Geology of Mount Sinai and adjacent Countries. 35 



Not far from Wadi Ghadyan,* towards the west side, a 

 great marsh-like tract, apparently impregnated with nitre, 

 exhibits an incrustation on its surface. And the water in 

 the spring itself is, according to M, De Bertou, strong of 

 sulphur. 



Passing the opening of Wadi Beianeh, and still ascending, 

 the most elevated table-land or small plateau of the Wadi- 

 El-Araba is reached at about the line of 30° north latitude, 

 and 35° 15' east longitude nearly, which is very near 500 feet 

 higher than the level of the Gulf of Akaba, according to Herr 

 Schubert. About that point the water-shed occurs ; some of 

 the waters of the Araba flow south into the sea of Akaba, but 

 most are carried off north by the tributaries of the Wadi-el- 

 Jeib into the Dead Sea. 



The same traveller {Schubert) found the depression of the 

 bed of that deep Wadi at about 4 miles south of El Weibeh 

 (" hole with water,") to be 91 Paris feet, or 97 English feet 

 below the level of the Red Sea ; the commencement, or most 

 southern limit of that depression taking place at about 15 

 miles northward of Gebel Harun in Wadi-el- Araba. Conse- 

 quently, the Dead Sea, Asphaltic Lake ( Bahr Lut) — the 

 " Sea of Lot" — must lie considerably lower than the level of 

 the Gulf of Akaba ; indeed, Herr Schubert gives the level of 

 the Dead Sea as being 598 Paris feet, and M. Russegger 

 even more than 1300 English feet below that of the Mediter- 

 ranean. 



These geographical facts then afford, as some authors have 

 supposed, sufficient evidence that the River Jordan, although 

 taking its source at an elevation of 1800 feet in the north 

 Syrian mountains — has not flowed through the entire valley 

 El Araba into the Gulf of Akaba ; or rather, into the Red Sea, 

 beyond what is now the Strait of Tiran. And certainly these 

 facts are decisive that it tiever has done so — ^if the natural 

 conformation of this region has always been the sa7)ie, as it 

 now exists with regard to depth and height. But against its 

 having continued the same, ab initio, up to the present time, 



* How Robinson could suppose that this might afford a trace of Ezipngaber, 

 I cannot imagine. See Bib. Res., vol. i., pp. 251, 268. 



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