No. 244.] 189 



if boiled, so much so indeed, that fish cannot live in it, until after long 

 exposure to the atmosphere; it is flat to the taste, and does not quench 

 thirst as well as rain or spring water. 



Salt Water. — It is one of the wonderful acts of God, that the seas 

 were made salt ; had they oeen fresh, they would have been stagnant, 

 and mankind could not have existed on the face of the earth ; every 

 substance, vegetable or animal, which entered them would have become 

 putrid ; these matters now are impregnated with lime, and the conse- 

 quence is the seas remain pure. Vessels at sea might always obtain 

 fresh water by boiling ; steam arising from boiled salt water is always 

 fresh, and if condensed in the usual way, would afford an ample sup- 

 ply of fresh water at all times. Monsieur de Bougainville, in his 

 voyage round the world, derived great assistance from this mode of 

 obtaining fresh water ; and Dr. Irving received in the year 1770, a 

 parliamentary reward of $25,000, for introducing the plan into the 

 British navy. 



Stagnant Water. — Any water in a state of perfect rest, is stagnant, 

 whether it be a lake 10 ,000 miles in circumference, or a pond ten feet 

 square, if it has no outlet and consequently no current, it is stagnant, 

 and by exposure to the elements will become filled with aquatic in- 

 sects, animalculae &c. ; they die, and their exuviaj putrify and contam- 

 inate the fluid, inducing a spontaneous growth of minute plants, some 

 of which are only discernable with a magnifying glass, and serve as 

 food to these countless myriads. 



Mineral Water. — Water is called mineral when it contains different 

 salts in sufficient quantities to render it unfit for domestic purposes, 

 when chlorides of calcium and magnesia occur in water, they make 

 it necessarily bitter ; as for example, the Dead Sea in Palestine abounds 

 with these salts, and is very bitter. The springs in Epsom, England, 

 abound with sulphate of magnesia or epsom salts, when iron is dis- 

 covered in water, it is called chalybeate, and is exceedingly astringent 

 and austere to the taste. The mineral waters of Tunbridge and 

 Cheltenham in Great Britain, and our various springs in Ballston and 

 Saratoga, are chalybeates. 



