Royal Society. jh 
A Mineral Spring near Tournay; by Mr, Geoffi-y. Phil. 
Tranf. 19° 347. p. 490. 
THERE has been found a mineral water, called St. A- 
mand\ water, which has been very much uied in all forts 
of (icknels, rather tor its novelty, than for its great and extraor- 
dinary properties. The fountain is lituated in a fhallow and 
marfhy ground, the bafon of the Ipring is 450 feet fquare, there 
is in the bottom of that balbn mud of 20 feet deep, beyond that 
they find fand which is fometimcs very moveable and at lome other 
times is very firm 5 very often this fountain cafts up a great quan- 
tity of fand, and once in a little time it caft up more than \6 
cart-loads, by which all the balbn was bordered ^ there is to be 
found in it three Ibrts of earth, the firil; and fuperficial is black 
and burns like turf, with the fame fmell, the fecond is white, and 
the third is of the fame colour with the flate^ thefe two laft Ibrts 
of earth give by Lixivium a fait like Sal Gemmce : This 
water in its Ipring is clear and lukewarm, and appears much hot- 
ter at night and in the morning, than the reft of the day ; its 
fmell and tafte is like that.of ftanding water, i^ it is expoled to 
the air it Ibon lofes its fmell and tafte 3 by the facility of lofing 
its tafte and fmell, one may judge that it has a fulphur very vo- 
latile; and by reafon of that grejt volatility and fnbtility it is 
almoft impoflible to make any experiment upon it : This mineral 
water has the lame weight as the Seine river-water 5 it did not 
change the colour of lyrup of violets, the tincl:are of ''iturnfoly 
lime water, nor the oil of tartar ^ the volatile Ipirit of Sal Ar- 
moniac and hart's-horn have whited the water, and made in it a 
light Coa^ulum 5 this water mixed with the diilblution of Sal Ar- 
mouiac has not given it any fmell 3 nor has it altered the infuiion 
of galls, the Iblution of vitriol being mingled with ii has trou- 
bled it a little and given it a greenifn colour, and at length a yel- 
low powder was precipftared j acid fpirits have not fermented at 
firft- with that water, but afterwards it has made Ibme Imall 
bubbles which ftuck to the fides of the glafles where the liquor 
was contained : Mr. Geoff^ry diftilled five pints of that water, 
which when diftilled had no tafte nor fmell, nor did it change 
the tincture of T'urnfol nor lime-water, from thele five pints, 
being \6o ounces, there remained 70 grains of refidue, which by 
Lixivium gave 55 grains of grey earth, and 15 grains of white 
lalt, almoft like Sal Gemmae'^ the refidue of the evaporated water 
put upon burning coals has net caft any fmoak, nor made any 
detonation 3 the Ipirit of nitre poured upon it has very much fer- 
mented 5 
