126 M. BerzeUus on the [Aug. 



phuretted hydrogen. After being kept for some time in close 

 vessels, it deposits a very slight bright-yellow sediment, whose 

 colour depends obviously on oxide of iron. Its specific gravity 

 at 64-1° is 1-004975 ; and the specific gravity of the water col- 

 lected at all the different springs is identically the same. 



625*4 grammes of the water were concentrated in a platinum 

 capsule, until it began to deposit crystals. It was then thrown 

 upon a balanced filter, and the insoluble earthy precipitate, after 

 being strongly dried, was weighed along with the filter in a 

 platinum crucible, in order to prevent the accession of hygros- 

 copic moisture during the weighing. Its weight was found to 

 be 0-324 gramme. The filtered liquid was cautiously evaporated 

 to dryness in a balanced platinum crucible, and the residue was 

 ignited until it began to enter into fusion, which took place 

 before the crucible became visibly red-hot in day-light. The 

 fused saline mass weighed 3-058 gramme. Hence 1000 parts of 

 the water contain 



Soluble salts 4-890 



Earthy matter 0-518 



5-408 



In many other experiments performed in a similar way, the 

 quantity of solid ingredients was found to vary from 5-407 to 

 5-476. " These differences are probably caused by the unequal 

 quantities of carbonic acid which are expelled from the mag- 

 nesia during desiccation. 



(A.) The Salts soluble in Water. — Having ascertained by pre- 

 liminary experiments that these contained no other base than 

 soda, and no other acids than the sulphuric, muriatic, and car- 

 bonic, I proceeded to the analysis in the following manner: 

 — The fused saline mass was dissolved in water ; the solution 

 was turbid, owing to the presence of some magnesia, which, 

 collected upon a filter and ignited, weighed 0-006 gramme. The 

 filtered liquid was saturated with acetic acid, and evaporated to 

 dryness, with a view to determine whether the alkali retained 

 any silica; but the dry salt redissolved completely in water 

 without leaving any residue. Muriate of barytes being now 

 added, precipitated a quantity of sulphate of barytes, which, 

 washed and ignited, weighed 2-646 grammes, equivalent to 1*618 

 gramme of sulphate of soda. The filtered liquid was now 

 strongly acidulated with nitric acid, and the muriatic acid was 

 thrown down by nitrate of silver. The precipitated chloride of 

 silver weighed 1*58 gramme. As it might be suspected that a 

 portion of the muriatic acid had been expelled by the acetic acid, 

 a corresponding quantity of the water (625-47 grammes) was 

 supersaturated with nitric acid, and precipitated by nitrate of 

 silver. 1-588 gramme chloride of silver was obtained. That 



