SPECIMENS OF THE SOIL AND SALT OF SAMAR. 
567 
30,000 Rupees, in three hundred shares of 
100 each, would be sufficient capital. 
Details of management may be easily ar- 
ranged, and there is a vast extent of waste 
land on the banks of the various rivers and 
streams of the Deccan. 
Instance the neighbourhood of Phoon- 
tamba, on the Godavery, as excellently 
adapted to the purpose. The supply of 
water is inexhaustible. Very simple ma- 
chinery would raise it in copious streams 
from the bed of the river. The ruined 
streets of the town afford any required 
quantity of building materials ready to hand. 
Yewla, the greatest manufactory of silks 
on this side of India, lies within 15 miles, 
and is celebrated for the beauty and durabi- 
lity of its dyes. 
Government, which has shewn so much 
liberality in the encouragement of sugar and 
cotton, would doubtless grant the land on 
most favourable terms ; and we have for our 
successful guidance the experience of those 
who have felled the way before us — So I pray 
you, Mr. Editor, stir the good people up. 
I am, &c. 
T. Gaisford. 
Patoda Jungles, Jan. 12, 1837. 
Art. III. — Journal of the Asiatic Society 
of Bengal, edited hy the Secretary, 
December, 1836. 
This is the completion of the fifth annual 
volume, edited by our talented friend James 
Prinsep. Esq. While there is scarcely a 
task more difficult of execution and more 
meritorious in its object, than that of con- 
veying to posterity discoveries in science 
and the progress of oriental literature and 
researches, there is scarcely one less noticed 
or supported by the generality of mankind. 
Nothing can be more striking than the 
support the nworthy and esteemed editor of 
the Asiatic Journal has experienced as the 
result of his valuable labours, not only have 
they been performed gratuitously, but he has 
been actually minus of some thousands of 
rupees. We are glad therefore to find him in- 
creasing the amount of subscription to his 
work, and we are satisfied that they who duly 
estimate the value of his efforts will rejoice 
that he has done so, and endeavour to remove 
a burthen which should never have been im- 
posed : the numbers published monthly have 
been enlarged from 62 to 80 pages ; the in- 
creased rates of subscription therefore, which 
is only eight annas per mensem, is not pro- 
portionate to the value received. We hope 
that our allusion to the subject will multiply 
the number of subscribers to this ably con- 
ducted work. We turn however from pecu- 
niary considerations to a field of matter be- 
fore us. An article ON SPECIMENS ofthesoil 
AND SALT OF SAMAR, COLLECTED BY LIEUT. 
CONOLLY, AND ANALYZED BY MR. STEVEN- 
SON, is important. The following is the ana- 
lysis, accompanied with the editor’s remarks. 
EXAMINATION OF SELECTED SPE- 
CIMENS OF THE SOIL. 
BV J. STEPHENSON. 
A No. 1. — Mud from the bed of Sambhip' Lake. 
An average portion digested in distilled 
water, and the filtered solution (which appear- 
ed of a reddish brown colour), subjected to 
the usual tests, gave the following results. 
Nitrateof barytes,. . Copious white’, precipitate. 
Nitiate of silver,.. . .Ditto flambent grey ditto 
Prussiate of potash,.. No change. 
Oxalate of ammonia. Ditto ditto. 
Litmus pafier, ..... Ditto ditto. 
Turmeric ditto,. . . . Ditto ditto. 
300 grains exposed to a gentle heat in or- 
der to drive off the moisture lost 107=35, 6 
per cent, 
100 grains of the dry mud were now put 
into solution, and the insoluble matter collect- 
ed on the filter, washed, dried, and weighed, 
gave 70 grains. 
The filtered solution treated with nitrate of 
barytes threw down a precipitate of sulphate 
of barytes, together with the colouring mat- 
ter, which, after washing, drying, and weighing, 
gave 17 grains= 10.4 sulphate of soda. 
The solution now freed from the sulphate 
was next treated with nitrate of silver, from 
which a precipitate of muriate of silver was 
obtained, weighing 42 grains = ig.S muriate 
of soda. 
Insoluble matter, 70 0 
Sulphate of soda, lo 4 
Muriate of soda, l9 5 
Loss 0 i 
100 0 
EXAMINATION OF THE INSOLUBLE 
MATTER FROM A NO. 1, AFTER 
J HE SEPARATION, AS ABOVE. OF 
THE SULPHATES AND MURIATES. 
Fifty grains of the insoluble earthy matter 
now freed from theextraneous salts was treated 
with muriatic acid. A strong effervescence 
took place, and the digestion was continued 
for 12 hours, as there was reason to suppose 
that carbonate of lime was present. It was 
now repeatedly washed with pure water, and 
