242 Mr. Murray on the Watei-s of the Dead Sea. 



more than two years successively. Of the twelve retiring members of 

 Council, four shall not be re-eligible till they have been out of office for 

 one year. The names of the councillors to be arranged in accordance 

 with the number of votes recorded for each, the one having the greatest 

 number of votes to be placed at the bottom of the list, and the others 

 progressively above. The four councillors at the top of the list to be 

 those who retire, and are ineligible till they have been out of office for 

 one year." 



The Council also reported that they had taken into consideration Mr. 

 Bryce's motion, that the Society shall celebrate its jubilee year at the 

 beginning of next session by a public dinner, to which several eminent 

 scientific men might be invited. The Council recommended the proposal 

 to the adoption of the Society, suggesting that it be remitted to the 

 Council to make the necessary arrangements, and to constitute a com- 

 mittee of its number for this purpose, together with the following addi- 

 tional members from the Society, viz. : The Lord Provost, Sir James 

 Anderson, James Campbell, Esq., younger of Stracathro, William Brown, 

 Esq., William Bankier, Esq., Dr. Strang — the committee to have power 

 to add to their number. This was agreed to. 



Professor Allen Thomson described recent discoveries in regard to the 

 Reproduction of Invertebrate Animals. 



April 14, 1852. — De. Walker Arnott in the Chair, 



A SECOND vote was taken on the proposed alteration of the rule for the 

 election of members of Council, which was finally agreed to. 



Mr. R. M. Murray read a paper on " The Water of the Dead Sea." 

 Mr. Paul Cameron read a paper on " The Force of Vapour from 

 Saline Water, as applied to Marine Engines." 



XXX. — Examination of the Waters of the Bead Sea. By Robert M. 

 Murray, Esq. 



The Dead Sea, as is well known to every person acquainted with 

 geography, is situated in the south-east of Palestine, at a distance of 

 about fifteen miles from Jerusalem. It is mentioned in Scripture under 

 the several appellations of the " Salt Sea," the " Sea of the Plains," and 

 the " East Sea." It is the "Lacus Asphaltites," or Bituminous Lake of 

 the ancients, and the " Bahr Lout," or Sea of Lot of the Arabs. It lies 

 in a deep caldron, surrounded by high clifi's of bare limestone rock, — the 

 western range being 1500 feet above the water, and the eastern range 

 about 2500. Its breadth is about 9 miles, and its length 39 or 40. 

 According to the survey of Lieut. Lynch in 1847, its depth varies from 

 114 to 218 fathoms in the north end, and from 2 to 18 in the south end. 



One of the most singular circumstances in the character of the Dead 



