24 
'Examination of Mineral Water 
[Jan. 
absolute accuracy, as far as the present state of knowledge allows ; and errors of 
this kind, though obvious to those who have attended to the subject, are apt 
to cling with mischievous tenacity to the minds of those to whom it is new. 
The portion of the volume contributed by Captain Kater, relates to the balance 
and pendulum only, and, as might have been expected, is satisfactory in execution, 
and disproportionate in extent. The Procrustean rule of making all the volumes 
of nearly equal thickness is, indeed, a radical defect of this Cyclopedia ; the wide 
subject ol Mechanics, and the comparatively narrow one of the Processes of Fer* 
mentation 1 being compressed and expanded into equal bulks. It is, however, sa- 
tisfactory to observe, from his letter in the Times of the 16th July, that the editor 
has abandoned the restrictions which he had originally imposed on his contributors, 
and allowed them " as much space as they may think desirable for their respective 
subjects in future editions, therefore, the deficiencies of some branches of the work 
can be remedied. 
Are the meteorological and physio-geographical departments of the seventh edi- 
tion of the Encyclopedia Britanica committed to the candour and modesty of the 
Professor who, in the Supplement, poisoned at its spring the stream of knowledge to 
winch hundreds will apply, by substituting, for (all that is expected in such a work) 
a clear and impartial statement of the principal meteorological facts and opinion* 
h,s own crude not.ons as the sum of all that is known or thought of the matter ? 
Any of your readers, who are possessed of these and similar publications would ren- 
der no small service to lovers of science, by occasional notices of their p’rogrcss and 
criticisms on their contents ; as it too often happens in this country, that an Ency- 
clopaedia is the only access.ble source of information on subjects which unexpected 
ly acquire mterest, and the accuracy and comprehensiveness of such a work* of 
proportional importance to its possessor. of 
D. B. 
Vll— Analytical Examination of a Mineral Water from the Athm 
mis, Tenasserim Province. By H. PiddingtoV Es7 
[Read before the Physical Class Asiatic Society 1 
This water was forwarded by W. Bruce i, . , 
“ Atlian river, province of Tenasserim ; water from th r^V ^ 3 IabelIed : “ 
Atlian hills, filled about four miles from the foot nf ti ° ^ Spnn ? s ’ risin S in the 
of cocoa-nut trees, completely surrounded with thirk * ^ middle of a SF 0 * 
from the banks of the river : the water so W ^ kjUngIe > and a mile and a hall 
r so hot the hand could not bear it.” 
1 ThP, V i W * 
1 . The cork of the bottle was not a verve- i 
circumstance will be subsequently alluded to & ^ ** WaS Wel1 Sealed 5 this 
2. The water was perfectly limpid and ov l r 
smell and taste were peculiar, they mio-hti 0 * 00 somem ‘ nute bubbles of gas ; its 
tridity, rather than sulphurous; the smell ^ Gimed bituminous with a slight pu- 
cayed cheese. The most delicate tests could ™? Rly Ambled that of moist de- 
rogen : a slight sediment had been deposited ° 1 & trace ° f sul P huretted ty* 
be'adv " l ‘ iC ‘‘ ‘ 1,e Si "^ a ^ef p T S i ve vigtettn h t« qUiriDS i,,Uiltratio " from a few wood 
be advantageously sacrificed. S “ * “ tle P a JT™ might, throughout the work, 
