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to the Jewish captives, and that they might be difpofed, at their return, to join the Perfian cuftom of pouring out water with folemnity about the time of the autumnal æquinox, a little before the rains were expected to fall, to the Mofaic Feast of Tabernacles, which was folemnized about the fame time of the year.

I will only add, that if they presented water at all to God, it was to be done, according to the fpirit of their Law, by ; fo, folemnly pouring it out before him according to the inftitutions of Mofes, blood, which was facred to God, was poured out before him: and by prefenting things to God, they were taught to acknowledge they received them from him. Confequently, though it was not commanded, the pouring out water before God, when they implored the defcent of rains, was not abhorrent from their other ufages.

After all, it is very poffible that the occafional pouring out water before God, with a view to the obtaining rain from him, in times of drought, by such a folemn acknowledgment that they confidered it as his gift, might be practifed long before the captivity in Babylon, and before it's becoming an annual ceremony. Thus we find, when Ifrael affembled at Mizpeh, bewailing their preceding idolatries," they drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fafted on

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"that

"that day, and faid there, We have finned "against the Lord." I Sam. vii. 6.

I do not know that any of the commentators have fuppofed, that this pouring out water at Mizpeh before the Lord was fupplicatory, and expreffive of their praying for rain; but if it is admitted, that the pouring out water afterwards, at the Feast of Tabernacles, had a relation to rain, I think it can be no improbable conjecture, that it had a like fignification in the time of the prophet Samuel. We know, by undoubted evidence, that Judæa was liable to fuffer by drought, and that God threatened to punish them for their fins by the want of rain'; on the other hand, fomething particular, it is to be fuppofed, was the occafion of roufing them from a ftupor that had lafted 20 years, and no fresh distress from the Philiftines, previous to the meeting at Mizpeh, is infinuated. Thunder, which was granted in confequence of the prayers of Samuel, is reprefented by Ruffell as frequently the forerunner of rain in those countries; and Jehovah had claimed the fole power of giving rain, in contradiftinction from idols, and had directed them to pray

3

1 Kings, 17. 1. Amos, 4. 7, &c. 17. 1 Kings, 8. 35. I Sam. 7. 2. P. 165. See Obf. on divers Pafl. of obf. 20.

2 Deut. II.

• V. 9, 10. Scrip. ch. 1.

6 Job 5. 8, 9, 10. Deut. 11. 14, 17. And how thefe paffages were understood and explained to the Jewish people, appears from Jer. 14. 22. "Are there any among "the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or "can the heavens give showers?"

with folemnity for that mercy, when they were brought to repent of their idolatries" which might naturally be fupposed to induce them, on the expoftulations of Samuel, to gather together for humiliation and prayer before God at Mizpeh, and to pour out water before him, in acknowledgment that they admitted it was his gift alone, and that all their hopes were derived from his mercy.

OBSERVATION III.

Dr. Shaw seems to fuppofe, that the Arabs of Barbary do not begin to break up their grounds 'till the firft rains of autumn fall*; but as the Journal of 1774 makes mention of ploughing the ground, before it mentions the fall of the autumnal rains, fo the author of the History of Ali Bey's Revolt, in his converfation with me on that fubject, fuppofed they fometimes plough the land before the defcent of rain, the foil being light and capable of being stirred without difficulty.

There is nothing incredible in this grain will lie long in the earth unhurt, and fpring up upon the coming of rain, as is often experienced in England. The like ploughing and fowing may be practifed in the East in

So God afterwards explained to Solomon, 2 Chron. 7. 12-14, the lefs-ftrictly expreffed precept given by Mofes, and the promise of forgivenefs upon their repentance, Lev. 26. 19, 20, 40, 41, 42.

• P. 137

expectation of rain, and indeed feems to be referred to by Solomon, Eccl. xi. 4. "He "that obferveth the wind, fhall not fow; and "he that regardeth the clouds, fhall not

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reap." If the earth was always moistened with rain when they fowed their grain, there would be no occafion to observe the wind, whether it was from a quarter that was wont to produce rain, or fuch as ufually brought fair weather; but if grain was fown previous to the coming of the rain, but in expectation of it, they might naturally enough be induced to wait 'till they faw the figns of it's approach, particularly the blowing of the wind that was wont to bring rain, and not fow 'till thofe figns at leaft appeared.

OBSERVATION IV.

The fame obliging gentleman, who favoured me with the preceding account of the rainy nature of the weather when he was at Jerufalem, in the month of November, 1774, informed me, at the fame time, that "the wind that ufually brings rain there "is the north-eaft." This, I apprehend, is to be understood of the rainy weather of the beginning of the winter, not of that of the Spring, which probably comes from another quarter.

I was somewhat furprized, I own, when I first received this account, fince our Lord fays, Luke xii. 54. "When ye fee a cloud

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*rife out of the Weft, ftraightway ye fay, "there cometh a shower; and fo it is:' and especially as this very late vifitant of the Holy-Land appears to me, to have been careful in making his observations, and accurate in communicating them.

2.

But upon confulting Dr. Ruffell, on the weather at Aleppo, I find that the winds there are variable in November, feldom strong, but more inclined to the North and East than any of the other quarters'. He gives the fame account of the direction of the winds in December and January 3. Concerning February, he fays, "the winds are much as "in the preceding month, 'till towards the "end, and then it fometimes blows hard westerly." As to March, that "the winds are ftronger than in the preceding months, "and blow much oftener wefterly." April is," in general, fair, clear weather.. "feldom dark or cloudy, except when it "rains, which it does in hard thunder"fhowers, as in the laft month, but not "fo often. There are commonly a few "close, hazey days; these happen when "there are light breezes northerly or easterly, "but the winds in general are fresh wefterly '.' In May the wind is fometimes northerly or eafterly, but "for much the greater part is fresh, and westerly "."

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