Though the Dead Sea has been celebrated by almost all ancient authors, and numerous modern ones, it is undeniable, that one principal cause why it has attracted so much notice, is from its receiving the waters of the river Jordan. Troops of pilgrims forming caravans to the extent of two or three thousand persons, frequently repair to the Holy Land to bathe in its stream, which is reputed sacred. The Greeks conceive that immersion in it thrice renders baptism unnecessary : and men, wo men, and children, enthusiastically plunge together into it, with little regard to decency. Its waters have been carried to Christian sovereigns for the purpose of bap tizing their children ; and they are said to preserve their purity an uncommon length of time. The Chevalier Morison relates, that the monks at Jerusalem sheaved him some which they assured him had been kept six years, and was still perfectly good, and he himself car ried some to France in a tin flask, which four years af terwards retained its original purity. It has been advan ced, that though discharged into the Dead Sea, they remain unmixed with it, and are absorbed in some gulf or vortex below.
In different passages of scripture, and in many other writings, mention is made of a kind of fruit peculiar to this region, called the apples of Sodom. It is said to grow on a low tree, to be the size of a common apple, and very beautiful in form ; but that its external ap pearance is delusive, because it never ripens, or is filled with ashes. We know not whether the plant be now eradicated, for the latest travellers have been unable to discover it.
Several ancient authors commemorate the existence of another lake called Asphaltitcs, near Babylon, which afforded the bitumen employed in the edifices of that city. Considerable confusion seems to prevail between
the description of this lake and the Asphaltites of Pa lestine, and similar properties are indiscriminately as cribed to both. Diodorus affirms, that among the nu merous objects of admiration to be seen at Babylon, none were more worthy of notice than the wonderful exudations of bitumen, which were so copious, that they not only sufficed for all the buildings, but even supplied the place of fuel Notwithstanding the un limited use of it by people innumerable, its abundance underwent no diminution. Vitruvius asserts, that the bitumen employed in constructing the walls of the city came from a large lake there called Asphaltites and Pliny says, the colour of the water of the lake of Baby lon became red during eleven days of summer, pro bably alluding to the bitumen rising on its surface. Xiphilin speaks of Trajan viewing the lake of bitumen from which the walls of Babylon were built ; and main tains that its strength, when mixed up with sand or gravel, was so great, as to equal the hardness of iron or stone. Though we know there are lakes near the spot where ancient Babylon is supposed to have stood, we are unable to ascertain which of them was called As phaltites. See Reland Pallestina Illustrata, vol. i. p. 238. Van Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. i. Morison Voyage au Mont de Sinai. Volney Vcyages, torn. i. 1Iariti's Travels, French Translation, tom. 2. Pococke's Travels, vol. ii. Maundrel's Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 84. 1Iayer's Views in Pales tine. Philosophical Transactions, 1807. Strabo, lib. xvi. p. 1087. Edit. Oxford, 1807. Josephus, lib. iv. c. 14 ; v. c. 5. ; viii. c. 2. Pliny, lib. v. c. 15. (c)