an Intermitting Brine Spring, near Kissingen. 313 



the 1st to the 15th October 1826, it ebbed 84 times, or daily 

 5/y times ; the time of ebb amounting to 129 hours 54 min., 

 or 8 hours S9\i min. in 24 hours. From these data and expe- 

 riments on the diminished discharge due to the ebb, the daily 

 product of the spring is estimated at 48034 cubic feet, or 

 2001^ per hour, or 33.604 per minute. 



For these particulars of the history of the spring I am en- 

 tirely indebted to the kindness of Mr Halbig, inspector of the 

 Royal Salt-works, who at different times examined the records 

 of the establishment, and extracted for me all the information 

 I required. During the last twelve years little change appears 

 to have taken place ; I proceed, therefore, to state from my 

 own observations the phenomena which it presented in the 

 summer of 1838, when I was, for five weeks, an almost daily 

 visitor of the spring, and often more frequently. I have con- 

 sequently watched it under every phase which it presents. 



Phenomenon of Intermittence. — It has been already remarked, 

 that the regular intermittence of the spring only commenced 

 after the pumps had been applied to carry the water to the 

 evaporating houses ; and the fact is not to be doubted, though 

 it is not a little singular, that the recurrence of the phenomena 

 at all times depends materially on the number of pumps at 

 work. The description of the phenomenon as usually observed 

 by myself (and such as I understand it has been for many 

 years), is therefore to be understood as applying only when five 

 or six pumps are at work. 



When the spring is in full flow, its appearance is very striking. 

 The great shaft of eight feet in diameter is filled with water, 

 agitated in the most violent manner by the torrents of gas (al- 

 most pure carbonic acid) which it discharges. It resembles a 

 small pan of water boihng on a very hot fire just as rapidly as 

 is possible without overflowing. Whilst this turbulence is at 

 a maximum, the gas abruptly ceases to flow, and in a few se- 

 conds the surface of the water in the shaft is perfectly tranquil. 

 The water descends (this effect the pumps alone would pro- 

 duce) and continues to do so, at first rapidly, then more slowly, 

 until it has subsided nine or ten feet : this point has but just 

 been reached, or for a very short time, when a sudden welling 

 up of the water first, and then of the gas, is observed in the 



VOL. XXVI. XO. LII.—APRII. 18^39. X 



