EDITORIAL NOTES. 



255. 



made a quantitative analysis of the waters, at a 

 temperature of one hundred and forty-five de- 

 grees. He found eight and a half grains oi 

 solid matter to the gallon, which was thus dis- 

 tributed : 



Grains. 



Silicic acid 24.75 



Sesqui oxide of iron 1.12 



Alumina 5.15 



Lime.... 28.83 



Magnesia 73 



Chlorine 7 



Carbonic acid 21.36 



Organic matter 8 31 



Water. 1.72 



Sulphuric acid 4.40 



Potash 1.46 



Soda 2.01 



Iodide and bromide, a trace 



Total 100.08 



ANALYSIS BY THE STATE GEOLOGIST. —The 



following is extracted from the reports of Pro- 

 fessor David D. Owens, late Geologist of the 

 State of Arkansas. It embraces the most re- 

 cent quantitative analysis made by competent 

 authority : 



Silicate with base. Bi-Carbonate of lime. 



Bi-Carbonate of mag- Alumina with oxide of 



nesia. iron. 



Carbonate of soda. Carbonate of potash. 



Sulphate of magnesia. Chlor. of magnesia. 

 Oxide of magnesia. Sulphate of lime. 

 Bromide, a trace. Organic matter, a trace. 



"The waters are thoroughly impregnated 

 with free carbonic acid. 



" In June of 1858 I made a partial exami- 

 nation of the waters of the Hot Springs, by 

 boiling down one and a half gallons of the 

 water, and found the contents, approximately 



reduced to one gallon, as fellows : 



Grammes. 

 Organic matter combined with some 



moisture , 1.16 



Silica, with some sulphate of lime not 



dissolved by water 140 



Bi-Carbonate of lime 2.40 



Bi-Carbonate of magnesia 0.50 



Chloride of pottassium 0.04 



Chloride of sodium 218 



Oxide of iron and a little alumina 0.133 



Sulphate of lime dissolved by water 0.350 



Loss, Iodine? Bromine? 0.053 



Total 6 254 



We also quote a few lines from an essay on 

 these springs and their effects by Dr. Garnett: 

 Prof. Cabell, of the University of Virginia, 

 whose opinion on any subject which he may in- 

 vestigate is entitled to the highest respect, in an 

 article on the Hot Springs of Virginia, pub- 



lished in the Richmond and Louisville MedicaV 

 Journal, says : "I do not believe that ordinary 

 hot water will produce such results. * ••■■ 



" It cannot be owing to the dissolved min- 

 eral matter, for similar or even identical effects 

 are observed at the most highly mineralized 

 thermal springs, and at those which contain no- 

 more mineral matter than is found in ordinary 

 drinking water. It is pure speculation with- 

 out a shadow of positive proof to affirm with 

 Dr. Granville, that telluric heat has a pecu- 

 liar caloricity, or with Lersch, a practitioner 

 at Aix-la-Chapelle, that thermal waters may 

 be more highly charged with electricity, or 

 with the late Dr. James Johnson, of London,, 

 to refer the effects to 'the greater degree of 

 solution and intimate union which the mineral 

 principles in thermal springs possess v/hen 

 flowing out of the soil, where they have beem 

 kept in combination for years. But whether 

 a satisfactory solution of the mystery be ever- 

 discovered or not, the/ac< is, that this differenee- 

 between thermal and ordinary heated water is- 

 seldom or never questioned by competent 

 judges, who have examined the question with- 

 out bias or prejudice.' " 



Since the above was penned by its distin- 

 guished author, some experiments have been, 

 made by Drs.Heyman and Krebs, showing the 

 electrical effects on the magnetic needle, of 

 the contact of water charged with gases, acids, 

 or salts, with distilled water, with the follow- 

 ing results : 



"1. Distilled water with other distilled' 

 water, produces a current when the tempera- 

 ture of the two differs, the ivarm water repre- 

 senting the positive pole. 



"2. Distilled water which has stood for- 

 some time in a closed vessel, in contact with' 

 freshly distilled water, showed a deflection .of 

 20°, the water containing air being positive. 



"3. Distilled water with water containing 

 oxygen, causes at first a deviation of 20°, perma- 

 nent at 20°; containing carbonic acid gas. first 

 deviation, 85°, permanent at 21°. The water 

 containing gas is always positive. Water 

 acidulated with nitric, sulphurous, or hydro- 

 chloric, acid acts positively and produces con- 

 siderable deviations. 



"Water containing alkalies, acted nega- 

 tively; containing hydro-sulphuric acid, it 

 also acted negatively; containing acid salts,. it-. 



