OBITUARY NOTICES. 



13 



ciiUuisiastic efforts for their elucidation. In the two following 

 visits to the Holy Land in 1863 and 1873, he devoted liis 

 energies towards establishing by personal observation the truth 

 of the historical events and topographical narratives recorded in 

 the Bible over the region lying on both sides of the Jordan 

 "Valley. Tristram's Land of Israel (4th edition, 1884) is one' 

 of tlie most valuable and interesting works ever written on 

 Palestine. In it he describes in clear and graphic langua<j^e the 

 physical features of that region, and their bearing on l>il)lical 

 history. Amongst these features are the remarkable terraces 

 rising about GOO feet above the present level of the Dead Sea, 

 but which were at one time unquestionably the bed of thi.s 

 inland lake when its waters stood at a much higher level than 

 they do at the present day. Amongst the most interesting of 

 his identifications was the view from tlie plains of Manire 

 (Hebron), from which he was able to look down on the deep 

 depression of the plain of Jericho at the head of the Dead Sea, 

 which must have been the site of Sodom and Gomorrah, the 

 *' Cities of the Plain," thus corroborating the account of Genesis 

 (ch. xix, 27, 28), where Abraham is described as beholding the 

 smoke of the burning cities as the smoke of a furnace, when 

 God destroyed these cities ; but delivered Lot and his family 

 from the destruction. Canon Tristram's last visit was chiefiy 

 restricted to Moab and the eastern shores of the Dead Sea, and 

 is described in his Land of Moab (2nd edition, 1874). Here shut 

 up in Kerak, the stronghold of the Arabian chief, he had some 

 difficulty in making his escape.* It may be cemfidently 

 affirmed that the result of the several visits made by Canon 

 Tristram with, we may say, Bible in hand, only served to confirm 

 in his mind the truthfulness of the Biblical narratives both of 

 the (31d and New Testament. This was Tristram's main object, 

 in life outside and beyonel the duties which each day devolved 

 upon him. As a citizen, as well as a Cliurchnian, he was greatly 

 loved and respected, as witnessed by his election as Provincial 

 Grand Master of " Mark Masons " of the two northern counties, 

 and D. Prov.-Gov. Master Parson of the Province of Durham. 

 In 1879 he was ottered by the Earl of Beaconsfield, but declined, 

 the position of Bishop of the Anglican community of Jerusalem, 

 chietiy on the ground of family engagements. He entered into 



Recollecting this circumstance, when the expedition of which the 

 writer was a raember in 1883 arrived from the Arahah at the southern 

 shore of the Dead S^aand received an invitation from the Sheikh of Kerak 

 to pay him a visit, the invitation was politely declined. 



