a blaze of sunshine, being set off in high relief when seen from the deeply-shaded recesses of this narrow cleft. This temple, like others, has been hewn out of the face of the solid sandstone cliff; and from the arrangement of the upper part of the façade above the portico into nine spaces or niches, containing originally as many figures, Professor Palmer came to the conclusion that this "mysterious excavation" is nothing but the Museum of Petra,-not what the Turks would call an Antiquity House," but the " Philharmonic Institution of the place."

What constitutes the special wonder of Petra is the fact that with few exceptions its public buildings are hewn out of the living rock. Elsewhere I have hazarded the view that Nature herself first suggested the adoption of this plan, as the massive cliffs and vertical faces of sandstone which line the sides of the Wady Musa naturally assume, in some cases, the forms of artificial structures. However this may be, all the great temples and tombs are hewn from the stone in situ, of which, besides the Khazneh, may be cited "the Temple of the Urn,” another great temple surmounted by two tiers of Corinthian columns, and the Dier (or Convent). The Roman Theatre, though peculiarly exposed, is in a condition of remarkable preservation; but the hand of man, earthquake shocks, the rains, and torrents from the mountains are slowly wasting the wonderful and beautiful structures which adorn the Wady Musa, and which through nearly two decades of centuries have in some instances come down to our time as monuments of the taste, industry, and power of the Idumæan inhabitants.

"And this is Petra-this the lofty boast

Of Edom's once unconquerable coast!

These the gay halls through which in days of old

The tide of life so rapturously roll'd;

These the proud streets where wealth with lavish hand,

Pour'd the rich spoils of every Orient land;

All that the seaman's timid barque beguiles.

From Cush and Ophir, Tarshish and the Isles;
Afric's red gold-Arabia's spicy store-

And pearl and plume from India's farthest shore!
How changed-how fallen!—all her glory fled,
The widow'd city mourns her many dead.

Like some fond heart which gaunt disease has left
Of all it lived for-all it loved, bereft;

Mute in its anguish! Struck with pangs too deep

For words to utter, or for tears to weep."

* The art of fashioning the rock in situ was not uncommon in very ancient times in India, Persia, and other Asiatic countries.

The formation of this remarkable valley is intimately connected with the geological history of Arabia Petræa and Palestine. Down to the close of the early Tertiary epoch, known as the Eocene, the whole of this region formed a part of the bed of the ocean; the only lands within a circuit of several hundred miles around being the summits of the Sinaitic Mountains, which probably rose above the surface in the form of an archipelago of islands. But during the succeeding Middle Tertiary epoch, known as the Miocene, all this was changed. The crust over the part of the globe bordering the Mediterranean of the present day, which for a lengthened period had been at rest, or was only slightly subsiding, gave way to the irresistible strain due to contraction, the result of the process of secular cooling. The strata were bent, fractured, and displaced; some portions relatively elevated, and thus converted into dry land, while others were more deeply depressed. In this way, and at this period, the regions of Northern Africa, Arabia, Palestine, and Syria were converted into land areas, and their outline, together with that of the adjoining seas, roughly defined. Amongst the leading lines of fracture and displacement (known technically as faults), one was produced of over-mastering influence in the formation of the physical features of the region now under description. This fracture, known as "the Jordan-Arabah fault," has been traced at intervals from the head of the Gulf of Akabah northwards along the base of the Edomite and Moabite Mountains, and along the line of the Jordan Valley to the western base of Hermon, and thence (recently by Dr. Carl Diener) into the Valley of Cole-Syria, a total distance of over three hundred miles; how much further its influence is felt in the stratification is not at present known. Everywhere on approaching this leading line of fracture the strata are displaced, having been elevated along the eastern, or lowered along the western, side. Adjoining this line, the depressions of the Arabah, the Jordan, the Litany, and the Orontes have been produced, partly by rain and river erosion, partly by actual displacement of the strata; while the table-lands of Edom, Moab, and of the Syrian Desert have been elevated along the Eastern side.

Concurrently with the structural changes in the position of the strata, numerous valleys descending from the table-lands. on either side began to be hollowed out by streams descending into the great Jordan-Arabah depression. Amongst these is the Wady Musa, or Valley of Petra. The stream which flows along this valley, generally as a gentle rivulet, fringed with oleanders, tamarisks, and reeds, takes its rise in springs, which break out at the base of the cretaceous limestone

terrace forming the margin of the great Arabian plateau, which here rises to a level of about 5,000 feet above the sea, and, having cut its channel deep into the underlying "Nubian sandstone," ultimately emerges on the Arabah plain, and flowing northwards, unites with the River Jeib a few miles to the south of the Dead Sea, into which the waters pass. The streams of Edom, generally tiny and feeble throughout the greater part of the year, descend with great force and impetuosity when replenished by the thunderstorms which burst, from time to time, upon the mountains during the three or four winter months of the year. From this cause they have cut down their channels to extraordinary depths, especially when they traverse the soft sandstone of which the central parts of the range of Mount Seir are mainly composed, and which breaks off in grand precipices along the master-joints and faults which traverse the rocks in various directions. This sandstone rock (known as "The Nubian Sandstone of Russegger "), two or three thousand feet in thickness, with its base on very ancient volcanic crystalline rocks, and surmounted by the white cretaceous limestone lining the sides of the valley in a series of noble cliffs, vertical walls, or successive terraces, afforded an admirable opportunity for the construction of a city, unique because cut out of the living rock itself. The stone, compact, moderately hard and uniform in texture; coloured moreover with ever-varying shades of orange, red, and purple, disposed in bands and wavy folds, which give the surface the appearance of some gorgeous Eastern robe, formed a suitable material for the skilled masons and architects of the period. As we gaze on those noble specimens. of a bygone art-sometimes clinging, as it were, to the sides of the precipitous valley-we ask ourselves what was the modus operandi adopted in their construction? Did the architects commence from below or from above, in the work of hewing and shaping the rock-faces standing up before them, or frowning down upon them so forbiddingly? I venture to reply, "from above"; first, and chiefly, for greater security against accidents from falling blocks; and, secondly, because it was always possible to add to the vertical height of the building, when this was required, simply by cutting down deeper below, while from the natural slope of the face the builders were limited in an upward direction. Above all things, it was necessary that the crowning portion of the fabric should be complete and entire, and this could only be easily accomplished by commencing at the top and working downwards. In a few cases the holes for the insertion of the timber scaffolding are still visible. We may, therefore,

suppose that the design of the intended building having been roughly drawn on the face of the rock, the sculptors began their work at the top and completed it at the base, in a manner the opposite of that rendered necessary where hewn stone is used. It has been suggested that the Nabatheans were the descendants of the Rechabites, who were commanded by their father neither to build houses, sow seed, nor plant vineyards for ever. I do not know that there is much foundation for this view, but it seems to gain some support from the absence of domestic architecture in the Wady Musa. The tombs, temples, and palaces seem to constitute nearly the whole of the structures. The inhabitants were either troglodytes or dwellers in tents, perhaps both. That the architects and builders were visitors from Greece or Rome, following in the wake of the merchants and traders of the West, can scarcely admit of a doubt; their names, their very countries, are unknown to us, but their works remain, splendid monuments of a bygone art and civilisation.

The CHAIRMAN (W. N. West, Esq.).——I am sure we are all greatly obliged to Professor Hull for his most interesting paper, and I have to tender him the cordial thanks of the Meeting.

Professor HULL, F.R.S.-Permit me to thank the Chairman and those present for the kind manner in which my paper has been received. It has been suggested to me that it might be of that it might be of some interest if I were to give a short viva voce description of the manner in which the Expedition got into Petra on the occasion of which I have spoken, at the end of the year 1883. Our party had gone up the Arabah valley from the head of the Gulf of Akabah, and under the guidance of the brother of the chief of the Allowîn, who undertook to conduct us safely, not to the Dead Sea, where we wanted to go, but to Gaza,- though this was afterwards overruled, a little additional money payment having overcome his scruples as to taking us down to the Dead Sea. On getting to the valley which leads up from the great valley of Arabah towards Petra we conceived the idea that we might accomplish what the late Professor Palmer achieved, namely, the ascent of Mount Hor, and that we could do this, and get down into Petra, without being observed by the Arabs. However, on arriving at the foot, we found that the whole of the mountain was very carefully guarded by the Arabs, and that to ascend Mount Hor without detection would be impossible, inasmuch as our lives would have been sacrificed if we made the attempt. We therefore made a virtue of necessity, and pitched our camp at the entrance to the gorge. It was not long before we were visited by a party of the Petra Arabs, with no fewer than four of their subordinate chiefs. Unfortunately, Arari, the

head chief, was away at Damascus, so that we were delivered into the hands of four chiefs instead of one, and, consequently, had to make terms with that number instead of with the head only, as would otherwise have been the case. We were received, of course, with all that affected delight which is so becoming on such an occasion. No doubt they had pretty clear visions of dollars to come which were exceedingly pleasant, and when we had pitched our tents we had a grand conference. The Arab chiefs came to our tents, and squatted around, and we sat about and commenced the discussion of terms. We stated that we wanted to visit Mount Hor (or, Aaron's Mountain), and also to pass through Petra. They said we might visit Petra, but for a Christian (they did not use the phrase "Christian dog”— they were more respectful than that) to desecrate the Mountain of the Prophet was a thing that could not be permitted on any terms. I then said we must visit Mount Hor as well as Petra, or we should not proceed at all ; and upon this the Arabs held a conference, the result of which was that they gave up their point as to Mount Hor, and said we might make the ascent. It will thus be seen that, after all, the question of desecration did not bear so heavily on their consciences that their scruples could not be overcome by a certain amount of "bakhsheesh." The question of terms lasted the whole of the evening and late into the night. It was Saturday, and I am sorry to say that on the following day, Sunday, up to about noon, we had to keep up that colloquy with the Arabs as to terms, and a most annoying business it was. No sooner had one point been settled than they started another. I suppose there are no people on the face of the earth who are such wonderful adepts at making a bargain as the Arabs. At last everything was apparently agreed to-the amount to be paid, and the number of camels and horses for our party-and we were writing out the terms, while our head conductor, who kept the purse, opened his box, and, bringing out the dollars, began to count them out on the floor, when, to our astonishment, a new demand was made, the Arabs saying we must pay an additional twenty-five per cent., or some such considerable sum, which was to go to the head chief, who was then at Damascus. We were so disgusted with this that we determined to have nothing more to say to them. I gave directions to strike the tents, and put up our baggage, in order that we might at once march off, and leave both Petra and Mount Hor. I need not say that this was a terrible disappointment to us all; still, there is a limit to human endurance, and in our case that limit had been reached. Well, we packed up, and struck down the road towards the Arabah valley, the Arabs getting up in great dudgeon and riding back towards Petra. But they did not go far before they halted, and came back after us, until, when we had gone five or six miles towards the Arabah valley, they came up with our rear guard. They were evidently repenting the loss of all the dollars they had so nearly had within their grasp, and they requested to be allowed to speak with Major Kitchener, who understood Arabic, and who at once held a conference with them. The result was that they came to the terms on which we had originally agreed, and which