s.

Close to the town there were thick layers of calcareous sediment,
containing petrified reeds or canes, of which I brought away specimens
for our museum.

Thus ended my inspection of this really interesting place, so remarkable
for being all built of black volcanic stone,--the theatre, the church,
and the modern village, besides the rocks all about: add to this the vile
appearance of the people, and one cannot wonder at visitors entertaining
a dread and disgust at the whole.--I find that I have omitted to mention
the mineral quality of the water, the most of which is undrinkable.

We left Beisan at half-past nine, after examining it more completely than
the published accounts of former travellers lead us to believe they have
done. Thomson's account is of later date.

Our journey now lay due north, along the Ghor to Tiberias; and a very
pleasing journey it proved to be.

In half an hour we had to ford a pretty wide stream, and in five minutes
more were among very extensive ruins of an ancient town; upon a tumulus
at its farther extremity are lying portions of three huge sarcophagi, and
a portion of a thick column. This must be the "Es Soudah," (_i.e._,
_black_,) mentioned by Thomson--indeed, all ruins of that district are of
black basalt, excepting the columns and sarcophagi. The name _soda_ or
_black_ occurs in English as a synonym for _alkali_, and means the black
or dark-coloured ashes of the plant _al-kali_ when burnt for use--the
white colour of it seen in Europe is obtained by chemical preparation.

Black tents and fires of the kali burners were visible in many
directions--a delicious breeze blowing in our faces; but above everything
cheerful was the green line of the Jordan banks. No snow to be seen at
present at that distance upon Hermon. At half-past eleven we were
beneath some castellated remains of great extent, namely, the Crusaders'
_Belvoir_, now called _Cocab el Hawa_. Our ground had become gradually
more undulated; then hilly, and the Ghor narrowed: we were obliged to
cross it diagonally towards the Jordan; forded a running stream abounding
in oleander, where, according to his usual custom, my Egyptian servant
took a handful of the flowers to wear in his waistcoat. Then the birds
carolling so happily, recalling the well-known lines--

"And Jordan, those sweet banks of thine,
With woods so full of nightingales."

The songsters that I heard were certainly neither the linnets nor
g