DR. URE ON THE xMOIRA BRINE SPRING. 579 



in it was disengaged, and received in a graduated tube over mercury. On exami- 

 nation it proved to be common air, with a slight excess of azote, equivalent altogether 

 to only four and a half cubic inches in the gallon of water, or about one sixtieth part 

 of the volume. 



This quantity is not two thirds of the amount found in river water, nor more than 

 half that in the waters of ordinary springs. The deficiency may be ascribed to the 

 agency of sahne matter in expelling air from water, in the process of solution, a fact 

 particularly exposed in my paper on Nitric Acid published in the Journal of Science 

 for January 1819. 



One thousand grains of the water evaporated to dryness on a steam bath, afforded 

 a group of saline crystals, which, after gentle ignition in a covered platinum capsule, 

 weighed sixty-two and a half grains. During the ignition of the mother-water salts, 

 a faint odour, resembling that of muriatic acid mixed with the hydrobromic, is per- 

 ceptible. 



As this water has its transparency hardly disturbed by nitrate of barytes, it ob- 

 viously contains no appreciable quantity of sulphuric salts. In its concentrated state 

 it does not affect solution of muriate of platinum, and therefore seems to be free from 

 salts of potash. 



Oxalate of ammonia indicates the presence of lime in notable quantity ; and phos- 

 phate of soda applied to the liquid after the separation of the lime, detects magnesia 

 by the peculiar aspect of the ammonia-magnesian phosphate. Tincture of galls shows 

 the presence of a trace of iron; but ammonia added to the water occasions no ap- 

 preciable precipitate of either that metallic oxide or alumina. From the slowness 

 with which the iron is indicated by the galls, and the non-action of ferrocyanate of 

 potash on the water even faintly acidulated, the iron is obviously in the state of 

 protoxide. The quantity of chlorine present in a given weight of the water was 

 determined by solution of nitrate of silver ; and this amount was found to coincide 

 with the weights of ignited chloride of sodium obtained by evaporation of the lime- 

 free water, and of chlorides of calcium and magnesium inferred from the lime and 

 magnesia got in the analysis. From the proportion of chlorine estimated by nitrate 

 of silver, a small deduction must, however, be made on account of the quantity of 

 bromine present, as determined by subsequent researches. 



The following is the general result of the analysis of one gallon : 



Grains. 

 Bromides of sodium and magnesium 8* 



Chloride of calcium 851*2 



Chloride of magnesium 16'0 



Chloride of sodium 3700*5 



Protoxide of iron . . . , a trace 



Solid saline contents in one gallon 4575' 7 



The above eight grains of bromides are equivalent to six grains of bromine. 



