646 



CAUCASUS. 



Caucasus neral spring eems to be indebted chiefly to the car- 

 *-*~Y~~ 1 ' bonic acid, saturated with lime and magnesia, as well 

 as to the salts which it holds in solution. When 

 placed on a very gentle fire, it speedily boils with 

 great agitation, immediately begins to grow turbid, 

 and deposites a white sediment. From 16 pounds of 

 water, the dry sediment obtained by evaporation 

 weighed 2 drachms and 20 grains. This sediment 

 loses, in the process of drying, about 7 grains. The 

 result of the chemical analysis of it by M. Lovitz 

 the academician, gave from 133 grains the following 

 ingredients: Of muriate of magnesia, 1 grainy 'Glau- 

 ber's salt in a dry state, 46 ; vitriolated magnesia in 

 ditto, 25 ; muriate of soda, 10 ; carbonate of lime, 

 26 ; carbonate of magnesia, 10 ; carbonate of iron, 2 ; 

 sulphate of lime 13. From 20 pounds (apothecary's 

 weight) of the water, subjected to a similar analysis, 

 the following were the ingredients obtained : Of car- 

 bonic acid 580 cubic inches ; of carbonate of lime, 

 87 grains ; of carbonate of magnesia, 12f grains ; 

 of carbonate of iron, 2f; of sulphate of soda, 53-f ; 

 of sulphate of lime, 41 ; of sulphate of magnesia, 

 27 T 7 -5- ; of muriate of soda, 27i of muriate of mag- 

 nesia, 2|4 ; of resinous extract, ^. 



In the vicinity of the spring of Nartzan, and at dif- 

 ferent elevations in the mountain Metshuka before 

 described, there occur several important springs of hot 

 sulphureous water. The first of these rises from the 

 round extremity of the principal but shorter ridge al- 

 ready mentioned, as constituting one part of a sort of 

 continuation connected with that mountain. Near the 

 source of the veins, by the contributions from which 

 this spring is formed, a bath has been hewn in the 

 tophus stone, and contiguous to it a small chamber 

 has been built of wood for the use of bathers. At a 

 quarter height in the mountain, in an open cleft, up- 

 wards of a fathom broad and deep, by ten arshines 

 in length, there is found another natural hot-bath of 

 v a temperature rather higher than that of the inferior 

 spring : this extends into the rock of sandstone to- 

 wards the east, is six feet wide, nearly ten fathoms 

 long, and has a smooth vault not unlike an artificial 

 grotto. This is the place resorted to by the Turco- 

 man women for bathing, while their husbands make 

 use of the lower bath. At still greater heights than 

 these, and rising progressively one above another, 

 there occurred three other springs of a similar de- 

 scription and character with those just mentioned. 

 With regard to the water of them all, the smell of 

 the sulphur, perceptible at a considerable distance, 

 the snow-white tophus stone, of a crystalline nature, 

 which is here very frequent, and the flowers of 

 sulphur precipitated in the channels of the de- 

 scending water, are sufficient indications of its prin- 

 cipal constituents. Even after it has run probably 

 over the whole length of the tophus ridge, this water 

 is yet in the most distant springs hotter than the hand 

 can bear, and causes the mercury to rise in the ther- 

 mometer of Reaumur 57-| degrees, or 162 degrees of 

 Fahrenheit. The abundant calcareous sediment which 

 it deposites, is at first, and continues for some time 

 afterwards, as soft as pap, in which state it is used 

 by the Circassians and other tribes, for whitening 

 their houses. In a bed of this substance, which is 

 four or five inches thick, needles of the spath kind 

 are gradually produced : and this crystallization be- 

 comes more and more frequent, as well as compact, 

 till at length the whole bed is converted into a heavy 



snow-white tophus, that exhibits pores and almost Caucasus, 

 perpendicular needles in its fracture. This species v * 1 "V"*' 

 of tophus is acted upon by the nitric acid, which 

 causes a violent effervescence, so that the stone is 

 completely and speedily dissolved : if exposed to fire, 

 it discovers no perceptible trace of sulphur. Every 

 pound of the sulphureous water last mentioned, con- 

 tains upwards of 16 grains of a white earthy sedi- 

 ment. The water itself has a slightly styptic, sweetish 

 taste, and evidently contains a portion of alum, which 

 renders it serviceable in diarrhosas and dysenteries, 

 particularly when the first passages have previously 

 teen evacuated. In rheumatic pains, cutaneous erup- 

 tions, and inveterate ulcers, it is of essential service, 

 if used as a warm bath. Gouty and paralytic pa- 

 tients have recovered by its use. But in intermit- 

 tent fevers this bath ought not to be resorted to, as it 

 is apt to occasion dangerous obstructions. 



In 1801 an account was given by Mr Simpson, a 

 chemist, of a warm spring discovered in the chain of 

 the Caucasian mountains, five versts north-east from 

 the fortress of Constantinohor, and forty from the 

 first mentioned cold spring. It runs straight to- 

 wards the west, down the steep declivity of a chalky, 

 shelly, and curiously coloured mountain, falls from 

 the height of forty-four yards, divides itself into 

 small rivulets, and entirely disappears at the foot of 

 the mountain. Another report was made during the 

 same year, concerning the Caucasian mineral waters, 

 by the general Obriezkow, in consequence of which 

 Drs Hordinsky and Krushevitch, and Mr Skwent- 

 zon, a chemist, were sent thither for the purpose of 

 procuring such precise and satisfactory information 

 respecting them as might serve to determine govern- 

 ment whether any, and what steps ought to be adopt- 

 ed with a view to turning them to useful account. 

 At the same time, accordingly, Mr Skwentzon was 

 employed in ascertaining the nature and the compo- 

 sition of the two springs just alluded to, the medi- 

 cal gentlemen applied themselves to discover their 

 proper use and application, and in making practical 

 experiments on different individuals of both sexes. 

 The substance of their accounts, in some of the par- 

 ticulars of which, it will be perceived, that they have 

 been anticipated in the observations already intro- 

 duced, is as follows : 



The temperature of the hot spring, during the 

 warmest parts of summer, is, in the evening, from 35 

 to 37 degrees in Reaumur's thermometer. The 

 quantity of water discharged in three minutes and 15 

 seconds, is 3580 lb., and its weight is equal to that 

 of distilled water brought to the strength of a mine- 

 ral water. It has a smell of sulphur, and contains 

 sulphuric and carbonic acid ; after the evaporation 

 of 300 pounds, till the vessel was quite dry, there 

 remained 12 oz. 7 dr. and 35 grs. of solid matter. 

 The water of this spring is good for curing erup- 

 tions of the skin, intermittent agues, scorbutic, chro- 

 nical and venereal diseases, dropsy, and long stand- 

 ing rheumatisms. 



The cold spring, according also to Reaumur's ther- 

 mometer, has at all times 10 degrees of temperature. 

 The weight of its water to that of distilled water, 

 is in the proportion of 50 to 30. It is very trans- 

 parent, has a sharp acrid taste, and a smell of carbonic 

 acid, which substance enters into its composition ; after 

 the evaporation of 400 pounds of -it by boiling, there 

 remained 9 oz. and li dr. of solid matter. The ef- 



