Mr, A.B. Northcote’ on the Brine-springs of Cheshire. 463 
“Cheshire, to which I am so much indebted, and to which such 
frequent reference has been made, will be found a list of the 
varieties produced at diferent temperatures ; according to it, the 
finest table-salt is deposited from the brine at its boiling tempe- 
rature (226° F.), and the coarsest description by slow evaporation 
conducted at from 100° to 110° F. 
The derivation of the brine in Cheshire is too well known to 
require any observation: the immense beds of rock-salt which 
occur in the new red sandstone of that county are familiar to 
every one. The existence of this substance appears to have first 
evidenced itself by the saline springs which at various places rose 
to the surface; and the majority of these spontaneous appear- 
ances seem to have occurred in the immediate vicinity of the 
course of the river Weaver, and of the lesser stream, the 
Wheelock. The former of these rises in the south-west portion 
of the county, and after running south for some miles, turns at 
Audlem to the north, passes Nantwich, and after some distance, 
Winsford ; receives the Wheelock about Northwich, and passing 
Marston and Anderton, proceeds to the Mersey. The Wheelock 
rises in the south-east part of Cheshire, and passing the vil- 
lage of the same name, flows by Middlewich to its confluence 
with the Weaver. Along the banks of these streams a continual 
succession of places occurs, which have at various times been 
famous for the production of salt; and although great fluctua- 
tions have taken place, yet these have been due rather to inci- 
dental causes than to any failure of material ;—imperfections 
in shafts allowing the admission of freshwater springs, and a 
slight distance from the convenience of water-carriage are reasons 
quite sufficient for the transfer of the manufacture from one 
place to another. Causes such as these probably led to the 
abandonment of the works at Dunham in the north-east of the 
county, and of those at Dirtwich in the south-west ; yet the oc- 
currence of brines at these places is interesting, as indicative of 
the position and extent of the beds of salt below, the two places 
being about thirty miles apart, and about equidistant from the 
centre of the district which is now the salt-producing one. This 
region may be said to lie north-west and south-east, and to be 
composed of three divisions,—the Northwich, the Middlewich, 
and the Sandbach: the first comprehends Northwich, Marston 
and Anderton, besides various other places near them; the second 
embraces Middlewich and Winsford, with the surrounding neigh- 
bourhood ; and the third, of more limited extent with respect to 
actual operation, includes Sandbach, Wheelock, and a few vil- 
lages in the immediate vicinity. In order to obtain fair samples 
of the Cheshire brines, I therefore took specimens from each 
of the above districts. From the Northwich district I obtained 
