consummated in the presence of “Him whom tne neaven and the heaven of heavens 
cannot contain,” when He came to be baptized in the waters of the River, when the 
Holy Spirit visibly descended upon Him, and the voice of the Eternal Majesty 
proclaimed to the multitude, and to mankind. This is my beloved Son, in whom I 
AM WELL PLEASED . 1 
1 Matt. iii. 17. 
THE IMMERSION OF THE PILGRIMS. 
In this View Aclnnet Aga, the Governor of Jerusalem, with a part of his Arab guard, 
occupy the foreground. The River Jordan flows so deeply beneath its banks, that 
in crossing the plain from Jericho it is unseen. The stream runs about fifty feet below 
the level of the soil. This sinking is so remarkable, that it has long exercised the 
conjectures of ingenious men. The Artist thinks that it may have had some connexion 
with the catastrophe of the “ Cities of the Plain,” and the formation of the Dead 
Sea. It would undoubtedly elucidate in some degree that most memorable event, 
if we should be able to follow the original channel to the Gulph of Akaba. 
His narrative gives a striking impression of the actual scene:—“As we approached 
the brink of the River, a general rush took place, and the women broke into the 
shrill cry of joy so often heard in Egypt. Even the camels, though heavily loaded, 
could scarcely be restrained. The Governor’s carpets were spread on a high bank 
close to the River, where we could command a view of the entire scene; the military 
band and colours were brought round him, and seats were assigned to our party. 
“ One of the achievements is, to be the first to plunge into the stream; and on 
this occasion, a young Greek was swept away by the rapid current, and unfortunately 
drowned before our eyes. Young and old, male and female, were soon in the stream, 
in one promiscuous mass, some of them in imminent danger of being drowned. One 
of their superstitions is to put on slight dresses, which are to be preserved for their 
burial. This extraordinary display lasted about two hours, when the whole returned, 
the Governor now bringing up the rear .” 1 
Roberts's Journal. 
