gold of that land is good This country is a part of Arabia, which is famous for the fineft gold. There is bdellium and the onyx fone. The bdellium is fuppofed by Bochart to be pearl, which is fifhed for, and found in great abundance in the Perfian gulf; and the western coafts of it are no less famed for precious stones *.

The fecond river, Gihon, is fo called from a word which fignifies to bend, in allufion to its bending course; whereby it is fitted, together with the Hiddekel, in a manner to encompass the whole land of Ethiopia, it being probably one of those rivers, which fall into the Perfian gulf on the eastern fide of it; but which it is dif ficult to determine, from the imperfect representation which we have of them in

our maps.

The only card we have to direct us in our search for the Gihon, is that of the

* See Bp. Patrick in loc. There is a great pear! fifhery at a place called Catif, a little below the place where the river, here fuppofed to be Pifon, difcharges itself into the Perfian gulf.

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country

country which it is faid to compafs: This is the land of Ethiopia, in the Hebrew, Cuf. Not to wander into remote countries to feek out this land, there is a province on the caft fide of the Perfian gulf, in which this name is preferved, called Chufheftan; which, therefore, may be prefumed to have been this land of Cub* This country is bounded on the east by the river Tab, as defcribed in the map annexed, which is fuppofed by fome to be the Pafitigris of the antients: Nor can I find any river that bids fairer for being the Gibon.

It is the general opinion, that the third river, Hiddekel, fo called from its rapidity, is the Tigris, which name it hath for the fame reafon. But this notion, if taken in the grofs, is wrong, and requires fome reftriction. The Hiddekel goeth toward the eaft of Affyria. But the Tigris, according to Ptolemy, is the western boundary of

Here Cub and his family firft fettled and flourished, before they migrated into Arabia, and thence into Ethiopia.

Sce, The Evidence of Christianity from Facts, Vol.i. Difc. vii. p. 281.

Affyria,

Allyria, and its courfe is from the northweft to the fouth; its fource being out of the Thofpitis palus in Mount Niphates, according to Strabo; which is full north of the Perfian gulf. This, therefore, doth not answer the description of Moses. But there is a river, which falls into the Tygris at Seleucia, which by the antient geographers is called Gorgus, and which comes from the eastern parts of Affyria, bordering upon Media; which, therefore, doth anfwer it with fufficient exactness.

And

Rauwolf fays, that when he was at Caruch, on the confines of Media, Tigris was ftill called, in their language, Hiddekel. The Tigris had more branches than one, and this it feems was a branch of it, and most probably was the fame with the Gorgus; and as it fo lately retained the name of Middekel, if it doth not retain it still, surely no other river can come in competition with it for being the Hiddekel of Mofes. Its direction, first north from the gulf to

*Sae Bp. Patrick in loc. Pliny fays it was called Diglito. And the Arabians call it Deglat. ib.

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Seleucia,