235 



neighbouring springs appear to partake of the intermittent charac- 

 ter, especially as regards the carbonic acid gas which they discharge. 

 The temperature of the spring, many times observed during its 

 various phases, was 65' Fahr. very nearly, and it seemed perfectly 

 stationary. Now, it appears from direct observations, that the 

 mean temperature of the air at Kissingen is about 51°, or 14' lower. 

 The author made many observations upon the temperature of 

 springs in the neighbourhood, both pure and mineral, which he finds 

 to indicate a mean temperature rather lower than the above. Thus 

 the great brine spring, in addition to its other remarkable charac- 

 teristics, is distinctly thermal. Nor can this be ascribed to the 

 depth of the bore through which it issues, for the spring which rose 

 in the same spot before that bore was made had the same tempe- 

 rature half a century ago, and it did not increase during the opera- 

 tion of boring. A neighbouring spring, also intermittent and sa- 

 line, called the Schonborn Quelle, rising through a bore 550 feet 

 deep, has a temperature of only 52'. 



Lastly, the author gives some account of the products of the 

 spring. Thirty and a half cubic inches of almost pure carbonic 

 acid gas are combined with one pound of water ; but this gives no 

 conception of the vast strtams of that substance disengaged by the 

 spring during its period of activity, and of which it is difficult to 

 obtain the roughest measurement. It is collected and applied me- 

 dicinally to different parts of the body, in baths suitably arranged. 

 The water of the spring is discharged at the rate of fi-om thirty- 

 five to forty Bavarian cubic feet per minute during its full action. 

 Its specific gravity is about 1.0157. The solid matter it contains 

 amounts to 22.37 grains in 1000 of water, and consists, according 

 to the analysis of Kastner, of 14 grains chloride of sodium, b.2 mu- 

 riate of magnesia, 0.5 muriate of lime, 3.3 sulphate of soda, 1 .0 car- 

 bonates of magnesia and lime, together with several other sub- 

 stances in small quantity. It closely resembles the composition of 

 sea-water. The brine is concentrated from 2| to 17 per cent, by 

 spontaneous evaporation in dropping through stacks of black thorn ; 

 and in this process at least 180 millions of pounds of water are an- 

 nually carried off in the invisible form by the atmosphere. The 

 quantity of pure salt obtained from this sj>ring alone amounts to 

 about 28,000 hundredweight (Bavarian Centner) yearly. 



