the east and west. They are apparently separated by a distance of seven or eight miles, and seem to descend abruptly to the lake. The eye looks in vain for its boundary to the south. In this direction it evidently increases in breadth.-The general appearance of this wilderness of land and water, over which an awful silence reigns, is gloomy in the extreme, and calculated to depress the spirits of the beholder. Unlike the Oasis, which occasionally refreshes the eye, in wandering over the desert, it is even more desolate than the desert regions, by which it is surrounded. Nevertheless, to explain the discrepancy found in the accounts given of it by various travellers-the impressions they seek to convey, perhaps for the sake of effect, (conjuring up imaginary horrors, where only natural deformities exist,) are not always those they receivedmuch depends on the hour, and the state of the atmosphere at the time it is seen. For instance, at the period of our visit, the surface of the lake was gently ruffled by a breeze from the south, and the sky was without a cloud, consequently that gloom which is usually observed, did not prevail, at least in its whole extent. The stillness is partly owing to the hollow of the basin in which the sea lies, not admitting the free passage necessary for a strong breeze; and partly to the density of its waters, containing, it is said, one fourth of their weight of salt. The soil around it, impregnated also with salt, produces no plants, and the air itself, which becomes loaded with saline particles from evaporation, cannot be favourable to vegetation. Hence the deadly aspect which reigns around the lake.-lts waters, besides being intensely salt, are extremely bitter and nauseous to the taste, though perfectly clear and free from any smell.* Nevertheless, we should not have felt tempted to bathe, had we not been desirous of ascertaining, by personal experiment, the extent of their noted buoyancy. The descent in this part is gradual, so that, to gain our purpose, we were obliged to wade out some distance, before we could find sufficient depth for swimming. Here, although we found greater support than in sea water, it was equally necessary to make use of our arms and legs in swimming; and though we floated on our backs with greater facility than elsewhere, from the unusual gravity of the waters, we saw enough to convince us that the accounts given of its properties in this regard, both by ancient and modern writers, had in most instances, been greatly exaggerated.* During the few hours that we remained in this neighbourhood, we confess we did not see any birds ; but it is not true that the exhalations of the lake are so pestiferous, as to kill those which attempt to fly over it. The absence of those of the aquatic species may be accounted for, by the want of sustenance, the lake not being known to contain any fishes whatever; whilst the terrestrial portion, from the total absence of vegetation, would find its neighbourhood equally unattractive. We picked up on its shores several pieces of a black substance resembling hardened pitch. The hills bordering on the lake are said to abound with it. Being held in the flame of a candle, it soon burns, and yields an intolerable stench. It has the property of losing only a part of its weight, but none of its bulk, in burning. I did not meet with any See Appendix, No. 9. of the bitumen, for which this lake was so famous, my observations being confined almost to one spot, the northern end. In ancient times, it was a valuable article of commerce. In Egypt it was used in large quantities for ombalming the dead. This remarkable expanse of water, covering the once fruitful vale of Siddim, a vale so rich and beautiful, that the sacred historian compares it to the Garden of Paradise, has at various times, received different names, expressive of its character and origin. In Scripture it is called the Sea of the Plain (Deut. iii. 17; Joel xv. 5), from the circumstance just mentioned; the Salt Sea (Deut. iii. 17; Josh. xv. 5), from the extremely salt and bitter taste of its waters; and the East Sea (Ezek. xlvii. 18; Joel ii. 20), from its position with respect to the Judæan mountains. By Josephus and the Roman writers it is spoken of under the appellation of the Lake Asphaltites, that is, the Bituminous Lake, from the abundance of the bitumen found in it. The more familiar name, the Dead Sea, is in allusion to the ancient tradition, erroneously but generally received, that no animal could exist in its salt and hydrosulphuric waters. The natives call it Bahr Louth, or the Sea of Lot. Its dimensions have been variously stated, never having been accurately surveyed.* Pliny states the total length to be one hundred miles, and its greatest breadth to be twenty-five. But Dr. Shaw, and other modern travellers, who appear to have ascertained its dimensions with accuracy, have estimated its length to be about seventy English miles, and its greatest breadth twenty. The particular situation of the five cities, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar, the four first of which were victims of the divine vengeance, † not being known, no discovery of their remains (if any exist) have as yet been made. Remounting our horses, and proceeding along the shores of the Dead Sea, over a loose soil yielding to our horses' feet, we shortly arrived at the place where the Jordan discharges itself with great impetuosity into the lake. On seeing so large a body |