ON THE BORACIC ACID OF CENTRAL ITALY. 



299 



institutions, including house rent. As might be anticipated, the apothe- 

 cary's shop is largely frequented by villagers from the neighbourhood, 

 who obtain drugs free of expense. The late Grand Duke of Tuscany, 

 alive to the good which M. Lardarel had done and was doing, ennobled 

 him with the title of Count of Monte Cerboli. If I were asked to erect 

 a monument to him at Lardarello, I would place no statue, but simply 

 copy the beautiful epitaph applied to Sir Christopher Wren, in St. Paul's 

 Cathedral, London, "Si monumentum quceris, circumspice." 



The lake of Monte Rotondo, belonging to M. Durval, contains -^^ of 

 boracic acid in solution, the maximum of impurities being 15 per cent., 

 chiefly sulphates of lime, ammonia, alumina, and magnesia, hydro- 

 chloric acid, and free sulphuric acid, with traces of organic matter. The 

 area of the lake is about 18 acres. M. Durval produced from it 64 tons 

 in 1854 and 142 tons in 1855. 



Within the last year Prof. De Luca has analyzed two specimens of 

 boracic acid from M. Durval's works ; these he kindly communicated 

 to me, and not having been published before, they are additionally valu- 

 able, and are as follows : — 



No. 1. No. 2. 



Anhydrous boracic acid 

 Water .... 

 Sulphuric acid 

 Chlorine 



Silica .... 

 Magnesia 



Lime .... 

 Ammonia 

 Potash, soda, alumina, oxide 

 and organic matter . 



Total 



of iron, 



Impurities in the above 



100 parts give of crystallized boracic acid 



50-7 



46.6 



36-9 



40-4 



9-1 



9-5 



0-2 



o-i 



1.0 



1-2 



1.1 



1-3 



0-5 



0-6 



0-3 



0-4 



traces. 



traces 



99-8 



100-1 



12-2 



13-1 



I 89-0 



84-3 



Travale. — Within the last two or three years a new company, 

 called the " Societa Anonima di Travale," has commenced operations 

 near Montieri (Pisa"), for extracting the boracic acid which is there found 

 in small quantities, associated with a large proportion of sulphate of 

 ammonia. The locality is north of the fracture we have been describ- 

 ing, and it remains to be proved whether it offers such a brilliant future 

 as the other lagoons. 



The remarkable analogy between the lagoons and volcanic craters 

 will be best seen by a comparison of the products found in these re- 

 spective places. 



The following is a list of some of the gases and minerals from the 



