1843.] Asiatic Society. 835 



D. You may in the mean time establish a little sulphur manufactory with only a few common 

 earthenware pots and water spouts, as follows :— * 



Prepare a common water jar by coating it over outside with a little wet mud, to which a small 

 quantity of lime and cow-dung has been added. 



Set this jar sloping in an earthen furnace, with two earthen supports for it, the side to lean on 

 the front wall and the mouth to be outside, the fire to be put in at the back. Two inches of space 

 at most, should be left to allow the fire to play a little round the belly of the jar, but remember 

 that no great heat is required ; all that is wanted is to distil over the sulphur at a gentle heat ; a 

 strong heat will both burn it to waste, and by making it grey, lower its price. If your heat is well 

 managed, you will get pure, bright, sulphur-yellow produce. Fill it with the mineral broken to 

 lumps not exceeding the size of a walnut. 



E. Over the top of the jar, put the head as shewn in the sketch which is only another earthen 

 pot with an earthenware water spout fixed into it, the end of which is also fixed into a smaller 

 jar in the bottom of which is a hole of about one inch in diameter. The spout should be supported 



by a forked stick. 



F. The jar is placed (supported by a bamboo frame,) over a tub of water; the whole of the 

 joints of the apparatus are to be kept tight by plastering mud and cow-dung, and winding a few 

 strips of coarse cloth or gunny smeared with it about them. 



G. The whole arrangement is, it will be seen, nearly that of the native distillers ; but the differ- 

 ence when at work is, that the head and pipe are allowed to remain warm, the object being to sub- 

 lime over the sulphur in vapour from the jar and condense it, when it flows in a melted state 

 through the hole at the bottom : as very little heat is required, the fire place need not be more 

 than eight inches below the belly of the jar. 



H. In the water a square wooden mould, of say six or eight inches cube, with sides tied together 

 may be placed. As the melted sulphur flows in, it will fill this and probably adhere, so as to form 

 a cubic block which is a highly favorable shape for stowage. It should be remarked, that the roll- 

 shaped sulphur is that of the common impure sulphurs, and this, if ours is pure ; would spoil its sale 

 (say at home ?) by giving it a bad look. If a mark of any kind be left in relief on the bottom of the 

 mould-box, it will appear stamped on the block of sulphur. You may, if your sulphur runs freely, 

 receive it into an iron or earthen pan with handles, and pour it at once into the mould which 

 should be wetted. 



I need not add in conclusion, that I have here described an apparatus of materials to be found 

 all over India, and as there are potters in every town, they can in a few days make you more con- 

 venient apparatus ; as for instance, a still-head with a pipe curving downwards. It is probable that 

 the people, seeing a valuable product obtained so easily by means so quickly within their reach, will 

 be happy to share the produce with Government, or rent the ground ; but it should not be forgotten, 

 that after chemical purity, cleanliness is of first rate importance to the value of the drug. I shall 

 be happy to hear of the progress of the experiment, and by the way I may say, that there are even 

 simpler means of obtaining sulphur than this which I have given ; but judging from the minute 

 sample sent, they would not give clean sulphur without care and management, so I do not trouble 

 your with them. 



When you have succeeded in distilling sulphur well with one jar, you may make a double ap- 

 paratus, by having two on opposite sides over the same fire, and end by having five or six in a row, 

 as in Europe. Yours truly, 



Museum, 22d August, 1843. H. Piddington. 



* A sketch was sent with this Report, but as it only represents the common Sooree's apparatus, 

 we have not thought it worth while to give a plate of it —Eds. 



