36 



Three leagues east of Damascus is a lake ten or 

 twelve leagues long, and five or six broad. This conti- 

 nually receives the waters 'of many rivers; yet never 

 overflows its banks. -Above thirty leagues from it, there 

 is a river, which is called the Dog-River. From under 

 a large vaulted rock, through an opening twelve or fif- 

 teen feet high, and twenty or twenty-five broad, issues 

 continually a vast body of water, which gives rise to this 

 river. And it is the common opinion, that this body of 

 water com s from the lake, through a subterraneous 

 channel: winch is the 'more probable, because the 

 vva.ter of the lake and the river have the same qualities, 

 and contain the very same sorts offish, being cold, hard, 

 and remarkably unwholesome. 



Far different from this, is the water which rises out of 

 the ground, throughout the vast sandy desarts ef the 

 Mongal Tartars. Wherever vou dig there rises fresh 

 water. Were it not for this they must have been alto- 

 gether uninhabited, either by man or beast. It seems 

 these springs are produced by the rains and melted snow 

 in the spring. For the water sinking in the sand is there- 

 by prevented from exhaling by the heat of the sum- 

 mer sun, which must be very scorching in these de- 

 sarts, wherein there is not the least shade to be found. 



Besides the rivers which run upon the surface of the 

 earth, there are many which hide themselves in ils bow- 

 eJs, and run in subterraneous ducts, till they discharge 

 themselves into the sea. A remarkable one of this kind 

 has been discovered on the coast of Languedoc. There 

 are also several of this sort on the coast of Croatia, 

 over-against Venice. 



Thus does the all- wise Creator shower down his trea- 

 sures on the summits of the mountains, which after- 

 wards diffuse their refreshing streams over the plains be- 

 low, give life and verdure to the trees and herbs, and 

 beautify and enrich the whole earth. At the same time 

 we see the communication between those parts of na- 

 ture, that before seemed to hate no relation to each 



