1854.] 



GEOLOGICAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1852-3. 



99 



Mineral Springs of Canada ; the discovery of the presence of 

 boracic acid in several springs, and the analy.sis and description 

 of some new minerals. AVe proceed to extract the most pro- 

 niinent illustrations of those additions to our knowledge of the 

 physical history of the United Provinces. 



" Having in the month of October last, collected a farther 

 supply of the alkaline water from the Grand Coteau at Chamhly, 

 described with an incomplete analysis, in my Report for lust 

 year, I was enabled to confirm the results before obtained, and 

 to make a more extended examination. It will be recollected 

 that it was described as a strongly alkaline water, containing 

 beside chlorid of sodium, with traces of the iodid and broniid, 

 and carbonates of lime and magnesia, a large proportion of 

 carbonate of soda, besides silica in some soluble state. To 

 these must be added, carbonates of baryta and strontia, and 

 borate of soda. It is but a few months since Professor H. 

 Rose, of Berlin, pointed out a reaction which enables us to 

 detect borates, even when present in minute quantity. It de- 

 pends upon the power of free boracic acid to change to red, the 

 yellow colour of paper stained with turmeric. The liquid sus- 

 pected to contain a borate is neutralized with hydrochloric 

 acid, and slips of turmeric paper are dipped in it and allowed 

 to dry, when they are to be moistened with somewhat diluted 

 hydrochloric acid, which at once produces a red-brown colour 

 when boracic acid is present. By the aid of this test, Frese- 

 iiius, Bouis, and Filhol, have just succeeded in discovering the 

 presence of boracic acid in many of the mineral springs of Ger- 

 many and France, and the same means have enabled me to 

 detect it in several springs in this Province. When the Cham- 

 bly water is evaporated to one-tenth, and neutralized with 

 hydrochloric acid, turmeric paper which has been three or four 

 times dipped in it and dried, becomes very red when moistened 

 with diluted hydrochloric acid. Our present processes do not 

 afford us any direct means of determining the amount of boracic 

 acid when associated with carbonates and chlorids ; but some 

 experiments to be mentioned farther on, serve to give an ap- 

 proximate notion of the proportion in which it exists." 



CANADIAN MINERAL WATERS. 



The number of mineral waters described in this and the 

 preceding Reports is in all fifty-four. Of these twenty-two 

 making the water bitter and disagreeable to the taste like sea- 

 water, but far more intense ; those chlorids are also present in 

 large proportion in the waters of Kingston, Bay St. Paul, and 

 Rivicrc-Ouclle, and render them unpalatable. The waters 

 from 3 to 12, that of Riviere-Ouelle excepted, are very much 

 alike in character, and arc all agreeabl}' saline to the taste. Of 

 the waters among those last, which have been quantitatively, 

 analyzed, the Intermittent of Caledonia will bo seen to contain 

 the largest amount of these earthy chlorids, after which follow 

 the St. Leon, and Georgian Springs, then those of Lanoraie, 

 Caxton and Plantaganct, which contain the least of all. 



In the second division of saline springs, these earthy chlorids 

 are wanting, and we find instead, a portion of carbonate of 

 soda, which gives to the waters when concentrated, an alkaline 

 or soapy ta.ste. Some of these are at the same time strongly 

 saline, but in others the alkali predominates, and renders the 

 taste of salt in the evaporated waters, hardly perceptible. They 

 all afford the reactions of bromine and iodine, and many, 

 perhaps all of them, contain a portion of borate of .soda. — 

 Carbonates of baryta and strontia are found in all those which 

 do not cuntnin a portion of alkaline .sulphate. 



CLASS 1. SALINE WATERS. 

 Dioision B. Coniainm/j Carbonate of Soda. 



KAMES AND LOCALITIES. 



Varennes, (Outer Spring.) . . . 

 I " (Inner Spring.) 



JFItzroy, (Gillan's Spring.) . . . 

 Caledonia, ("Gas" Spring.) . 

 [ '■ ("Saline" Spring.) . . 



Belceil 



L.a-I!iiie, (Courchenc's Spring.) . 

 Chamblj-, (Rang-dcs-Quarante.) . . 

 Ste-Hyacinthe, (Providence Spring.) 

 La-Baie (Houlfc's Spring.) .... 

 Caledonia, (Sulphur Spring.) . 

 Cliambly, (Grand-Coteau.) 



Ste-Martine 



Nicolct, (Hubert's Spring.) . . . 



St.-Ours 



Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatil'rc, .... 



.Jacques-Cartier River, 



Nicolet, (Roy's Spring) 



In 1000 



SeeRepobtfor 



Pabts. 







10-72 



*1849 p 



. 49 



9-58 



^ t( t 



51 



8-3-t 



*1851 ' 



49 



7-77 



*1848 ' 



' 141 



7-34 



* ii t 



' 143 



7 -.33 



*1851 " 51 



7-20 



*]853 ' 



' IGl 



5-74 



18.52 • 



- lie 



5-lC 



18.50 ' 



' 102 



4.96 



1853 ' 



' ]G1 



4.94 



«18J8' 



145 



2.13 



*]8o3 ' 



154 



1-98 



1852 ' 



114 



1-56 



*1853 ' 



162 



-53 



» u ■ 



157 



-36 



18-52 ' 



113 



-34 



* 18.53 ' 



159 

 1G2 



The quantity of alkaline carbonate bears no constant propor 

 tion to the whole amount of .saline matter, for while the 

 waters of Varennes, Caledonia, Fitzroj- and Belceil, contain but 

 from -05 to -58 parts in 1000 parts of carbonate of soda, 

 equal to from 1 to 12 per cent, of the whole amount of soda 

 salts present, the Jac((ues-Cartier Spring contains 1-95, that of 

 St— Ours -1-34, that of the Grand-Coteau of Chambly 1-06, and 

 Hebert's Spring in Nicolet, 1-13 parts, equalling 82, 63, 52, 

 and 72 per cent, of the whole amount of alkaline salts present. 

 These less saline waters then contain not only relatively, but 

 actually, more alkaline carbonate than the more strongly saline 

 springs. It will be understood that a small undetermined 

 portion of the soda represented as carbonate, exists combined 

 with boracic acid. 



The second class of springs consists of a small number 

 containing free sulphuric acid, together with sulphates of lime, 

 magnesia, alumina, protoxj'd of iron, and small portions of 

 alkalies, without any trace of chlorine ; they all contain 

 sulphuretted hydrogen. Of these four are known, all being in 

 the same region of Western Canada ; the}' are the Tuscarora 

 Sour Spring, containing 1-87 parts of sulphates and 4-29 of 

 free hydrated sulphuric acid, in 1000 (See Report for 1848 p. 

 152); another in Niagara with about -G parts of .sulphates of 

 the above bases, and two parts of free acid in 1000; besides 

 a third from near Chippawa, described by Dr. JIack, of St. 

 Catharines, C. W., in the Briti.sh American Journal, vol. v. p. 

 63, which in composition and strength is very much like that 

 of Tuscarora, and a fourth furnished me by Dr. Chase of St. 

 Catherines, from the vicinit}- of St Davids, and similar to the 

 last, although weaker. (Report lor 1850, p. 100.) The con- 

 nection of these springs with the gypsifcrous rocks, and their 

 supposed relations to the deposits of gypsum, have been 

 discussed in the Report for 1848. 



The Charlotteville Spring is not included in either of the 

 above classes, as its saline ingredients are principally earthy 

 sulphates and carbonates, with but a very snndl proportion of 

 chlorids ; its solid ingredients amount to 2-49 jiarts in 1000. 

 This water is remarkable f(u- the great ((uanlity of sulphuretted 

 hydrogen gas which it holds in solutitm, amounting to 32-1 

 cubic inches to an imperial gallon. (Report for 1S48, p. 157.) 



