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openings aio not more than a foot and a half diftaiit from 

 one another, and yet of fo different qualities, that the one is 

 limpid, bUioifh, milk-warm, and bubbling, and contains fal 

 ammoniac, oclire, iron, vitriol, alum, lulphur, nitre, and 

 orpiment ; all thefe fubftances having been feparated in its 

 analyfis. The other is cold as ice, and is turbid, whitifti, 

 and much heavier, and ftronger to the tafte than the other. 

 This holds much orpiment, with fome fait, alum, nitre, fal 

 ammoniac, and vitriol. The firft of thefe waters is taken 

 by the people in the neighbourhood, againft worms, and 

 difordcrs of the fpleen, as alfo againft epilepfies ; the other 

 is poifonous to birds, all that drink of it dying in a very 

 little time. The experiment has been tried on common 

 hens, with the water brought from the fprings into other 

 places, and given them to drink. 



Thofe to which fait is given, after the fwallowing of this 

 poifonous water, ftruggle longer before they die by it ; and 

 vinegar is found to lave them very often from death, after 

 drinking largely of it ; but in this cafe they are fickly 

 for feven or eight days after it, and have the pip, as the 

 good women exprefs it. 



In the diffefting of thofe birds which have died by drink- 

 ing this water, the Tungs are always found quite (hrivelled 

 up. 



The people of the country have not been deterred by this 

 bad effeft of the water from ufmg it in medicine ; they take 

 fmall quantities of it diluted in water, to deftroy the worms, 

 and it performs this very well ; but gives them a grievous 

 licknefs while it operates. 



The third ftream, or opening, of this remarkable fpring, 

 is about twenty paces diftant from the others ; the water 

 is here very clear, of a greenifli colour, and of a four, but 

 not very difagreeable talle. It is of a middle weight, and of 

 middle qualities between the other two, and is evidently 

 formed of the joining of thofe two fprings with fome other 

 frcfli water in the way ; for a liquor exaftly rcfembhng 

 this third kind may be prepared, by mixing equal quantities 

 of the other two with a fufficicnt quantity of common well- 

 water. 



There is a fpring in Bafil difcharging its water through 

 the Tanners'-ftreet, or Gerber-gaffe, which is of a blueiHi 

 colour, and fomewhat turbid. This holds blue vitriol, 

 that is copper, in the form of a fait, and with it bitumen 

 and antimony ; but a much larger proportion of the firft 

 ingredient than of either of the others. The analyfis of it 

 fhews, that it contains three parts copper to one of bitumen, 

 and two of antimony. It ferves the tanners of the place 

 to good purpofes, their ikius receiving one of their prepara- 

 tions from this native water. 



The fame town affords feveral other fprings of peculiar 

 qualities, all owing to the veins of nietaUine ores with 

 which the earth of the place abounds. The one of thefe 

 is called Bandulph's well, and affords a water of great ufc 

 in medicine, feveral being regularly and perfeftly cured of 

 hydropical diftcmpers by it. And another very remark- 

 able one contains, as is found by its analyfis, fulphur, nitre, 

 and fome gold. Thefe, however, are in fuch fmall quantity 

 in it, as not to prevent its being fit for the common ufes of 

 life. It is very agreeable to the talle, and is much efteemed 

 for drinking, and fent for all over the town. 



Another vitriolic water runs out of a cavern, near Gelf- 

 bach, in Alface. It is a fattifh and oily liquor, and is ufcd 

 by the country-people for grcafing their wheels, but it is 

 fit for much better purpofes. If it be boiled to the evapo- 

 ration of a third part, there will remain very little water, 

 but a fatty bituminous fnbftance, like tar, will fiibfide to the 

 bottom; and there wiU fwim at the top a yellow, thin, and 



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limpid liquor, very much refembling linfecd-oil ; and this, 

 diftiUed 111 a fand-heat, yields an oily and watery liquor ; 

 the firft very good for external ufes, for burns and fcalds ; 

 and the other a good internal medicine in confumptions, and 

 other difeafes of the lungs. Phil. Tranf. N^ 8. 



Some time ago there was a water difcovered in England, 



that 



gave, on many experiments, an appearance of con- 



taining natural and perfeft vitriol. This water was found 

 near Eglingham, in Cumberland ; and being examined, by 

 adding galls to it, it became abiolute ink, much deeper than 

 any of the atramentous waters ever do ; when one half the 

 quantity was flowly evaporated, the remainder retained this 

 quality to a higher degree than before ; and on evaporating 

 It yet farther, there concreted in it fair cryftals of pure anil 

 genuine vitriol. 



This was an appearance wholly new in England, and not 

 eafily accounted for, as we have no mineral, except the 

 common pyrites, which contains vitriol ; and it is very well 

 known, that there requires a fermentation in the air, before 

 the vitriol, contained in that ftone, will be difentangled from 

 its other principles, fo as to be capable of appearing in its 

 own form ; and as this ftone, lying under water, can never 

 impregnate that water with its vitriol, it did not feem eafy 

 to conceive in what manner a genuine vitriol fliould be com- 

 municated to water, where there was no other fubftance 

 which could give it. The fufpicions that thefe thoughts 

 gave the gentleman who examined this water, occafioned 

 his making a vifit to the place where it was produced, 

 when he found that the fuppofed vitriolic fpring was no 

 other than an old drift made for the draining of the water 

 from fome old wrought coal-pits ; the people who had 

 worked in thefe renierabcri-d to have feen great quantities 

 of pyrites there. This drift was fometimes dry for a con- 

 liderable time together, and fometimes ran in a plentiful 

 ftream ; and there is no doubt but that, in thefe dry feafons, 

 the air adted upon the pyrites, and caufed it to Ihoot its 

 vitriol, which the next tide of water walhed away, and it 

 came off dilfolved in it, and highly impregnating it. 



This proved, therefore, no better a medicinal fpring than 

 fome of a like kind, defcrib'.d by Mr. Leigh in his " Natural 

 Hiftory of Lancafhire ;" and all thefe are very little better 

 than the difcovery of a medicated water in Old-ftrcct, from 

 the remains of an old colour-fhop, or Kircher's reckoning 

 the common ftiores of Rome among the medicated fprings 

 of Italy. 



The vitriolic fpring which has been fo much talked of 

 near Haigh, in Lancalhire, is no other than an accidental 

 impregnation of common water, in the fame manner : it 

 being only the runnings of an old drift, or drain, made to 

 carry off the water from the pits of cannel-coal ; and this, 

 like the other, as it fometimes has water, and at other times 

 is dry, gives time for the pyrites to let go its vitriol while 

 dry, and then imparts it to the waters that pafs that way 

 afterwards. Thefe are not to be accounted medicated 

 fprings, fince neither natural nor continual, and fuch may 

 be any day made at home, by laying the common pyritx 

 of our clay, or coal-pits, out to moulder in the air, and tlien 

 pouring water upon it, and, after a fhort time Handing, 

 taking it off again. Phil. Tranf. N° 245. p. 3S0. Sec 

 ZiMENT, and Vniuoi,, in Chcmillry. 



VITRUM. See Glass. 



ViTUUM, in Bo/any, a name given by fome of the old 

 writers to the plant we now c:\\\ g/ajlum or woaJ. 



Tliis plant has always been ;: native of England, and was 

 in ufe among the favage inhabitants of this illand, for paint- 

 ing their bodies. Thofe who have not underftood this to 

 be the name of that plant, have been ftrangely perplexed 



to 



