112 MEMOIR OF BURCKHARDT. 



do not seem to be well founded ; and after all the 

 theories and conjectures of travellers on the subject, 

 the probabilities are stronger in favour of Gebel 

 Katerin and Gebel Mousa than of any other. 



Some sceptics have objected, that if this were 

 really the mountain where Moses received the 

 Tables of the Law, it would be found to exhibit 

 traces of the awful phenomena which attended the 

 manifestation of the Divine presence, in the visible 

 symbols of fire and earthquake and volcanic erup- 

 tion. Burckhardt, however, could not detect the 

 slightest vestige of these supernatural appearances ; 

 though there are islands in the Red Sea, and places 

 on the coast of the Gulf of Akaba, which retain 

 marks of volcanic action. But objections such as 

 these are entitled to little weight; for we do not 

 read of any actual discharge from the mountain. 

 It is described, indeed, as having " quaked greatly," 

 and " burned with fire," and emitted smoke like a 

 furnace ; but these appearances were not the effect 

 of any natural convulsion ; they were rather the 

 sublime accompaniments which the Deity chose to 

 make the evidence and the harbingers of his pre- 

 sence, the cloudy pavilion within which he received 

 the leader and lawgiver of his chosen people. 



The inhabitants pretend to identify with these 

 mountains and deserts many of the scenes and 

 events related in Scripture history. The convent 

 which bears the name of its vice-patroness, St. Ca- 

 therine, stands in a narrow valley at the foot of the 

 mount, and is alleged to have been built by the 



