62 



The Journal of Agriculture, and the Transactions of the Highland 



and Agi'icultural Society of Scotland. January 1846. — By the 



Society. 

 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Nos. 146 and 147. — By 



the Society. 

 The Derivation of many Classical proper Names from the Gaelic 



Language, or the Celtic of Scotland. By Thomas Stratton, 



M.D. — By the Author. 



Monday, \9th January 1846. 



Right Rev. BISHOP TERROT, V.P., in the Chair. 



The following Communications were read : — 



1. On the Action of Soluble Lead Salts on Natural Waters. 

 By Professor Connell. 



In a former communication to the Society, the author noticed 

 that spring, well, and river waters, even after being boiled, usually 

 yield, with acetate of lead, a precipitate readily soluble, in whole or 

 great part, in acetic acid ; and as the solution appeared not to be 

 attended with effervescence, it was conceived to be due to organic 

 matter. The author has since found that effervescence is more 

 common than was at first supposed, and in that case the precipitate 

 is due to the presence of carbonate of lime in the water. It was 

 ascertained by boiling a solution of carbonate of lime in water con- 

 taining excess of carbonic acid, that the trace of carbonate of lime 

 retained in solution after ebullition, was too slight to explain the 

 reaction of the spring waters, on the idea that it had been originally 

 taken up by them in this way. It was farther found that distilled 

 water, when left in contact for several days in a close vessel with 

 impalpably pounded marble, took up a very little more ; but what 

 the author conceives to be the more probable source of the carbonate 

 of lime in the spring waters is double decomposition between a so- 

 luble lime-salt and a carbonated alkali. The reaction may be imi- 

 tated by adding to an ounce of distilled water one drop each of 

 carbonate of potash, muriate of lime, and sulphate of magnesia, 

 \vhen acetate of lead will be found to yield a cloud like spring waters, 



