54 GEOLOGICAL RECONNOISSANCE 



First. By treatment with hydrochloric acid. ■ 



Hygrometric water expelled at 300 deg 3.15 



Silicates insoluble in hydrochloric or nitric acid 64.68 



Alumina • 10.00 



Peroxide of iron- • • 7.68 



Lime 3.65 



Magnesia 1 -50 



Potash .945 



Soda .650 



Manganese .080 



Sulphuric acid .360 



Phosphoric acid .015 



Carbonic acid .050 



Chlorine • .198 



Organic matter, water of hydration not expelled at 300 deg., and 



ammonia 2.428 



Nitric acid and loss 4.614 



f 



100.000 



The saline matter extracted by water, was equal to 7 per cent of the 

 whole, and contained the following bases and acids: 



Alumina tinged with iron 0.32 



Lime 0.76 



Magnesia 0.40 



Potash 0.282 



Soda 0.068 



Chlorine 0.196 



Sulphuric acid • • • 0.360 



Nitric acid 3.210 



Water of crystallization, loss and organic matter 1.404 



7.000 



Another of the nitre earths formed in Bean's cave, is a very regularly 



laminated moist earth, variegated with thin bands of dark and light red 



of a very fine texture, and capable of being divided into thin flexible 



laminae, like sheets of dough. 



This nitre earth, when air dried, yielded by analysis about 1.3 per 

 cent of nitric acid, which when converted into nitrate of potash or salt- 

 petre, by the usual process of leaching and saturation, with carbonate of 

 potash, or the ley from ashes, would give about 2.5 per cent of salt- 

 petre. 



