272 John Hogg, Esq., on the Geography and 



" The whirling dust, like waves in eddies brought, 

 Rising aloft, to the raid heaven is caught ; 

 There hangs a sullen cloud ; nor falls again, 

 Nor breaks, like gentle vapours, into rain."* 



In this country little rain falls during the year; and for 

 nine months, generally, none at all. 



At the Convent in Wadi Shueib, on the base of Gebel Mousa, 

 " The thermometer may be 75°, while in the low country, 

 and particularly near the sea-shore, it will be at from 102° 

 to 105°, or even 110°. In winter, all the upper Sinai is deeply 

 covered with snoWj which chokes up many of the passes, and 

 often renders the mountains of Moses and St Catherine in- 

 accessible. Upon the whole, the climate is so different from 

 that of Egypt, that fruits are nearly two months later in 

 ripening there than at Cairo." "f 



The vegetable productions of the Peninsula, whether wild 

 or cultivated, are but few : of the former are the Turfa, or 

 manna — bearing tamarisk, Tamarix gallica, var, mannifera ; 

 the gum or manna of which is named men, or 7nun. Gum 

 Arabic, called formerly Gumma Torrce, the product of several 

 Acacias, but chiefly of A. Nilotica, the Talh, and A. Seyal. 

 Peganum retusum, or Gharkad, whose berries are grateful. 

 Coloquintida, Handhal in Arabic, Cucumis Colocynthis. 

 Nabek or Nabk, the fruit of Rhamnus, or Zizyphus, Lotus. 

 A few trees here and there occur of the Doum Palm, Hy- 

 phcene Thebaica, but its fruit is not eaten. Some Cruciferse, 

 and many dwarf thorny Leguminosae are frequent. 



Pasturage on several of the mountains of lower elevation 

 and in some valleys, in certain parts of the year, is abundant : 

 and the turf, often scented with Thymes and other Labiatas, 

 is then quite verdant. The cultivated productions are, for the 

 most part, the common Date Palms, iVaM/, which to the Arabs 

 are the most useful of trees : olives, figs, limes, oranges, al- 

 monds, caroubs, and grapes, are also found ; the latter more 

 especially in the Convent Gardens of the present Sinai, and 



♦ Rowe's Lucan, Book ix., v. 777-80. 



t Kitto^s Phys. Geogr. of the Holy Land, p. 57. 



