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An account of a useful discovery to distill double the usual quantity of sea-water, by blowing showers of air up through the distilling liquor : $b and 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 ... also an account of the good effect of blowing showers of air up through milk, thereby to cure the ill taste which is occasioned by some kinds of food of cows.Hales, Stephen

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An account of a useful discovery to distill double the usual quantity of sea-water, by blowing showers of air up through the distilling liquor : $b and 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 ... also an account of the good effect of blowing showers of air up through milk, thereby to cure the ill taste which is occasioned by some kinds of food of cows.

Name: An account of a useful discovery to distill double the usual quantity of sea-water, by blowing showers of air up through the distilling liquor : $b and 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 ... also an account of the good effect of blowing showers of air up through milk, thereby to cure the ill taste which is occasioned by some kinds of food of cows.
Author: Hales, Stephen

Hales, Stephen

Seawater -- Distillation; Ships -- Heating and ventilation

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._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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