178 
HUDLESTON: GEOLOGY OF PALESTINE. 
way to the Lake of Tiberias, returning by the left bank, and so 
along the east side of the Dead Sea, through the mountains of 
Ammon and of Moab, which they were the first to examine from 
a scientific point of view. A second visit was made to Jerusalem, 
whence they again started by way of the mountains of Judaea for 
the Dead Sea, and so up the Wady Arabah into the Petra district, 
and thence over the watershed between the Wadies Arabah and 
Akabah, and down to the head of the gulf. It may be safely said 
that no observer ever brought away with him such an important 
mass of geological information respecting these difficult countries 
as did M. Lartet. In fact, it would be needless to say more of 
this particular journey at present, as the results form the basis of 
this communication. 
About the same period, some good work was done rather out- 
side the Palestine area, and chiefly in the Sinai district, by some of 
our own fellow-countrymen. I would especially mention the 
papers by Messrs. Duncan, Carter and Holland, in the Quarterly 
Journal of the Geological Society , and very important papers by 
Mr. Bauerman and Professor J. Milne. Mr. Bauerman’s paper is 
by far the most valuable contribution we possess relative to the 
mining districts of the Sinai Peninsula. 
We now come to the Palestine Exploration Fund , which was 
founded in 1865, “for the purpose of elucidating and illustrating the 
Bible, by a systematic survey of the Holy Land, by excavations, 
by the collection of traditions, manners and customs of the people, 
and by researches into the natural history, meteorology, and geology 
of the country.” In the Quarterly Statement for 1869, it is remarked 
“ Of this ( i.e . of geology) we are in ignorance in almost every 
detail ; the valley of the Jordan (and basin of the Dead Sea) is 
geologically one qf the most remarkable on the earth’s surface.” 
It is impossible to speak too highly of the topographical work 
of the survey, but somehow, very little geological work has been 
done, though there are papers by Captain Conder, which show that 
the subject possessed considerable attraction for him. His Physical 
description of the Holy Land,* and his chapter on the Jordan 
Tent Work in Palestine. 
