304 Dr. Marcet’s Analysis of the Waters of 
and the respective portions of acid belonging to each of these 
earths being calculated, the quantity of muriat of soda was 
inferred from the remaining quantity of acid. 
This method afforded remarkably accurate results. The 
only objection to it seems to be that the muriat of soda being 
only estimated, and not actually obtained, if any error be made 
either in the estimation of the acid or in the separation of the 
lime and magnesia, these errors must also ultimately affect 
the computation of the muriat of soda, without allowing any 
immediate means of detecting them. This objection, however } 
is in a great degree removed, by a comparison of the two 
portions of the solution, from one of which the common salt 
can be obtained undecomposed ; and the present method has 
this additional advantage, that the quantity of acid is a sort of 
check, which, when connected with some other point of com- 
parison, prevents any gross error in the computation of the 
earths, from escaping notice. 
This plan being very similar to that which I actually fol- 
lowed in the analysis of the water of the Dead Sea, it may be 
worth while to mention the summary results of the compa- 
rative experiments which decided me in its favour. 
The artificial solution contained : 
Salts. Acid. 
Muriat of lime - 8,17 grains 4,02 grains. 
Muriat of magnesia 26,10 = 14,62 
Muriat of soda - 2,5,00 = 11,50 
59,27* = 30,14 
* These happened to be very neatly the real proportions of salts in the Dead Seal 
yet this coincidence was a matter of mere accident ; for when I mixed up the ingre- 
dients, I was led to suppose from Eavoisif.r’s paper, that their proportion in the 
Dead Sea was very different from that which I afterwards ascertained. 
