that the feculent and carbonic matter at the bottom 

 of the pond would have been put into a state of com- 

 bustion. From the crater, at the place through 

 which the gas rose, and the excavation of the sur- 

 rounding ground, it appeared as if this had really 

 happened on some former occasion ; and for fear the 

 like might occur again, the gentlemen of the part}- 

 extinguished the flame, by flapping, agitating^ and 

 dissipating it with green botighs, before the water 

 rose to a temperature too hot to enable them to ap- 

 proach near enough for this purpose by wading into 

 it. When once in a blaze, there seems to be no end 

 to its burning, but the stop which a storm of wind and 

 rain may put to it.* 



Prestons salines^ are on the north fork of Holston, 

 Malf a mile south of the river, seventeen or eighteen 

 sniles easterly from Abington. 



Many thousands of inhabitants are now supplied 

 from it with salt of a superior quality, at a low price* 

 The tract consists of about 300 acres of fiat marsh 

 land, of as rich a soil as can be imagined. In this 

 flat, pits are sunk in order to obtain the salt water o. 

 They are from sixty to ninety feet deep; after pass- 

 ing through the rich soil or mud, yon come to a very 

 brittle limestone rock, with cracks or chasms,through 

 which the salt water issues into the pits, whence it is 

 drawn by buckets and put into the boilers, which are 

 placed in furnaces adjoining the pits. The hills that 

 surround this flat are covered with fine timber. Near 

 this, Mr. King has a well more than 200 feet deep, 

 10 feet square, constantly more than half full of wa* 



* Med, Repos, Kexade 2ds, voL iii. 



