The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-02
sC1ENTnIC RESEARCH EPAIEsrrEE


The London Athenrain has communications 10
May z, from the Rev. II. b. Tristram, one Of
the parties engaged in a scientific survey Of the
Holy Land. On the i7,h Of March Mr. Trlstr am
was at Nazareth. Several days were spent In
thorough and deliberate exploration Of Carmel.
and ia y visit to Bui.an (thc ancient Bethsheanl,
in the upper portion Of Central Jordan valley.
Fr, m Beisan il wus hoped that the valley might
be explored rs far south as Kurn Surtabeh; but
this proved impossible. The h Of April found
Mr.. Tristram once moro in Jerusalem
Messrs. Bartlett and Lowne had been left be-
bind n Nazareth 81 complete the zOOl igy and
botany Of Gali'ee. In the neighbOrhoJ ID Of Jcru-
sal, m he found some AdOu N sheks who b I'd
recently conducted a party Of trWelon TO the
rCR, ns beyond the Dead Sea. The leading sire
OF MIR. Tristram was 10 explore these regions.
His party had recently met With a repulse 10 an
attempt To reach Jrr,h and Amman by way Of
Om-Kris and SOuf, buthe succeeded 10 ueg)-
tiat Dg bargain with these sheiks TO conduct
himself and five o'her English gentlemen 10
II, sham, Amman, Salb, and Jerash, aud TO do
liver tiem s fely int the Jordan valley, h'loS
Tubukhnt Fahiel, for about scvcn'y-hye dollars
each. All this the Arabs faithfully carrie Oit.
OF tho Tesdlt the AtienaiDp thus speaks -
The scientific results Of the lOnrney are ahUu.
dani but must he very briefly told. In geology
all Mr.. Tristram's former interences Ot the aD-
stcuce { Z igueOus action iu the formation OF tho
Jtrdnn valley of the Dead Sea- and Of the regions
cast thereof, are cunrrmed, bo b 10y his OWn OBJ
sclyations aud those Of Mr.. Lare'. Tne fJrmd-
tou the east Of the valley Is the same as th It
on tie wesi-au limestone, with dip 70 the
southwest, often strangely tilted and contorted,
/ hut with no trace Of baSalt or primitive rock
Further inland, some twenty-five miles cast Of
/ the Jordan, the same form ttiOn continues, but
the strata become horizontal, the hills aud
wadys water-worn, with no signs Of convulsion
( or uncomfortable qualification, or Of any agency
/ but that OF water. On the crest Of tho heights
| Which inciose the rtvine OF the Wady zerka
gN cod a. md fkn
only instance Of that rock which Mr.. Tristran
has observed in the whole Of his journey, ex-
ceptlng In the Ghor Safeh, at the south Of tue
/ Dead Sea.
In ornilhology and zoology Mr. Tristram is
| lndelat gable, and as he contrtved TO enlist the
Bedouins In the quest, his success was great,
both In quantity and quality OF specimens.
! The district on the east Of the river, lying
between the tord and the foot of the Mo ID noun
| taius, was found 10 be hotter and more tropical
in the character of its vegetation (Ascispias
| 1igantcd, eic) than than OF Jericho, and to
resemble closely the Gbor.es-SAteh. The barley,
which was left unripe nj Jericho was found &C
| ktte1ein cut and thrCshod.
| The view westward from the mountains OF
Moab, Gilead, and Ajlun, particularly that from
Jebei Nebbah (NobO y near HeSnau, are described
as most wonderful for extent aud for he revela.
| tons they make OF the character Of the country
on the opposite side OF tho valley. Gas the oyo
tuTn6d sou'hwsrd towards the line of tho ridge
on which VIC stood were the heights of Ksral,
| ana the AraDhn peaks OF AK ibeh beyond. In
| front one or two terraces reduced the D atcau ss
il descended TO the Dead Sea, the western outline
Of which we could trace in its full ex-
tent, the shore line indentrd with frequent
| bays and hcadlInds, and the flats Of Ain
! FCshkah, Ain Teraheh, and Ain Jidy stand
Ing out clearly like ifringcs Of green carpeting,
| Masada aud Sbukit rising above the mouu-
tain Inc. but still much lower than the ridge of
| Hebron, which we could trace 10 Bethlehem and
Jerusalem, though the city itself could not be
disth gushed. Sill turning north ward, the eye
lCoh ed over tho deep Gh0r TIL it rested on Cert
zims rounded top, and fufther still appeared tue
Plain Of Esdraeh'n, bounded by the distinct out
| line Of unmistakablc TubNr aided by which VIC
| could identify GIbOs and Jehcl Duhy (Iittle
| HeimOn), Htrmon itself tue clouds preventing
| US frtm 5, eng.
JUS north of us stretched out the dark foress
of Ajlun in a long uDdulating line, the steep sies
of the mountain here aud there whieued BY cliffs
| on Mount Gilead behind es-Salt. To the north
| cast lay the vast HauTan, filling In the horizon
line till il oiued the liza, fom which II Is sepa-
rated by no natural Iupdary line. Had the day
been clearer we should doubtless have been able
10 discern Carmel and the sea-"
The maps nIe all incomplete as regards the
places imm1 diately east OF the Jordan, keleren.
erRamth. etc. as indeed IL evident IL they are
compared with Mr.. 1 riStram's route.