104 Account of a Boring for procuring Fresh Water . 
assign the several ingredients as nearly as the imperfect state of the experiments 
will admit. 
in. 
j. The salts soluble in spirit of wine (II. 2.) amount to 103 grains in a pint of water, 
2. A little of this salt was dissolved in water, and a particle of oxalic acid added 
to the solution ; it dissolved without forming any cloud. 
3. Pure ammonia and lime waterrespectively added to solutions of this salt gave 
no cloud, but one was formed instantly and precipitated by pure potassa. 
4. Two grains and a half of this salt being dissolved in distilled water, and a lit- 
tle dilute sulphuric acid added to the solution, a slight cloud was formed, but no preci- 
pitate ; being evaporated to dryness, it weighed two grains which tasted bitter. 
5. Hence it appears, that this salt consists chiefly of muriate or nitrate of mag- 
nesia, with probably a very small proportion of muriate of barytes. 
nr. ,• 
The salt obtained by solution in cold water, appeared to be almost entirely muriate 
of soda. It amounted to 8.42 grains in a pint of water. 
V. 
The residuum, insoluble in spirit of wine, and eight parts of distilled water, af- 
ter keeping some days, weighed 57 grains ; one-fourth part of this quantity was 
boiled in a pint of distilled water. This solution being evaporated, yielded 5+ grains 
of dry residuum, which gives 1.56 grains to a pint of water. ‘ 8 
As" it appears (from 1.6.) that the water contained no vitriolic acid, consequently 
no gypsum, this residuum must probably have been carbonate of magnesia of which 
two parts are soluble in 100 of cold water. 
tk. 
1 . The residuum, insoluble in 500 parts of water, weighed 8J grains or 2.50 grains 
in a pint of water. 
2. I dissolved half a grain of this in muriatic acid, and dropped into the solution 
some Prussiate of potassa ; no precipitate took place ; no iron is therefore contained 
in the water, for I had found by experiment that half a grain of sulphate of iron 
(which contains no more than 0.11a grains of oxyde of iron, according to Berg- 
man) m a pint ot water, gave a considerable precipitate of Prussian blue on addine 
the Prussiate of potassa. u ® 
3. Ou the remainingeight grains 1 poured distilled vinegar and filtered the solu- 
tion, winch, when evaporated to dryness, gave 9J grains of salt The earth dissolved by 
vinegar might have been carbonate of lime of or magnesia, and what it actually was 
might have been ascertamci by .sulphuric acid, but this was hardly necesmin foT it 
appeared (by III. 2.) that the water contained no muriate of lime ■ now the muriatic 
acid haring a stronger attraction for lime than for magnesia, would have preferably 
v thi ; ;? k ' r v^ ht 
y* grains ot this acetate of magmsia, 8£ would have furnished 10.09 which contain 
rffitlC ters*- « *>. pfi water. h 
r es- 
>.0 7 
istence of this last was not ascertained by experinmnfi™^ 10 " ° f siIex ’ but 11,6 ex ' 
Conclusion. 
From the above experiments, it appears that a pint of the water „„ 
tains the following ingredients. ‘ crin question con- 
Muriate of soda. grains. 
Muriate of magnesia. I.*..*.. in? 
Carbonate of magnesia. l.Oo 
Clay, with perhaps a little silex .7.7. ?' 54 
.... 1,44 
If we make allowance for the quantity of residuum lr»*t u, • 13.'43 
proportion of 200 to 189.5, the whole pit*.. S aimml0bt >ny increasing these in the 
be 15.59 grains ; but [ cannot sav in ST® ™****r & in a pint of the water will 
fall on the several ingredients. ^ at P ro P ortlon s this augmentation ought to 
