On Hard Water. 3 
water, and thus have a purer beverage for drinking purposes, 
which was considered by some to be a more satisfactory 
article to drink than water which was charged with large 
quantities of lime. When water was boiled it became com- 
paratively pure; the only disadvantage was the destruction of 
the boilers and the stoppage of the pipes. Some years ago, 
Dr. Clark, of Aberdeen, propounded a plan for softening chalk 
water; that system was improved by Mr. Porter, and the 
process is now known as Clark and Porter’s. For those who 
wished to prevent incrustation in boilers and pipes, Clark’s 
process was simple. First, they must provide themselves 
with a cistern or reservoir capable of containing 540 gallons. 
Mix g-ozs. of caustic lime with 40 gallons of water, which 
will make a milk of lime, then pour it into the cistern, con- 
taining 500 gallons of water. By this process the water will 
become pure. Two pounds of lime will sink to the bottom, 
and the boilers and pipes will no longer be furred up. Dr. 
Carpenter proceeded to explain that he would not argue that 
water from which the chalk had been removed was better to 
drink; he preferred the water as they got it from the well. It was 
known that when carbonic acid was prevalent in the atmosphere, 
fungus germs developed in a most remarkable manner, and 
when the carbonic acid was washed by the rain into the soil, 
it would give rise to conditions in the atmosphere of the soil 
which would promote the spread of epidemic diseases, unless 
it was absorbed by the chalk. But, so long as there were 
only 22 grains of bi-carbonate of lime in our water, it would 
be impossible for it to retain carbonic acid, and consequently 
it would be impossible for these germs to be developed which 
existed in a carbonic acid atmosphere, or for any injurious 
element to be introduced into the water, for the water is not 
supersaturated with lime and a carbonic acid atmosphere 
cannot exist. Dr. Carpenter then referred to the wonderful 
changes that had taken place in the structure of the earth, 
more especially with regard to the mineral kingdom. An 
immense mass of matter had been removed from our chalk 
hills, and they were gradually being lowered by the rain water 
which flowed over them. Water, in the shape of rain, rivers, 
or waves of the sea, denuded stone down, even more quickly 
than simple exposure to the air; hence there was no rocky 
mountain which was not constantly getting lower or less, by 
the disintegrating cause; but this law was balanced by the 
elevating cause, which seemed to depend upon the working of 
fire under the crust of the earth. By it the rocks at the 
bottom of the sea were raised, either by sudden convulsions, 
or gradually, above the level of the sea, so that they became 
dry land, and this was the reason why sea shells were found in 
