No. 12.— 1860-1.] BADULLA AND ITS PRODUCTS, 



419 



shew, that the dung of these animals, like any animal matter, is 

 not an essential, merely an assistant circumstance. For this purpose, 

 it will be sufficient to remark, that in the nitre cave near Memoora in 

 Doombera, in a very compounded rock consisting of calcspar, felspar, 

 quartz, mica, and talc, in a humid state exposed to the air, and 

 slowly decomposing, I have found a rich impregnation of saltpetre, 

 though quite free from the dung of bats, or any other animal matter ; 

 and conversely, that I have not been able to detect any traces of 

 this salt in the dung of bats, that had accumulated in great quantity 

 in an old forsaken pagodah. 



"A description of the nitre caves which I have visited, will be 

 found in another part of this work, and an account of the method 

 employed by the natives, both in the manufacture of saltpetre and 

 of gunpowder. I may here give the results of some analyses, that I 

 have made, which will shew the composition, of the most productive 

 nitre rock of Doombera, of the most productive nitre earth of Ouva, 

 and of the richest nitre earth of Bengal. The nitre rock of Doom- 

 bera was from the Memoora cave, t'.ie same as that before mentioned 

 as free from animal matter; 10'J parts of this very compounded rock 

 were found to consist of — 



2 '4 nitrat of potash. 

 7 nitrat of magnesia. 

 0"2 sulphat of magnesia. 

 9-4 water. 

 26 "5 carbonat of lime. 



607 earthy matter, insoluble in dilute nitric acid. 



100-0 



100 parts of the nitre earth, from the great cave in lower Ouva, 

 near Wellaway, were found to consist of — 



3-3 nitrat of potash, with traces of common salt and sulphat of lime, 

 3 \5 nitrat of lime. 

 .15 "3 water. 



25-7 animal matter of difficult solubility. 



1-0 animal matter easily soluble in waier. 

 51*2 carbonat of lime and earthy matter. 



100-0 



100 parts of nitre earth from Bengal, from the district of Tirhoot, 

 were found to consist of — 



8-3 nitrat of potash. 

 3 "7 nitrat of lime. 



0-8 sulphat of lime, with a trace of iron. 



0*2 common salt. 

 35-0 carbonat of lime, with trace of magnesia. 

 40-0 earthy matter, insoluble in water and nitric acid. 

 12*0 water, with a trace of vegetable matter. 



10J0 



