468 ANALYSIS OF THE 



blane water. It does not admit, therefore, of being determi- 

 ned with much accuracy by actual experiment. 



After I had completed the preceding analysis, a view occur- 

 red to me with regard to the composition of these waters, dif- 

 ferent from that which has been stated above ; and which, if 

 just, may lead to conclusions of some interest with regard to 

 the constitution of mineral waters of the saline class. This I 

 have lastly to illustrate. 



III. Observations on the composition of saline mineral 



WATERS. 



It is a question not unequivocally determined, and perhaps 

 not capable of being determined, in what state the saline in- 

 gredients of a mineral water exist, — whether the acids and ba- 

 ses are in those binary combinations which constitute the dif- 

 ferent neutral salts, or whether they exist in simultaneous 

 combination, the whole acids being neutralised by the whole 

 bases. If the former, which is the more common, and per- 

 haps the more probable opinion, be adopted, it is at least cer- 

 tain, that the state of combination may be modified by the 

 analytic operations, and that the binary combinations obtained 

 by these, may not be precisely those which existed in the wa- 

 ter. In the case of the Dunblane water, for example, the in- 

 gredients obtained are muriate of soda, muriate of lime, and 

 sulphate of lime. Now it is possible that the sulphate of lime 



may 



