[ 53 3 
were written, and that they attributed their defeat to 
fome magick power in thefe characters : as we are 
now fruitful in conjecture, perhaps fome gentlemen 
will bring Xenophon here. The characters feem to 
be of the very fame kind with thofe ftained on differ- 
ent parts of Mount Sinai, Meribah, See. which my 
learned and accurate friend the Bifhop of Offory has 
given. 
The third day from this place, travelling weft ward, 
we encamped atSarondou, as the Journal calls it; but 
it is Korondel, where are the bitter waters, Marah. I 
tried if the branches of any of the trees had any effeCt 
on the waters ; but found none : fo the effeCt menti- 
oned in Scripture muft have been miraculous. Thefe 
waters at the fpring are fomewhat bitter and brackifh,. 
but as every foot they run over the fand is covered with 
bituminous falts, grown up by the exceffive heat of 
the fun, they acquire much faltnefs, and bitternefs, 
and very foon become not potable. This place, off 
which the {hips cafts anchor, is below the fand, which 
I mentioned before, near the Birque Korondel. After 
nine hours and a half march we arrived, and encamp- 
ed at the Defert of Shur, or Sour. The conftant tradi- 
tion is, that the Ifraelites afeended from the fea here; 
this is oppoftte to the plain Badeah, to which the above- 
mentioned pafs in the mountains lead. From this place 
the openings in the mountains appear a great crack,, 
and may be called a Mouth, taking Hiroth for an ap- 
pellative. However, I fhould rather adopt the fignifi- 
cation of Liberty. It would hardly have been neceffary 
for the Ifraelites to pafs the fea, if they were within 
two or three miles of the northern extremity of the 
golf; the fpace of at moft two miles, the breadth 
