Analysis of the Water of the Thermal Spring of Bath. 57 



The King's Bath is an oblong cistern, 65 feet long and 40 

 feet broad, in which the water stands at the height of 46 

 inches. It is supplied from the bottom by means of twelve 

 large and about twenty smaller apertures. By far the largest 

 amount of water rises however from an opening made in the 

 centre of the bath, 18 inches in diameter. Although the 

 water flows under the influence of a very small pressure, the 

 quantity is such, that the two reservoirs, the King's and the 

 Queen's bath, are entirely filled in about nine hours. The 

 quantity of water entering each minute is 126 gallons, upon 

 the authority of Dr. Daubeny*. 



I. Qualitative Analysis. 



The water as it issues from the well has a temperature of 

 46° C. (115° Fahr.), the temperature of the air being 20° C. 

 (68° Fahr.) ; it is clear and without odour, and has no effect 

 upon vegetable colours ; it has a saline and slight iron taste ; 

 the iron is deposited as sesquioxide in rather large quantities 

 in the pipes leading from the well. 



The following experiments gave the qualitative composition 

 of the mineral water ; on boiling for some time a white cry- 

 stalline precipitate formed. The qualitative analysis was 

 therefore divided into two parts. 



a. The analysis of the precipitate formed on boiling. 



b. The analysis of the substances remaining dissolved. 



a. Analysis of the Precipitate formed on boiling. 



1 . The precipitate was treated with hydrochloric acid ; a 

 small portion of it dissolved with effervescence, indicating the 

 pi-esence of carbonic acid. The portion insoluble in hydro- 

 chloric acid dissolved on the addition of a large quantity of 

 water : — Indicating sulphate of lime. 



Another portion of the water was boiled some time, with 

 the precaution of replacing the evaporated water, in order 

 that all the sulphate of lime should remain in solution ; in 

 this case only a very small precipitate was formed, which was 

 entirely soluble in hydrochloric acid. 



2. On heating this solution and adding ammonia, a very 

 slight flocculcnt precipitate of a yellowish-white colour was 

 produced after some time: — Indicating oxide of iron. 



3. In the filtrate from the sesquioxide of iron (2.), on the 

 addition of oxalate of ammonia, a white precipitate was 

 formed: — Indicating salts of lime. 



* On the Quantity and Quality of the Gases disengaged from the Thermal 

 Spring which supplies the King's Bath in the City of Bath, by Charles Dau- 

 beny ; Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1834, 1. i. 



