Miscellanies. y 175 
and of facts, original and selected, well worthy of their serious 
Our space will enable us, at present, to take only a hasty view of 
some of the most important of the original articles. 
The first is a short paper ‘on the preparation of glauber and epsom 
salt, and magnesia from sea water ;” by Danrex B. Suir. After 
stating the manipulations practiced in the large salt works of Massa- 
chusetts, and giving the composition of sea water, as obtained by Dr. 
Mareet, the author remarks that “'The state in which these elements 
exist in sea water, is involved in much obscurity. According to the 
temperature employed in the evaporation, we procure from it either 
sulphate of lime, sulphate of magnesia, or sulphate of soda. It is 
therefore evident that a change of temperature is sufficient to disar- 
range the combinations that usually obtain. 
“If we suppose the sulphuric acid to exist in combination with 
soda, the following may be considered as the composition of one 
thousand grains of sea water. 
Sulphate of soda, —- - - 4.698 grains. 
Hydrochlorate of magnesia, = - 6.4125 
ee limes. == x A O98 
Chloride of sodium, + (Seed p$:26,27 
“Ifit be combined with magnesia, the following arrangement may 
be considered as obtaining : 
Sulphate of magnesia, - = - ~—S 3.915 grains 
Hydrochlorate of magnesia, - - 2.69325 
lime, = - 1.625- 
Chloride of sodium, = - 30.185 
“The latter formula agrees better than the former with the medi- 
" proportion of salt, (which is about 3 per cent.) in sea water.” 
“The formation of Glauber’s salt (it is added) cannot be advan- 
'ageous to the manufacturer. It lessens the production of common 
salt about 13 per cent. and though the same quantity of magnesia can 
be obtained from the bitterns, it will not yield Epsom salt.” 
The next article is by the same author, and is entitled “ Remarks 
on the common Hydrometer, with a description of a new method of 
Sraduating that instrument.” ‘The author objects to the common in- 
Stuments, that in all of them the scales are altogether arbitrary, and 
oe “ompare with each other, and are not intelligible to the gen- 
"Student 5 and that the mode of graduation is very defective, as in 
taking as starting points so small a part of the scale, the error of ob- 
