1848.] A musical ear not necessary in learning Chinese. 759 studied their language for years, who possessed something of a musical ear, but who were not by this means simply, led to appreciate or to understand the tones, while others who lay no claim to the possession of a musical ear, have been convinced of the great importance of them in some other way, and have obtained a correct knowledge of them and an ability to express them with ease and accuracy. One of the most strenuous advocates for the importance of the tones, who is now we believe in heaven, after studying Chinese for years, had his attention turned to the subject while attempting to preach to a number of Chinamen in a bazar, by one of them who very pleasantly told him that he understood what the teacher wished to say, though he did not use the right tones to express such ideas. In the above remarks, I would not be understood to mean that a musical ear is of no importance in studying Chinese; for, other things being equal, I do believe that it may be useful in studying any language. What I wish to affirm is that a musical ear, technically so called, is far from being indispensable to a missionary to the Chinese, and that one possessing a quick and accurate ear for sounds in general, with good vocal organs, may hope to be as extensively useful to the Chinese, so far as a knowledge and use of their language simply is concerned, as one who possesses the highest musical powers. To be able to sing the songs of Zion in the language of these idolaters and to teach them to do the same, will of course add much to a missionary's usefulness among them. I hope and pray therefore that the time may come, when every missionary candidate will earnestly seek after and sedulously cultivate this most precious gift, and when no one will think to excuse himself from entering China or any other missionary field simply because he does not possess this additional talent for usefulness. ARTICLE X. NOTES ON BIBLICAL GEOGRAPHY. By E. Robinson, D. D., Professor at New York. I. NOTES ON THE ROUTE FROM BEIRUT TO DAMASCUS. NOTWITHSTANDING the multitude of travellers who have passed between these two cities, no one seems as yet to have marked the different points with such accuracy, as to admit of the construction of a good map of the route. Several villages and some streams are not found at all in the maps; and those which are given are not always in the right place. These remarks apply particularly to the Bukâ'a and Anti-Lebanon. A recent letter from the Rev. Wm. M. Thomson of Beirût, dated Aug. 3, 1848, contains an account of a journey made by him to Damascus in April last; and affords new and important information in respect to the features of the country, and the remains of antiquity along the route. I subjoin copious extracts. The Buka'a. 'Anjar. Mr. Thomson left Beirût April 12th; and passing over Lebanon, slept at its eastern base on the green margin of the beautiful Bukâ'a. The next morning, April 13th, he reached el-Merj in an hour and a half; a miserable Moslem village with a large and filthy khân. Ten minutes beyond el-Merj the Lîtâny is crossed on a low bridge of three arches; the water is deep and of a clayey color. "In forty minutes more," he says, "I crossed the large branch of the Lîtâny that comes from 'Anjar, on the bridge called Dâr Zeinûn. Thus far I had not varied a hair-breadth from the regular road to Damascus; but from this bridge I turned to the left up the stream; and in fifteen minutes reached the fountain called Birket 'Anjar, at the foot of the eastern mountain. This is an immense fountain, throwing out the entire river which we had crossed at the bridge Dâr Zeinûn, too deep to be forded. It is also a remitting fountain of a very peculiar kind. There is at all times a large stream boiling up from the deep birkeh; but at irregular periods there is a sudden and great increase of water; sometimes only once a day; while at other times the increase occurs six, eight, or even ten times a day. Nor does there appear to be any known order in which these irregular flowings occur. 1848.] Route from Beirût to Damascus. 761 Sometimes they are comparatively small in quantity; at others, the amount of water is prodigious, threatening to sweep away the halfdozen mills that are built around the fountain. There had been a large overflowing just before I got there, abundant evidence of which was everywhere to be seen. "Perhaps the following may be a probable explanation of these phenomena. All the strata of Anti-Lebanon dip into the Bukâ'a at an angle varying from 20° to 45°. This fountain boils up in a deep pool, several rods in circumference; and not more than ten feet distant from where the strata dip under the plain. Out of this birkeh there flows, at all times, a regular river. Not improbably there must be a number of pools or reservoirs of water in the mountain above, communicating on the syphon principle with this fountain. These fill at different times; and when they discharge their waters separately into the stream, there are many overflowings, and these not large. But it occasionally happens, that a number of these reservoirs discharge at once; and then the quantity is indefinitely increased; and the number of overflowings is for that day proportionally smaller. "The birkeh was anciently surrounded by a double wall of large and smoothly hewn stones; apparently in order to raise the water so as to be carried across the plain to the city of 'Anjar; the walls of which are still standing about ten minutes south-west of the fountain. The wall encloses an oblong square, about one mile in circuit. It had four gates and thirty-two towers; and is about ten feet thick. But the greater part of the city was outside of the walls. This 'Anjar ('Ain el-Jürr) is mentioned by Abulfeda (p. 20, ed. Koehler); who also speaks of its "great ruins of stones." Tradition says its very ancient name was 'Ain Kabût; and represents it as once a famous city.1 I found also, in the quarry on the side of the mountain, large columns which had never been removed; most of them left in an unfinished state, by whom? I am surprised that so few travellers have visited this singular place; since it lies not more than fifteen minutes to the east of the regular road to Damascus, and is by far the most interesting object on the whole route." The 'Anjar here described, is a different place from the modern Mejdel 'Anjar, which lies at some distance towards the south-west. That these ruins and quarried columns mark the site of an ancient city, there can be no doubt. But in respect to its ancient name, neither of the appellations, 'Anjar, 'Ain el-Jürr, or 'Ain Kabût, affords us any clue. On p. 90, 91, of the present volume of this work, (Feb, 1848,) I have collected the ancient data, which go to show that the 1 Comp. also Burckhardt's Syria, 4to. p. 8. city of Chalcis, the seat for a time of Agrippa's dominion, was situated in the Bukâ'a, probably either at Zahleh or 'Anjar. Later information leads to the belief that no remains of antiquity exist at Zahleh; while at 'Anjar, they are of great extent and importance. We may, therefore, safely regard the ruins at 'Anjar as being in all probability those of ancient Chalcis. Ridge of Anti-Lebanon. "Following the base of the mountain southward, we came in twenty-five minutes to the mouth of Wady 'Anjar. It is narrow, with high ramparts on each side; the strata all dipping west. In ten minutes the Wady forks; and we took the branch leading up north-east intending to go directly over the mountain to Zebedâny. We wound gradually up this valley for two hours; when we passed over the water-shed into Wady Mâdar, up which we rode for two hours more. The water of this valley flows south into Wady el-Kurn, and so into the Barada. The rock is everywhere limestone, covered with bushes, but everywhere desert. We passed not a house; met not a man. There is, however, a little cultivation in some parts. "At the head of Wady Mâdar is the pass called 'Akabet el-Khôkh. From this lofty point there is perhaps the very finest prospect in Syria. Lebanon, from Jebel 'Akkâr to its southern end beyond Sidon, is beautifully developed. All Jebel esh-Sheikh, south, east, and north, covered with snow, is astonishingly distinct. The whole of northern Syria, too, far beyond Hamah, is spread out like a map,-dim, faded, worn, to be sure, but vast, gloomy, mysterious. While directly under our feet, at a vast depth, sleeps the lovely Zebedâny, and its more lovely Bukâ'a south of it. We were taken wholly by surprise; and rubbed our eyes to be convinced we were not the dupes of enchant ment. "We had been for some time winding up among snowbanks; and the road over the pass was now blocked up by a vast mound of snow, which our horses refused to scale. So sending them round by a different path, we walked down the mountain through wild gorges choked up with snow. It took an hour and a quarter to reach the village; although from the top it appeared as if one might toss a stone into it. I shall not be tempted into a description of the orchards, gardens, fields, and plains of, in, and around Zebedâny. They are the neatest and best kept in Syria; not excepting those of Damascus." From Zebedány to Damascus, April 14th. "The beautiful basin of Zebedâny was doubtless once a lake; which in long ages of patient attrition has worn its own deep drain, now called Wady Barada. Nearly in the centre of this basin, about four miles south of Zebedâny, 1848.] River Barada-Grand Tunnel. 763 is an old ruined village called Haush Barada; and there rises at once the river Barada. Meandering through the plain in a direction south of east for four or five miles, it slips in among the mountains at etTekîyeh; and, a short distance below the bridge, leaps down a bold cataract, and begins a furious struggle with the wild mountain gorges of the Wady. Nor does it rest one moment, until it glides softly into the green suburbs of Damascus. Nobody has done this magnificent gorge justice, either by pen or pencil. The lower bridge, near which are the inscriptions that you have published,' is just twenty-five minutes from the head of the gorge. "The small village es-Sûk is fifteen minutes below the same bridge. To el-Huseinîyeh is twenty minutes further; and at ten minutes more is Deir Kânôn, where are the ruins of a Grecian temple, as I suppose, and a singular mound dividing the bed of the river. Twenty-five minutes from this place is el-Kefr, where are the remains of an ancient town; there are many columns, one of which has on it a Greek inscription much defaced. Here the ordinary road quits the river, and passes across the country direct for Damascus ; leaving the stream to break its way through the eastern ridge of mountains. Following the river, which here flows nearly east, I came in ten minutes to Kefr ezZeit, where I crossed to the northern side of the stream; and after passing Deir Mukŭrrîn, reached el-Fîjeh in one hour and ten minutes. The precipices rise nearly perpendicularly on each side, six or eight hundred feet; and the scenery is magnificent. The fountain of elFijeh bursts out at a single aperture in the rock with irresistible violence; and at the distance of 120 paces enters, overwhelms, and swallows up the Barada. At this one aperture issues a river several times larger than the Barada,-an unfordable stream, whose entire course is only 120 paces! Over the fountain are heavy buildings of a very antique appearance.3 They may have been there, for aught I know, when Eliezer of Damascus was Abraham's servant. A stately grove adorns and shelters this noble fountain. There are no inscriptions, nor any other ancient remains in the neighborhood. "Thirty-five minutes below el-Fîjeh is Bessîma, where the river turns in a southerly direction towards Damascus. Here commences a grand Tunnel under the eastern mountain. It is high enough for a man to walk erect. Mr. Wood, the British consul at Damascus, followed it a long way under ground; and subsequently traced it, after 1 Inscriptions marking the site of ancient Abila; sce Bibliotheca Sacra, 1848, p. 87 sq. 2 See a description of the ridges on the eastern slope of Anti-Lebanon, on p. 80 of the present volume. 3 See Pococke, Vol. II. p. 135, and Pl. 22. |