36. Now in order to make some Estimate of the very small Quantity of Spirit of Salt in these several distilled Waters, I dropped a Drop of the Solution of Silver into an Ounce, or 480 Grains of pure Rain Water, which gave no Clouds; but on dropping in a Drop of Sea-water, which weighed a Grain, the white Clouds were strong. And since Sea-water can dissolve nine times more Salt than it has in it; therefore, supposing the Drop to be so fully impregnated with Salt, then the Salt would be the 480th Part of the Ounce of Water. But as there is nine times less Salt, therefore the Proportion of the Quantity of Spirit of Salt will be but the 4320th Part. And how much less must be the Proportion of Salt in these distilled Waters, which is not sufficient to make a sensible Impression on Solution of Mercury, and but a faint one on much diluted Solution of Silver. Such distilled Sea-water will not therefore, probably be unwholsome; almost all Spring-waters have some Degree of Salt in them: But if there were more of the Spirit of Salt, a very small Quantity of Pot-ash, or Pearl-ashes, or Salt of Tartar, combined with it, will turn it into common Salt, the Quantity of which would be extremely little.
37. It may be well to be provided in Ships with some Silver dissolved in Aqua-fortis, mixed with pure Rain-water, or distilled fresh Water, in the Proportion of sixty Drops to an Ounce of the Water; tho’ it is probable, it may seldom be wanted, unless in some doubtful Cases, when the Taste may not be accurate enough to perceive, whether there be any Spirit of Salt in the distilled Water.
38. Since double the usual Quantity of Vapour may by Way of Ventilation be carried off, common Salt may thus be made much sooner, cheaper, and better; because as there is much less Fire used; so proportionably, less of the fine acid Spirit of the Salt, in which its Virtue consists, will be evaporated away: For it is well known, that the Salt is best which has undergone the least Action of Fire in making.
39. This more speedy Method of evaporating will also be useful, in making many other Evaporations; as in making Pot-ash, &c.
40. But some are apprehensive, that this great Improvement in Distilling, may be of ill Consequence in making those destructive Spirits cheaper, which are already but too cheap. Had not the Improvement been of great Benefit to Mankind in many other Respects, I should have been far, very far, from endeavouring after it, or discovering it. But should the Event be to make those Spirits cheaper, and consequently, by spreading farther, more destructive, the consequence of that will be, that the increased raging Devastation will the sooner necessarily rouse the Nations to put a Stop to what must be done hereafter; for if the Ravages continue increasing, as they have done for sixty Years past, the human Species must needs not only be greatly debased, but even in great measure diminished and destroyed. And yet none of the Nations, whose very Vitals are thereby consuming and destroying, endeavour to put any Stop to it, except the Heads of the native Indians in North-America, who have long repeatedly intreated the English to sell them no Rum; which is as effectually extirpating of them, as the Hornet did the unsubdued remainder of the Canaanites.
41. If Mankind, instead of receiving and entertaining this Pest with almost universal Applause and Approbation, could prevail with themselves to be in earnest to use Means to deliver themselves from it; then much might be done towards it, by lowering and weakening all kind of fermented distilled Spirits with Water, to a salutary Degree, as is now practised in our Plantations in America, in making Punch so weak, as not to be hurtful; which, when it was much stronger, was well known to destroy Multitudes. And where the like humane, wise, and laudable Practice has been used in Ships, it has had the same happy salutary Effect.
42. What Necessity or even Temptation can there be to be averse to the making them wholsome, instead of being venomous and destructive? and that not only of the Lives, but even of the Morals of Mankind. How much therefore does it behove all, who have any Concern for the Honour and Dignity of their own kindred Species, any Indignation at its being thus debased and disgraced, any Bowels of Pity for the vast Multitudes, not less than a Million, that are yearly destroyed all over the World, by this moral as well as natural, and therefore worst of all Evils that ever befel unhappy Man; to use their utmost Endeavours to deliver Mankind from this Pest? But notwithstanding this astonishing Ravage and Destruction of the human Species, yet the unhappy unrelenting Nations of the World, seem as unconcerned about it, as if only so many Thousands, nay, Millions of Caterpillers or Locusts were destroyed thereby. Was there ever a more important Occasion to rouse the Indignation of Mankind? Can we be calm and undisturbed, when this mighty Destroyer rears up its invenomed Head every where? The most zealous Advocates for Drams, even the unhappy besotted Dramists themselves, the prolonging of whose Lives, and whose real Welfare both here and hereafter, is hereby sincerely intended, cannot find fault with this well-meant Remonstrance, in Defence of them, and of all Mankind, against this mighty Destroyer, from one who has long been labouring, and that not without Success, in finding Means to preserve Multitudes of Lives, by various Ways.
An Account of the great Benefit of Ventilators in many Instances, in preserving the Health and Lives of People, in Slave and other Transport Ships.
43. It is to be hoped that the several Means here proposed for having fresh and sweet Water at Sea, will be of great Benefit in preserving the Health and Lives of Multitudes of that valuable and useful Part of Mankind, those who occupy their Business in great Waters; whose Welfare I have long had at heart, and endeavoured to promote by various Ways; especially by finding Means to procure them fresh salutary Air, instead of the noxious, putrid, close confined pestilential Air, which has destroyed Millions of Mankind in Ships. And it is to be hoped that by diligent Researches, farther and farther useful Discoveries will hereafter be made for the Benefit of Navigation.
44. The following, as they are strong Proofs of the great Benefit and Usefulness of Ventilators in Ships, so they also fully prove that they can most commodiously be fixed and worked in them, in contradiction to the vulgar, false, and groundless Notion, that they take up too much room, and are incommodious, and in a manner impracticable to be worked, whereas the Men are eager to work them; and many more Persons can be with Safety to their Health and Lives in a ventilated, than in an unventilated Ship; which fully obviates the Objection as to the Room they take up. In new and important Researches, the likeliest Way to succeed, is to pursue a Thought not only by imperfect and fallacious Reasonings, but when the Nature of the Thing requires it, with a proper Series of Trials and Experiments. Thus in the present Case, the principal Cause of the Sickness in Ships, is the noxious putrid Air; the obvious Remedy is the exchanging that foul Air for fresh, by effectual Means, which are seldom discovered by dwelling only on Objections, but are usually the Reward of repeated diligent, experimental Researches. Neither are we to be discouraged in these our Pursuits by some Disappointments, for I have frequently found that they lead to the Thing sought for: And by the like Clue of Reasoning and Experimenting, there is the greatest Probability that we shall succeed in another very important Research, viz. the preserving much longer from Decay the Timbers of Ships laid up in ordinary in Harbour: For as we are assured by daily Experience, that the Decay is wholly owing to damp, close confined putrid corroding Air; so the only Remedy for this Evil, is the frequently changing the Air among the Timbers, by plentiful Ventilations; which we find by happy Experience, can be effected to such a Degree, as give reasonable Hopes, enough to encourage our farther Trials and Researches.