350 • Description of Minerals from Palestine. 



"About midnight," says Chateaubriand, " I heard a noise 

 upon the lake, which the Beihlehemites told me proceeded 

 from legions of small fish, which come and leap about upon 

 the shore." Dr. Clarke remarks, '' that the waters of this 

 lake, instead of proving destructive of animal life, swarmwith 

 myriads of fishes ; that shells abound on its shores, and that 

 certain birds, instead of falling victims to its exhalations, make 

 it their peculiar resort." 



" We saw a great number of birds," says Mr. Fisk, " flying 

 about its shores, and i once observed three or four flying 

 x)ver the water." 



"The water of the Dead Sea," adds this excellent mis- 

 sionary, ''looks remirkabiy clear and pure; but, on taking it 

 into my mouth. I found it nauseous and bitter, I think, beyond 

 any hing 1 ever tasted." 



The waters of this lake are, indeed, heavier than those of 

 any other lake or sea on the face of our planet. Their speci- 

 fic gravity is 1.211, distilled water beinii 1.000. They are 

 almost completely saturated with saline matter. A bottle of 

 this water was analyzed by Dr. Marcet of London, in 1807. 



In 100 grains of it he found 



Grains. 

 Muriate of lime, - - 3.920 



Muriate of magnesia - 10.246 



Muriate of soda, - - 10.360 



Sulphate of lime, - - .054 



24,580 



in 100 grains of the water there are 24i grains of salt. A 

 person can swim more easily in the Dead Sea than in fresh 

 water, or in the ocean. A substance which would sink in or- 

 dinary sah water, will, consequently, be urged to the surface 

 in this sea Strabo asserts, "' that men could not dive in this 

 water ;" which is not strictly true, and " that going into it, they 

 would not sink lower than the navel." This is probably correct. 

 Pocoke, who bathed in it, affirms, " that he could lie on its 

 surface, motionless, and in any attitude, without danger of sink- 

 ing.'' This is no exaggeration. Most people can do the 

 same, even on fresh water, provided they do not all .w the 

 gravity of their bodies to be increased by swallowing the 

 water 



Dr. Clarke is, if I mistake not, the first traveller who has 

 asserted, that one of the mountains which enclose the Dead 



