342 
About five miles from the south end of the Sea of Galilee 
the Yermuk affluent joins, from the east, the Jordan, below this 
point the waters of the river cease to be bright. Its bed is 
cut through the salt marls (deposited formerly by the Dead 
Sea) in its downward course, these somewhat resemble in 
appearance the Loes of the River Rhine. From this neigh- 
bourhood and the salific properties of the Terraces on the sides 
of the old lake basin the waters of the Jordan may be expected 
to have derived some saltness, although not sensible to the 
taste this is found to be the case on analysis. At seven miles 
above the Dead Sea M. Lartet found ‘873 grains saline residue 
in a litre of the Jordan water, 13 pint. In consequence of the 
density of the Dead Sea waters 1162 at the surface and 1256 
near the bottom, whilst that of the ocean is represented by 
1027, the’ human body does not sink in them even under 
complete immobility. 
The water at first does not appear different from that of 
the ocean, but if the hand is put in it a pronounced oily 
impression is felt, and after prolonged contact pustules arise in 
the skin, which are persistent while remaining on the lake. 
The water is rich in chlorides and bromides, and it is no doubt 
from the abundance of these salts that is to be attributed the 
complete absence of animal life, such as generally exists in 
sheets of salt water, as at Lakes Balkash, Urimiah, Van, &c., 
in Asia Minor. 
Dr Hull says “no fact in physical history has been more 
clearly established than that the waters of the Jordan Valley 
Lake originally had a level somewhat higher than that of the 
Mediterranean, and considerably over 13800 feet above its 
present surface. At such a time this great inland lake would 
have had a length of about 200 miles, with however no connex- 
ion with the Red Sea or Mediterranean Sea being separated 
from the former by an anticlinal in the Wady el Arabah, 660 
feet above its water level, and from the latter by an anticlinal 
upwards of 300 feet in the Plain of Hsdraelon, the lowest 
enclosing bank west of the Jordan, as before described.” 
Dr Hull gives an account of Terraces up to 630 feet above 
