The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-12-01
THE DEAD SEA.

he Mediterranean will be looked for with deep In
crest by the civilized world In the New York Cou-
~. g., ~ e,uo,,,in,, article an hi.
'ei VI tioAu'' We INV ''' ''oe
subject
An exploration OF the Dead Sea Is about to be UNI
erlaken by order of the Federal Government which,
hough il cannot as now administered by its Execu-
i've Head find any authority In the Constitution
whereby II exists, to order explorations or improve
nents at the common charge in our own country,
.as no scripes about wandering oil into Palestine,
here TO make reconnoisances and solve geographical
problems and TO elucidate ancient storyj as hereto
ore, 1t has found constitutional objection 10 nj
ing out and carrying out at great expense, an expe-
ton OF discovery in the South Seas, ana Oh survey
nd exploration OF the coasts OF South America, In
both seas
DO we aude TO such enterprises as these IN the
way OF complaint or condemnation Far otherwise
We applaud the liberal spirit which prompts them,
md only lament that the same reading OF the constl-
ution, do not influence the Executive In regard TO
The nearer and more pressing wants of our own land
The Dead Sea is 10 be explored by American sail
ors-that sea OF marvels which, after engulfng
the cities of the plain"-has been ever since in
vested to the Imagination, with awful and supernat
ural character "A pestilential vapor, Il has been
said rises continually from It's waters; fish cannot
live in nor birds fly over them iron will not sink in
them nor have they ever been nayigated by ship or
bark y
Such SLIGHT examination us occasional travellers Of
more recent days have given to this bitter sea has
dispeled many of these fables but still these deep,
dark waters are mystery to the world. They have
been found to contain-as accounting for their ex-
traofdnary specific gravity which led to the tale that
| iron would not sink in them Al parts in hundred
Of salt much greater proportion than that of the
sea- and derived from the entire rocks of this min
eral continually dissoying on the southern shore.
Bitumin also rises in abundance from the bottom and
1 floats on the surface-and hence these waters ac-
| qure consistency which enables them to bear up
bodies that would sink in other waters.
The Rev. DR.. Durbin, late President Of Dickinson
College, (Pa) gives the following Illustration of the
density OF these waters
4 ~ waded in carefully test the oft-repeated state
ments Of the great specific gravity Of the fluid and
repeated the experiment several tines the uniform
result was, that when the water rose above my arm
4 pits, but not over my shoulders my body was bal
anced, and could not touch the bottom, but my
feet tended strongly TO rise and my bead to descend.
When turned on my back drew th my knees, SO us
to balance the body on the surface lay as still as
knot of wood nv head knees and half of my fee!
out of the water; and so long MS was perfectly STILL
floated in this position These experiments salts
The Reverend Doctor adds that his hair was mat
led with the bumin. which, ON being pressed by The
| fnuers cnyarsd thon,, With = s,cLv snbstonca
Iosenbps Il bis fanrh booL " he wars If III,
I,,.. 49,. H., H. ,,a,.a ~ ,ha Ned g. ,
or n ae a. ~ ,brn m a
md confirms the rea,ion hv tho fact ihat Vesna
10 cony;nce h;maeif If the ;rh of ,his assor;inn r
derod several nersons with the;r hands md laas lied
w h. ,hro,n ~ ,ba az al ,hat nn, aa 81 49,
s,,I u - VIC 'aA'' o'u "'a' no' o'e y ''e"
, s'u On, !, :. , ..;e,. - .as,.. ,,.o,,,,, ,.,,
nu ~ IS iess W selny VI retute plop S suci az
.nsse tnan an eApsora,ion Oh .iie peaa Seh py cont
Pclcnt ahu sciehiiG Is desiieo !an 70 as
certain us ac,ai reiaGn 70 tme waters Of me Medi
,eHanean from Wmcn II Is distant not more IhaG
between 81 ana 4o miles, yet me Level o. the Dead
Ie y sau 70 oe soc hunufcds Oh lee' oeo" that Of
lhe Aeaiterranean
lhto .ie Deaa Sea the rlver 1oulaan alscharges
ana loses fseii. descending from the sea OF tibe'
rus winch - ~ laGt shghoW outspreaang ~ INC
ia,nion OF a lake, OF me fVer-some oV miles IN
winding course me !ourdan disappears n TINS deep
anu I E aspnulic SEA, Which Is ABOUT "a miles IN
iengm from norm 10 soutn and NOT more, according
70 mnaefn travellers, man SIX OF seven ~ breadth.
~ is comparatively snanow Ut us southern extreni-
Ivy pl us gcner aePn Is repuea 70 pc uhIatn9ma-
Pc us western shore on tne OF ARABIA or MOAB
- one Proaigious olack, peipenolGuar wal, IN which
ncfe Is noi SUNNY OF tne smallesl peak us east.
IN OF ihuiah snore ~ o. limestone ana sandy cs
u s su s anu lan.asu ". iorih.
~ ui ~, .,e seie ek.erna appearances OF
ms alsa, sea anu s areary y mater OF con
anu a,,, uhu hehce 'ie erea'er su
u Tha ~ ~ ~ ,saras,,i sun,,,. ., -
Naditerranean With stores u T. he esn,nIoved pnds.
T iert 7 rnch n, har c,,n,manJ.r ,y,I H., naIs
u,ho vjIl 10 ,,ors .neci. r,ad ,,I,h ,ha .c;on
q. r,connosanco rN~' - '''-'' 1880