MEMOIR OF BURCKHARDT. 5o 



wliich the streets in many places are entirely blocked 



up. 



It was Burckhardt's intention to visit Amnion, 

 but from the terror of the Arabs no guide could be 

 prevailed with to conduct him beyond the mountains 

 of Balka. Disappointed in this expectation, he re- 

 traced his steps northward, reached the lower ex- 

 tremity of the lake Tabaria, examined the hot 

 springs in that neighbourhood, and on the 9th of 

 May arrived at Damascus. This excursion enabled 

 him to collect some valuable observations on the 

 political divisions of the country, as well as on the 

 (liaracter and customs of the inhabitants of the 

 llaouran. 



The period of Burckhardt's experimental training 

 in Syria having now come to a close, he made pre- 

 parations for his immediate departure to Egypt. 

 Wishing to obtain a better knowledoe of the moun- 

 tains to the east of the Jordan, and being still more 

 desirous of visiting the almost unknown districts 

 eastward of the Dead Sea, as well as of exploring 

 the reoions that lie between the latter and the 



o 



Red Sea, he resolved to proceed to Cairo by that 

 route, in preference to the direct road through 

 Jerusalem and Gaza, where it was not probable 

 he would obtain much information important for 

 its novelty. 



Although this deviation would retard his progress 

 a little, he thought the delay would be more than 

 compensated by the light which he expected to 

 throw on the geography of those countries, which 



