Me. Muerat on the Waters of the Dead Sea. 243 



Sea, is the great depression of its level below tliat of the Mediterraneau. 

 According to Berton, the difference of level is between 1300 and 1400 

 feet. The Dead Sea has no outlet, but it is now the received opinion 

 that it loses its waters by evaporation, which, except in the rainy season, 

 is sufficiently great to counterbalance the influx from the Jordan. On 

 the surface of the Sea there is often found floating an immense quantity 

 of asphaltum, which is collected by the Arabs and sold for medicinal and 

 other pui'poses. Sulphur is found on various parts of the shore, which is 

 also collected by the Arabs, and used by them for making their gun- 

 powder. Small lumps of nitre and pumice-stone are found occasionally. 

 The specific gravity of the water is so great, that it is almost impossible 

 for a man to sink in it. Lieut. Lynch was overtaken by a storm on the 

 Lake, and he states that, from the density of the water, it seemed as if 

 the boats were encountering the sledge-hammers of the Titans, instead of 

 the opposing waves of an angry sea ; and that when the wind abated, the 

 sea as rapidly fell, — the water, from its ponderous quality, settling as 

 soon as the agitating cause had ceased. Bathers in the Lake experience 

 a curious sensation of the eyes — a kind of temporary blindness, and upon 

 getting out of the water, the evaporation leaves a thick oily incrustation 

 of salt on the skin, which remains for many days, as it is impossible to 

 remove it completely, even by repeated ablution. 



Lieut. Lynch states that on dredging the sea at some places, cubic 

 crystals of salt were brought up along with the mud. There are also 

 several mines of rock salt in the sides of the mountains on the western 

 coast ; indeed Usdum, a mountain in the south-west extremity of the 

 Lake, is a solid mass of rock salt. 



The water has a slightly greenish hue, and is not entirely transparent, 

 but objects seen through it appear as if seen through oil. Its taste is 

 intolerably nauseous and bitter. The first analysis made of the water 

 was by Dr. Perry in 1742; but from the experiments he made, he could 

 not conclude whether the water was impregnated with anything besides 

 common salt and something of a compound nature, partly sulphureous 

 and partly bituminous. It was analysed by Lavoisier in 1778 ; by Dr. 

 Marcet of London in 1807, who operated upon a small quantity of the 

 water; by Ilaproth in 1809; by Gay Lussac in 1818; by Professor 

 Gmelin in 1826, who first discovered the presence of bromine in it; by 

 Dr. Apjohn in 1839, — bis specimen was taken at half-a-mile from the 

 mouth of the Jordan, near the close of the rainy season, which may 

 account for its lower specific gravity. It has also been analysed very 

 recently by Messrs. Herapath of Bristol, and by MM. Boutron Charlard 

 and 0. Henry, in March last. The specimen analysed by the latter 

 chemists was obtained at a distance of two hours' march from the Jordan, 

 on the 2d April, 1850, one of the months of the rainy season. It ex- 

 hibited a lower specific gravity than any specimen previously analysed, 

 being only 1-099, and the percentage of salts was only 14'93. In all the 

 analyBos which have been made of the Dead Sea water, tlic total amount 



