164 THE NATITEALIST IN BERMUDA. 



by rain water percolating through the porous conglomerate 

 of shell of which the entire Islands are composed, and that 

 such rain water is met at a certaia level by the water of the 

 ocean penetrating through fissures or forcing its way'by 

 means of filtration. That fresh water, from being specifi- 

 cally lighter than sea water, will, when undisturbed, float 

 for some time upon the denser fluid of the latter, without 

 much admixture of the two, is highly probable, but the 

 bare contact of rain and sea water, in any degree, must, I 

 apprehend, tend to deprive the former of its purity. Under 

 such circumstances it is difficult to conceive how well-water 

 should be fit even for the use of cattle. 



I will cite a case ia support of this opinion. 



On my arrival ia Hamilton, the principal town of Ber- 

 muda — now some years ago — I observed that a well, a few 

 yards distant from the Steam Grist Mill, was much resorted 

 to for water, and on my enquiring if it were fit to drink, I 

 was assured there was no finer water in the Bermudas. A 

 similar well had been sunk inside the engine house of the 

 said mill, for the express purpose of supplying the boilers 

 (high pressure of ten horse power) with "fresh water." 

 The miU was worked with the water obtained from this 

 well for five or six years, when a slight explosion of steam 

 caused the boilers to be opened, and the interior of each 

 was found to be coated on the bottom and sides with a 

 solid crust of indurated grey salt and calcareous sediment 

 about two inches thick, which required a stout blow from a 

 sharp iron pick to detach even a small portion of it ; thus 

 proving, beyond a doubt, that water, hitherto considered to 

 be fresh, was in reality impregnated with a portion of 

 salt. 



