28 Origin of some kinds of Kunkur. 



The water may be tested first with a little solution of soap 

 in alcohol, which will shew if it contains any earthy salt ; 

 that it contains no metallic salt, has been shewn by prussiate 

 of potash producing no effect. 



Oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, or their alkaline salts will 

 shew if the water contains any lime, and a little lime water 

 will shew if it contains any free carbonic acid, which might 

 cause the precipitate on boiling. Nitrate of silver will shew 

 the presence of muriatic acid, and an alkalic prosphate with 

 excess of ammonia will shew the presence of magnesia. 



Mr. Liston of course will be perfectly aware of what the 

 action of the above tests indicate, but I make the remark to 

 point out which will be most satisfactory if the subject is 

 followed up. 



This subject leads me to what may be called ee improvis- 

 ing," tests, for want of a better word. Gentlemen travelling 

 with only a small test chest may often provide themselves 

 with tests by a little ingenuity. For instance, as the princi- 

 pal acids will be always at hand, a test for lime may be 

 provided on an emergency by burning a bone, pounding it, 

 pouring a little sulphuric acid on it, adding a little water, 

 letting it stand ten minutes, filtering, supersaturating the 

 solution with ammonia and filtering again ; a little phosphate 

 of ammonia containing only a very small portion of sulphate* 

 will be thus provided fit to be used as a test in five minutes. 

 Or a little sugar-candy may be boiled with some nitric acid 

 for five minutes, and the filtered solution saturated with 

 ammonia will be a mixture of oxalate and nitrate of ammonia, 

 which will be a capital test at once. It is unnecessary to 

 pursue the subject farther in this place, but it will easily be 

 seen that a traveller well acquainted with the processes 

 of operative chemistry may very often supply his wants on 

 an emergency with very slender means at command, and may 

 thus render it unnecessary to lumber himself with a multi- 

 tude of tests. 



