Examination of several Waters of Hartford, Conn. 385 



Nature with more consistency, points to a unity of truth. This 

 truth cannot be reached through any one avenue of science. 

 Chemistry teaches us the laws of combination governing mole- 

 cules, and the attendant operations of molecular forces ; — crystal- 

 lography indicates to us the forms of molecules and the laws 

 which govern in molecular aggregation ; — the eye being sensible 

 to the movement of molecular force, optics teaches us the rapid- 

 ity, character, and physical effects of its pulsations : — and we add 

 by our thermoscopic instruments, another sense, for ascertaining 

 other laws of molecular action. When the mind is fully opened 

 to all these several sources of light, their concentrated beams will 

 enable us to see beyond doubt the minute molecule almost with 

 the distinctness of visibility. 



Art. XXXIV.— Results of the Examination of several Waters 



from Hartford, Conn. ; by B. W. Bull. 



The different samples were taken from wells in the city of Hart- 

 ford, Conn., May 28th, 1847. Their localities are as follows : 



No. 1 is from a well in the State House Yard, northwest corner. 



No. 2 is from the well of H. Seymour, 16 Main street. 



No. 3 is from a well on the grounds of the American Asylum. 



No. 4 is from Lane's Coffee House, North Main street. 



No. 5 is from the New England House, Front street. 



The soil of Hartford is an alluvium of ferruginous clay, sloping 

 toward the Connecticut River on the east, and overlying the red 

 sandstone of the greater secondary of Connecticut. It is in fact 

 derived entirely from the decomposition of the soft argillaceous 

 and calcareous shales which characterize this part of that deposit. 

 No. 3 is taken from the more elevated portion of the city. Pso. 

 1 is from the centre of the city, No. 5 from the eastern, and Ncs. 

 4 and 2 from the northern and southern extremities respectively. 

 The gases contained in the waters were not estimated, as the im- 

 mediate object of the investigation was to ascertain the amount 

 of solid matter ; neither was their action upon lead observed 

 which would have been interesting if time had allowed, more 

 particularly as the results obtained by Prof. B. Suliman, Jr., in his 

 examination of waters for the city of Boston, show conclusively 

 that the established opinion, that water containing sulphates in 

 solution is without action upon lead, is not sustained by experience. 



A peculiarity in all of the waters with the exception oi no. i, 

 is the excess of bases in combination with crenic acid and prob- 

 ably with organic matter in other modifications; an opinion de- 

 rived from the fact that those portions from which the crenic acid 

 had been separated by neutral acetate of copper, were upon con- 



Skco.nd Series, Vol. IV, No. 12.-Nov., 1847. 40 



