Mr Ramsay mi the Antiseptic Power 
were as fully salted as those which are cured in the common 
manner for white herrings, the fish would be disagreeable from 
excess of salt, and would not possess the requisite flavour. 
From the experiments to be afterwards narrated, the accounts 
which we have had from France of the antiseptic powers of the 
pyrolignous acid are fully entitled to credit, and the person who 
first applied it as an antiseptic, deserves the gratitude of man- 
kind. These remarks are made, not with the idea that the few 
experiments afterwards mentioned, are of so much importance as 
to give full information on this subject, my intention only being 
to induce those who are interested in the curing of provisions, to 
try its powerful elFects. I shall therefore mention a few expe- 
riments in the order in which they were made. 
On the 10th of July last, a number of herrings were cleaned 
in the common manner, and, without being salted, were immer- 
sed for three hours in distilled pyrolignous acid, of the speci- 
fic gravity of 1,012. On withdrawing the fish from the acid, 
they were considerably softened, and had not the firmness of 
fish taken from a pickle of common salt. In this state they 
were hung on a rod to dry in the shade, were frequently exa- 
mined, and, though the months of J uly and August were very 
hot, the herrings had not the slightest sign of putrefaction ; on 
the contrary, the smell was quite wholesome, although joined 
with the flavour arising from having been steeped in this acid. 
On broiling one of the herrings, the empyreumatic smell was 
strongly developed, and the fish were by no means agreeable to 
those who are not accustomed to this flavour ; but after being 
kept for upwards of six months, they remained in a state of 
complete preservation. From experiments made since, 1 find 
that pyrolignous acid, of the specific gravity of 1,012, is too 
strong for the immersion of fish for so long a period as three 
hours, but that simply dipping them in acid of the above 
strength is sufficient for their preservation, if they are after- 
wards dried in the shade ; and on boiling herrings done in this 
manner, they were very agreeable to the taste, and had nothing 
x)f the disagreeable empyreuma which those had which were 
steeped for three hours in the acid* 
