42 



REPORT — 1856. 



of the year, for I found at Ras Em Barghek three distinct lines of drift-wood one 

 above the other ; opposite Usdum the line of salt incrustations was 40 yards, and 

 the line of drift 70 yards distant from the edge of the sea ; while along the west side 

 of the peninsula " El Lisan," a reef of rocks was exposed about a quarter of a mile 

 distant from the shore, which does not appear to have been noticed by Lieut. Lynch's 

 party ; I therefore think I must have been there when the water was unusually low. 

 I found the temperature of the Dead Sea at the north end 82° Fahr. at 5 a.m., and 

 83° Fahr. at the south end at 4 p.m. River Jordan, and brooks on the Lisan, and at 

 the Ghor, 64° each. Brine spring 90°, where Lebia were caught near the sea-shore. 

 Wady Ern Barghek, temperature 76°. Spring at Engedi, 83°. At Ain Terabeh the sea 

 was 80°; also a brine spring close to the shore, and the freshwater spring was 79°: in it 

 were a number of Lebia swimming about, the largest appearing to be about 3 inches. 

 A sulphurous smell was observed on passing the white hills south of Sebbeh near 

 Wady El Mahras, at Birket el Khalil, but not at other places. It often blew hard 

 during the day, but the waves never appeared to be more than two feet high, and the 

 sea quickly went down after the wind ceased. Several nights were quite calm, but 

 I never observed any phosphorescence on the water. 



The table of observations with the dry- and wet-bulb thermometer were made by 

 the same instrument, as unfortunately I had broken two others, and there were not 

 any to be bought in Jerusalem; I therefore obtained the lower or wet-bulb tempera- 

 tures by wetting the bulb, and waving the instrument about in the shade. The 

 vapour arising from the Dead Sea, when looked at from the heights of Ain jidi and 

 Ghomran, had the same appearance as the fumes produced at brass castings. 



Comparative Readings of Aneroid Metallique at different Temperatures at same 



Localities. 



