368 Mineral Waters of Canada. 



vegetable life exists for some distance around the place. Under 

 the ordinary atmospheric influences, I should suppose thirty or 

 forty years would be required to produce the state of decay which 

 the pine exhibits, although both sulphuric acid and the sulphates 

 of iron and alumina are powerful antiseptics, and would consider- 

 ably retard the progress of decay. Apart from any consideration 

 of this kind, there is not wanting evidence that the waters of the 

 spring have materially changed their character within two or 

 three years. In April, 1846. Professor Croft, of King's College, 

 Toronto, published in the British North American Journal an 

 account of the spring he had obtained from some one who had 

 visited it, with a partial analysis of the water, such as he had 

 been able to execute upon the specimen in his possession. He 

 found in one pint (7680 grains) — 



Sulphuric acid, (average of three determinations,) 22*425 grs. 



3-950 " 



1-584 " 

 3-685 " 



; 



Peroxyd of iron, 



Magnesia, 



Lime, 



No experiments 



nor was alumina sought for ; it is probable that the alumina 

 is included in the weight of the peroxyd &t' iron. The specific 

 gravity was found by Professor Croft to be 1-0038. 



For comparison I have reduced Professor Croft's results to -the 

 same standard as my own, and give them for 1000 parts; he 

 found the iron as a per-salt, probably from the effect of exposure 

 to the air. I have calculated that obtained by myself, as peroxyd, 

 and added to it the alumina 





Sulphuric acid, 



Potash, 



Soda, 



Lime, 



Magnesia. 



Croft. Hunt. 



2-9069 46350 

 -0329 



-0219 



4798 3192 



•2036 -0524 



Peroxyd of iron and alumina, -5148 -3315 



The water examined by Professor Croft contained much less 

 foreign matter than that collected by myself, being in fact more 

 dilute. The sum of the ingredients determined in the former is 

 4-105L parts, and in the latter 5-3281 parts in 10U0. In the for- 

 mer, the sum of the bases is to the amount of acid, as 412 : 1000, 

 and in the latter as 152 : 1000. The diiference in the comparative 

 quantity of sulphuric acid in the two, may be attributed to the 

 dilution by surface water, but the great change in the proportion 

 of the bases to the acid, indicates some change in the internal 

 economy of the spring. The nature and causes of this change 

 with their probable connection with the gypsum deposits, and 

 some of the geological phenomena of the region, have already 

 been discussed in the paper above referred to. 



