HUE 
neral substances with the water, which was 
inserted in the Madras Gazette, 1799, and 
subsequently in Mr. Cordiner’s description 
of Ceylon, whence the above account of 
the springs was derived. “ Thehot-wellsof 
Cannia are of different degrees of heat; 
they, however, evidently communicate, for 
the water in all of them is at an equal dis- 
tance from the surface of the ground, and 
a body immersed in one, raises the height 
of the water in the others. As the water 
also from the six wells exhibits the same 
chemical phenomena, there can be little 
doubt that they all proceed from the sarpe 
spring. On examining the heat of the dif- 
ferent wells with great attention, it was 
found that 'they varied from 98° to 106° i 
of Fahrenheit’s thermometer, nearly in pro- 
portion to their different depths. Bubbles 
of air are seen to rise from the bottom of 
the wells, and it was therefore conceived 
that the water might be acidulous, and im- 
pregnated with fixed air. It was found, 
however, that the water did not sparkle in 
a glass more than common water, nor did 
it turn a vegetable colour red; and on fill- 
ing a large case bottle with the water, and 
tying an empty wet bladder to the mouth 
of it, it was found, after shaking a long 
time, that no air was disengaged. It 
would therefore appear that the water is not 
impregnated with any uncommon quantity 
of air ; but that the bubbles are merely 
common air disengaged from the water by 
the heat. As the air, however, might be 
collected with a proper apparatus, its qua- 
lity may be easily ascertained. The water 
has nothing peculiar in its colour, smell, or 
taste. It is not crude or hard, for it dis- 
solves soap easily and perfectly. It con- 
tains no sulphurous principle, for a piece 
of polished silver, when immersed in it, 
contracted no rust nor dark colour. It 
contains no acid or alkali in a disengaged 
state, for on mixing a delicate vegetable 
colour with it, no change to a green or red 
colour was perceptible. The water does 
not contain any selenite, or earthy, or alka- 
line matter, combined with vitriolic acid, 
for on adding a solution of mercury in ni- 
trous acid to it, no sediment was deposited, 
nor does it contain any earthy matter in 
combination with marine acid, nor any cop- 
per, nor zinc, for on mixing mineral and 
volatile alkalies with the water, no precipi- 
tate was formed. On mixture with a decoc- 
tion of galls, the water acquired a blackish 
tinge, which shews it to be slightly impreg- 
nated with iron. On a mixture with a 
HUG 
solution of silver in nitrous acid, some pre- 
cipitate of luna cornea was produced ; this 
shows it to contain a very small portion of sea- 
salt, but not more than the comihon water 
of Trincomallee, upon which the solution of 
silver had the same effect, with this differ- 
ence, that the precipitate from the water 
of the hot-wells was blackest, probably 
from the impregnation of iron. These ex- 
periments were made at the wells, with 
water from those of the highest and of the 
lowest temperature, on the 4th of July, 
1798, when the heat of the atmosphere was 
at 91 degrees. They were also repeated 
upon the water after it was brought to Trin- 
comallee with the same effect. From them 
it would appear that the hot-wells of Cannia 
possess few mineral qualities, or indeed any 
virtue besides their heat, which is of a .tem- 
perature not unfavourable for hot bathing. 
For many complaints also, the drinking of 
hot water is recommended, and for this 
purpose, as well as for bathing, a hot spring 
is preferable to water heated artificially, 
because it is always of a fixed degree of 
temperature.” 
It is extremely probable that an analysis 
of the water from the huers of Iceland, 
would produce nearly the same result, 
whence it may be safely concluded, that 
the water is suddenly heated in its passage 
through the fissures or caverns of the 
earth by its approach to volcanic fires, and 
that its properties are exactly the same 
with those of the springs which flow from 
the bases of hills in a perfectly cold state. 
HUGONIA, in botany, so named in 
memory of Augustus Johannes de Hugo, a 
genus of the Monadelphia Decandria class 
and order. Natural order of Columnifcrae. 
Malvace®, Jussieu. Essential character: 
five-styled; corolla five-petalled; drupe with 
a striated nut. There is but one species ; 
viz. H. mystax, a native of the East Indies. 
HUGUENOTS, a term of contempt, first 
given to the French proteStants in the year 
1560. The origin of this term is much in- 
volved in obscurity ; and various attempts 
have been made to account for it, and for 
its application to the friends of the reformed 
church in France. Some suppose the ap- 
pellation of Huguenots was derived from 
Huguon, a word used in Tourain, signifying 
persons that walk during the night season 
in the streets, and that it was applied to the 
French Protestants in consequence of their 
making choice of that season, in order to 
avoid persecution, in which to perform pub- 
lic worship. Others again, believe, that 
