104 Mr Horner on the Q.uantity of Solid Matter 



from the bottom of the river, the total depth of the river at that 

 place being thirteen feet. It was in the month of August, and 

 the Rhine was unusually low. The water in the river had a 

 yellowish tinge, and was turbid ; taken up in a glass, it was like 

 •the New River water in London after rain. The residuum, 

 when dried in the manner above mentioned, weighed 21.10 

 crrains. It was of a pale yellowish-brown colour, smooth to the 

 feel, not gritty ; and it effervesced briskly, but was not wholly 

 dissolved, when dilute muriatic acid was poured upon it. In ap- 

 pearance and properties, it was undistinguishablefrom the Loess 

 of the Rhine valley. 



A cubic foot of distilled water weighs 437500 grains, therefore 

 the solid matteramounted to jgl^T part of the cubicfoot of water. 



Second Set of Observations. — The water was taken up in the 

 middle of the river, and from about a foot below the surface. 

 It was the month of November, and a great deal of rain had 

 fallen some time before and during the observations. The 

 Rhine was of a deeper yellow, and more turbid than in August ; 

 but when taken up in a glass, it was not very different in ap- 

 pearance from what it had been then. The cubic foot of water, 

 in place of being collected on three different occasions, was taken 

 up on seven different days, with intervals of three days between 

 each. 



The residuum, when dried in the same manner, weighed 

 35 grains, which is x5?oo P^^* of solid matter in one cubic foot 

 of the water. 



It was my intention to have repeated these observations at 

 different seasons of the year, — to have made a profile of the bed 

 of the river from shore to shore at Bonn, and to have ascertain- 

 ed the velocity at different parts of the stream, so as to get a 

 mean velocity ; the depth of the river I had an opportunity of 

 seeing, for there is a guage at the port ; but I was obliged to 

 leave Bonn suddenly, and could not accomplish my designs. 



The above experimt nts shew, that the quantity of solid mat- 

 ter suspended in water, which, in the mass, has a turbid appear- 

 ance, may be very trifling. But the extent of waste of the land, 

 and of the solid materials carried to the sea, which even such 

 minute qualities indicate, is far greater than we might be led to 

 imagine possible from such fractions. It is only when we take 



