[ 433 ] 



I.XXIV. Experimevts made in France vpon the Use of jU- 

 stilled Sea-fValer for domestic Purposes, and its Ffjecls 

 vpon the Constitution when taken as a Beverage* . 



In consequence of the great want of good fresh water in many 

 of the maritime parts of France, the Government, some time 

 since, ordered some experiments to be made upon an extensive 

 scale, in order to ascertain how fur sea-water, when distilled, 

 could be used with success. Little or no use had hitherto been 

 made of water so prepared, except in long voyages, and chiefiy 

 then only as a matter of necessity. There are above two hun- 

 dred leagues of sea-coast in France, where, to the breadth of many 

 miles, the inhabitants are comj)elled to make use of bad and im- 

 pure water, which, in many cases, is injurious to the health of 

 themselves and their animals. In similar cases it was the custom 

 of the ancient^ to construct cisterns; but these are not only expen- 

 sive in themselves, but their utility depends upon the quantity of 

 rain that falls, while upon the shores of the most barren places 

 nature has supplied a variety of vegetable matter, which, when 

 dried, would not only serve as fuel for the purposes of distillation, 

 but from the ashes of which might be obtained a saline sub- 

 stance, sufficient to repay the expense of collecting, drying, and 

 burning. Thus the fuel for the distillation of the sea-water 

 would in reality cost nothing, while its preparation would em- 

 ploy many individuals, particularly women and children. Before, 

 however, erecting aiiy apparatus for this purpose, it was neces- 

 sary to ascertain botli' the utility and salubrity of the water thus 

 prepared. 



It is well known that Bougainville, Phipps, Homelin, &c. had 

 empioved this water with much success; but they, like most of 

 the chemists of the last age, did not endeavour lo imitate the 

 process of nature in all its simplicity, but mixed various sub- 

 stances with the sea-water, in order to take away or lessen the 

 effect of. the empyreuma arising from the distillation, and which 

 was so unpleasant to the smell and taste. And it is this which 

 in general renders sailors so averse to it, and excites a pre- 

 judice very unfavourable to the salubrity of distilled sea- water. 

 One of the great ol)jects to be ascertained was, whether this dis- 

 agreeable smell and taste was peculiar to sea-water, or arose 

 from the act of distillation. 



In the month of July last year, the king ordered some ex- 

 periments to be made upon a large scale at the three ports ot 

 Brest, Kochefort, raid Toulon. The instructions given were as 

 follows : — " That a sufiicient (luantity of sea-water should be 



• FroHi the Amalei de Chlmlc el dc Phyaiqnc ibr Jan. 18 IB. 

 Vol. .J I. No. 2 12. June 1818. E e dislilled 



