1806. | 
colour, which it communicates to paper 
ftained with turnfole. During the diftil- 
lation, the water yields ammonia. Twen- 
ty-four hours after the operation, it had 
depofited a dirty yellow powder, pofleffing 
very little flavour, but with the odour of 
caftor. On the furface was a cryftalline 
pellicle, of the fame colour with the fub- 
ftance depofited. . 
The liquor, filtered and again evapo- 
rated till reduced to three grammes, on 
cooling depofits a fawn coloured powder, 
fimilar to the former. “The powder and 
the mother-water, which had held it in 
folution, were feparately examined. The 
powder is a concrete and pulverulent fub- 
ftance, of a brilliant cryftalline afpect, and 
of a dull yellow colour. Before the blow- 
pipe it is entirely confumed, yielding a 
flight empyreumatic odour of ammonia 
and Pruffic acid. It is very foluble in 
cold water, but abundantly fo in warm 
water, to which it communicates its yel- 
Jowifh colour. 
taftelefs, reddens the tincture of turnfole, 
precipitates folutions of acetate of lead, 
and of nitrate of filver and mercury, in 
coloured flakes, which are readily and 
completely re-diffolved by nitric acid, 
This matter inftantly diflolves in an alka- 
line ley, which it tinges of a deep brown 
colour, exhaling a pungent {mel!l of am- 
monia. Sulphuric acid poured into the 
coucentrated alkaline folution, throws 
down a very thick whitifh precipitate, and 
difenzages a brifk odour, refembling that 
of weak acetic acid. 
cluded that this powder is an acidulous 
fait, compofed of animal acid, ammonia, 
anda little lime. It alfo appears to thefe 
chemifts, 1. That the matter taken up by 
the boiling frem guano is an acid, partly 
faturated with ammonia and a little lime. 
2. That this acid is an animal produ&, 
becaufe it yields ammonia and Pruffic 
acid, when decompofed by fire. 3. That 
the fame acid, according to all the known 
properties, muft be ure acid, fimilar to 
that contained in the excrements of aqua- 
tie birds. 4. That it forms about one- 
forth part of the guano. 
The mother water which depofited the 
powder is very acid ; potafh caufes a co- 
pious difengagement of ammonia: itcon- 
tains therefore an ammoniacal falt. Ni- 
trate of barytes, and of filver, announce 
the prefence of muriatic and fulphuric 
falts, which are precipitated in white 
_ flakes by lime water, and are re-diffolved, 
though with difficulty, in muriatic acid. 
This precipitate is formed of phofphate 
of lime, and oxalate of lime. 
~The potahh found in the mother- water, 
NTHLY Mac. No. 242, 
This folution, though - 
Hence it 1s con-' 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 329 
after its precipitation by lime-water, and 
the difengagement of ammonia, caufed 
by the addition of potath to the mother- 
water, prior to its decompofition by lime- 
water, fufficiently thew that thefe two al. 
kalis faturate the acids contained in the 
mother-water of guano; and that tbe 
mother-water certainly contains oxalates, 
phofphates, fulphates, and muriates of 
potath, and of ammonia. The 55%; 
giammies left after the wafhing of the to 
grammes, were treated with cauftic pot. _ 
ath, which took up eight-tenths. This 
alkaline folution contained only uric acid, 
and a fmall portion of fat matter. ‘The 
4-9 grammes left by the cauftic potafh 
were treated with muriatic acid: the pro~ 
dust was phofphate of iime, iron, aud an 
atom of carbonate of lime. After thefe 
applications of water, of caultic potahh, 
and of muriatic acid, there remained of 
the ro grammes of guano only 3-1 gram- 
mes of matter, compoied of quartz and 
ferruginous fands. i 
From this account it appears that the 
manure of the iflets of the South Sea is 
formed, 1. Of uric acid to the amount of 
the one-fourth of the whole compound : 
partly faturated with ammonia and lime. 
2. Oxalic acid, partly faturated with am- 
monia and potafh. 3. Phofpheric acid, 
combined with the fame bafes and with 
lime. 4, Small quantities of fulphate 
and muriates of potefh and ammonia. 
\ 5. A fmall portion’ ‘or fat matters) 6. 
Sand, partly quartz and partly ferrugi- 
nous. LTheexifence of guano in places 
frequented by vaft numbers of birds, and 
the identity of its nature with that of the 
excrements of aquatic birds, neceflarily 
throw confiderable light on the origin of 
. this matter. 
SOCIETY OF TOULOUSE. 
A great number of experiments have 
been made by, and in the prefence of, this 
Scciety, upor the gaicous oxyd of azote, 
of which the following is a brief. ac- 
count :——Ail who tafted or inhaled the 
gas, agree in defcribing its flavour as 
ftrongly faccharine, and remaining upon 
the organ of fome perfons during the 
whole day after receiving it, The me- 
thod of refpiring it was by means of a 
bladder with a &{ p cack in it, applied to 
the mouth, the noftrils being clofed, and 
thelungs as much as poffible emptied. 
The firit perfon upon whom the experi- 
ment was tried fwooned at the third in- 
{piration, and remained feofelefs about five 
minutes, when he recovered, but with a 
fenfation of great fatigue. Herecolle&t- ” 
U i 
ne 
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