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lish pass this way, and still fewer remain
to examine the country; and when it was
known that I was come for this sole purpose,
I received many friendly attentions
from the inhabitants, with presents of specimens,
and offers of horses to visit the
mines of Pesey.
The salt-works at Moutiers are particularly
deserving attention, being, perhaps,
the best conducted of any in Europe, with
respect to economy. Nearly three million
pounds of salt are extracted annually from a
source of water, which would scarcely be
noticed, except for medical purposes, in any
other country.*
The springs that supply the salt works
at Moutiers, rise at the bottom of a nearly
perpendicular rock of limestone, situated
on the south side of a deep valley or gorge,
through which the Doron runs, before it
joins the Isere. The distance from the
springs to the salt works is about a mile ;
the water runs in an open canal, made for
the purpose, but is received in a reservoir
in its passage, where it deposits part of its
ocherous contents. Formerly the canal was
* In this quantity is comprised common salt, Glau-
beis salt, and the alkaline salts sold to the glass manufacturers.
A N D S A L T S P R IN G S . 221
continued to Conflans, a distance of sixteen
miles, where part of the water was evaporated.
The water rises from the rock with considerable
force, and emits much gas, which
is principally carbonic, with a mixture of
sulphuretted hydrogen ; it has an acidulous
and slightly saline taste. These springs rise
at the end of long passages, that have been
excavated in the rock. I broke off a piece
of the rock in contact with the water ; it is
a black imperfectly crystalline limestone,
coated with a thick ocherous incrustation.
From the position of this rock, and its connection
with those on the other side the
gorge, I have no doubt that the spring rises
from the lowest limestone in this part of
the Alps, where it comes in contact with
dark schist, or talcous slate, as I have
observed to be the case in other parts
of Savoy and the Haut Valíais ; but the
actual junction of the two rocks is not seen
here. The temperature of the strongest
spring is 99° Farenheit, it contains 1*8S
per cent, of saline matter. The second
spring has the temperature of 95°, and
contains 1*75 of saline matter. Other
sources have been discovered that contain
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