40 
SELECTED ARTICLES. 
ART. VIII.— ON THE BORAC1C ACID LAGOONS OF TUS- 
CANY. By John Bowring, LL. D.* 
The borax lagoons of Tuscany are entitled to a detailed de- 
scription. They are unique in Europe, if not in the world; 
and their produce is become an article of equal importance to 
Great Britain as an import, and to Tuscany as an export. 
They are spread over a surface of about thirty miles, and ex- 
hibit, from the distance, columns of vapor, more or less ac- 
cording to the seasons of the year and state of the weather, 
which rise in large volumes among the recesses of the moun- 
tains. 
As you approach the lagoons, the earth seems to pour out 
boiling water, as if from volcanoes of various sizes, in a va- 
riety of soil, but principally in chalk and sand. The heat in 
the immediate adjacency is intolerable, and you are drenched 
by the vapor, which impregnates the atmosphere with a 
strong and somewhat sulphurous smell. The whole scene 
is one of terrible violence and confusion — the noisy outbreak 
of the boiling element— the rugged and agitated surface — the 
volumes of vapor — the impregnated atmosphere— the rush 
of waters — among bleak and solitary mountains. 
The ground, which burns and shakes beneath your feet, is 
covered with beautiful crystallizations of sulphur and other 
minerals. Its character, beneath the surface, at Mont Cerbole, 
is that of a black marl streaked with chalk, giving it, at a short 
distance, the appearance of variegated marble. 
Formerly, the place was regarded by the peasants as the 
entrance to hell, a superstition derived, no doubt, from very 
ancient times, for the principal of the lagoons, and the neigh- 
boring volcano, still bear the name of Mont Cerboli, (Mons 
Ceberi.) The peasantry never passed by the spot without 
terror, counting their beads, and praying for the protection of 
the Virgin. 
* From Dr. Bowring's Report on the Statistics of Tuscany. 
