The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-03-14
The Fertility of Palestine.

Travellers who have looked upon the bar
renness of large portions of the land of Ca
naan during certain seasons of the year have
wondered how it could ever have merited
the description given in Deuteronomy viii:
7, 8, "For the Lord thy God bringeth thee
into a good land, land of brooks of water,
of fountains, and depths that spring out of
valleys and hills; a land of wheat, and bar
ley, and vines, aud fig trees, and pomegrau'
ates; q land of oil-olive, and honey" The
enemies of the Bible have not failed to insist
that if this description had ever been true
some evidence of it should now exist; that
no convulsions of nature have occurred suffi
Gent to account for the present seeming
sterilty of the Holy Land In vindication
of the scriptural accounts it has been urged
that the amount of the annual rain fell has
been largely diminished; that the land has
been punished for the iniquity of its inhabi-
tants By an almost entire cessation of the
latter rain. But this argument has not been
altogether satisfactory, and the reports OF
visitors to Palestine have not always suS-
tanned it.
Now, however, the results of careful sci
entifc examination are being presented to
the public, end the pentateuch is found to be
exactly true in this matter. The last quar-
terly report of the English Palestine Explo'
ration Fund contains paper by Lieutenant
Gender, of the exploration party, which re.
moves all difficulties, absolutely and finally,
leaving really nothing more to be desired
After going through the whole land from
"Dan to Beersheba," he briefly presents his
conclusions, supported by the facts collected
in the following summary:
l. The climate of Palestine is capable o.
great improvement by drainage, but has al
ways been to certain extent malarious OF
the plains. These, and especially the Jor
dan valley, will always be untitled to Euro
peap constitutions, but may be made salubri
Gus for the indigenous population.
g. The seasons in Palestine are unchanged
and there is no evidence of any very remark
able falling off in the amount of rain, though
the data are not sufficient for definite con
clusion on the subject.
8. The spontaneous growth resembles il
character that mentioned in the Bible. Ii
some districts it has greatly decreased, il
others it has spread; woods of timber tree
have decreased in extent, but still exist in
part of the districts formerly occupied b.
them.
4. Cultivation and drainage have boil
been neglected, and the richness of the sol
makes it certain that very little labor woul
make an enormous change in the productive
ness of the country.
The present water supply answers ex
actly to that described in the Bible, in tn
Talmud, and in Josephus, and depends en-
tirely on the geological formation.
6. The north of Palestine is, and has az
parently always been, more fruitful than tb
south.
7. The Judean hills are unchanged in ap
pearauce, at least since the twelfth century
and were probably always the most barren
looking of all the districts. The deserts t
the east and south appear also to be IN
changed.
To sum up, in conclusion, the change il
Palestine is one of degree only, and not 0
kind. The curse of the country is bad gov
ernment and oppression. Justice and secu
rity of person and property once established
Palestine would become once more land o
corn, vines and olives, rivaling in fertilit
and in wealth its ancient condition, as de
duced from study of such notices as remain
to us in the Bible and in subsequent JEWS
writings.