GEOLOGY. 237 



little in depth ; the greatest depth found up to the date of this letter 

 (May 3d) was 188 fathoms, or 1,128 English feet. Near the shore the 

 bottom is generally a saline incrustation, but the intermediate portion is 

 of soft mud, with several rectangular crystals, most frequently cubes of 

 pure salt. On one occasion we obtained only crystals with the lead line. 



" In the same proportion that the north part of the Dead Sea is 

 deep, so is the southern part shallow, to the extent that for a quarter 

 of its length the depth was found to be but 18 feet. Its southern bed 

 presented no crystallizations, but its shores are covered with incrusta- 

 tions of salt, and, on landing, the footmarks in an hour's time were 

 covered with crystallizations. The shores in face of the peninsula, 

 and its western side, present evident marks of destruction. Birds and 

 insects are, without doubt, to be found on the shore; sometimes ducks 

 on the sea, for we saw some, but we could find no living object in the 

 sea. However, the salt sources it receives contain fish belonging to 

 the ocean. I feel certain," says Lieutenant Lynch, " that the result 

 of our expedition will confirm to the very letter the history of the Holy 

 Land, as regards the sunken cities. 



" After the examination of the Dead Sea, the expedition proceeded 

 to determine the height of the mountains, and the level of a plain, 

 from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean Sea. They found the summit of 

 the western coast of the Dead Sea more than 1,000 feet above its sur- 

 face, and level with the Mediterranean. It is a singular fact, that the 

 distance from the top to the bottom of the Dead Sea, that is, the 

 height of its shore, the elevation of the Mediterranean, and the dif- 

 ference of the level between the bottom of these two seas, and the 

 depth of the Dead Sea, should thus be an exact multiple of the eleva- 

 tion of Jerusalem above it. Another fact, not less curious, is, that the 

 bottom of the Dead Sea forms two sunken plains, one elevated, the 

 other depressed. The first part, south, is composed of clay or fat 

 mud, covered by an artificial bay ; the latter, the upper part, and more 

 north, of mud incrustations, and rectangular salt crystallizations, ex- 

 tending to a great depth, and with a narrow ravine defiling in the 

 midst of it, corresponding with the Jordan at one extremity, and Wady 

 Seib at the other. 



" On one occasion Mr. Aulick sounded directly across, and found the 

 width of the sea by patent log to be a little more than eight geogra- 

 phical, or about nine statute miles." 



PILLAR OF SALT (" LOT'S WIFE 5 '). 



"APRIL 26. At nine, the water shoaling, hauled more off shore. 

 Soon after to our astonishment, we saw on the eastern side of Usdum 

 [in the southern part of the sea], one third the distance from its north 

 extreme, a lofty round pillar, standing apparently detached from the 

 general mass, at the head of a deep, narrow, and abrupt chasm. We 

 immediately pulled in for the shore, and Dr. Anderson and I went up 

 and examined it. The beach was a soft, slimy mud, incrusted with 

 salt, and a short distance from the water, covered with saline frag- 



