90 
them. He was at a loss for terms strong enough to express 
his opinion of the reckless disregard of life, or the ignorance 
which resulted in the deplorable catastrophes which were 
constantly occurring ; and he believed that the only method 
of cure would be that proposed by Mr. Binney in the case of 
the explosion of firedamp in mines, namely, that the parties 
to blame should be compelled to support the widows and 
orphans of their victims. 
Mr. Alderman Pochin stated that he had made use of 
Dr. Joule’s plan, and found it quite practicable and easy of 
application. 
A paper was read “On a New Re-agent for the Separation 
of Calcium from Magnesium,” by Edward Sonstadt, Esq. 
When, in the ordinary course of qualitative analysis, 
carbonate of ammonium is used to separate calcium from 
magnesium, unless the former is present in notable proportion 
to the latter, a very insoluble double carbonate of magnesium 
and ammonium always accompanies the carbonate of calcium, if 
this is allowed sufficient time to form. If much magnesium 
and no calcium is present, the magnesium precipitate still falls 
after a while. Both metals are precipitated by this re-agent, 
the only difference being that the calcium precipitate forms 
somewhat earlier than the magnesium precipitate. This 
fact is cursorily mentioned by Fresenius, more fully by 
Gmelin, and has recently been made the subject of special 
notice by Dr. Dyer. Calcium, therefore, can only be separated 
from magnesium by this re-agent, by fractional precipitation, 
which necessarily involves loss of substance ; and, in quali- 
tative examination, the method is sure to mislead when the 
proportion of calcium present is small, unless it is controlled 
by other methods. The same remarks apply in substance to 
the two other methods of precipitation by sulphuric acid and 
alcohol, and by oxalate of ammonium. When a moderately 
strong solution of Epsom salts is treated with sulphuric acid 
