OF SEVERAL PARTS OF WESTERN ASIA. 371 



to me, which I performed. I took some of the water of the Dead 

 Sea, No. 499, and diluted it very much with distilled water, and 

 then put some of it in test tubes, as I did also some of the water 

 of the Jordan, No. 554 ; placing the tubes side by side. I then 

 applied chloride of barium, nitrate of silver, oxalate of ammonia, 

 and ammoniaco-phosphate of soda, and noticed the amount of 

 the precipitate in each pair of tubes, one of which contained the 

 water of the Jordan and the other that of the Dead Sea diluted. 

 The sulphates were evidently in the greatest quantity in the water 

 of the Jordan : indeed, the test scarcely showed any in that of the 

 Dead Sea. The chlorides were about the same in both, as was 

 also the lime : but the magnesia was most abundant in the Dead 

 Sea water. While this experiment, therefore, confirms the state- 

 ment of Dr. Ma/cet, that the same ingredients are found in both 

 these waters, it makes it doubtful whether they exist in the same 

 proportion. But the difference admits of explanation consistently 

 with the views that have been expressed, partly by supposing a 

 decomposition of the sulphates of the Jordan after they are car- 

 ried into the Dead Sea, and partly by the influence of the mineral 

 springs and those from Usdum, along the shores of the sea. The 

 waters of the Jordan, although I could not perceive in them any 

 brackish taste, obviously contain much more saline ingredients 

 than is usual in river water : but I have not enough of No. 499 

 to enable me to make a quantitative analysis. 



It has long been a prevalent opinion among authors, that the 

 Dead Sea furnishes large quantities of asphaltum. But the re- 

 searches of Robinson and Smith render it probable, that what- 

 ever might have been the case in ancient times, it is rather a rare 

 occurrence to meet with this substance in much quantity in 

 modern days ; although small fragments may be occasionally 

 picked up along the shore. Mr. Smith's perfect knowledge of 

 the Arabic language, gave him facilities for obtaining informa- 

 tion among the people, possessed, I believe, by scarcely any 

 preceding traveller except Burckhardt. The Ai'abs informed 

 him that it was only after an earthquake, that large masses of 

 bitumen were found floating in the waters. After the earthquake 

 of 1834, a large quantity drifted ashore, near the south end of 



