^S WATEn OF THE DEaI) SEA. 



is such as to prevent cither animals or vegetables from living 

 in it, a peculiarity from which it has derived its name, it 

 appears, that this saline quality has existed in the earliest 

 ages; for independently of the frequent allusions made to it in 

 the Scriptures, we find it described by several ancient au- 

 thors, amongst others by Strabo*, who wrote during the reign 

 of Augustus, by Tacitusf, and by Pliny;]:- Amongst modern 

 travellers, Pococke§, Volney||, and others, have noticed and 

 described this singular spot. 

 Only analysis But although the most obvious peculiarities have for a long 

 ^**** time been in some degree known, the only chemical analysis 



I have been able to find on record is that which was published 

 in the " Memoires de V Academic des Sciences" for the year 

 > 1778, by Messrs. Macquer, Lavoisier, and Sage. The names 

 of Lavoisier, and of his two distinguished associates, might 

 appear to render any further investigation of the nature of 

 this water superfluous ; but whoever has perused the paper in 

 question must be convinced, that these gentlemen, however 

 correct in their general statements, neither attained that de- 

 gree of accuracy of which modern analysis is susceptible, nor 

 did they bestow on the subject that share of attention, which 

 is indispensable in minute analytical experiments. 

 Watcrbrought The gentleman to whom I am indebted for the specimen 

 G*^^^ ^^^' ^^ ^^^ water of the Dead Sea, which is the subject of this pa- 

 " per, is Mr. Gordon of Clunie, who recently travelled in that 



country, and undertook, not without some difficulty and dan- 

 ger, an excursion from Jerusalem to this remarkable lake. 

 There he himself filled and brought to Sir Joseph Banks a 

 phial, containing about one ounce and a half of this water, 

 carefully corked, and in a state of perfect preservation. The 

 same gentleman brought also in another phial, somewhat 

 larger, a specimen of the River Jordan, which runs into the 

 Dead Sea, without having any outlet, so that the river might 

 be expected to hold in solution ingredients analogous to those 

 of the Lake itself. These specimens Sir Joseph put into the 

 hands of Mr. Tcnnant, for examination. But knowing that I 



* Strabonis Geogr. vol. ji, p. 1107. t Tacitus, lib. v. Hist. cap. vi. 



t Plinii lib. v, cap.xv, and xvi. § Pococke's Travels in 1743, ii, 



II Volncy, i, 281. p. 34. 



was 



