308 THE HOLY LAND. 
CHAP, tjie fetid effluvia emitted from this stone, whoa 
vll. 
' -y- ' partially decomposed by means of friction, is 
now known to be owing to the presence of sul- 
phureted hydrogeJi\ All bituminous limestone 
does not possess this property. It is very 
common in the sort of limestone called black 
marble in England, though not always its cha- 
racteristic. The workmen employed by stone- 
masons often complain of the unpleasant smell 
which escapes from it during their labours. 
Many of the antient Gothic monuments in France 
consist of fetid limestone". The. fragments 
which we obtained from the Dead Sea had this 
property in a very remarkable degree : and it 
may generally be observed, that the Oriental 
specimens are more strongly impregnated with 
hydro- sulphur et than any which are found in 
iToe^i Europe. The water of the Dead Sea has a 
^^"■' similar odour. The monks of St. Salvador kept 
it in jars, together with the bitumen of the same 
lake, among the articles of their pharmacy ; 
both the one and the other being alike esteemed, 
for their medicinal properties. 
We set out to visit what are called " the Holy 
d) Brochnnt Mneralog. torn. I. p. 568. Paris, 1808, Siq^ 
(,?,) See Rome de lAsle, Crhtallog. torn. I. p. 574. 
