ALUMINOUS CHALYBEATE SPRING IN I. OF WIGHT. 55 



" As the same arrangement of rocks here observed pre- Perhaps simi- 



" vails in several other parts of the Isle of Wight, and even ] V 9 P 1 ? 1 ^ in 



.... ° the neigh bo ur- 



" along the coast of Hampshire, it is not improbable, that hood. 



'* other springs of a similar nature might be discovered. 



" May not Alum Bay, which lies to the north of the Nee- 



" dies, have derived its name from a circumstance of this 



« kind? 



«« On the road from Shorwell to Chale, the soil consists of Other chaly. 



" a ferruginous sandstone, and chalybeate iridescent waters le water8, 



** are to be seen in several places. To the east of Fresh- 



" water bay, not far from the place where the cliffs of chalk 



" begin to make their appearance, there is a rivulet, the taste 



■•• of which strongly indicates the presence of iron. At 



" Blackgang Chine, a little to the N.W. of the aluminous 



" chalybeate, is another ferruginous stream running to 



*' the sea. The rock there is a sort of decomposed iron- 



*< stone under the form of balls. The sound compact 



" ironstone, having the appearance of flat pebbles worn 



" by the rolling of the sea, occurs not unfrequently along 



•• the shore. 



Sect. II. General Qualities and specific Gravity qf the 

 Water, 



a. The water issues from the sand rock above described General qua- 

 perfectly transparent, and it continues so for any length of lit,es of the 

 time, provided it be collected immediately, and preserved 

 iu perfectly closed vessels ; but if allowed to remain in con- 

 tact with the air, or even if corked up after a temporary 

 exposure to .it, reddish flakes are soon deposited, which 

 partly subside, and partly adhere to the inside of the vessel. 



b. It has no smell, except that which is common to all 

 chalybeates, and this it possesses but in a very slight degree. 



c. Its taste is intensely chalybeate, and, beside a con- 

 siderable degree of astringency and harshness, it has the 

 peculiar kind of sweetness, which sulphate of iron and 

 sulphate of alumine are known to possess. 



d. Its specific gravity somewhat varies in different speci- 

 mens. }a three different trials I obtained the following 

 results: 



Ht 



water. 



