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233- REPORT — 1872. 



headlands intervene between it and the Callirrhoe, and a scramble ^ye had to' 

 get ronnd to the fissnrc tbrong'h which the river emerges, forming a spit 

 covered with tamarisk at its entrance. It is needless to say that we found 

 the shore-line laid down by Lynch most accurate, but the sketching-in of the 

 country, even close to the water's edge, most inaccurate, as his party in this 

 district seem rarely to have left their boats. There is a striking contrast 

 between the eastern and western shores ; on the latter there are only a few 

 patches of verdure, scarcely breaking the desolate barrenness of the coast-line ; 

 on the east all is exuberant verdure and continually running streamlets to 

 the water's edge. The palm-tree is abundant, and clings to the sides of the 

 little ravine from a height of over 1000 feet to the very edge of the sea (sec 

 Photograph), while the varying shrubs and flowers overpower the botanist. 

 This must be attributed to the sandstone formation, which, underlying the 

 eocene deposits, nowhere appears on the west, while it is greatly elevated on 

 the eastern side. 



Arrived at the mouth of the Callirrhoe, we ascended the gorge on foot with 

 an ibex-hunter for our guide, and though the scrambling was severe, were 

 richly rewarded. At the shore the cliffs are 600 feet high, and the opening 

 only 100 yards across, sometimes^ as we ascend, only 30 yards. It winds and 

 turns suddenly, and the glow of the red sandstone walls is gorgeous. Paths 

 or tracts of course there are none ; and we were compelled to climb as best we 

 could up the side, Avhen a waterfall, Jebel Moia, i. c. " waterhill," barred all 

 progress. 



After having thoroughly investigated this district we turned northwards, 

 visiting at leisure the sites on the western edge of the highlands where the 

 cities of Moab were most crowded. 



In this region, as far as Heshbou, I must notice the great number of dol- 

 mens which everywhere occur in these parts, which are too rocky to have 

 been ever subjected to the plough ; I have counted more than twenty in one 

 morning's ride. They are all of one pattern, three stones placed endwise 

 forming three sides of a square, and a large stone forming the cover, generally 

 about six feet in diameter. I never found four sui)porting stones. 



We followed a road, Jewish or Pv,oman, to Maon and then to Medeba. On 

 every side are the foundations that mark the boundary-walls of fields or vine- 

 yards, while the Belka Arabs here, for the first time, exemplify the natural 

 fertility of the country by their cultivation of large tracts in wheat and 

 barley. 



For the ruins of Main (Boal Meon), which occupy four adjacent hiUs, and 

 of Medeba, which retains its Bible name unchanged^ I can but refer to our 

 photographs. 



At the latter we camped for some days and visited the ruins to the east 

 and north. Medeba contains more perfect lloman remains than any of the 

 other western cities of the highlands. It is not in a hollow, but, like all 

 other towns of Moab, on the top of a knoll. The forum, or whatever else it 

 may have been, is the largest we have seen, 280 by 240 yards, with a colon- 

 nade, and the bases of the columns still in situ, many temples and later 

 christian churches. The most remarkable remaining work is the reservoir, 

 built on the same principles as Solomon's pools, and 120 yards square, with 

 its walls 30 feet thick at the base, tapering to 18 feet. It would be tedious to 

 describe the temples and churches of Medeba, which at least prove the dense 

 population of this part. The other northern cities of Moab call for no special 

 mention ; they occur every half mile, and are alike in their main features. Man 

 has had little or nothing to do with their decay. "We examined carefully the 



