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

 {Kinfs Bath). By Messrs. George Merck and Robert 

 Galloway*. 



THE water of this celebrated spring, the efficacy of which 

 was known in the time of the Romans, has been analysed 

 repeatedly by various chemists at different periods. Richard 

 Phillipsf, Scudamorejj Walker§, and more recently Noad||, 

 have occupied themselves in the investigation of this water. 

 In their several analyses, the whole amount of the fixed ingre- 

 dients of the water agrees very closely ; but in regard to the 

 composition of these substances there are considerable dis- 

 crepancies, as may be seen in a table which we have annexed 

 at the end of this paper. 



Besides great differences in the quantitative analysis, we 

 find discrepancies even in regard to the presence and absence 

 of certain constituents. Among the chemists that have been 

 mentioned, Walker is the only one who has recognised the 

 presence of potash. The same chemist corroborated Scuda- 

 more's statement as to the presence of magnesia, overlooked 

 by their predecessors ; but he states also that he detected 

 alumina, which none of the others found. In all these ana- 

 lyses iodine has been omitted. Mr. Cuff ^ however has in- 

 dicated the presence of this element in the spring. 



These discrepancies made another investigation of the mi- 

 neral water of Bath very desirable ; the following analysis was 

 performed at the suggestion of Dr. A. W. Hofmann. 



To obtain the water genuine, and especially for the pur- 

 pose of ascertaining the amount of free carbonic acid it con- 

 tained, we collected the water ourselves, an operation in which 

 we were kindly assisted by Messrs. Green and Simms, lessees 

 of the establishment. 



The water was taken from the principal w^ell, which sup- 

 plies the King's and Queen's baths, which are the most 

 esteemed and valued in the city. Of the two other w ells, one 

 supplies the Hot Bath and the other the Cross Bath, ^vhich 

 are in the neighbourhood of those first mentioned. 



* Communicated by the Chemical Society j having been read Nov. 16, 

 1846. 



t An Analysis of the Bath "Water, by Richard Phillips. London, 1806. 



X A Chemical and Medical Report of the properties of the Mineral Waters 

 of Buxton, Matlock, &c., by Ch. Scudamore, M.D. 1820. 



§ Quarterly Journal of Science, Literature and Arts, vol. xxvii. 78. 1829, 



II Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. iii. 526. 



^ Memoir on the occurrence of Iodine and Bromine in certain Mineral 

 Waters of South Britain, by Charles Daubeny; Transactions of the Royal 

 Society of London, 1830, ii. p. 223. 



