period of Human History," from which, as far as it has appeared in our
language, it seems to be his opinion, that, on a general view, climates
are the same now as in ancient times. The identity of the climate of
Palestine, now and during antiquity, is thus beautifully made out:--"It
will be convenient to begin with Palestine, the Bible being the oldest,
or one of the oldest of books; and, although great uncertainty exists
about the determination of the plants which are mentioned in it, yet two
of them do not admit of any doubt, (and these are sufficient for the
determination of the climate of Palestine, in former times,) viz. the
date-tree and the vine. The date-tree was frequent, and principally in
the southernmost part of the country. Jericho was called Palm-town. The
people had palm branches in their hands. Deborah's palm-tree is
mentioned between Rama and Bethel. Pliny mentions the palm-tree as being
frequent in Judea, and principally about Jericho. Tacitus and Josephus
speak likewise of woods of palm-trees, as well as Strabo, Diodorus
Siculus, and Theophrastus. Among the Hebrew coins, those with date-trees
are by no means rare, and the tree is easily recognised, as it is
figured with its fruit. The vine, also, was one of the plants most
cultivated in Palestine, and not merely for the grapes, but really for
the preparation of wine. The feast of the tabernacle of the Jews was a
feast on account of the wine harvest. From a passage where the
cultivation of the vine is mentioned, in the Valley of Engeddy, it is
evident that the vine not only grew in the northernmost mountainous part
of the country, but also in its southern lower part. Besides these,
there are other ancient testimonies in favour of the vine. This plant,
indeed, sometimes occurs on the same coin with the date palm. The
date-tree, in order to bring its fruit to perfection, requires a mean
temperature of 78 deg. Fahr. The vine, on the other hand, cannot be
cultivated to any extent if the mean temperature be above 72 deg. Fahr.
Such, then, must have been the temperature of Palestine, in former ages;