attest its former luxuriance. Shepherds, too, find on its sides pasture for their flocks, as when Amos described it as their habitation.""

"The lesser mountains of this group," writes D'Arvieux, "are cultivable lands, of a good soil, deep, and extraordinarily fertile, capable of producing in a very uncommon degree. There were formerly many more vineyards than at present. The Christians who inhabit part of these villages only cultivate as many vines as may furnish what wine and dried grapes they want for their own consumption. They neglect the cultivation of fruittrees, which here would reach great excellence, as may easily be inferred from those here gathered, though chiefly from wild stocks. They have delicious melons and watermelons. Those mounts which appear most dry and arid are covered with oaks and other trees. We find also olives, but under no management. The air of these mountains is very good; and how sultry soever it may be on the border of the sea, these regions are refreshed every morning by a cool sea breeze. On the mountains feed an infinity of beeves, sheep, goats, hares, rabbits, partridges, antelopes, and other species of animals, all excellent in their kinds, because they here find excellent pasture and corn."

What a commentary is this upon the prophet's words, when he speaks of the excellency of Carmel and of its languishing!

"Carmel is no place," says Mr. Carne, “for crags and precipices, or rocks of the wild goats-it is the finest and most beautiful mountain in Palestine,-in many parts covered with trees and flowers. On reaching at last the opposite summit, and coming out of a wood, we saw the celebrated plain of Esdraelon beneath, with the river Kishon flowing through it. Mounts Tabor and (the little) Hermon were in front, and on the left the prospect was bounded by the hills of Samaria."

Lamartine thus describes a storm on Mount Carmel : "I have witnessed few so terrible. The clouds rose

perpendicularly, like towers above Mount Carmel, and soon covered all the length of the summit of this chain of hills. The mountain, just now so brilliant and serene, was plunged, by degrees, in rolling waves of darkness, split here and there by trains of fire. The horizon seemed to close around us,—the thunder did not burst in claps-it threw out one single majestic rolling, continual and deafening. The lightning might be truly said to rush like torrents of fire from the heavens, on the black flanks of Carmel. The oaks on the Mount and on the hill on which we were journeying, bent like young plants. The winds, which rushed from the caverns, and from between the hills, must have swept us from our horses, if we had not speedily alighted, and found a little shelter behind a fragment of rock in the then dry bed of a torrent. The withered leaves, upraised in masses by the storm, were carried above our heads like clouds, and the slender, broken branches of the trees showered around us. I remembered the Bible, and the prodigies of Elijah . . . The storm abated in about half an hour. We continued our route along the foot of Mount Carmel, which we traced in this way, during a march of about four hours. It presented every where the same severe and solemn aspect. It is a gigantic rock, rising almost perpendicularly, and every where covered by a bed of shrubs, and odoriferous herbs. The rock is seldom entirely naked." "In Leviticus xxvi. 22, we read that wild beasts were to be sent amongst the people of that land for their iniquities; even that seems well nigh its accomplishment. The monks of Mount Carmel reported, that in consequence of the disarming of the people, and the great decrease of their numbers, wild beasts were increasing on Mount Carmel to an alarming degree."

"We may stand at the top of Carmel," observes Mr. Hardy, "as did Gehazi, and look towards the sea, but, alas! there is now no 'little cloud like a man's hand;' still there is the promise of a shower, and in due time the streams of divine mercy will again fall upon this

thirsty land, and men shall liken themselves in their prosperity to the 'excellency of Carmel and Sharon." " See CALMET'S Dictionary; PAXTON's Letters, pp. 100, 101; CARNE'S Letters, pp. 249, 250; LAMARTINE'S Travels, pp. 355-358; Journal of a Tour in the Holy Land, by LADY F. EGERTON, p. 95; HARDY'S Notices, &c. p. 121.

CHAPTER IX.

GALILEE.

TAANACH-MEGIDDO-PLAIN OF ESDRAELON-RIVER KISHON--JEZREEL -VALLEY OF JEZREEL-MOUNT GILBOA-BETHSHEAN-SHUNEMNAINENDOR - MOUNT TABOR-NAZARETH-CANA - TIBERIAS — SHORES OF TIBERIAS-LAND OF GENNESARETH-MAGDALA-CAPERNAUM-BETHSAIDA OF GALILEE-CHORAZIN-BETHSAIDA JULIAS COUNTRY OF THE GADARENES CESAREA PHILIPPI-DAN OR LAISH -MOUNT HERMON.

TAANACH (TA/ANNUK) LEGIO. MEGIDDO.

(EL-LEJJUN.)

SCRIPTURE NOTICES.

.

"AND Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns. Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land."-Joshua xvii, 11, 12. (Judges i. 27.)

"The kings came and fought; then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo: they took no gain of money."-Judges v. 19.

"And by the borders of the children of Manasseh

Taanach and her towns, Megiddo and her towns. In . . . these dwelt the children of Joseph, the son of Israel."-1 Chron. vii. 29.

"And he (Ahaziah, king of Judah) fled to Megiddo, and died there."-2 Kings ix. 27.

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Nevertheless, Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, (Necho, king of Egypt,) and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.”—2 Chron. xxxv. 22.

"In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the

valley of Megiddon."-Zech. xii. 11. (See the account of Josiah's death in 2 Chron. xxxv.)

[See also 1 Kings iv. 12, ix. 15; 1 Chron. vi. 70.]

"The plain of Esdraelon is skirted on its southern side by low hills, running from Jenîn in a northwesterly direction, until they unite with an extension of the ridge of Carmel . . . It is this extension of Carmel, consisting of a low ridge or range of hills, which separates the great southern plain along the coast from that of Esdraelon. From the knoll on the west of Jenîn we could look out upon this part of the plain and the adjacent southern hills. Looking towards Carmel, on the side of a low mound, a little back from the plain, we could distinguish the place called Ta'annuk it was said to have ruins which led the people to suppose it was once a large city, though it now contains but a few families. Further to the right, the direction of El-Lejjûn, the ancient Legio, was shown saw it frequently afterwards.

;

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"Ta'annuk is undoubtedly the ancient Taanach, first a city of the Canaanites:1 then allotted to Manasseh, and assigned to the Levites; and afterwards celebrated in the triumphal song of Deborah and Barak.

"Lejjûn probably occupies the site of the ancient Megiddo, so often mentioned along with Taanach. Near by it there was said to be a large fountain, sending forth a mill-stream, which, like that at Jenîn, (and others,) runs into the plain, and goes to aid in forming the ancient Kishon. Megiddo is rarely spoken of in Scripture, except in conjunction with Taanach; a circumstance which implies their vicinity to each other.

"The chief onslaught, also, in the battle of Deborah and Barak, took place in the plain near Taanach, and the waters of Megiddo;' and whether this expression be applied to a large fountain, or to the