OCEAN.
R E M A R K S of the
It has likewifc formerly been believed,, that, b.efides the common
faltnefs, the water .of the. ocean, pan tainedjiarticles, which communicated
to it a kind o f . bitternefs, that made it next to impoffihle to
diftil drinkablef watep.frpm;:fearwater. jThe ingenious jDr, L j t jp ,
o f Haflar-hofpital, near Portfmouth, has long ago fliewa how l i t tle
foundation there is in this prejudice,, and has likewife taught?
the Britifh nation., without any. public reward or encouragement,
an eafy and approved method; fur obtaining, by diftillatioa,.. potable
water from, fen-water*- When we made u-fe o f P c , Irving’s di-
-ftilling machine, we likewife found, that the water thus diftilled
was not only entirely freed fr,t)m its fait, but, beiideg this, we never
Could difcoyer the lead bitter particle in the drinkable water. B ut
it mud not by any means be concluded from hence,; that there’ ace ho
fueh bitter particles contained in thftfea-water'j for every one kneovs-
tact well, that,, after the frclh watof has.: been, evaporated from, d a -
water, and fait has. been thefgby formed,, there remains always, a
thick, gelatinous lie, which cannot' be ctydallized, and: which is.
nothing but a mjxtur«.,/.containing marine.acidvwi&jnagnefia'.albdc'i
apd, befides, tijefedngredient-a, the fea-faane always: contains fotne
Glauber’s fah anddbm.h'fdenitic particles c fb that it; feemolastif
whole .were e£ feefe water, marine acid, vitriolic acid,
f o c i miuerakalfeii, maguefe, and lime,. However, - though fe-
5 ’ 3 nottajswytsvat< i
f land’s EiTay on Difeafes incidental toEuMpeane in hot climates. Appendix, p; 351.
vefal o f t-hefe falnlunCes form a bitter Mt by thteh mixture, they
neverthelefs w ill not hinder’-the fea-Water froth affording a clear,
limpid, potable water by didillation, becaufe the particles being all
fisted';', rtentam in the faltj-brine, which is left in the copper; and
thtef Water being].alone volatile; . riles. in de.ams, and is diddled.
Op «yen i if,».by diftillatidn, a;few|acid or faline particles fhould be
Vo1at.ill.zeth- and-mix- with- the- diftilled-water,- tlieir- proportion- is
Certainly fo'fmall aiidi infignifibant, that no |def r-imfent'can: be derived
frmn-theiree; 0n- th-e-ufefuinefs- and-pTafticability o f the method-
o f diftilling1 water, I- can fa y ’nothing; as it is' not my province,
and as a jCeporFhasdleen madc-to thc iAdmiralTy by peribns, whofe
proffer bjulidefs it was. ;
The W arm Tit, jor T emp e r a t u r e of th|e O c e an ;'
T o afeertain the degree o f warmth o f the fea-water, at a certain
depth;, feveral expeiimeftts Wferel iliade?by- us* T h e thermometer
madelufe ofj is oft Fahrenheit’s ;cdnftl'i(®i01H rhaddby MR Ramfl
deny and; furnidted--with aStVOryiieale : iftwife,2 o'n thefe’occafidns,
always; put into, a-' cyliridrical tin oift,- Which had-at-each'-end's
-valftey adKiittingTther water- as long-.' as '-the- iftft-Mrfleift Was ■ gbtrig-
I z - ' ' down
OCEAN.