Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-10-05

skill, system, and discipline of the Ameri-
can Navy. No nation in the world has such
a service The time is coming when it will
give proofs of that fact, palpable to the most
dull understanding. Thanks to the good
management of Lieut.. Lynch, the whole
cost of this scientific exploration of the
Dead Sea, except of course, the cost Of
the equlppage and maintenance Of the crew
of the ship, was but seven hundred dollars.
From the letters of Lieut.. Lynch, quoted
by Lieut.. Maurv, we transcribe the follow
ing interesting facts elected by the explora-
tions:
"The bottom of the Northern half Of
this sea is almost an entire pldin Its me-
rldianal lines at short distance from the
shore scarce vary in depth. The deepest
soundings thus far 1873 fathoms, Il ,l2S feet
Near the shore the bottom is generally en-
incrustation of salt, but the intermediate
one is soft mud, with many rectangular
crystals-mostly cubes--of pure salt
AT one time, Stelwager's lead brought up
nothing but crystals. The southern half of
the sea is as shallow as the northern one is
deep, and for about one-lourth Of its entire
length, the depth does not exceed three fi-
thoms. (lS feet.) Its southern, bed has pre-
scented no crystals, but the shores are lined
with ncrustatlons of salt, and when we
landed at Uzdom, in the space of an hour,
our footsteps were coated with crystaliza-
ton The opposite shores of the Pennsu-
la and the west coast present evident marks
OF disruption. There are unquestionably
birds and insects upon the shores and ducks
are sometimes upon the sea, for we have
seen them-but cannot detect any living
thing within it; although the salt streams
flowing into it contain salt fish, | feel sure
that the results of this survey will fully sus-
tain the scriptural account Of the cities OF
the plain"
He thus speaks of Jordan
"The Jordan, although rapid and impet-
uous, is graceful in its winnings, and firing
ed with luXuriance, while its waters are
sweet, clear, cool, and refreshing"
After the survey of the sea, the party pro-
ceeded to determine the height of noun
tans on its shores, and TO run a level thence
via Jerusalem to the Mediterranean. They
found the summit of the west bank of the
Dead Sea more than | 900 feet above its
surface, and very nearly on a level with the
Mediterranean.
" 1t is a curious fact" says Lieutenant
Maury, " that the distance from the top to
the bottom of the Dead Sea should measure
the height of its banks, the elevation of the
Mediterranean, and the difference of leve
between the bottom of the two seas, and
that the depth of the Dead Sea should be
also an exact multiple of the height of Je'
rusalem above it,"
Another not less singular fact, in the
opinion of Lieut. Lynch, is that the bottom
of the Dead Sea forms two submerged
plains, an elevated and depressed one
The first, its southern part, of Shiny mud
covered by shallow bay; the last, it.
northern and largest portion, of mud and
incrustations and rectangular crystals o
salt-at great depth with narrow ravint
running through il, corresponding sith u;
bed of the river Jordan at one extremity
and the Wady ell Jeib,' or wady within
wady at the other"
"The Simy OOze," says Lieut.. Maury
"upon that plain at the bottom Of the Deac
Sea will not fail to remind the sacred his
torian of the slime pits in the vale, where
were joined in battle the four kings will
five"