Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1848-01-21
THE JORDAN AND The DEAD SEA.
BY HARRIET MARTINEAU.

| tue JOiUdH tilc DSdO SSd Iii TIC 6tE-
| y morning, about five o'clock, ascend.
ed a steep mound near our encampment,
and saw a view as different from that of
the preceding day as change of light
| could make it. The sun had not risen;
but there was hint of its approach in
gush Of pale light behind the Moab noun
tains. The strip of woodland in the mid
die of the plain looked black in contrast
with the frightening yellow precipices of
QuarantanIa on the west. SOuthwards,
the Dead Sea stretched into the land.
gray and clear. Below me, our tents and
horses and the moving figures Of the A
rabs enlvened the shadowy banks of the
stream.
We were off soon after six, and were
to reach the banks of the Jordan in about
two and a half hours. Our way lay thro'
the same sort of forest land that we had
encamped in. 1t was very wild, almost
the only tokens Of habitation that we met
with, were about Ribhah - by some sup
posed to be the exact site of the ancient
Jericho. This now is as misera bic a vii
laSe as any IN Faiestlne' ana lis ihhaDi'-
ants are as low In character as IN wealth
No stranger thinks OF gong near 1t VINO
is not well armed and guarded. Yet there
IS no need to resort to any means but nom
est and moderate industry, to obtain
comfortable subsistence here - Il only
honesty were encouraged, and industry
protected by good social state ne me
hg trees that are scattered around ana
Inc "ouhuaht promise o. 'he le" crops
'hd' are 9o"h' Siio" 'ii"' ''io soii an" o'i-
maze are mol 10 D'alIle' At TINS pace mere
IS square 'o"eF' conspicuous from alat
ABOVE me 'Fees' "hlcA some suppose 10
DC INC soIe remnant U 'he great Guy
out II can haruiy De ancient enough 10
nave belonged 10 ola IeFicho'
Oh me hi!iocN' III the liiuSt Oh OfUSLl-
"ooa' we sa" a le" D'ruS o. such d SIZE
that one OIL the party III moment OF iof-
getiulness, CRED out =" Ostfiches -
There are no ostrichcs IN this country
but these cranes looked very like them
"fIIio On their loot One by one they rose
stretching out their ionS ieSS Dehihd 'heHl
- certainty inc largest olIoS e'eI Sd"
n.y. OF Proo"Dly S"aA ever Sec
though we had been 'old' ana fad
read, that the river could not be seen till
the traveller reached It's very BANKS we
could not help looking ior 1t. Three broad
terraces have to be travorsed' and then Il
IS sunk IN deep bed, where II rushcs md
den among the woodland. Its depth t
water varies much at different seasons,
though less now than formerly. The
Scriptures speak so much of the overflow
Of Jordan, and Of the lion coming up al
the swelling OF Jordan, that It IS supposed
that formerly the river was subject to In
undatlons which may have formed the
three terraces above mentioned, and also
caused the extraordinary fertility to the
plain Of old times, and that the wild beasts
which then h1rborcd IN the brakes, came
/ up TO terrify the dWeIerS IN the helds-
However this may have been, 1t is not so
now. The channel Is no doubt deePened'
and the river now, IN the fullest season,
only brIns over It's banks into the brakes
so as 10 stand among the canes, and never
reaches the terraces.