We are told, Exod. chap. i. 11, that the Israelites built, for Pharaoh, treasure cities— Rameses and Pithom. If, as has been generally supposed, Pithom was the ancient Pelusium, then it might be the extremity of Pharaoh's dominions toward the East, and probably Rameses was the extremity of his dominions toward the West; for in such frontier situations, it is natural to expect that fortified cities, or magazines, should be placed. Now, in NIEBUHR'S map of the mouths of the Nile, on the western branch of that river, somewhat south of the canal which goes to Alexandria, is a district, or village, named Ramsis: this word is placed without any other mark, so that we cannot tell whether it refers to a town or not; but it is written in the same character as the adjacent villages. If this may be taken as an indication of the name and situation of the ancient Rameses, then these two accounts of Moses express-that all the Israelites, from the most distant parts of Pharaoh's dominions, assembled, with their property, &c. at the proper station for the departure of Caravans, Succoth: which, indeed, we know must have been the fact; but which heretofore has not been discerned in the Mosaic history. [Vide the MAP of the Journeyings of the Israelites.] (2) We assume on the credit of reasons already given in No. xxxvIII. 6. that Succoth, where the Israelites assembled, may be placed at Birket-el-Hadj, or Pilgrim's Pool: here, at this day, the Caravans assemble, and here that destined for Mecca waits the arrival of the Western pilgrims. The reasons are evident; it is at a convenient distance from Cairo; it furnishes water, and vegetation: so that the same wants which occur in all Caravans, inclined, in fact obliged, the ancient assemblage of Israel, as they now do the modern assemblage of Arabs, to make it their temporary residence. It appears also (see the Plate) that Birket-el-Hadj is considerably in advance towards Suez, and consequently the journey is shortened in proportion. We have seen in FRAGMENT, No. I. that Moses regulated the Israelites in an accurate manner; by proper officers, &c. To accomplish this, the delay at Birket-el Hadj would furnish him advantageous opportunities, and, as the various families, &c. arrived in succession, he might directly order them to their stations. In fact, some delay is implied in the name Succoth, BOOTHS: for, in general, the Caravans only pitch their tents here; but if the first comers of the Israelites, those forcibly expelled from Mizr, while waiting for their kinsmen, built booths here, they might naturally enough call their temporary town by this name-" the Booths." It is also probable, that having long dwelt in houses, few who came from Mizr were provided with tents; so that the erection of booths was the most convenient mode of shelter in their power. This account of the matter seems justified by the History, chap. xiii. 17, "When Pharaoh had let the people go." So, verse 17, "And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the Wilderness." As nothing particular happened at Etham, we have the less to say to it: its situation, described as being in the edge of the Wilderness, marks distinctly enough in what direction we must look for it. We shall only observe, that the nearer to the Wilderness, in the direct road towards the Wilderness (or the northern termination of the Red Sea), we place Etham, the better we apply the description of it, as " in the edge of the Wilderness." en The chief difficulty which remains, is, to understand correctly the command given, chap. xiv. 2: "TURN and encamp”-We suppose, then, that the Israelites continued their route from Etham, toward the Desart, to somewhere about the place marked with a turning-off in the plate: and here they turned toward the sea which lay to their rightcamp before (Heb. in the face of) PI-HA-HIROTH."-The word hiroth has usually been taken as a proper name; but Dr. SHAW very justly renders it "the gullet," though he did not perceive its direct application: Pi is the mouth, he-of-i. e. the mouth of the Gullet.“ Encamp in the face (in front of THE MOUTH OF THE GULLET, between Migdol (THE TOWER) and the Sea."-To ascertain this Migdol or tower, we need not seek any distant town, but must be guided by the nature of the country; at the same time recollecting the orders given-" to turn." I have ventured to place this tower at Bir Suez," the Well of Water," because, undoubtedly, this well was worth protecting by a tower, there being no other fresh water, then known, in the neighbourhood: and nobody acquainted with the value and scarcity of water in this desert, will imagine a tower, if inhabited, could be of use, or its inhabitants or garrison subsist, without water. [Vide FRAGMENTS, NOS. LXX. Cv.] It was necessary, therefore, for the protection of this well for the use of the inhabitants at Baal-zephon, that a tower should secure it. "Encamp over-against (Heb. in the face of) BAAL-ZEPHON."-Baal-zephon is placed at Suez, because it adjoins Pi-ha-hiroth; so that whatever station was " in the face of Pi-hahiroth," was also in " the face of Baal-zephon:" yet Pi-ha-hiroth being more extensive than the town of Baal-zephon, this repetition descriptive of the position to be taken, was neither useless nor redundant. That a town should be established here anciently, appears every way reasonable, from the same causes as now maintain the town of Suez, notwithstanding its numerous inconveniences. Observe, also, " Encamp between the Tower and the Sea;" i. e. from Bir Suez to the Gulf, eastward (see the Plate), or from Bir Suez to the head of the Sea, southward, either of which may answer the expression but if we say from Bir Suez to the Gulf, then the encamping from Bual-zéphon to the Sea, is from Suez, westward, along the head of the sea-shore. As I well know that very learned travellers, including the judicious PococкE and the inquisitive BRUCE, have looked farther South for the place of the passage of the Israelites, and have supposed they discovered, in the words now explained, the names of towns rather than of places; nay that even Dr. SHAW himself (though his remarks gave the first hint of thus applying them) also looked farther South, I cannot but submit the foregoing explanations, with much diffidence; at the same time frankly owning my satisfaction, that, by means of M. NIEBUHR'S map of this spot, so many identities may be traced, without any force on the words, which appear to be little if at all, short of demonstrative: and we should rather seek the easier explanation of this story (as of all others), because no judicious reader can imagine, that difficulties were multiplied without necessity or that a more troublesome and laborious way was chosen, when one less troublesome and less laborious, would have answered the purpose better. While Moses was in this position, Pharaoh approached; and he might justly say of the Israelites, that "they were enclosed by the Desart, and the Sea," as verse 9-so that if he did not destroy them by a vigorous attack, they must inevitably perish by famine, while under his blockade. We now come to the passage of the Sea itself, and shall do well accurately to analyse the narration.-Moses said, "Fear not! STAND STILL!" Here seems to be an indication of intentional delay, as if time and circumstances were not at this moment ready or favourable. During this interval of waiting, " Moses cried unto the Lord," verse 15. In this conjuncture a strong EAST wind blowing all night, divided the waters.-Observe, that the position of this gulf being from South to North, an East wind was the most proper that could blow for the purpose of dividing the gullet in the middle, and thereby preserving a body of water, above and below, i. e. North and South, of that division; these waters defended the passage, like a wall, on the right and on the left, while the Israelites went over on dry ground. "The Egyptians pursued to the midst of the sea; but in the morning watch"-This point of time, no doubt, was punctually expressed; and would be punctually understood by those accustomed to count time by watches: it has lost that punctuality to us, yet we may pretty correctly fix it at about three o'clock in the morning, about which time-the sands, &c. of the oozy sea-bottom took off the chariot wheels of the Egyptians, and now, the East wind sinking, the waters returned from the North and South, and overwhelmed the Egyptians; whereas the Israelites passed during the power of this strong wind, which blew full in their faces. Such seem to be the circumstances of this famous passage; the result of the whole is, that Providence engaged natural means in accomplishing its purpose. The strong East wind is expressly recorded in the history; and, again, in the thanksgiving song for this deliverance, "Thou didst blow with thy wind.”—After reflecting on this, can it possibly be regarded as any disparagement to the inference of the same Providence, if advan tage were also taken of the tide in this place? What! shall a wind, as a natural agent, be employed, while the tide, an agent equally natural and applicable, and far more constant, occurring daily on this very spot, and, in fact, not to be restrained without a miracle, shall that be prohibited? Ought we not rather to conclude, that all natural advantages were taken, and by these, and over these, Providence operated. Moreover, does not the command, to "stand still," relate to the abatement of the waters by the falling of the tide in the gulf, as it does to the rising of the wind for the division of the remaining waters after the tide was out? Were not these two agents concurrent? This remark naturally leads to the enquiry-What are the heights of the tides usual, Now, on this spot? and this question is answered by the following observations, made at Suez, by NIEBUHR, in 1763, and translated from page 369 of the French edition:Day of Moon. Difference. 3 feet 6 inches High Water. Low Water. 11 : 15 A. M. : 11 52 A. M. 6: 0 P. M. 0:53 P. M. 6 12 A. M. 0:56 P. M. 6: 24 A. M. 16 full m.0: 30 P. M. : 6: 30 P. M. The depth, at high water, appears, at present, not to exceed seven or eight feet. But we ought, in considering this question, to make sufficient allowances for the changes which have occurred in these parts, during the lapse of so many ages. It is agreed by travellers, that the whole Arabian (or eastern) shore of the Red Sea has received an addition of land, whereby the continent of Arabia is enlarged, as appears by the map, no less than fifty or sixty miles; which stripe of shore is called the Tehama, or flat country, to distinguish it from the hilly country, which is the original Arabia. This augmentation is still in progress, and every year encreases the quantity of land on the eastern shore, the action of the same natural causes being uninterrupted, viz. the courses of the winds which blow the sands of Arabia into the Red Sea, where they form shallows among the rocks, and by successive augmentations, those shallows become islands. Since, then, the same natural causes continually affect in the same manner this gulf, or gullet, of the Red Sea, we must endeavour to make such allowances for the different dimensions of the land and water, at the time of the Exodus, from what they are at this day, as shall seem reasonable. The matter does not demand precision; it is enough to say that we must add considerably to the present length and breadth of the water. We must also add to its depth; because the same desart sands which being brought into the Red Sea by the wind, render the eastern shore at first shallow, and afterwards unite that shore to the main land, must also à fortiori ren der this gulf shallower; and this proceeding is so constant, that it has already converted much of this gulf into solid land, except a few marshy spots; and probably, in a few more centuries may obliterate the whole as a water. Having well-considered the foregoing particulars, we are ready for inspection of the plate which accompanies this Fragment; and shall direct our attention, first, to the smaller map of the journey from Egypt to the Red Sea. Nearly opposite to Mizr-el-Attik, on the other side of the Nile, are the Pyramids; at which we suppose a considerable number of the Israelites to have been engaged in labour. Lower down the Nile, to the North, lies the land of Goshen. The lines drawn from these extremes to Birket-el-Hadj, shew the courses of the Israelites to the place of rendezvous, in order to join the main Caravan. From Birket-el-Hadj, or Succoth, to Etham, the Caravan takes the usual route for the wilderness of Zin; but, being past Etham, it is ordered to turn towards Baal-zephon, where being encamped, the army of Pharaoh is supposed to come in sight; and here the Israelites are evidently enclosed, and unable to move to right or left, either forward or backward. Inspecting now the larger map, we see the situation of the Israelitish Caravan, and of their pursuers. Pharaoh must be supposed visible at a far greater distance than his army is [for mere convenience of the plate] represented; the gulf also extended much farther north than is denoted by the shaded lines, and was wider toward the Eastern shore; so that we may conceive of the Israelites as crossing at least double the space marked by being shaded; but, as geometrical precision is not our object, an extension of the shading lines on the plate would have answered no good purpose. The direction of the wind, with its fitness to divide the gulf, appears by the compass. -The following Extracts are translated from NIEBUHR, p. 353, &c. French Edit. "To go from Cairo to Suez requires thirty hours and three quarters, and from the Nile requires one hour more. The great Caravan, which goes yearly from Cairo to Mecca, assembles some days before it sets off, at four leagues from Cairo, on the way to Suez, near Birket-el-Hadj, a small lake, which receives the water of the Nile. A Α great Caravan, which is in haste, may go from Birket-el-Hadj to Suez in three days: we took 28 hours 40 minutes, not reckoning the hours of rest. "Every where on the coast of Arabia, we met with indications that the waters are withdrawn for instance, Musa, which all the ancient authors mention as a port of Arabia, is now at many leagues distance from the sea: near Loheia, and Gidda, we see great hills filled with the same kind of shells, and corals, as are now found living in the sea: near Suez are petrifications of all these things. I saw, at three quarters of a league west of the city, a heap of shells, with living inhabitants, upon a rock covered only at high water, and shells of the same kind, uninhabited, upon another rock of the shore, which was too high for the tide now to cover it. Some thousand years ago, therefore, this Arabian Gulf was much larger, and extended much farther north, especially that arm of it near Suez, for the shore of this extremity of the gulf is very low. "The breadth of the arm of the sea, at Suez, is about 3500 feet [in its present state.] Though it would much shorten the distance of their way, no Caravan now crosses this arm, nor could the Israelites have crossed it, without a miracle. The attempt must have been much more difficult to the Israelites, some thousand years ago, the gulf being then probably larger, deeper, and longer toward the north. "At the lowest time of the tide, I crossed when returning from mount Sinai, that arm of the sea, over to Kolsoum, upon my camel; and the Arabs, who accompanied me, were only up to their thighs in water. "I did not find in this sea, south of Suez, any bank or isthmus [reef] under water: from Suez to Girondel we sounded, and had at first four fathom and a half; in the middle of the gulf, at three leagues from Suez, we had four fathom; and about Girondel, near the shore, we had ten fathom. "The banks of the Red Sea are pure sand, from Suez to Girondel; but lower to the south, I saw banks of coral. Now, had the Israelites crossed the sea upon such banks, they would have been greatly incommoded by them; because they were very cutting, especially to the bare feet, or to feet but sightly defended."-[What, then, must such rough banks have been to the women, the children, the cattle, &c. ?] [It should be remembered, also, that the country farther to the south (where some have supposed the Israelites passed) is so very rocky, &c. that if the Israelites, marching on foot, with their cattle, women, children, &c. could have journeyed by that road, Pharaoh's chariots could not have so journeyed, but would have had few wheels, if any, left on them, by the time they had reached the banks of the sea. Not to insist on the difference between crossing a smaller portion of the bed of the sea, that bed being sand, and nearly level, with the water only 10 or 12 feet deep, and crossing a much longer distance, over a bottom of coral rock, and the water fifty feet deep at least. Those who say the magnitude of a miracle is no object to Almighty Power, I beg leave for the present to ask, Which of the ways of Divine Wisdom that has come to our knowledge, appears to justify the supposition of any super-abundance of power exerted, in the production of any effect, beyond what is necessary to produce that effect? In what instance has such waste of power been detected? It is honourable to the Divinity, to believe that Divine Wisdom so proportions the necessary power, that it shall be amply competent to the duty charged on it, but without an overplus, whose infructuous reserve, being unemployed, is mere idleness.] "Eusebius relates, after ancient traditions, that the Israelites passed at Clysma. The Clysma of the Greeks was apparently the Kolsoum of the Arabs, as Bochart proves, in his Phaleg, &c. lib. ii. cap. 18, p. 107, 108. Macrivi, Abulfeda, and the present inhabitants of Suez, assure us, that Kolsoum was near Suez. The tide falls here three feet, or three feet and a half, which, considering the shallowness of this water, is a great proportion. Perhaps a thick fog hastened the destruction of the Egyptians; I cannot decide on what was the pillar of cloud of Moses." Vide CLYSMA in the Dict. Such are the notices of NIEBUHR: to these we add, that the Greek name Clysma signifies destruction; and Kolsoum is of similar import in Arabic.-A very expressive appellation, surely, if commemorative of this destruction of the ancient Egyptian army. A farther confirmation of the supposition, that here the Israelites passed, may be drawn from the names of the adjacencies mentioned in the history, as Baal-zephon, i. e. on the northern extremity of the Red Sea itself, or on the northern extremity of the Gullet; either of which situations ascertains the part represented in our map. Pi-hahiroth," the mouth of the gullet." Now there is no other gullet of water, in the Red Sea, to which this appellation can possibly agree. As to gullets in the mountains, doubtless, there are many: but what accompaniments have they to induce us to regard them as the (hiroth) gullet, of Moses ?-which apparently marks emphatically a place distinguished by nature. N. B. The geographical part of this plate is copied from NIEBUHR's plan; which extends only to where the hills, &c. are marked. The position of the camps, &c. are added, to render it subservient to the purposes of explanation: the shading lines hint at the ancient dimensions of the gulf: the strong lines drawn across the water, mark the supposed passage of the tribes. NIEBUHR's plan is taken at low water. No. XL. IMPERTINENT SALUTATION OF TRAVELLERS. "THE Arabs of Yemen, and especially the Highlanders, often stop strangers, to ask Whence they come? and Whither they are going? These questions are suggested merely by curiosity; and it would be indiscreet, therefore, to refuse to answer." NIEBUHR'S Travels, vol. i. page 302. Vide No. xci. Does not the above extract suggest the true import of that expression of our Lord, which has seemed, to some, to favour a rudeness of behaviour; which, surely, so far from being congenial to the precepts and manners of the Gospel, is inconsistent with |