34 On the Chemical Constitution and 



rived from a long extinguished volcanic point of the earth's 

 crust, still retaining its heat in its interior, cannot he denied ; 

 yet the view of Von Hoff, of an undiminished activity of volca- 

 nic operations in the interior, under hot springs, is not thereby 

 affected. We would, therefore, regard warm springs as stand- 

 ing in more intimate connexion with those processes in the inte- 

 rior of the earth, which produce volcanic eruptions and earth- 

 quakes, and view their high temperature and the mixture of 

 different gases and substances, and their violent issuing forth, as 

 the effects of this process of decomposition *. Von Hoff finds 

 support for this view in the fact, that those points of the earth 

 which yield a constant and considerable discharge of mineral 

 waters, gases, vapours, &c., seem to be peculiarly exempted, if 

 not from all internal commotions, at least from the more violent 

 eruptions and catastrophes. . Thus, it is not known that Carls- 

 bad ever experienced a proper earthquake, for the most violent 

 eruptions of the Sprudel cannot be considered as such. A phe- 

 nomenon has lately rather tendud to establish the conjecture, 

 that Carlsbad is protected from any proper earthquake by its 

 continual evacuations of hot gas and water. This town, and its 

 environs, felt nothing of the pretty strong earthquake, which, 

 in January and February 1824, extended from the base of the 

 Saxon mountains into the circle of Elnbogen, to within two 

 miles of Carlsbad -f-. Records are not wanting of an internal 

 motion of the earth in the circle which contains the warm springs 

 of Wiesbaden, Schlangenbad, Ems, Bertrich, and Aachen, and 

 many accompanying cold ones ; but these earthquakes were as 

 rare, as weak, and insignificant . 



Comparing the grounds which favour the hypothesis of warm 

 springs having a similar origin with earthquakes and volcanic 

 eruptions, — either that their warmth is in consequence of long 

 extinguished volcanic activity in the place of their origin, or of 

 a volcanic process still existing at a great depth, with the hy- 

 ]X)thesis which deduces this temperature from burning beds of 



" Von HoiF on Carlsbad, p. 5C, 5?. Hallaschka in Kastner's Aichiv, vol. i. 

 turlichen Verandcrungen der Erdoberflache, 1824, part ii. p. 8!). 



■y Von HofF's Geschichte der durch Uberlielerung nachgewlesenen Na- 

 p. 323. 



t Von Hoff's Geschichte, p. 313. 



