For this reason, as it often rains in the province of Normandy, the inhabitants take another way to extract Salt from sea-water. The labourers employed for this purpose raise heaps of sand on the shore, so that the tide waters and drenches them when it flows, and leaves the sand dry when it ebbs. During the interval between two tides of flood the sun and the air easily carry off the moisture that was left, and so the sand remains impregnated with all the salt that was contained in the evaporated water. Thus they let it acquire as much salt as it can by several returns of flood, and then wash it out with fresh water, which they evaporate over a fire in leaden boilers.
To obtain the Salt from brine-springs, the water need only be evaporated: but as several of these springs contain too little salt to pay the charges that would be incurred, if the evaporation were effected by the force of fire only, the manufacturers have fallen upon a less expensive method of getting rid of the greatest part of the water, and preparing the brine for crystallization, in much less time, and with much less fire, than would otherwise have been necessary.
The method consists in making the water fall from a certain heighth on a great many small spars of wood, which divide it into particles like rain. This is performed under sheds open to all the winds, which pass freely through this artificial shower. By this means the water presents to the air a great extent of surface, being indeed reduced almost entirely to surface, and the evaporation is carried on with great ease and expedition. The water is raised by pumps to the heighth from which it is intended to fall[6].
PROCESS II.
Experiments concerning the decomposition of Sea-salt, by means of the Phlogiston. Kunckel's Phosphorus.
"Of pure urine that has fermented five or six days take a quantity in proportion to the quantity of phosphorus you intend to make: it requires about one third part of a hogshead to make a dram of Phosphorus. Evaporate it in iron pans, till it become clotted, hard, black, and nearly like chimney-soot; at which time it will be reduced to about a sixtieth part of its original weight before evaporation.
"When the urine is brought to this condition put it in several portions into so many iron pots, under which you must keep a pretty brisk fire so as to make their bottoms red, and stir it incessantly till the volatile salt and the fetid oil be almost wholly dissipated, till the matter cease to emit any smoke, and till it smell like peach-blossoms. Then put out the fire, and pour on the matter, which will now be reduced to a powder, somewhat more than twice its weight of warm water. Stir it about in this water, and leave it to soak therein for twenty-four hours. Pour off the water by inclination; dry the drenched matter, and pulverize it. The previous calcination carries off from the matter about a third of its weight, and the lixiviation washes out half the remainder.
"With what remains thus calcined, washed, and dried, mix half its weight of gravel, or yellow freestone rasped, having sifted out and thrown away all the finest particles. River sand is not proper on this occasion, because it flies in a hot fire. Then add to this mixture a sixteenth part of its weight of charcoal, made of beech, or of any other wood except oak, because that also flies. Moisten the whole with as much water as will bring it to a stiff paste, by working and kneading it with your hands: now introduce it into your retort, taking care not to daub its neck. The retort must be of the best earth, and of such a size, that when your matter is in it, a full third thereof shall still be empty.
"Place your retort, thus charged, in a reverberating furnace, so proportioned, that there may be an interval of two inches all round between the sides of the furnace and the bowl of the retort, even where it contracts to form the neck, which should stand inclined at an angle of sixty degrees. Stop all the apertures of the furnace, except the doors of the fire-place and ash-hole.
"Fit on to the retort a large glass ballon two thirds full of water, and lute them together, as in distilling the Smoking Spirit of Nitre. In the hinder part of this ballon, a little above the surface of the water, a small hole must be bored. This hole is to be stopped with a small peg of birch-wood, which must slip in and out very easily, and have a small knob to prevent its falling into the ballon. This peg is to be pulled out from time to time, that by applying the hand to the hole it may be known whether the air, rarefied by the head of the retort, issues out with too much or too little force.