282 Mineral Waters of Victoria. 
ascribed to various causes. It has been stated that they are 
due not so much to the common ingredients, like carbonate 
of soda, as to traces of salts of rare metals, or to a peculiar 
arrangement of their particles. It was stated by Scouteten, 
ina paper read before the Academy of Sciences at Paris in 
July, 1865, that the medicinal value of mineral waters is due 
mainly to their electrical condition. But this is a question 
we must leave in the hands of the medical men, and they 
must decide whether the Ballan water has properties other 
than those given to it by the substances detected in analysis. 
At all events it is amost pleasant beverage in warm weather. 
There are one or two other springs in the neighbourhood of 
this one, but though the composition of the inorganic matter 
they contain seems to be the same as that from the spring 
Just described, the amount per gallon is much less. One of 
them rises through a mass of limestone which has probably 
been formed by the deposition of the carbonates of the 
alkaline earths from the water, as the carbonic acid which 
holds them in solution is given off when the water comes in 
contact with the air. Indeed, it is probable that to springs 
of this kind we owe most of the non-fossiliferous beds of 
limestone, such as are found at Geelong, the Duck Ponds 
and at Limestone Creek. 
The other analyses J wish to call your attention to, are 
those of the water from some of the quartz gold mines at 
Maldon. The waters were collected and forwarded to me by 
Mr. Henry Y. L. Brown, of the Geological Survey. They are 
very interesting, as the inorganic matter they contain is 
richer in chloride of potassium than any I can find on record. 
The following analyses show the composition of waters from 
the Eaglehawk, Beehive, and Bell’s Reef mines. 
KAGLEHAWK. 
: In a gallon. In 1000 parts. 
Chloride of Potassium  - - 83°428 1:1918 
Chloride of Sodium - - - 37-485 - 0°5355 
Chloride of Magnesium - - 5 oy a 0:0523 
Carbonate of Magnesia - -  9°600 ied Un bai 
Carbonate of Iron + Alzg O3 and PO; 4:572~ - 0:0653 
= - traces 
Carbonate of Lime \ 
Sulphuric Acid 
a - ee ee 
138°742 1:9820 
