For more than a century, men, afflicted with physical or fancied sufferings, have fled from cities and crowds, and relinquished the use of alcohol or wine, for those blander bowls which the nymphs of many a mineral fountain so liberally impart. Germany has her Spa, and England her Cheltenham; we too, even almost at our doors, have our Bristol and our Bath; and for the following elegant investigation, of the properties of the salubrious wave, domestic science is indebted to the ingenuity of Dr. James Cutbush, whose chemical abilities reflect the highest honour upon himself, and upon the city of Philadelphia, which fosters a self-taught disciple of Fourcroy and Lavoisier.

From the researches of this gentleman, and some of his learned predecessors, it is manifest that the mineral water of Bath, is of a character decidedly chalybeate; that it is a valiant tonic in most cases of debility; that it is a cheerer of the spirits, depressed either by Disease or Despair; and that as a powerful alterative and deobstruent, it deserves the amplest trial from many a distressed dyspeptic, and gloomy son of the spleen.

Let, therefore, the votary of midnight excess, let the pining invalid, and finally let all the lovers of nature and solitude, at this enchanting season, repair to Bath, and ruddy cheeks and radiant eyes will soon attest, as well as the philosopher, the physician, and the chemist, the healing power of pure water, pure air, and purest joys combined.

J. D.

Experiment.

1. Litmus paper was not sensibly altered.

2. Turmeric paper remained unchanged.

3. Muriate of barytes did not produce a precipitate.

4. Acetite of lead gave a white precipitate, which, on standing, was increased.

5. Nitrate of silver produced a purple colour, and on standing, afforded a precipitate more or less coloured.

6. Oxy-sulphate of silver produced a precipitate analogous to expt. 4.

7. Solution of soap remained unaltered.

8. Caustic potash gave a brown precipitate. 9. Caustic ammonia produced the same effect. 10. Carbonate of potash struck a brown colour.

Experiment.

11. Nitrate of mercury afforded the same result as expt. 4.

12. Lime water did not produce a white precipitate, after standing some time.

13. Oxalate of potash remained unaltered.

14. Carbonate of ammonia and phosphate of soda, added one after the other, gave no precipitate.

15. Alcohol, added to an equal quantity of the water, produced no change.

16. Alcohol of galls produced a brown colour, and, on standing,

gave a black precipitate.

17. Prussiate of lime produced a blue colour.

18. Triple Prussiate of potash afforded the same result. 19. Succinate of ammonia produced a brown precipitate. 20. Muriate of lime was not sensibly affected.

21. Solution of arsenic produced a light brown appearance. 22. Nitric acid did not produce any visible effect.

23. On exposing a portion of the water to heat, in an evaporating dish, an ochrous deposition was formed.

24. By separating the product of expt. 23, and adding alcohol of galls to the filtered liquor, no change of colour ensued. 25. Sixteen ounces of the water was evaporated to dryness; the

residue was collected and weighed; it amounted to 2.25 gr.; of which 75 was muriate of soda. The remainder (1.50 gr.) was oxyd of iron.

26. A piece of polished silver immersed in the water became tarnished. This effect, however, is not apparent until after some hours.

The temperature was ascertained to be the same as other spring water.

RECAPITULATION.

The first experiment indicated the non-existence of uncombined acid. Sulphuretted hydrogen, if in sufficient quantity, and not in combination, will also affect the colour of litmus. The second experiment proved, that no alkali nor alkaline earth, if present, was in excess. That none of the sulphates, (salts formed with sulphuric acid) were held in solution, is inferred from

expt. 3. Muriatic acid, however, was found to be present, from the production of muriate of lead. The fifth experiment indicated sulphuretted hydrogen, which existed in the state of combination, as will be hereafter noticed. It may be proper to remark, that the solutions of silver (the nitrate particularly) are precipitated by sulphuretted hydrogen, and by hydro-sulphurets; but in this case, the precipitate, instead of being white, which is produced wholly by muriatic acid, is more or less of a purple or blackish colour. The precipitate in this instance is soluble in dilute nitrous acid. Extractive matter has also this effect; but its presence was not detected.

The sixth experiment confirmed expt. 4th, in producing an insoluble muriate of silver.

The seventh experiment proved the non-existence of earthy salt; if it had occurred, a turbidness would have ensued, owing to a mutual decomposition of the soap (saponule of soda) and earthy salt. If a metallic salt, such as a sulphate or muriate, had been present, a turbidness would have also taken place. Expts. 8, 9 and 10, showed the existence of metallic matter, which by the use of other reagents was proved to be iron.

Experiment 11 confirmed expt. 4, by producing a submuriate of mercury. Expt. 12 proved, that no carbonic acid was present; if it had occurred, a white precipitate, soluble with effervescence in any of the acids, would have been formed.

Although none of the earths were detected by the reagents before mentioned, yet, in order to examine the water for lime and magnesia, the 13th and 14th experiments were instituted. These, however, were unsuccessful.

Alcohol produced no precipitate, which demonstrated, agreeably to the observations of Mr. Kirwan, and with the other reagents employed, that none of the sulphates were held in solution.

Alcohol of galls indicated the presence of iron. In consequence of the peculiar colour it produced, being analogous to the phenomena which take place under similar circumstances, by which the solvent of the metal was inferred, the presence of sulphuretted hydrogen as the menstruum of the iron was proved to exist.

Experiments 17 and 18 confirmed expt. 16, by producing the prussiate of iron; the 19th expt. also confirmed this conclusion, by affording a succinate of iron.

The 20th expt. proves the non-existence of uncombined alkali; the 21st the presence of sulphur, according to Westrumb; and the 22d, that the substances present were soluble in this acid.

The 23d expt. also proves, that the solvent of the iron was a volatile, and not a fixed one; for, on the application of heat, the menstruum was carried off, and the iron deposited in the form of an oxyd.

Experiment 24 also confirms this conclusion.

The 25th expt. was instituted in order to ascertain the quantity of fixed ingredients which the water contained. Accordingly, on evaporating sixteen ounces, a residue, consisting of two and a quarter grains was left; after separating the saline matter, the remaining one and a half grains was the ferruginous oxyd.

Experiment 26th proved the presence of hepatic or sulphuretted hydrogen gas.

Considering these experiments and inferences as conclusive, as far as they have gone, it would follow, that this water is a chalybeate, (which has heretofore been proved,*) that the iron is dissolved wholly, or in part, by sulphuretted hydrogen, and that it is accompanied by an alkaline muriate, the muriate of soda.

Bath, March 25th, 1811.

* See the experiments and observations of Dr. Rush, and Dr. de Normandie: the former in a treatise published in 1776, and the latter in the American Philosophical Transactions.