InthisnoblesuccessionshouldbementionedanAmericantheologian，Dr。EdwardRobinson，professoratNewYork。
Beginningabout1826，hedevotedhimselfforthirtyyearstothethoroughstudyofthegeographyofPalestine，andhefoundaworthycoadjutorinanotherAmericandivine，Dr。EliSmith。
Neitherofthesemendepartedopenlyfromtheoldtraditions：
thatwouldhavecostaheart-breakingprice——thelossofallfurtheropportunitytocarryontheirresearches。Robinsondidnoteventhinkitbesttocallattentiontothemythicalcharacterofmuchonwhichhispredecessorshadinsisted；hesimplybroughtin，moreandmore，thedry，clearatmosphereoftheloveoftruthfortruth’ssake，and，inthis，mythsandlegendssteadilydisappeared。BydoingthisherenderedafargreaterservicetorealChristianitythananyothertheologianhadeverdoneinthisfield。
VerycharacteristicishisdealingwiththemythofLot’swife。
ThoughmorethanonceatUsdum，——thoughgivingvaluableinformationregardingthesea，shore，andmountainsthere，hecarefullyavoidsallmentionofthesaltpillarandofthelegendwhicharosefromit。Inthishesetanexamplefollowedbymostofthemorethoughtfulreligioustravellerssincehistime。
VerysignificantisittoseetheNewTestamentinjunction。”RememberLot’swife。”soutterlyforgotten。Theselaterinvestigatorsseemnevertohaveheardofit；andthisconstantforgetfulnessshowsthechangewhichhadtakenplaceintheenlightenedthinkingoftheworld。
Butintheyear1848cameanepisodeverystrikinginitscharacterandeffect。
Atthattime，thewarbetweentheUnitedStatesandMexicohavingclosed，LieutenantLynch，oftheUnitedStatesNavy，foundhimselfintheportofVeraCruz，commandinganoldhulk，theSupply。Lookingaboutforsomethingtodo，itoccurredtohimtowritetotheSecretaryoftheNavyaskingpermissiontoexploretheDeadSea。Underordinarycircumstancestheproposalwoulddoubtlesshavebeenstrangledwithredtape；but，fortunately，theSecretaryatthattimewasMr。JohnY。Mason，ofVirginia。Mr。Masonwasfamousforhisgoodnature。BothatWashingtonandatParis，wherehewasafterwardminister，thispredominanttraithasleftamultitudeofamusingtraditions；itwasofhimthatSenatorBentonsaid，“Tobesupremelyhappyhemusthavehispaunchfullofoystersandhishandsfullofcards。”
TheSecretarygrantedpermission，butevidentlygavethematternotanotherthought。Asaresult，cameanexpeditionthemostcomicalandoneofthemostrichinresultstobefoundinAmericanannals。Neverwasanythingsohappy-go-lucky。
LieutenantLynchstartedwithhishulk，withhardlyaninstrumentsavethoseordinarilyfoundonshipboard，andwithabodyofmenprobablythemostunfitforanythinglikescientificinvestigationeversentonsuchanerrand；fortunately，hepickedupayounginstructorinmathematics，Mr。Anderson，andaddedtohisapparatustwostrongironboats。
Arriving，afteratediousvoyage，onthecoastofAsiaMinor，hesettowork。Hehadnoadequatepreparationingeneralhistory，archaeology，orthephysicalsciences；buthehadhisAmericanpatriotism，energy，pluck，pride，anddevotiontoduty，andthesequalitiesstoodhimingoodstead。Withgreatlabourhegottheironboatsacrossthecountry。Thenthetugofwarbegan。
Firstofallinvestigators，heforcedhiswaythroughthewholelengthoftheriverJordanandfromendtoendoftheDeadSea。
Therewereconstantdifficulties——geographical，climatic，andpersonal；butLynchcutthroughthemall。Hewasbraveorshrewd，astherewasneed。Andersonprovedanadmirablehelper，andtogethertheymadesurveysofdistances，altitudes，depths，andsundrysimpleinvestigationsinageological，mineralogical，andchemicalway。Muchwaspoorlydone，muchwasleftundone，butthegeneralresultwasmosthonourablebothtoLynchandAnderson；andSecretaryMasonfoundthathiseasy-goingpatronageoftheenterprisewasthebestactofhisofficiallife。
Theresultsofthisexpeditiononpublicopinionweremostcurious。Lynchwasnoscholarinanysense；hehadtravelledlittle，andthoughtlessontherealquestionsunderlyingthewholeinvestigation；astothedifferenceindepthofthetwopartsofthelake，hejumped——withasailor’sdisregardoflogic——totheconclusionthatitsomehowprovedthemythicalaccountoftheoverwhelmingofthecities，andheindulgedinreflectionsofasortprobablysuggestedbyhisrecollectionsofAmericanSunday-schools。
EspeciallynoteworthyishistreatmentofthelegendofLot’swife。Hefoundthepillarofsalt。Ithappenedtobeatthatperiodacircularcolumnoffriablesaltrock，aboutfortyfeethigh；yet，whileheacceptseveryotheroldmyth，hetreatsthebeliefthatthiswasoncethewifeofLotas“asuperstition。”
Onelittlecircumstanceaddedenormouslytotheinfluenceofthisbook，for，asafrontispiece，heinsertedapictureofthesaltcolumn。Itwasdelineatedinratherapoeticmanner：lightstreameduponit，heavycloudshungaboveit，and，asabackground，wererangedbuttressesofsaltrockfurrowedandchannelledoutbythewinterrains：thissaltstatuepicturewasspreadfarandwide，andinthousandsofcountrypulpitsandSunday-schoolsitwasshownasatributeofsciencetoScripture。
NorwasthisinfluenceconfinedtoAmericanSunday-schoolchildren：LynchhadinnocentlysetatrapintowhichseveralEuropeantheologiansstumbled。OneofthesewasDr。LorenzGratz，Vicar-GeneralofAugsburg，atheologicalprofessor。InthesecondeditionofhisTheatreoftheHolyScriptures，publishedin1858，hehailsLynch’sdiscoveryofthesaltpillarwithjoy，forgetshisallusiontotheoldtheoryregardingitasasuperstition，anddoesnotstoptolearnthatthiswasoneofasuccessionofstatueswashedoutyearlybytherains，butacceptsitastheoriginaLLot’swife。
TheFrenchchurchmensufferedmost。AbouttwoyearsafterLynch，DeSaulcyvisitedtheDeadSeatoexploreitthoroughly，evidentlyintheinterestofsacredscience——andofhisownpromotion。OfthemodestthoroughnessofRobinsonthereisnotraceinhiswritings。Hepromptlydiscoveredtheoverwhelmedcities，whichnoonebeforeorsincehaseverfound，pouredcontemptonotherinvestigators，andthrewoverhiswholeworkanairofpiety。But，unfortunately，havingaFrenchman’sdreadofridicule，heattemptedtogivearationalisticexplanationofwhathecalls“theenormousneedlesofsaltwashedoutbythewinterrain。”andtheirconnectionwiththeLot’swifemyth，anddeclaredhisfirmbeliefthatshe，“beingdelayedbycuriosityorterror，wascrushedbyarockwhichrolleddownfromthemountain，andwhenLotandhischildrenturnedabouttheysawattheplacewhereshehadbeenonlytherockofsaltwhichcoveredherbody。”
Butthiswouldnotdoatall，andaneminentecclesiasticprivatelyandpubliclyexpostulatedwithDeSaulcy——verynaturallydeclaringthat“itwasnotLotwhowrotethebookofGenesis。”
TheresultwasthatanothereditionofDeSaulcy’sworkwaspublishedbyaChurchBookSociety，withtheoffendingpassageomitted；butapassagewasretainedreallyfarmoresuggestiveofheterodoxy，andthiswasanArablegendaccountingfortheoriginofcertainrocksneartheDeadSeacuriouslyresemblingsaltformations。Thisineffectranasfollows：
“Abraham，thefriendofGod，havingcomehereonedaywithhismuletobuysalt，thesalt-workersimpudentlytoldhimthattheyhadnosalttosell，whereuponthepatriarchsaid：`Yourwordsare，true。youhavenosalttosell，’andinstantlythesaltofthiswholeregionwastransformedintostone，orratherintoasaltwhichhaslostitssavour。”
Nothingcouldbemoresurethanthisstorytothrowlightintothementalandmoralprocessbywhichthesaltpillarmythwasoriginallycreated。
Intheyears1864and1865cameanexpeditiononamuchmoreimposingscale：thatoftheDucdeLuynes。HisknowledgeofarchaeologyandhiswealthwerefreelydevotedtoworkingtheminewhichLynchhadopened，and，takingwithhimanironvesselandseveralsavants，hedevotedhimselfespeciallytofindingthecitiesoftheDeadSea，andtogivinglessvagueaccountsofthemthanthoseofDeSaulcy。Buthewasdisappointed，andhonestenoughtoconfesshisdisappointment。Sovanishedoneofthemostcherishedpartsofthelegend。
Butworseremainedbehind。Intheorthodoxduke’scompanywasanacutegeologist，MonsieurLartet，whoinduetimemadeanelaboratereport，whichletafloodoflightintothewholeregion。
TheAbbeRichardhadbeenrejoicingtheorthodoxheartofFrancebyexhibitingsomeprehistoricflintimplementsasthekniveswhichJoshuahadmadeforcircumcision。ByatruthfulstatementMonsieurLartetsetallFrancelaughingattheAbbe，andthenturnedtothegeologyoftheDeadSeabasin。Whileheconcededthatmanmayhaveseensomevolcaniccrisisthere，andmayhavepreservedavividremembranceofthevapourthenrising，hiswholeargumentshowedirresistiblythatallthephenomenaoftheregionareduetonaturalcauses，andthat，sofarfromasuddenrisingofthelakeabovethevalleywithinhistorictimes，ithasbeenforagessteadilysubsiding。
SinceBalaamwascalledbyBalaktocursehisenemies，and“blessedthemaltogether。”therehasneverbeenamoreunexpectedtributetotruth。
EventhesaltpillaratUsdum，asdepictedinLynch’sbook，aidedtounderminethemythamongthinkingmen；forthebackgroundofthepictureshowedotherpillarsofsaltinprocessofformation；
andtheultimateresultofalltheseexpeditionswastospreadanatmosphereinwhichmythandlegendbecamemoreandmoreattenuated。
Tosumupthemainpointsinthisworkofthenineteenthcentury：
Seetzen，Robinson，andothershadfoundthatahumanbeingcouldtraversethelakewithoutbeingkilledbyhellishsmoke；thatthewatersgaveforthnoodours；thatthefruitsoftheregionwerenotcreatedfullofcinderstomatchthedesolationoftheDeadSea，butweregrowthsnotuncommoninAsiaMinorandelsewhere；infact，thatallthephenomenawereduetonaturalcauses。
RitterandothershadshownthatallnotedfeaturesoftheDeadSeaandthesurroundingcountryweretobefoundinvariousotherlakesandregions，towhichnosupernaturalcausewasascribedamongenlightenedmen。Lynch，VandeVelde，Osborne，andothershadrevealedthefactthatthe“pillarofsalt“wasfrequentlyformedanewbytherains；andLartetandothergeologistshadgivenafinalblowtothemythsbymakingitclearfromthemarkingsontheneighbouringrocksthat，insteadofasuddenupheavaloftheseaabovethevalleyofSiddim，therehadbeenagradualsubsidenceforages。[442]
[442]ForSeetzen，seehisReisen，editedbyKruse，Berlin，1854-
’59；forthe“DeadSeaFruits。”vol。ii，pp。231etseq。；fortheappearanceofthesea，etc。，p。243，andelsewhere；fortheArabexplanatorytransformationlegends，vol。iii，pp。7，14，17。Astosimilarityofthe“pillarsofsalt“tocolumnswashedoutbyrainselsewhere，seeKruse’scommentaryinvol。iv，p。240；alsoFallmerayer，vol。i，p。197。ForIrbyandMangles，seeworkalreadycited。ForRobinson，seehisBiblicalResearches，London，1841；alsohisLaterBiblicalResearches，London，1856。
ForLynch，seehisNarrative，London，1849。ForGratz，seehisSchauplatzderHeyl。Schrift，pp。186，187。ForDeSaulcy，seehisVoyageautourdelaMerMorte，Paris，1853，especiallyvol。
i，p。252，andhisjournaloftheearlymonthsof1851，invol。
ii，comparingitwithhisworkofthesametitlepublishedin1858intheBibliothequeCatholiquedeVoyagesetduRomans，vol。
i，pp。78-81。ForLartet，seehispapersreadbeforetheGeographicalSocietyatParis；alsocitationsinRobinson；but，aboveall，hiselaboratereportswhichformthegreaterpartofthesecondandthirdvolumesofthemonumentalworkwhichbearsthenameofDeLuynes，alreadycited。ForexposuresofDeSaulcey’scredulityanderrors，seeVandeVelde，SyriaandPalestine，passim；alsoCanonTristram’sLandofIsrael；alsoDeLuynes，passim。
Evenbeforeallthisevidencewasin，ajudicialdecisionhadbeenpronounceduponthewholequestionbyanauthoritybothChristianandscientific，fromwhomtherecouldbenoappeal。
DuringthesecondquarterofthecenturyProf。CarlRitter，oftheUniversityofBerlin，begangivingtotheworldthoseresearcheswhichhaveplacedhimattheheadofallgeographersancientormodern，andfinallyhebroughttogetherthoserelatingtothegeographyoftheHolyLand，publishingthemaspartofhisgreatworkonthephysicalgeographyoftheearth。HewasaChristian，andnothingcouldbemorereverentthanhistreatmentofthewholesubject；buthisGermanhonestydidnotpermithimtoconcealthetruth，andhesimplyclassedtogetherallthestoriesoftheDeadSea——oldandnew——nomatterwherefound，whetherinthesacredbooksofJews，Christians，orMohammedans，whetherinlivesofsaintsoraccountsoftravellers，as“myths“
and“sagas。”