330 Tie Vitriol 



tafting bitterifh, fmelling lixivious, and though 

 not formally alcaline, nor yet vifibly fermenting 

 with acids, but approaching thereto : this appears 

 at leaft from all our Up-land, and probably too, 

 holds good of the Low-land waters, provided other 

 grofs, earthy, and faline parts intermixed, (land 

 not in the way of a proper feparation and exhibi- 

 tion. Moreover, there is no great difficulty to re- 

 folve a body of fuch feeble texture as vitriol is 

 (which gives in the very air) efpecially that little 

 of it eenerallv in waters. 



Further, concerning the alcaline falts in mine- 

 ral waters, though it be difficult to affign their ori- 

 gin, yet there are feveral fprings, from which they 

 may be procured in a quite eafy manner. For, 

 not to mention common fait, as being plentifully 

 to be met with in the earth, and which (a thing 

 well to be obferved) is the only matter, from which, 

 with the addition oftheacidof fulphur or vitriol \ 

 a bittter f&h, like that from aciduU, is procurable 

 by art; efpecially as fuch bitter, or fpring fait is 

 to be met with in z\\ foles or brines, as Profefftr 

 Lehman, a perfon much converfant in falts, has 

 difcovered : nor to infill on lime-ftoneand gypfum- 

 flone, nor what is allied thereto, fpath, nor cat-"' 

 fiiver, Mufcovy-glafs, felenites* glimmer \ and the 

 like, as being all of a fpathy, and fpath of a cal- 

 carious nature , and all, in particular fpath, which 

 liesjby pyrites^ of an alcaline nature, and with acid 

 capable of putting on the appearance of a fair, as 

 we learn from'the white tophus in the Prudel fpring 

 at the Carlsbad ; I (hall only propofe, by way of 

 query, another fort of earth or (tone, which the 

 alcali in queltion may, among other things, be 

 afcribed to, efpecially when we come to confider 

 the buficefs of the converfion of earths into falts, 



and 



