly an hour on the way to Rûm before it began to rain, and, after waiting for a time in a peasant's house at Rum, we were compelled to forego our purpose and take the nearest way to Jerjû'a. We reached that place by way of Jeb'a, after a long and dreary ride in the rain, and took refuge for the night and next day, in a dark and smoky room in one of the hovels of the town. This was the only time that our plan of travelling was frustrated by bad weather.

While lying next day at Jerjû'a we descended into the chasm of the Zaherâny, and visited its highest perennial fountain. Here we were surprised to find the remains of an ancient channel cut in the rock, and connected with an aqueduct further down, by which the water of this fountain was carried below the village around the flank of the mountain, and so to Sidon; many remains of such an aqueduct having already been known along the way to Sidon, though its beginning had not been found. The Sidonians had aqueducts from the Auwaly, inuch nearer, for irrigation; but they must have preferred this water for drinking. Even now, water for drinking is brought to the city from fountains, an hour or more distant. From Jerjû'a, Sidon bore N. 42° W.

From this high position the whole country, W. and S.W., was visible quite to the sea. It is rolling, uneven, and sometimes rocky, made up of hills and valleys and plains, but no mountains. The gorge of the Zaherâny here runs S.W., and turns nearly S. just below, along the W. base of Jebel Rîhân, for a short distance, when the river suddenly breaks through the low ridge which there forms its western bank, and runs off W. to the sea. But the valley along the base of Rîhân continues on, as Wady Jermûk, quite down to the Lîtâny; and one might be almost tempted to suppose that the Zaherâny once kept on its course to the latter stream. On the right bank of the Lîtâny, just below the entrance of Wady Jermûk, on a high cliff, in no connection with Lebanon, stands the magnificent but deserted fortress, Kulat esh-Shukîf, the Belfort of the Crusaders. It was in sight from Jerjû'a, bearing directly S., and a visit to it was included in our plan.