贷 by consequence, brimstone is not meant, when chemar is used, but bitumen, a ftvery different substance. Hence the brimstone which now impregnates the ]] soil of the Salt Sea, and banishes almost every kind of vegetation from its by shores, must be regarded, not as an er- original, but an accidental ingredient, Tac- remaining from the destruction of the r of vale by fire and brimstone from heaven. The same remark applies to the hare; mines of fossil salt, on the surroundon of ing mountains; the saline matter was also deposited in the cavities which it now edience occupies at the same time, else the vale Deity. of Siddim, instead of verdant pastures, e recog. and abundant harvests, had exhibited the same frightful sterility from the beginning, for which it is so remarkable ne element in modern times. Bitumen, if the Hebringing brew word chemar denotes that sub !, in the latter n extraordi- stance, abounds in the richest soils; for ural agencies in the vale of Shinar, whose soil, by existence. On the agreement of all writers, is fertile rs are divided. in the highest degree, the builders of contended that the tower of Babel used it for mortar. Jess asserted by The ark of bulrushes in which Moses Siddim, before the was embarked on the Nile, was in like n and Gomorrah, manner daubed with bitumen (chemar), the existence of and pitch; but the mother of Moses il salt which some must have found it in the soil of Egypt, irmed to be coeval near the Nile, on whose borders she such a theory Prof. lived. It is therefore reasonable to supto be utterly at war pose, that bitumen abounded in Goy of the sacred writer. shen, a region famed for the richness onate quantity of saline of its pastures. Hence it may be fairthen (originally) have ly concluded, that the vale of Siddim Ither in the soil or in the before its destruction, in respect of natmountains. That it abound. ural fertility, resembled the plain of umen, some have inferred Shinar, and the land of Egypt along >sertion of Moses, that the the Nile. But it is well known, that adim was full of slime-pits: wherever brimstone and saline matter Hebrew word chemar, abound, there sterility and desolation we render slime, others, and reign. Is it not then reasonable to ly the Seventy interpreters, infer, that the sulphureous and saline umen. But gophrith, matters, discovered in the waters and Lemar, is the word that Moses on the shores of the Asphaltites, are to denote brimstone, in his ac- the relics of the divine vengeance exthe judgment which over-ecuted on the cities of the plain, and 1 the cities of the plain; and not original ingredients of the soil? If ine, which is extremely salt. I could lie like a log of wood on the surface, without stirring hand or foot, as long as I chose; but with a good deal of exertion I could just dive sufficiently deep to cover all my body, but I was again thrown on the surface, in spite of my endeavours to descend lower. On coming out, the wounds in my feet pained me excessively; the poisonous quality of the waters irritated the abraded skin, and ultimately made an ulcer of every wound, which confined me fifteen days in Jerusalem; and became so troublesome in Alexandria, that my medical attendant was apprehensive of gangrene.' (Trav. vol. 2. p. 210.) These facts indicate a degree of density in the water of this lake utterly unknown in those of any other. Its specific gravity has in fact been ascertained to be 1.211, that of fresh water being 1.000. Some of the water has been bottled and brought to Europe, and subjected to analysis. The results obtained by Dr. Marcet were as follows: thus giving about one fourth of its weight in various kinds of salts.-As the Lake has no outlet, Reland, Pococke, and other travellers have supposed that it must throw off its superfluous water by some subterranean channel; but although it has been calculated that the Jordan daily discharges into it 6.090 000 tons of water, besides what it receives from the Arnon and several smaller streams, it is now known, that the loss by evaporation is adequate to explain the absorption of the waters. Its occasional rise and fall at certain seasons, is doubtless owing to the greater or less volume which the Jordan and the other streams bring down from the mountains.-'The ‘apples of Sodom,' beautiful without, and dust and ashes within; the doleful sounds issuing from the lake; and the sometimes visible remains of the submerged cities:-these, and other points of interest with which tradition and fanciful imaginations have invested the Dead Sea, we may pass unnoticed; but on the last point, we cannot refrain from expressing our astonishment that sensible modern travellers should have thought it worth their while to look narrowly for walls and pillars under the water, and that some have even fancied that they had seen them. The cities of the plain were probably small towns, built with mud or bricks, without any pillars, unless of wood; and a few days' submersion would convert them into heaps of rubbish, or dissolve them in the waters, not to speak of the previous overthrow and burning which they experienced. Most of the exaggerations and marvellous stories about this lake are doubtless owing to its singularity, no similar lake being known to the mass of ancient writers and more modern travellers. The mind must ever be deeply impressed by regarding the lake as a monument of the divine anger against a sinful people; nor is its solemnity, as such, diminished by the knowledge that there are other lakes very similar to the Dead Sea. The Lake Oormiah, in Persia, for instance, exhibits a very striking analogy to it in many of its principal features; nor is there any considerable difference of dimension between them.' Pict. Bible. It only remains to offer some farther remarks upon the connection between the Mosaic narrative, and the present physical character of the lake and the surrounding country. The grand question is as to the origin of the large quantities of sulphur and salt with which the region of the Dead Sea now abounds. Are they native to the soil of the valley and the mountains, elements which existed | by consequence, brimstone is not meant, there prior to the destruction of Sodom when chemar is used, but bitumen, a and Gomorrah,or are they deposits left very different substance. Hence the there in consequence of that destruc- brimstone which now impregnates the tion? A solution of this question soil of the Salt Sea, and banishes alwould assist us greatly in determining most every kind of vegetation from its the true nature of the judgment by shores, must be regarded, not as an which the devoted cities were over- original, but an accidental ingredient, thrown; whether it was purely mirac- remaining from the destruction of the ulous, effected by a literal shower of vale by fire and brimstone from heavburning brimstone from heaven, inen. The same remark applies to the which terraqueous agents had no share; mines of fossil salt, on the surroundor whether the tremendous action of ing mountains; the saline matter was earthquake and volcano were also deposited in the cavities which it now enlisted on this occasion in obedience occupies at the same time, else the vale to the special volition of the Deity. of Siddim, instead of verdant pastures, A miracle is doubtless to be recog- and abundant harvests, had exhibited nised in either case, but on the latter the same frightful sterility from the besupposition the miracle consisted, not ginning, for which it is so remarkable in creating at the time the element in modern times. Bitumen, if the Heemployed, but simply in bringing brew word chemar denotes that subforth and directing in an extraordi- stance, abounds in the richest soils; for nary manner those natural agencies in the vale of Shinar, whose soil, by which were already in existence. On the agreement of all writers, is fertile this point commentators are divided. in the highest degree, the builders of On the one hand, it is contended that the tower of Babel used it for mortar. the exceeding fruitfulness asserted by The ark of bulrushes in which Moses Moses of the vale of Siddim, before the was embarked on the Nile, was in like destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, manner daubed with bitumen (chemar), is inconsistent with the existence of and pitch; but the mother of Moses those mines of fossil salt which some must have found it in the soil of Egypt, travellers have affirmed to be coeval near the Nile, on whose borders she with the soil. Such a theory Prof. lived. It is therefore reasonable to supPaxton thinks to be utterly at war pose, that bitumen abounded in Gowith the veracity of the sacred writer. shen, a region famed for the richness 'No disproportionate quantity of saline of its pastures. Hence it may be fairmatter, could then (originally) have ly concluded, that the vale of Siddim been present either in the soil or in the before its destruction, in respect of natsurrounding mountains. That it abound. ural fertility, resembled the plain of ed with bitumen, some have inferred Shinar, and the land of Egypt along from the assertion of Moses, that the the Nile. But it is well known, that vale of Siddim was full of slime-pits: wherever brimstone and saline matter where the Hebrew word n chemar, abound, there sterility and desolation which we render slime, others, and reign. Is it not then reasonable to particularly the Seventy interpreters, infer, that the sulphureous and saline render bitumen. But gophrith, matters, discovered in the waters and and not chemar, is the word that Moses on the shores of the Asphaltites, are employs to denote brimstone, in his ac- the relics of the divine vengeance excount of the judgment which over-ecuted on the cities of the plain, and whelmed the cities of the plain; and not original ingredients of the soil? If we listen to the testimony of the sacred | be the man that trusteth in man, and writers, what was reasonable hypoth-maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart esis rises into absolute certainty. Mo- departeth from the Lord. For he shall ses expressly ascribes the brimstone, be like the heath in the desert, and the salt, and the burning, in the over- shall not see when good cometh, but throw of Sodom, to the immediate shall inhabit the parched places in the vengeance of heaven; 'When they wilderness, in a salt land, and not insee the plagues of that land, - - - that | habited,' Jer. 17. 5, 6. In this passage, the whole land is brimstone, and salt, and burning; that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth thereon, (like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath); even all nations shall say, Wherefore has the Lord done thus unto this land? What meaneth the heat of this great anger,' Deut. 29. 22. In this passage, the brimstone, salt, and burning, are mentioned as true and proper effects of the divine wrath; and since this fearful destruction is compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, the brimstone and salt into which the vale of Siddim was turned, must also be the true and proper effects of divine anger. This indeed, Moses asserts in the plainest terms: 'Then the Lord rained upon Sodom, and upon Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground,' Gen. 19. 24. But since the brimstone and the fire were rained from heaven, so must the salt, with which they are connected in the former quotation: and this is the opinion received by the Jewish doctors. The frightful sterility which followed the brimstone, salt, and burning, in the first quotation, is in the same manner represented as an effect of the divine judgment upon the vale of Siddim; 'It is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth thereon.' The barrenness and desolation that result from the action of brimstone and salt, are introduced by the prophet in these words: 'Thus saith the Lord, Cursed the salt is assigned as the cause that withered away, and crumbled into general is subject to them, and history dust. The historian concludes with gives us many examples of earthquakes expressing his own belief in this awful which have changed the face of Antijudgment, derived from an attentive och, Laodicea, Tripoli, Berytus, Tyre, consideration of the country, in which Sidon, &c.' To which may be added it was said to have happened. In a the tremendous shock of 1937 which similar manner Strabo, (Geog. Lib. xvi. destroyed Tiberias, Saphet, and many p. 764,) after describing the nature of other towns in the north of Palestine. the Lake Asphaltites, adds, that the The following then may be stated as whole of its appearance gives an air of the theory of those who build upon the' probability to the prevailing tradition, facts above mentioned in connection that thirteen cities, the chief of which with present geographical phenomena. was Sodom, were once destroyed and In the first place it is to be observed, swallowed up by earthquakes, fire, and that the vale of Sodom abounds in an inundation of boiling sulphureous veins of bitumen, which are to be found water. The same account is given by not only on the surface, but to a great Pliny and Solinus. (2.) Volney, and depth in the soil. In the next place it after him Malte Brun, are decidedly is worthy of notice, that bitumen of opinion that the whole region from whether in a liquid or solid state, is exthe remotest periods has been the ceedingly combustible; and that a theatre of volcanic action, the effects thunderbolt falling upon it would no of which may be still traced along more fail of setting it on fire, than the the banks of the Lower Jordan, and flash from the steel and flint fails to more especially about the Lake itself. ignite gunpowder. Now the account 'The south of Syria,' says Volney, given by Moses is, that 'the Lord rain'that is, the hollow through which the ed upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimJordan flows, is a country of volcanoes; stone and fire from the Lord out of the bituminous and sulphureous sources heaven;' by which, according to the of the Lake Asphaltites, the lava, the Hebrew idiom, is to be understood pumice-stones, thrown upon its banks, flaming brimstone, in other words lightand the hot bath of Tabaria, demon- ning. It is true that Moses, though he strate that this valley has been the seat adds, that 'God overthrew those cities, of a subterraneous fire which is not and all the plain, and all the inhabityet extinguished. Clouds of smoke ants of the cities, and that which grew are often observed to issue from the upon the ground,' does not explain lake, and new crevices to be formed how this overthrow took place; but a upon its banks. If conjectures in such knowledge of the above facts at once cases were not too liable to error, we leads to the following as at least a probmight suspect that the whole valley able conclusion. The lightning fallhas been formed only by a violent sink-ing upon the bitumen would instantly ing of a country which formerly pour-set it on fire, and the fire would not ed the Jordan into the Mediterranean. It appears certain, at least, that the catastrophe of five cities, destroyed by fire, must have been occasioned by the eruption of a volcano, then burning. These eruptions have ceased long since, but earthquakes, which usually succeed them, still continue to be felt at intervals in this country. The coast in only skim the surface but penetrate deep into the soil, sweeping along, as it does in a coal-pit, with the vein of combustible matter. The consequence would be that a terrible earthquake would take place, followed, as such a convulsion always is, by a subsiding of the ground; and the waters rushing into the hollow thus created, would, by |