1835.] BecquereVs Traitt Experimental, 6fc. 71 



vial deposits which are in process of formation, consisting of peat, 

 marls, gravel, stalactities, pisolites, and travertines. He then passes 

 to mineral waters or salt springs, which are so influential in bringing 

 up from considerable depths soluble salts. In these are found car- 

 bonate of soda, borax, alum, deposited in the fissures of rocks, nitrate 

 of soda as in Peru, nitrates of potash, lime and magnesia, as in 

 Hungary, Ukraine, Podolia, &c; sulphate of magnesia, sulphate and 

 carbonate of lime. These substances seem to be deposited by the 

 water when traversing fissures of rocks, and which action is more 

 energetic in proportion to the increase of temperature. The quantity 

 of salts brought by these means is much greater than one without 

 consideration would infer. The Carlsbad water discharges annually 

 746,884 pounds of carbonate of soda, and 132,923 pounds of sulphate 

 of soda, in addition to numerous other substances. Now, the ope- 

 ration of solution must be effected by the electro-chemical action of 

 the thermal waters upon the rocks, at a greater or less distance from 

 the earth's surface. 



The origin of the ocean's saltness has attracted the attention of 

 many, but little light has been hitherto thrown on this subject. It 

 is, however, apparent that the quantity of saline matter varies on 

 account of the proximity of rivers ; thus, the Baltic and the Black 

 Sea are weaker than the ocean, and still more so than the 

 Mediterranean. 



From Boussingault's observations, it appears that the temperature 

 of hot springs diminishes with the height ; and hence, he infers that 

 they have their origin in the volcanic fires. He found that the 

 mineral waters near volcanoes, contained sulphuretted hydrogen and 

 carbonic acid, the identical gases which were detected among the 

 vapours emitted from their corresponding volcanoes. The carbonic 

 acid he considers as the product of the calcination of carbonate of 

 lime and soda, or of their re-action upon silicious or aluminous sub- 

 "stances, and the sulphuretted hydrogen may derive its origin from 

 the re-action of the vapour of water upon sulphuret of sodium. 



The rocks of the tertiary formations are in general calcareous and 

 silicious with a predominance of magnesia, especially where the 

 gypsum appears. Under this head are included the new formations 

 characterized so happily by Mr. Lyell, and to whose work it is proper 

 to refer the reader for accurate and interesting information. 



The secondary rocks include the chalk, which is the result of 

 chemical precipitation, the oolites, a sedimentary group, as well as 

 the muschelkalk and zechstein. 



In the transition rocks, the coal, according to Deluc, has been 

 formed at a slight elevation above the sea like turf, and has been 

 submerged and covered by the sand of the ocean. If these waters 

 are supposed to have borne along with them earthy matter of an 

 elevated temperature, an explanation will be afforded for the absence 

 of animals in these rocks. The water under which the coal was 

 formed must have possessed the property of holding iron in solution, 

 as is apparent from the quantity of iron-stone which usually accom- 

 panies coal. Hence, the atmospheric pressure may have been greater. 

 The formations which derive their origin from the greatest depths, 

 are obviously granite, mica slate, and the rocks usually termed pri- 



