Process for preparing Milk of Sulphur, ^c. ggf 



by the government of the Italian republic, has confirmed 

 its efficacy, and it has been published by order of the mi- 

 nister of the interior. Il consists merely of a solution of 

 two parts, in weight, of pulverized common soda in seven 

 parts of water, which is reduced to two-thirds by ebullition, 

 and strained through a piece of cloth. 



It is stated that this liquor produces no more effect on 

 wood in a state of combustion than common water ; that it 

 would be dangerous in the inflammation of alcohol 3 but 

 that it is exceedingly useful for extinguishing fires produced 

 by oily, fat, and bituminous substances. 



NEW PROCESS FOR PREPARING MILK OF SULPHUR*. 



Heat to redness- in a crucible eight parts sulphate of pot- 

 ash with one part of pounded charcoal. After gentle fusion, 

 dissolve the mass in four times its weight of water, and, 

 having boiled it, add sulphur until the liquor refuses to dis- 

 solve any more. Then dilute it with twenty parts of water, 

 and leave it at rest: decant the liquor, and precipitate it by 

 sulphuric acid diluted with water. The quantity of the pro- 

 tluct is equal to half the sulphate of potash employed. The 

 sulphur might even be precipitated by distilled vinegar, to 

 obtain the acetate of potash ; but in this case it would be 

 necessary to concentrate the vinegar by freezing, to avoid 

 too great volume in the liquor. 



AUGUSTINE EARTH. 



In addition to the article on this substance, given in our 

 last (p. 190), we subjoin the following extract from the 

 Journal de Physkjue : 



" The name of beryl was given to small hexaedral crystals 

 found in a kind of Saxon porphyry. Tromsdorff analysed 

 this supposed beryl, and asserted that he obtained from it 

 a new earth to which he gave the name of augustine; that 

 is to say, without taste. \^auquelin has repeated the ana- 

 lysis of this substance, and found that it is phosphated lime, 

 or a kind of apatite." 



EXTIRPATION OF THE PLAGUE. 



Professor Valli and Dr. Pezroni set out some time ago 

 from Constantinople for Natolia, in order to make further 

 experiments there, and in other parts of Asia, on the means 

 of extirpating the plague. 



• Published in Tromsdorff's Journul of Pharmacy, vol. ix. no r. 



1 METEORO- 



