Water of tiijs dead sea. 2'7"' 



wasengaged in similar researches, Mr. Tennant was so oblig- 

 ing as to entrust nifi with this analysis, and to afford me fre- 

 quent opportiniities of availing myself of his assistance in the 

 course of the inquiry. 



Being possessed but of a small quantUy of this water, a Prelirainarj 

 further supply of which could not easily be procured, I was '^^^^^''^^°^' 

 anxious not to waste any considerable portion of the speci- 

 men by preliminary trials. With this view, I began by making ' 

 a variety of coinparative experiments on artificial solutions, 

 in order to ascertain the accuracy of different modes of ope- 

 rating ; and knowing by Lavoisier's analysis, and also by the 

 general effects of reagents applied to minute quantities of the 

 water, what were the principal ingredients which I might ex- 

 pect to find in it, I made solutions, the contents of which I 

 had previously ascertained with precision, so that by ana- 

 lysing these solutions in different ways, I had an opportunity 

 of judging of the degree of accuracy that could be expected 

 from a variety of methpjs. Some of these trials I shall briefly 

 relate; for although not strictly belonging to the particular 

 analysis iji question, yet 1 conceive, that they may be of some 

 general use, in pointing out the most eligible method to be 

 pursued in inquiries of this kind. Indeed it must be cou- 

 fessed, that the minute chemical examination of any indivi- 

 dual substance requires so much time and patience, that to 

 obtain a knowledge of that substance only would seldom ap- 

 pear a sufficient inducement to such a laborious undertaking, 

 was it not always more or less connected with other useful 

 collateral objects. 



SECTi I. 



General Properties of the Dead Sea. 

 J. One of the most obvious peculiarities of the Dead Sea- General pro- 

 water, is its specific gravity, which I found to be 1-211, a de- JJater^"^ *^^ 

 gree of density scarcel}' to be met with, I believe, in any other 

 natural water. The circumstance of this lake allowing bodies 

 of considerable wcigtit to float upon its surface was noticed 

 by some of the most ancient writers. Strabo, ampngst others, 

 states that men could not dive in this water, anri in going into 

 itf would not sink lower than the navel; and Pococke, who 



bathed 



