N A T U R A L H P S T O R Y
glafs, which held about half a pint, but precipitated nor fedimenf;
nor turned the Water milky,- thick, or chalky ; if there was any
alteration, the colour feemed more inclinable : to; ,.a brrght :oehre, but
fcarce difcernable ; an experiment much in favour*! of this Water^
Upon fufpending a piece of polifhed filver for about an. hour in
the inclofed Well, , the filver turned not blackilh; by which ifc appears,
that little or no fulphur exhales from this Water. . In the
morning, before the Water is ftirred, there is a film or fkin on the
furface of a rainbow colour, Shooting to and fro; by which may it
be prefumed» that there is a fulphur or naphtha mixed with this
Water, which rifes and fettles on the'top when the Water is left
quiet for any time4 ? In a calm but' not I very; warm morning;
on .the.7th of Auguft, 1734, O. S. before fix o’clock, I found the
Water, both in the inclofed Well and without, where it ran expofed
to the air, almoft blood-warm, and the commonv Water, which
runs about nine feet from the Chalybeate, as cold as fnow. I
frayed fome time, and found the difference frill continue^ by which
it is to be concluded, that the Chalybeate Spring derives a fenfible
heat from the bed of iron, vitriol,'and pyrites, which it paffes thro- \
Having carried the Water a’ mile or two, it loft that warmth; whence
we may infer, that fuch acidulse as this cannot be fdi kindly to/the
ftomach and inteftines at a diftance, as when drank oA the Ppot.
Being expofed to the open air for twenty-four ^hours; it foffers no
alteration from galls ; and • tfre4fre^ .;b d n g - ,'d e fi» ^ > (^ ^ 8 ^ ^
fpirit, and the common mehftruum imbibing the mqifture of the
adjacent air, becomes weaker, and a ftringy yellow lediment may
be obferved making its way to the bottom off the gl&fs:^ It/is -a
finooth Water, mixes well with milk, and lathers eafily with foap.
There are many living evidences, within the compafs of my
knowlege, o f the great virtues of this Water, Two perfpria-(of
which I have fufficient proof), by drinking and wafhing • the part
affedted, have been cured of the King s-evil; and many, others .are
laid to have been lb. It is very dieuretick, paffes forcibly; by perh
fpiration, promotes evacuation, removes obftrudtaons and fivellings
o f the abdomen, and reftores loft appetite, fa Externally applied it
cures fores aid fcrophulous eruptions, and is a very good collyrium
for the eyes. « '
Thefe virtues of Chalybeate Waters (ufual in fome -degree, but
feldom lb eminently as here) make them a remedy of great extent
for the diforders of. the human body, and this is doubtlefs the reafon
k Shaw on Mineral and Iflington Waters»
page 159. ’ .
d See Plot's StafFordfliire, page 137, and Ox-
fordfhire, page 44, Se6t lvi. .
• Mallow'Chalyb. Watér, in the county of
Cork, Ireland, raifed Farenheit’s Thermometer to
fixty-nine degrees, when the adjoining brook funk
it to fifty. Briftol Hot Well, though not Chalybeate,
raifea the Thermometer to feventy-fix.
Hjfi. of Cork, vol. II. p. 277-
that
th^t they are moft kindly diftributed into every comer almoft of the
Wotld. But it iftuft not be imagined that they can do no hurt:
like all other nftedicines, they haye. their ill-tendencies, when im-
properly applied, or ufed to excel?!;.;.and therefore the time of üfing
them, the neceflary eorre&ives; in,;»particular cafes,, as well as the
quantity and time of omitting them, are furely beft learned from a
phyfrciaii.;;
.„ There are many other Wells of this kind in Cornwallf ; Iron,
being more eafily diffolved and imbibed by running Water than
any other mineral; which is the reafon that „there^are more Chalybeate,
than Salt, j Sulphurous,. or^Afominous Springs ; but thé
defcription of more than one^as^he^e&s^aU are fo very Eke,
would be1 needlefs, unlef% there;- was fome remarkable cure, and
peculiar property afcribed, neither^of which hias in any ,^the'm as
yet reached ■ my ^notice« v - ‘ ‘ * J* ^
■ Many Naturalifts have endeavoured ito give us the analyfis o f thole,
Watefs: -Inwall, ‘the'ingredients difeovered are much}t^effame (felts'"
only excepted); and it is the different quantity,of particular ingredients;
and the proportion they bear „to die, Water, which is. their
fehïcle, that makes them ftronger or weaker. - Our Spas in England
are not fo ipii'ituous and pungent,as.?|hejcelebrated ones of
Germany^ /yrêt, in many cafes, ,ffi©|inia^ fie qf great and exteiifive|
ufe j and, i f I am well informed, the Spas of our country may
in móft"cafes fupply the place of t i e ‘ other, though more’ famous
foreign yyatgrs. -■ / «5 ...v; .... .
g As" .to <; feline, - aluminous, hot, bitter, ■ or .fulphurous Waters,
which deferve Ifeiétly to be fo called, I have not been,able,to learn
that tfiere are any fuch in this Cfoqnty. ?,
v I have, feen a letter from the late Mr. Vallapk (an apothecary of
efiaradter in the town of Plymouth, and among thofe of his bufinefs
noted for his fkill in chemiftry), m which he affu;ms, that Cam-
Kei Water, near Redruth, is impregnated with tin. His words arc
thefe, in a letter, dated January 5, 1 7 4 1 -V C “ I have not only read
in Mr. Boyle’s Hiftory of Mineral Waters, but have feen the Water
at Keyrn-Key, near Redruth, which I found impregnated both
with iron and tin. It is thé only Water I ever read of,, or met
with fo mixed.” This’ is very tare, but not improbable. I have
had no opportunity of trying this Water, myfelf, and therefore can
neither confirm nor difprove what is feid; but as tin is frequently
found intimately connected with iron ore, I apprehend that the
f Scarlet Well, near Bodman, was once much
frequenlMplnd is faid to be much heavier than!
"other Water, and will keep without alteration of
feent or tafte moft part of a year.} reprefenting
many colours, like, that of, a .Rainbow. (Carew,
page lay.) >‘At prefent It islcarce known where
this Welli? to be found.