SAL
C H]
SAL
(Soft is preferred, by the Evglifo and Irijhi, to all the reft, as the belt and whiteft. Yet that of ZJomel'f, cough browner and heavier, is moftly ufed in France-, as alio throughout the Baltic; particularly in 'Poland* where, betides the ordinary Ufes, it fervcs in tilling the Ground ; being found to warm it, and to prevent little Vermin from gnawing the Gtain.
The Evglijh and -Dutch have oft Strove hard, in Times rjf War, to do without the French Salts; and to that End, have endeavoured to take Salts from thd Spdnijh And ^PvrMgueze ; but there is a difagreeable Sharpnefs and Seroiity natural to them, which renders them very unfit for the Salting of Flefh, Fifh, &c. To remove this, they boil them with o>tf-Watcr, and a little French Salt, which rhcy procure by Means of Neutral Nations ; which not only Softens them, but increaSes their Quantity by one Third. But it mould feem their Refining docs not fucceed to their Wifb, by the Eagernefs wherewith they return to the Salts of firetagne, &c. afloon as any Treaty has opened the Commerce.
Fossile, or Rock-Salt, calPd alfb Sal-Gemmje.
The Fofjlk-Salt is called SaUGemme, from a certain Brightnefs it has, which gives it Some Refemblance to Gems. Indeed, it mould have fomething of the Gem inits iNature; if there be nothing exaggerated in the Account Dr. Ed- Brown, (who went down into the Salt-Mines in Hungary) gives us thereof in his Travels. This Salt was intirely unknown to the Ancients. 'Pliny, however, gives us fome curious Things about Salts in Nat. Hifl. Lib. 30. which we Should have tranferibed hither, could we be- lieve them as true as they are pretty. We Shall here con- tent ourfelves with what well warranted Relations we could get of the Salt- Alines oHVUifce in 'Poland; thofe in the Upper Hungary-, and thole in the Mountains otCatalonia, which make a very confiderable Article of Commerce in thofe Three States; Salt being tranfported hence to the fe- ■veral Neighbouring Nations, who can't be conveniently fupplied with Sea-Salt.
Salt-Mines of 'Poland, Hungary., &c.
The Polifi-Mines, in the Village Wilifce, five Leagues from Cracow, were firft discovered in 1251. Their Depth and Capacity are Surprizing. Within them is found a kind of Subterraneous Republick, which has its Polity, Laws, Families, &c and even publick Roads, and Car- tiages, Horfes, %£c. being kept here to draw the Salt to the Mouth of the Quarry, where 'tis taken up by En- gines. Thefe Horfes, when once they are down never fee the Light again 5 but the Men take frequent Occasions of breathing the Village Air. When a Traveller is ar- rived at the" Bottom of this Strange Abyls, where lb many People are interr'd alive, and where So many are even born, and have never Stirred out, he is Surprized with a long Series of lofty Vaults, fuitained by huge Pilasters cut with the ChifTel, and which, being themselves Rock- Salt, appear, by the Light of Flambeaux which are in- ccffantly burning, as ib many Cryftals, or precious Srones, of various Colours, calling a Luitre, which the Eye has much ado to bear.
The Rocks of Salt are hewn in Form of huge Cylin- ders; the Workmen uling Flammers, Pinchers, and Chi- iels, much as in our Stone Quarries, to Separate the fe- veral Banks of Stone. AiToos as the maSTtve Pieces are got out of the Quarry, they break them into Fragments •lit to be thrown into the Mill, where they are ground, and reduced into a coarfe Farina or Flower, which ferves all the Ules of Sea Salt.
In the Salt-Mines of WMfce, there are two Kinds of Sal Germng ; the one harder and more transparent, and the Crystallization whereof appears more perfect than that of the other: This is the real Sal-GemmtS of the Druggills and Dyers. It cuts like Crystal, and is fre- quently ufed for Toys, Chapelets, little VeSlels, 'i£c. the other is IeSs compact, and only fit for Kitchen USes. One of the chief Wonders of the Place is, that through thefe Mountains of Salt, and along the Middle of the Mine, there runs a Rivulet of frefh Water Sufficient to Supply the Inhabitants.
The Salt-Mines in the Upper Hungary are every whit as extraordinary. They are found in the Mountains, two Miles from Eperics. a City in the County of Sarax-> on the River tfarhz. The Depth is 180 Fathoms. The Mineral runs in huge Veins, So that Pieces are lbmetimes dug not Iefs than an Hundred ThouSand Weight ; which however, are afterwards reduced into Square Pieces two Foot long, and a Foot thick, for the Conveniency of drawing them out of the Mine. When out, they are broke farther, and put to the Mill to be ground. The Colour of the Stone is a little brownifhj and yet when ground, becomes as
white as if it had been refined. Some of the Stones ate found as hard and tranfparent as CryStal, Some White, Yellow, Blue, &c. fit for various Works, whereon they engrave as on precious Stones. The Mine is cold and moift, whence there arifes Some Difficulty in reducing the Salt into Powder. Of the Water drawn out of it and boiled, is made a blackifh Salty which fattens Cattle.
The Salt Alines of Catalonia are found in the Moun- tains of the Dutchy of Cardwma-, and belong to the Grandees of that Name. 'Tis the Opinion of the Coun- try People, that the Salt grows again, and is re-produced, after Several Years, in the Same Places whence it had been dug. But the Naturalists will learce allow of Such a Re-production. There is no Doubt, however, but it vegetates, or grows fometimes : M. Tcttri^fcrt, and the Specimens he had of it in his Cabinet, make it plain. The Salt is of four Kinds, White, Bay, Red, and Brilliant. The Firft, is almoSt like our Sea-Salt, only rhar it is not gra- nulated. The Second, of an Iron and Slare Colour, has moil of the Qualities of the Wbire. The Third, of a Conferve Role Colour, only differing from the reft: by the Mixture of fome Bole, or Earth, which gives it this Colour. The Fuurth is a 'Brilliant- Salt, yet tranfparent as Cryftal, which is the proper SalGuum^ of the Druggifts. Of this Kind there is Some Blue, others Green, Orange, Rpd, $£c. but they all become white by grinding. TheSe four Kinds of Salts are found over each other in diftincl Strata or Beds. The Commerce hereof is very confiderable. The Evglijh, &c. when Commerce is prohibited with France, furuiSh themSclves hence.
Sal-Gemm^ is to be chofen in large, bright, transpa- rent Pieces, eafy to break, and dividing into little Square Grains. It grows red-hot in the Fire, like Iron, but diflblves eaiily in Air : Yet the Druggists wafh it, to give it the greater Luflre, but they take Care to wipe it dry again Speedily.
Salt drawn from Saline Fountains and Springs.
Our Method in England is thus. Near the Springs, or Place of the Brine, is built a Saltern, or Boiling- houfe, with a Convenience for the Conveyance of the Brine within it. The Saltern is ufually large enough to contain Several huge flat Pans, or Boilers, each fur- nifhed with its Grate and Furnace. The Brine being in the Pan, the Fire is kindled ; and after Two Hours Time, the Liquor begins to be ready to granulate, which is known by a thin Skin rising at the top ; this they skim off into Brine Tubs, that the Brine that goes with it may not be loft : And whereas all Brines contain, or yield Sand, which is SuppoSed to petrify in boiling; and upon boiling this Sand, if the Liquor be beforehand Strained, will arife ; and the Pan boiling violently in the Middle, the Sand is calt towards the Corners, where it falls to the Bottom of the Pan, before the Salt precipitates; there- fore, they rake it to one Corner of the Pan, with a broad Rake, and then take it out with Ladles, and put it into Wooden VeSTels, open at one End, placed on Stands. The Sand being removed, tiiat the Salt floating in the Liquor may precipirate, they Shut up the Vent-holes, and Door, and let the Fire go out, and in Twelve Hours Time the Salt falls to the Bottom, and grows hard ; a Liquor called the Sitters, remaining at Top, which being again boiled away, yields more Salt. To make the Salt pre- cipitate more readily, after the Liquor is Scummed, $$c. they frequently ufe lbme Beef-Suet, and Wine-Lees, off each a like Weight, melting and mixing them together j and putting an Ounce of this Mixture on the End of a Slice, turn it round in the Liquor till it be Spent ; then after two Hours, at moil, open the Vent-holes and Door, quicken the Fire, and lade away the Liquor in a good mealure, and fo is the Salt found lying at the Bottom, fit to be removed. 'Tis now raked up to one Side, taken out and put into Cribs, or Sepels, like Hay-racks, with loofe Ribs on each Side, fo dole to one another, that an Half-Crown will fcarce go between : Here, after eight Hours draining, it is found an hard granulated Salt, and may be taken away ; but yet continues dripping three Weeks, and afterwards, if not often moved, will become Rocky : The Liquor in the Pan, called Bittern-, is to be all taken out, except a little to keep the Pan from burning ; drained from the Salt, and calf, away, or re- ferved for Salt-Petre Makers, and the Pan immediately filled with frefh Brine, for another Boiling. A Pan of Brine, of moderate Strength, in eight Hours Time will be compleatly made into Salt, with the Rxpence of about a Bufliel and Half of Coals, which will make a Pan of Salt from two Bufhels and Half to four Bufhels of Salt, or more, according as the Liquor is in Strength. This Salt they fometimes mould into the Form of Sugar- Loaves, in which State it will keep dry without Fire,
and
