20 The Natron Lake of Loonay. [no. 1, new series, 
which I am but partially informed; these will chiefly embrace 1st, 
the present quantity available for the market : 2nd, constancy of 
the supply : 3rd, local demands for the salts, which can only be 
known to those residing near the Inke : 4th, means of transit, 
should a demand exist or arise elsewhere : 5th, the small probabili- 
ty of bringing any natural carbonate from a distance to compete in 
Europe, with the carbonate cf soda made from common salt by 
Leblanc's process : 6th, the want of any extensive Indian manu- 
factories of glass or soap*, for T;hich in Europe alkaline carbonates 
are principally employed. * 
The foregoing observations apply more or less strongly to all the 
samples containing carbonate of soda. The sample No. 2, which 
is essentially a pure rock salt, deserves more consideration, as it 
might, supposing it to es-ist in quantity, be''turned to account as a 
source of revenue ; there being always, from the large consumption 
and high price of the article, a re^dy market for good common salt 
in India. Sample No. 7 is worth a trial for building purposes, 
provided that the common salt present could be eliminated by 
washing. 
The purification of the salts Nos. 1, 3 and 4 is easily effected by 
simple soluUon in hot soft drinking water, decanting or syphoning 
off the supernatant clear fluid to separate insoluble impurities, and 
evaporating in cast iron or sheet iron pans by means of furnace 
heat. As to whether the purification would prove profitable or not 
will depend on the expense incurred for fuel and cooly hire, and 
the price of the evaporating pan?, together with that of the purified 
article ; the latter is a main point to be considered, and cannot be 
seen before hand. 
Ko. 2 requires little or no purification. 
No. 5 might be purified in the same manner as Nos. 1, 3 and 4. 
There will exist in solution, a mixture of common salt and carbo- 
nate of soda, the former averaging about 25 per cent. ; by concen- 
tration of the solution, (which should also be effected in iron pans), 
the common salt, from its less solubility compared with the carbo- 
nate of soda, and its equal solubility in both hot and cold water, 
