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excepted. The waters of the ocean are known to 
be ftrongly impregnated with this fait, and from it 
to acquire their bitter tafte. It has alfo been difco- 
vered in many fprings, in almoft all known parts of 
the world; many of which are thereby rendered unfit 
for domeftic ufes, though highly ferviceable in medi- 
cine. Many lakes contain large quantities of this 
fait ; as the lake Afphaltus, and fome of the lakes in 
Siberia W : and laftly, it will appear from the fpe- 
cimens of this fait here produced, that it continually 
germinates from {tones, and other fubftances lodged 
in the bowels of the earth; from which fubterraneous 
{tores, not only the fprings and lakes, but alfo the 
ocean itfelf feems, in part at lead, to be fupplied with 
it. 
In Partition N° 1. are various fpecimens of this 
bitter fait, which I found germinating, in great 
abundance, from a whitifh-grey free {tone, in many 
parts of the colliery of Howgill near Whitehaven. 
It there grows, or {hoots out from this {tone, in very 
fine and tender filaments, which are white and {Line 
like polifhed {liver. Thefe filaments are of various 
lengths: fome I have feen three inches long; and 
they are often fet lo clofe to each, other as to adhere 
together into one mafs. They are often very pure, 
but fometimes are intermixed with minute efilcre- 
fcences of green vitriol ; which fait alfo germinates 
in great abundance in the fame colliery. The green 
vitriol, which is extrade:! from the martial pyrites 
found among the coal in <he fame mine, has alfo 
fometimes mixed with it a fmall portion of this 
bitter fait, as I learned from experience, having 
(a) Gmelin. 
frequently 
