"The Hasbany and several other streams unite in the Lake of Hooleh, and from the outlet of that lake the river is called the Jordan. It has a rapid fall to the Lake of Tiberias; and as it goes out of that lake it begins its tortuous course, which can be surpassed by very few rivers in the world. Between the Lake of Tiberias and the Dead Sea there are twenty-seven cascades or rapids; all of them are so great that it is quite impossible for boats to make the ascent, and it is not by any means safe to attempt to descend them. Lieutenant Lynch started with three boats, one of wood and the others of iron. The wooden boat was bought in the Lake of Tiberias, while the iron ones were brought from the United States. The iron boats were a good deal battered by the thumps they received during the voyage, but the exploring party brought them to the Dead Sea, and used them for completing their work. The wooden boat was ruined, and abandoned before half the journey had been accomplished. "The Valley of the Jordan is called the 'Ghor' by the natives. The word means a depression or hollow, and the valley may be regarded as a plain sixty miles long, and from five to ten miles wide, enclosed by mountains. The mountains on both sides are very steep, and the Valley of the Jordan is not unlike some of the deep gorges or ravines in our Western States and Territories. It is broader near the Dead Sea than farther up. The land is generally fertile, and capable of supporting a larger population than it contains at present. According to the accounts in the Old Testament, it was far more productive in ancient times than it is to-day. It contains ruins of cities that once were populous, and it is very certain that the land of Canaan has greatly diminished in importance since the children of Israel came to it and settled. "There were then as now wandering tribes of shepherds, and their customs have changed very little in all the centuries that have passed; but there were more people living in settled places, and the biblical story shows that Jericho was a walled town with gates, which were shut at night. The flax drying on the roof of Rahab's house shows that that plant was cultivated, and the cord by which she let down the spies tells us very plainly that the people understood the art of spinning. We read the Bible very carefully while in the Jordan Valley, and have derived a great many useful hints from it, and much information.