A I X 



A I X 



foliate; tlic foimcr compolVd of 129 peifoiis, wIjo iiuUtc in 

 criminal cafes, and tlic latter of 41 memheis, who have jii- 

 lifdiclioii over the police and commerce of the citv, and the 

 management of the public revenues. Tile duke of Bnibant 

 is protcftor of the city ; and the duke of Juliers is hurgo- 

 inalKr or perpetual mayor of tin. burghers, 'i'lie title of its 

 magillracy is that of burgonialter, (herilF, and council of 

 the lioly Roman Imperial free city of Aix-Ia-Chapelle. Tlic 

 prevailing religion is the Roman Catholic ; and tlie Froteftant 

 inhabitants, both I^utherans and Calvinills, not allowed tlie 

 free exercife of their religion williiu the city, celebrate their 

 worllilp at Vaels, about au hour's journcv from the city in 

 the ducliy of Liraburg. The manufaClures of the city are 

 thole of chith, copper and brafs. Couueiis have been held 

 in this city in the eighth and ninth centuries, and treaties of 

 peace have been concluded here; particularly thofe between 

 France and Spain in 166H, and between France and F.ngland, 

 and other belligerent powers in (748. Bufching. vol. iv. p. 

 369. Mod. Un. Hiil. vol. xxxii. p. 223. 



It was taken by the French in 1792, loft after a fevere 

 battle in 1793, ""'^ retaken in 1794. It is 21 miles from 

 Spa, 30 well from Cologn, and 36 north-eall from Liege. 

 N. latl 51° 55'. E. long-; 5' 54'. 



Aix-la-Chapelle, fays Mr. G. Forfler, in liis Travels 1792, 

 which once contained above 100,000 inhabitants, has not 

 now a third part of this number, and has loft all its ancient 

 wealth and profpcrity ; owing partly to the rife of rival 

 towns, but principally to religions intolei-ance and a bad 

 government. The ftreets now fwarm with beggars, and the 

 morals of the people are licentious and corrupt. Thofe 

 whofe Ikill and induftry might have enriched the city are 

 driven from it by the partial and oppredive conduct of the 

 guilds, and have eftablidied their manufaclories in other 

 places, where they enjoy greater liberty. Thofe, he adds, 

 of Burfcheid, Vaels, Eupen, Monjola, and of other places 

 in the duchy of Eimburg, are in a very floiuKliing llate ; 

 the wool is imported from Spain, and the cloth is exported 

 chiefly to the Levant. Vaels, which 30 years ago, was an 

 ineonfiderable village, is now become a reipeitable town ; 

 the protellants, wearV of the opprefPion and bigotry which 

 they had experienced at Aix-la-Chapelle, were eaiily induced 

 to fettle in a place where they were allowed the advantages 

 of religious freedom ; and it has now five different churches, 

 in which Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinifts, Ba]itifts, 

 and Jews, worfliip the Deity according to their feveral fen- 

 timents, and live peaceably with each other. 



Aix-la-Chapelle, or Ak en Waters. Therniic ylquis- 

 granetifes. 



The thermal fulphureous waters of Aix-la-Chapelle 

 have long held a moft diftinguilhcd place among the mi- 

 neral fprings of Europe, and have not a little contributed 

 to the celebrity and opulence of this ancient city. 



Thefe mineral waters rofe to very high reputation in the 

 time of Charlemagne, who made Aix his Imperial refidence; 

 and he appears to have much delighted in the ufe of its 

 "haths, which he rebuilt and improved. 



The hot fulphureous water rlfes in great abundance from 

 frvcral copious fprings in different parts of the town ; and 

 is more than amply fuffieient to fupply the numerous baths 

 and refervoirs in which it is collected. The principal Ipring 

 is enclofed in a fquare ftone ciftern, the upper part of 

 which is vaulted and contracted in its dimenfions; and 

 over the top a large llone is fitted in, and clofely cemented, 

 to prevent the eicape of the fulphureous vapours, on which 

 depends fo much of the efficacy of the water. A re- 

 n>arkable circuniftance takes place in this ciftern, which is, 

 thcaclual futliination o£ a quantity of pure fulpbur, which 



is carried up from the water along with the fulphureoiu 

 gas, and is depofited beneath the upper ftone, to which it 

 adheres in the foini of a line powder. This is taken out 

 from time to time, and fold under the name of y//.v ful- 

 phtif. 



The baths of this city are numerous, and very commo- 

 dious for the purpofe of warm and vapour bathing. The 

 natural heat of the water is fulTicient for both thefe pur- 

 poles; and for the latter, openings arc made in the brick 

 channels that convey the water to the baths, througll 

 which the vapour afcends. Thefe vapour baths are fo con- 

 ilruded that the whole, or any part of the bodv may be 

 expofed to its adion ; and likewife many of the batits are 

 furnidicd with pumps, from which the hot water may be 

 daflied on any part of the patient. This operation i? 

 known by the technical name of tlie drmche. 



Aken water pofleffes veiy ftriking fenlible properties, 

 particularly to the feeling and the fmell. The water rifes 

 with great rapidity through the fprings; and at the fame 

 time lends forth very c(>i>lous air-bubbles, which break 

 on the furface with a (liglit explofion. It is at firft per- 

 fcclly clear and colourlefs, and emits a large volume of 

 fteam, mixed with fulphuraled hydrogen gas of great vo- 

 latility and pungency. The odour of this vapour, (which 

 refembles that of Harrowgate water, is fo ])Owertul as to 

 be perceived by ftrangers at a conilderabie dillance from 

 the fpring head. The irjhaliilants, from lung cullom, 

 fearcely regard it. 



The temperature of Aix water is various, according to 

 the dillance from the fpring at which the obfervation is 

 made. The highell is about 14^^^ of Fahrenheit ; and at 

 the pump, where it is drawn for driidcing, it is about 1 12. 

 The heat is therefore i"o great, that the water rtquhes to 

 Hand for 15 or iS hours before it can be ufed as a bath. 



This water, though perfectlv clear when lirll drawn 

 from the fpring, becomes turbid and fomewhat milkv a» 

 it cools, and dcpolits a calcareous fediment, at the fame time 

 it lolcs its fulpiiureous fmell. To the to\ich, the water it 

 foit and fomewhat faponaeeoiis, owing doubtlefs to the 

 Imall tpiantity of foda which it contains. It will even, in 

 fome degree, lather by agitation ; and is ufed for fulling 

 and cleanfmg wool and linen, to which alfo, the Ileal 

 much contributes. 



The chemical analylis of this water is curious and in- 

 terefting. The moll ftriking feature is its gafeous contents, 

 wliieh are a fmall quantity of carbonic acid, but efpecially 

 much fulphiu"ited hydrogen gas ; not merely in tlie ftate 

 in which it is found, in the cold fulphureous waters of Great 

 Britain, but highly fuperfaturated with fulphur, which is 

 fublimed in a folid form, as we have jull mentioned. The 

 whole of the fulphur contained in the water ii volatilized 

 by evaporation, for no traces of this inflammable fubllancc 

 are to be deterted in the reliduum of any quantity of the 

 water boiled down to drynefs. 



The folid contents of this water are few. The mofl 

 important of thefe is a quantity of nncombined foda, fuf- 

 licient to give the water the properties of a very dilute al- 

 kaline folution ; and which probably affills in the union of 

 fo large a portion of fulphurated hydrogen, and caufes it 

 to adhere to the water with fomewhat more force than it 

 would do if no alkali were prefent. Hence it is, that 

 even after the water has Hood for many hours in the baths 

 to cool, it ilill retains enough of the fulphureous vapour to 

 give it all the requilite medical virtues. The other folid 

 contents are, a fmall quantity of common fait and car- 

 bonated lime, which lall is depolited as the water cools, 

 and the carbonic acid efcapes. 



3 R 2 No 



