156 Account of the New Mineral Spring at Albany. 



on this occasion not be uninteresting to pay some attention to 

 the comparative qualities of each. Having no theory to sup- 

 port, and feeling no particular interest in the question of the 

 merits of any of them, I may perhaps be brought to consider 

 the subject with fewer prejudices than others. 



In stating the component parts of each, I shall give the 

 results of my own analysis, which as it was performed with 

 great care, and has been long before the public, I feel my- 

 self responsible for. The principal springs to which I shall 

 refer, are the Congress spring at Saratoga, the public well 

 at Ballston, and the Albany spring lately discovered. 



The following are the contents of each by analysis in one 

 pint of water. 



Congress Spring. 



Public Well, Ballston. 



Albany Water. 



Grs. 



Grs. 



Grs. 



Muriat of Soda, 51 1-2 



Muriat of Soda, 21 



Muriat of Soda, 59 



Carbonat of 



Carbonat of 



Carbonat of So- 



Lime, 13 3-4 



Lime, 4 5-8 



da, 5 



Carbonat of 



Carbonat of 



Carbonat of 



Magnesia, 8 1-2 



Magnesia, 5 5-8 



Lime, 4 



Muriat of Lime, 1 3-4 



Muriat of Lime, 1 3-4 



Carbonat of 



Muriat of Mag- 



Muriat of Mag- 



Magnesia, 11-2 



nesia, 2 1-2 



nesia, 3-4 



Carbonat of Iron, 1 



Oxydoflron, 1-4 



Oxyd of Iron, 1-2 



Muriat of Lime, 1-2 



Total 78 1-4 



Total 34 1-2 



Total 71. 



Carbonic acid gas, 



Carbonic acid gas, 



Carbonic acid gas, 



Cubic Inches, 33. 



Cubic Inches, 30 1-2 



Cubic inches, 26. 



The first circumstance which I shall remark with regard to 

 all these waters is, that they contain no neutral salts except 

 muriat of soda, but that in the quantity of this they differ mate- 

 rially, whilst the Ballston water contains only 21 grains in a 

 wine pint, the Congress spring contains 51 1 grains, and the 

 Albany water, 59 grains. But the most essential difference 

 between these waters arises from the quantity of earths which 

 are held in solution by carbonic acid gas ; while the Con- 

 gress spring contains in one pint 221 grains of carbonat of 

 lime and magnesia, the Albany water contains only 5\ grains. 

 There is also another material difference between these wa- 

 ters. In none of the springs either of Ballston or Saratoga 

 have I observed an alkaline carbonat, nor indeed could it be 

 expected, as the presence of carbonat of soda is incompati- 

 ble with either the muriat of lime or of magnesia which I 

 have found in them, but having found five grains of car- 



