DEATH OF HORSES AND COWS FROM DRINKING BAD WATER. 143 
will be noticed that, while the lime and sodium are indicated 
as having been in the form of salts (sulphate and chloride), 
it appears that the magnesia was in the free or uncom¬ 
bined state. It need only be remarked that magnesia can¬ 
not exist naturally uncombined, on account, among other 
reasons, of the strong affinity which it possesses for the car¬ 
bonic acid so universally and so abundantly met with in the 
atmosphere and all kinds of natural water. Such being the 
case. Dr. Trumaffis mode of accounting for the 12’5 (or 12’6) 
grains of total solids requires explanation. 
Such are the more striking peculiarities of the published 
results of Dr. Trumaffis analysis of the dike water; that 
they are not confined to this particular sample can be shown 
by reference to the analyses of the other two samples. 
Thus, we are told that the water from the stagnant 
pond"’^ contained 22*4 grains of solid matters per gallon, and yet 
that its total hardness was 41°, and that the chlorine existed, 
not as chloride of sodium, as it did in the dike water, but as 
chloride of calcium. It would be interesting to be informed 
of the grounds upon which this distinction was drawn. The 
magnesia in this, as in the dike water, is represented as being 
uncombined. According to Dr. Truman, the “ Trent water ” 
contained exactly 20 grains of solid substances, and the hard¬ 
ness amounted to 46°. The error of representing the degrees 
of hardness as exceeding the number of grains of entire solid 
matters will, therefore, be seen to exist in each of the three 
analyses. Magnesia is again stated to have been free, and 
the chlorine to have existed as chloride of calcium. 
Having commented upon the leading errors of Dr. 
Truman’s report, I shall now direct attention to the results 
of my own analyses of the same waters. 
(To he continued^ 
