50 Remarks on Inertia. 



ufacture of soap, as pursued in this country. This difficulty, 

 however, may be obviated, by the following process, recom- 

 mended by Welter and Gay Lussac. — Mix a little of the oxy- 

 muriate (chlorate) of potass with the sample of crude soda to 

 be tried, and expose the mixture to a low red heat ; a platina 

 crucible is recommended by them — but one of silver or porce- 

 lain will answer, if the process is carefully pursued ; the latter 

 was used by myself for the purpose. The sulphurets and sul- 

 phites are thus converted into sulphates, and the oxy-muriate 

 into neutral muriate. After this process, the artificial soda 

 may be assayed in the manner above described. 



I shall close this paper, which has already extended much 

 farther than was at first intended, by a few remarks on a 

 point, in which I find there are very mistaken views entertain- 

 ed by the dealers in the crude sodas. It is a common opin- 

 ion, that barilla that is broken into small fragments and pow- 

 der has lost its strength ; on this account there is generally 

 an allowance made in the sale of the article, of from ten to 

 fifty per cent, for this part of the barilla. This opinion, how- 

 ever, is true only to a very limited extent. A considerable 

 part of the soda is at first in a caustic state ; that part of the 

 mass, therefore, that is exposed to the air, imbibes carbonic 

 acid gas and moisture, but, unless the barilla has been wet, 

 and thus lost a portion of its alkali, it is diminished in value 

 only by the additional weight of the carbonic acid gas and 

 humidity it may thus have acquired. 



Art. X. — Remarks on Inertia ; by Z. 



TO THE EDITOR. 



Oxford, Ohio, July 24, 1827. 



Biot says of mobility and inertia, " ne sont nullement pas 

 des proprietes de la matiere mais la seule expression de son 

 indifference parfaite au mouvementou au repos. 11 * Inertia 

 then, according to this writer, is to be classed with mobility, 

 both having what may be very properly termed passive or 

 negative properties of matter. Inertia does not signify 

 any thing active, but the absence of all action. Matter is 



* Traite de Physique, torn 1, p. 1. 



