169 
ROCK-SALT. 
Near Astracan, too, is the mine of Iletzki, celebrated for 
the quantity of salt it furnishes. The salt lies at no great 
depth, and rests on a very hard clay. The soil above it is 
sandy, and full of holes, containing water saturated with 
salt. 
In Siberia there is a mine of rock-salt on the right bank 
of the Kaptendoi; and on that of the Kawda are fourteen 
brine-springs. Others are found in the government of Ko- 
livan, and in the environs of Irkutsk, near the lake Baikal, 
in the centre of Asiatic Russia. Lastly, the country near the 
Caspian sea is so impregnated with muriate of soda, that in 
th e environs of Gourief, the fogs and dew that settle on 
pe 0 ple’s clothes, and on plants, are saline. Pallas. 
Among the Mongul Tartars, the soil is so thoroughly 
penetrated with muriate of soda, that the people lixiviate it, 
and evaporate the solution to obtain salt. 
That part of China, which borders on Tartary, contains 
salt-mines, and the ground is strongly impregnated with 
salt. 
Salt is found in the same manner throughout almost the 
whole table-land of Great Tartary, Thibet, Hindoostan, and 
particularly Persia, where very extensive plains are seen 
covered with a saline efflorescence. The isle of Ormus, at 
the mouth of the Persian gulf, appears, according to the 
accounts of travellers, to be one large rock of salt. This 
substance is also found in solid masses near Balach, on the 
eastern side of Persia. In the desartof Caramania, accord¬ 
ing to Chardin, rock-salt is so abundant, and the atmo¬ 
sphere so dry, that the inhabitants use it for building their 
houses. It is found in the neighbourhood of Ispahan, 
and in the mountains to the north of that city. 
The repositories of rock-salt in America, are less known. 
According to Ulloa and others, it is found in vast quan¬ 
tities in the elevated desarts of Peru, at the extraordinary 
height of 10,000 feet, or more, above the present level of 
the sea. It is extremely hard, forming solid continuous 
rocks of a dull violet colour. 
The mountain of Xaragua, in the island of St. Domingo, 
affords salt; and in the same island there is a very remark¬ 
able salt lake, about 22 leagues in circumference, called 
Henriquelle. The water, which is inhabited by lizards, 
alligators, and land-tortoises, all of a large size, is deep, 
clear, bitter, salt, and of a disagreeable smell. Near the 
middle of the lake is an island, about six miles long and 
three broad, well stocked with goats, whence it has the name 
of Cabrito island; and in this island is a spring of fresh 
water. 
Salt lakes occur in other of the West India islands. In 
North America, west of the Alleghany mountains, in the 
state of Kentucky, are numerous repositories of rock-salt 
and brine-springs: these are called licks, where the elks and 
buffaloes formerly repaired in herds, to lick the soil impreg¬ 
nated with rock-salt. On the western side of the great 
river Missouri, a chain of mountains extends 80 miles in 
length, and 55 in breadth, and of considerable height; 
it consists of pure rock-salt, barely covered with earth, 
but without any tree or shrub. Further west, in Cali¬ 
fornia, salt is found in a very pure state, in large and solid 
masses. 
From the preceding account it will be seen that this most 
useful mineral is found in every quarter of the globe; and 
in many parts it exists in masses of immense size and extent, 
compared with the rock-salt in our own island, in the county 
of Chester. Such, however, is the superior industry of our 
inhabitants, that the quantity annually exported from that 
county alone greatly exceeds that procured from any other 
district in the known world, being not less than 140,000 
tons, the produce of the salt-rock and brine-spring; while 
the celebrated mines at Wieliczka, in Poland, are stated to 
yield only about 6000 or 7000 tons. Where rock-salt is 
white or colourless, it is immediately applicable to all useful 
purposes; but when mixed with earthy matter, it is ren¬ 
dered pure by the simple process of solution in water. The 
Vol. XXII. No. 1492. 
liquor is afterwards drawn off into pans, leaving the in¬ 
soluble part behind; and the water is then evaporated 
either by the natural warmth of the climate, or by fires. 
It is remarked by the writer of the account of the Agri¬ 
culture of Cheshire, that, from some experiments made on 
different specimens of rock-salt, it would appear that the 
transparent kind of it is an almost pure muriate of soda, 
which contains no admixture of either earth or earthy salts; 
and that the colour of the less transparent and brown r speci¬ 
mens is derived from the earth that enters, in greate or less 
proportions, into their compositions. That on 480 grains 
of transparent rock-salt being dissolved in four ounces of 
distilled water, there was, first, no precipitate let fall, on the 
addition of carbonate of potash. Secondly, no alteration 
was produced by this solution on blue vegetable juices. 
Thirdly, on the addition of a few drops of tincture of galls, 
a slight purple tinge was given to the solution; and after 
standing some hours, there was a brown sediment at the bot¬ 
tom of the vessel. Fourthly, on the addition of muriate of 
barytes, there was no precipitate thrown down. From the 
first of these trials, it is supposed that rock-salt has no 
muriate of lime, or muriate of magnesia, combined with it • 
from the second, that it has no uncombined acid or alkali; 
from the third, that it contains some portion of iron ; and 
from the fourth, or last, that there is no sulphate of lime 
contained in it. 
On examining different specimens of the less trans¬ 
parent, and the brown rock-salt,' with the same re-agents 
as in the above trials, it was found that these con¬ 
sisted of muriate of soda, or sea-salt, in combination with a 
certain proportion of earth, varying in quantity from one 
to thirty per cent.; also, that the earth was wholly the ar¬ 
gillaceous or common clay; but that some of the specimens 
contained a few grains of sulphate of lime, in 480 of those of 
the rock-salt. 
The beds of this salt are now w r ell known to be the prin¬ 
cipal cause of the salt-brine springs in this county; and, in 
connection with some other circumstances, to have a great 
share in causing the vast differences in their strength, in dif¬ 
ferent places. 
This is a strong sort of salt, which is found useful for a 
variety of domestic purposes, according to the different 
manner in which it is prepared, or the difference in the size 
of the particles or crystals of which it is composed. 
Although rock-salt is found in various parts of the above 
district, there are no pits of it wrought at present, except 
in the vicinity of Northwich. And part of the inferior 
rock-salt, which is procured there, is, it is said, used at 
some of the refineries in that neighbourhood; and a further 
quantity sent down the river Weaver, for the supply of the 
refineries at Frodsham, in the same county, and those on the 
banks of the Mersey, in Lancashire. The purer rock-salt, 
or that which is called in general Prussian rock, is carried 
by the same conveyance to the port of Liverpool; whence, 
according to the above writer, it is exported chiefly to Ire¬ 
land, and the ports of the Baltic. The annual quantity of 
rock-salt sent down the first of the above rivers is found, on 
the average of the last ten years, to be 51,109 tons. But 
in this, it is observed, is included what is used at the Frod¬ 
sham and Lancashire refineries,which may probably be about 
one-third of the whole. And it is added, that it appears, 
from the report of the committee of the house of commons, 
appointed to inquire into the laws respecting the salt duties, 
printed in June 1801, that. 
in 17981 f 20,1621 
1799 > were exported-! 33,913 >tons of rock-salt. 
1800 J ^34,939 J 
Of this quantity, 
in 1798, 
1799, 
1800, 
16,0051 
22,374 Vtons 
19,663J 
2 X 
were 
