ON THE COMPOSITION OF GASES EVOLVED BY KING'S BATH. 381 



The arrangements for conducting the hot water from the three last-named 

 of these springs to their respective baths are, however, so unfavourable to the 

 accurate collection of the gas, that no means suggested themselves of attaining 

 the desired object in any of those cases without incurring far greater expense 

 than was authorized by the Association. Under these circumstances I have 

 confined my attention for the time to the gases from the Kings Bath, and 

 have had the less regret at doing so from the circumstance that Dr. Daubeny's 

 observations were, if I am rightly informed, also limited to the gases from 

 the King's Bath. 



It will be seen from the accompanying section of the shaft supplying the 

 water of the King's Bath, that several pipes project into it with their open 

 mouths downwards, and that some of the gas in rising up through the water 

 is liable to enter these pipes. By far the greater part of the gas rises to a 

 grating through which it issues to the floor of the bath together with hot 

 water. The central grating is surrounded by several smaller openings, but all 

 the gas escaping from these gratings could be collected by a funnel of 3 ft, 9 in. 

 diameter. All other openings were closed at the times of collection, partly 

 by stones and cement, partly by corks. Little more than 3 feet of water 

 were in the bath at the time of collection. 



Well-stoppered Winchester quarts were employed for collecting the gas 

 Each stopper was coated with paraffine of such melting-point as to be semi- 

 fluid at the temperature of the bath, and, carefully enveloped in paper was 

 attached to the neck of the bottle to which it belonged. Each bottle was 

 numbered, and all were packed in a box with cellular divisions, well lined 

 with a springy material. It was arranged that each bottle should be par- 

 tially filled with gas, about one quarter of its space remaining filled with hot 

 water, and that it should then be closed while still under water by its greased 

 stopper, and packed mouth downwards with water over the stopper. This 

 arrangement appears to have been effectual. 



I have been indebted to Dr. Falconer, the Chairman of the Committee of 

 Baths, for valuable information and assistance in the course of the necessary 

 arrangements. Mr. John Cooke of the Mineral Water Hospital, Bath, was 

 good enough to undertake the operation of collecting and sending off the gas, 

 and ho has been aided by Mr. Tyler of Bath in his labours. 



The specimens of gas were measured and analyzed by Mr. Bowrey in the 

 laboratory of University College, with the aid of the apparatus described some 

 time ago by Dr. Russell and myself. Each bottle of gas, when received, con- 

 tained some water, and as it was required to measure the 

 quantity of the gas, the following method was adopted : the 

 stopper of the bottle being removed under mercury, was re- 

 placed by the cork A, fitted with two glass tubes, B B', on to 

 which were firmly wired the caoutchouc tubes C C, in which 

 fitted loosely the pieces of glass rod, D D' ; before the cork 

 was placed in the neck of the bottle, the caoutchouc tubes C C 

 were closed by wiring the rods D D', and the tubes B B' filled 

 with mercury. 



The bottle was then placed in the retort stand as shown 

 below, and the tube E connected with the caoutchouc tube 

 C at E. This tube, F, was then filled with water, care being 

 taken to remove all air from the bend. The wire was then 

 untwisted at D' ; so as to establish free communication of the water in W and 

 in F. T\ ater was poured into F, or removed from it as needful, till the level 



