s/?Cc-<'. r/t&^f.ty CHLORIDE OF ZINC: .<* 4 ECONOMIC AND SANITARY RELATIONS; '** UP ffcfc* WITH TESTIMONIALS TO ITS PREVENTING DECAY, ROT, MILDEW AND COMBUSTION, WOOD, CANVAS, CORDAGE, COTTON, WOOLEN, &c. DEODORIZING AND PURIFYING FOUL HOLDS, CELLARS, HOSPITAL AVARDS, SICK CHAMBERS, SINKS, CESSPOOLS, VAULTS, CABINET AND CHAMBER VESSELS. BOSTON: PRINTED BY WHITE & POTTER, 1850. i - — /Ma: r k. £21?? CHLORIDE OF ZINC: ITS ECONOMIC AND SANITARY RELATIONS; e> WITH TESTIMONIALS TO ITS PREVENTING DECAY, ROT, MILDEW AND COMBUSTION, WOOD, CANVAS, CORDAGE, COTTON, WOOLEN, &c. DEODORIZING AND PURIFYING FOUL HOLDS, CELLARS, HOSPITAL WARDS, SICK CHAMBERS, SINKS, CESSPOOLS, VAULTS, CABINET AND CHAMBER VESSELS. BOSTON: PRINTED BY WHITE & POTTER, 1850. NOTICE. The following pages are selected from the "Reports on the Solution of Chloride of Zinc," printed for her Majesty's stationery office, and other pamphlets published in London in 1847, 1848 and 1849. The pamphlets were issued by the Proprietors of the Patent granted to Sir William Burnett in 1838. The "Reports" have an official authority which attaches to the name of Sir William Burnett, as Director- General of the Medical department of the British Navy. The testimonials to the efficacy of Chloride of Zinc as an economic agent, come from sources so varied, and so trustworthy, from the positions occupied by the witnesses, that their statements carry with them an authority which would not be increased by any official sanction. Whether we regard Chloride of Zinc as a sanitary, or a conservative agent, preserving the life and health of man, or shielding from decay the works of his hands in wood and textile fabrics, the application of this substance for such purposes has been of the greatest public benefit. Little, as yet, known in America, the Solution of Chloride of Zinc as a wood preserver, and deodorizer, has received the particular attention of some of the Engineers, Chemists, and Physicians of this country. Their observations and experiments confirm the statements in the "Reports." AVith the hope that an article so cheap, and so full of beneficial applications, may become speedily and widely known, and extensively used, the following selection has been arranged. The subject is too deeply interwoven with the general interests of society, to wait for the slow march of cautious, inductive experimentation, to be here repeated. The economic and sanitary effects have been amply proved in Europe, and under these distinct heads it is intended to offer such testimonials of its results, as may tend to give its use a wider circulation. It may be added, that its application is perfectly safe both to persons and property. It endangers no one's health, offends no one's senses, soils nobody's fingers, and stains no white dress. These are not minor advantages, but they are advantages all of which are possessed by no other agent which has heretofore been offered to the public for the prevention of decay, and the removal of offensive odors. The Chloride of Zinc has for a series of years in England stood every test to which it has been subjected by rigid experiment under Government authority, or the ordeal of an enlightened and watchful people. Convinced of the great utility of the Chloride of Zinc, extensive preparations have been made for its manufacture by the Roxbury Chemical Company, under the direction of Dr. A. A. Hayes, and the Manufacturing Companies at Lowell are erecting expensive apparatus for the purpose of Burnettizing timber. Loavell, March, 1850. • CONTENTS. Notice. pftge, Prospectus - . . . * ^ » . .. » .. t * „ 4 PART I. Chapter 1. Testimonials as to the Preservation of Wood from Decay, - - 5 Chapter 2. Testimonials as to the Protection of Wood from Fire. Chemical Analysis, and experiments on Burnettizing Wood, - - <. - - k ...... 13 Chapter 3. Testimonials as to the Protection of Cordage, Cotton, &c> from Decay, and Woolen from Moth, 19 PART II. Chapter 1. Chloride of Zinc a Sanitary Agent, ^ - - 36 Chapter 2. Chloride of Zinc as an application to Ulcers with offensive discharges, ----.--^...44 Chapter 3. Chloride of Zinc as a Deodorizer, applied to Bilge Water, Foul Holds and Cellars, Cesspools, vaults, Cabinet and Ghamber Vessels,......... .. 40 PART III. Preservation of Animal Substances, -».».•... 63 APPENDIX. Specification of the Patent granted to Sir W. Burnett, 68 Sanitary Purposes and Method of Application, - - ; - j. - - 69 Description of Apparatus} -...-- .. * . ft PROSPECTUS. The following are some of the peculiarities and advantages of Sir William Bur- nett's Patent process. ITS EFFECTS ON WOOD. It hardens and improves its texture. It enters into permanent chemical combi- nation with the ligneous fibre; and does not come to the surface of the wood by efflorescence, like other crystallizable salts; and no amount of washing or boiling in water will remove the chemical compound so formed. It preserves wood and other articles from the adherence of animal and vegetable parasites, and also from the attacks of insects. It completely preserves wood from wet and dry r6t. It renders the wood perfectly uninflammable, when used of a certain requisite strength. ITS EFFECTS ON CANVAS, CORDAGE, COTTON, ETC. The Preparation preserves these articles from mildew and roti It renders them more pliable ; does not in the slightest degree discolour them; and washing or boiling in water will not Remove the combination from their fibres. ITS EFFECTS ON WOOLEN. Woolen prepared by this process will be preserved from mildew and rot: it will not be attacked by moths ; and washing or boiling will not remove the combination from it. ITS EFFECTS ON ANIMAL MATTER. It is used for the preservation of anatomical subjects ; and green hides are effect- ually preserved from decomposition, by being subjected to the process. ITS EFFECTS ON BILGE-WATER. It completely neutralizes the offensive effluvium arising from bilge-water on board ships. ITS EFFECT ON METALS. Iron or other metals are not oxidated or dissolved, either when immersed in the Solution, or imbedded in wood prepared in it. CHAPTER I. TESTIMONIALS AS TO THE PRESERVATION OF WOOD FROM DECAY, Etc., Etc. From S. M. Peto, Esq., M. P. Sir: 3, Great George-street, Westminster, 8th January, 1849. In answer to your inquiry respecting some sleepers which were prepared for me by Sir W. Burnett's process, and which were laid down on one of the lines of rail- ways executed by me in the year 1841, I have to acquaint you they are now in as perfectly sound a state as when they were first laid, whilst those that were put k down in juxtaposition with them at the same time, unprepared, are quite decayed. To Lieut. Jackson, I am, Sir, yours obediently, Secretary to Burnett's Patent. (Signed) S. M. PETO. Dear Sir : Warmwell House, near Dorchester, 11th November, 1848. Will you have the goodness to send me, as early as you can, by the South West- ern Railway, directed to be left at the Moreton Station, near Dorchester,—a Jar of Sir W. Burnett's Solution for Preserving Timber. I am happy to tell you that the timber (Scotch fir cut out of my own plantation) which I had soaked five years since and placed in a very trying situation, does not show the slightest symptoms of decay, while some of the same timber, not soaked, used in a comparatively dry place, is evidently decaying fast. I am so satisfied with what I have seen of its property in preserving timber, that I have used nothing else but my own fir in some farm and other buildings which I have been lately erecting, as I am certain it will be quite as durable as the best foreign timber. I am Sir, —Jackson, Esq., Yours very truly, Sir W. Burnett's Office for Solution (Signed) AUGUSTUS FOSTER. for Timber, King William street, City, London. From William Rae, Esq., M. D., Deputy Medical Inspector of Hospitals. Melville Hospital, Chatham, My Dear Sir : 30*A October, 1848. Herewith I send you five specimens of wood, two prepared with the Chloride of Zinc, and three unprepared ; all of which have been in my cellar, exposed to de- structive dry rot, for nearly four year?. The two first you will observe, are of pine, and remain as firm and sound as when placed in the cellar ; one of the three last is of pine, and the other two of common fir, all of them being more or less rotten, fri- able and decayed. 1 6 TESTIMONIALS AS TO I have been induced to forward these specimens, as forming a strong and convinc- ing proof of the Antiseptic qualities of the Chloride of Zinc, and, in conclusion, may remark that, while fungus grew like wool from the one or unprepared set, it never touched the other. I remain, my dear Sir, Your very obedient servant, To Sir W. Burnett, K. C. H., &c, &c, &c. (Signed) AVILLIAM RAE. Extract of a Letter from Abercromby Dick, Esq., B. C. S., one of the Judges of the Sudder Dewanny Adawlut {Supreme Native Court,) Calcutta, to David Ogilvy, Esq. April 7th, 1848. £ must now tell you, the specimens of wood, steeped in Burnett's mixture, went yesterday in the ' Labuan,' packed in a box. Captain Alston took charge of them, and will deliver them to my brother William, to whom you had better write about them. They are four pieces, teak, saul, toon and deal, steeped and marked with a B, to denote they have been Burnettized, and four similar pieces marked N, or not Burnettized. They were all placed close to each other, where white ants and damp abounded. Those steeped are all untouched, though the ants hare left marks of attempts. Of the others, the two hard woods, teak and saul are a little touched, the toon much more, the deal eaten through and through. In the box are also speci- mens of country paper, some steeped, some not, and you will readily perceive how good a preservative your Burnett's Patent is. I have washed all my books with it, using a painter's brush, and used it in paste for binding books. To the natives, for records, and to the government, it will be invaluable. I shall make some more experiments on paper, and, when ready with proof, shall propose its use to the gov- ernment and to the natives. See Official Report from the Officers of H. M. Dockyard, Portsmouth, p. 23, part II., dated 24th, September, 1847. As to the preservation of a piece of unprepared wood, upon which prepared can- vas had been rolled, after remaining eight years and five months in a damp situation. The canvas and wood were both sound. But the unprepared canvas and the wood upon which it was foiled were com- iplete51y rotten. The Report says,— " And the sound state of the roller upon which the prepared canvas was rolled, as compared with the other is very remarkable, it having been cut from the same spar." From Professors Brande and Cooper. Sir: London, 11th October, 1844. On examining the specimens of AVOOD and canvas which we prepared according to your specification about six months since, and which have remained in damp cel- lars during the whole of that period, and on comparing them with other specimens which were parts of the same wood and canvas, and which had been similarly ex- posed without having undergone any previous preparation, we found the specimens of wood not to have suffered any material change,* but as respects the canvas, that which had not been submitted to your process was entirely covered Avith fungus vegetation, AA'hile that which had been prepared by immersion in dilute solution of chloride of zinc, in the manner you direct, was not in the slightest degree so affected. (Signed) AVM. THOS. BRANDE, To Sir AV. Burnett, K.'C.H. JOHN THOS. COOPER. FURTHER TESTIMONIALS. Sir: London, 1th November, 1845. We>have this day again examined the specimens of canvas and WOOD prepared according to the specification of your patent, and which, in the month of April, 1844, we placed in a damp cellar, where they have remained up to this date. * The period of six month* being too short for the unprepared wood to beeome affected. PRESERVING WOOD. ^ We are now enabled satisfactorily to corroborate the favorable opinion expressed in our former report. The canvas remains amply protected from all fungus vegeta- tion and rottenness, while a corresponding sample of the same piece which had noi been prepared by immersion in the solution is entirely decayed, being mouldy, rot- ten, black, and in places resembles tinder. AVe have also lately compared the strength of a fibre of a piece of canvas which we prepared according to your specification, in October, 1844, with that of the fibre of the same canvas, unprepared, and find that it has in that respect sustained no injury. AVe are therefore of opinion that your process will not, after any lapse of time, tend to deteriorate the strength of the fibres of the substances in question. In regard to the several samples of different species of AVOOD above adverted to, each of which Avas cut into tAVO, one half being imbued according to the directions of your specification with the dilute solution of chloride of zinc, Avhile the other half was left in its original condition, we have also to make a favorable report, and to repeat our opinion of the efficacy of your process as a preventive of dry rot, and similar sources of decay; the unprepared specimens are manifesting symptoms of decay and mildeAv, while those Avhich have been protected by your preparation are clean and sound. (Signed) AVILLIAM THOMAS BRANDE, JOHN THOMAS COOPER. To Sir William Burnett, K. C. H., F. R. S.f &c. &c. Gentlemen : London, 30th July, 1846. In reference to our former statements respecting the efficacy of Sir William Burnett's Patent process for the preservation of TIMBER, Cordage, Sailcloth, and other materials from decay, we beg to repeat that all our subsequent experience has amply justified those statements. AVe are of opinion that the process, so far from being in any way deteriorating or destructive, is a preservative of vegetable and animal fibre. The specimens of AVOOD and of Canvas which we formerly asserted to have resisted the influence of a damp cellar, in which unprepared portions of the same AVood and of the same Canvas became mouldy and rotten, still remain in a sound and protected condition; and as respects the influence of the preservative process upon Canvas laid up in store, we feel entirely justified in concluding from the results of our several experiments, that under such circumstances the protected article will always maintain its superiority in resisting decay, and that it Avill not itself sustain any injury under influences which would mildew, and impair the qual- ity, strength and texture of unprepared Canvas. AVe are, Gentlemen, your faithful servants, (Signed) AVM. THOS. BRANDE, JOHN THOS. COOPER. To the Proprietors of Sir AV. Burnett's Patent, Extract from the " Builder " of the 2nd May, 1846, The preservation of Timber from premature decay is a subject Avhich affects so large a number of our readers, that we are bound to give the widest publicity to every invention that appears likely to effect that object. The various testimonials we have received in favor of Sir W. Burnett's process, and the time that has elapsed since the experiments Avere first made, lead us to entertain a very favorable opin- ion as to its efficacy, at all events for a long period of time. The effects ascribed to it are, that it hardens and improves its texture. It enters into permanent chemical combination Avith the ligneous fibre; and does not come to the surface of the AVood by efflorescence, like other crystallizable salts; and no amount' of washing or boil- ing in water will remove the chemical compound so formed. It preserves Avood and other articles from the adherence of animal and vegetable parasites, and also from the attacks of insects; and from wet and dry rot. Further, it renders wood unin- flammable, when used of a certain strength. The basis of Sir W. Burnett's process is chloride of zinc, or as it is more com- monly called, muriate of zinc, which seems to have a peculiar affinity to woody fibre entering into intimate union with its component particles, and forming as it were a 8 TESTIMONIALS AS TO new mineralized substance. There is a chemical combination of the metallic base, not merely a mechanical alteration of the position of matter which might be again disunited. There is no decomposition produced, but the fibre of the wood appears to be permanently pervaded by the zinc, and the atoms of which they are formed enter into a new and fixed arrangement. Metropolitan Wood Paving Company, Sir : Belgrave Works, Thames Bank, lbth May, 1846. I am desired by the Secretary to forward to you, three Iron Cramps, taken from a mass of wood Paving Blocks, prepared by Sir AV. Burnett's process in 1844, part of the stock of 25,000 yards so prepared. I beg to say that I can see no change in. the appearance of the Iron from the solution. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, (Signed) JAMES FOREMAN, To the Secretary to Sir AV. Burnett's Patent. Surveyor to the Company. Pitfour, Mintlaw, N. B., October 18th, 1845. My Dear Sir William : Since 1842, your composition for the preservation of timber has been in constant use. The benefits and advantages deriAied from it far exceed our expectations. The great proportion of timber grown here is of the fir tribe. The quality gener- ally soft and spongy. The composition has given it hardness, durability, and real value; and I may mention that, after a trial of nearly three years, palings erected, in many cases on marshy ground, are sound and free from decay. Palings, so erected, and unprepared, would not have endured many months. My dear Sir AVilliam, your faithful servant, To Sir Wm. Burnett, K. C. H., &c. &c. &c. GEO. FERGUSON. Dear Sir William: Welton-place, Northamptonshire, October, 1845. I am happy to send you an account of an experiment with the solution, where it Avas put to a very severe trial. Some inch boards of elm, sawn up immediately upon being felled, were steeped in the Solution, and used to support the rich earth of a melon and cucumber bed constructed upon what is termed the " Tank System ;" being subjected to the action of steam from a tank of hot water beneath, while they supported a body of highly manured earth 2 feet in thickness. Other elm- boards were used in part in the same apparatus. These were of seasoned wood of high quality. On examining the apparatus in the present October, after being seven months in action, the unprepared wood was permeated by the spawn of terrestrial fungi which were growing on the under side; they had also given way in the cen- tre, so much so as to endanger the slate-covered tank beneath. The prepared boards AA'ere perfectly straight, sound, and unaltered. I am, dear Sir AVilliam, very truly yours, Sir William Burnett, K. C. H., &o. &c. RICHARD TREVOR CLARKE. Sir : Petworth Park, 28th November, 1845. In answer to your inquiry as to my opinion of Sir AVilliam Burnett's process, I beg to inform you that, after two years' experience, I think so favourably of it, I propose using it on Colonel Wyndham's estate at Petworth more extensively than has been done hitherto. I find it very useful for preparing oak, sap-rails, English fir, beech, and all tim- bers that are at all liable to be attacked by the worm. As the time required for simple immersion in the Patent liquid could not gener- ally be spared, Colonel AVyndham has had a hydraulic apparatus fixed at Petworth, Avhich will enable much larger quantities of timber being prepared; to which he now proposes to add a small steam-engine. I am, Sir, your humble servant, To C. Jackson, Esq., HENRY UPTON. Secretary of Sir William Burnett's Patent. PRESERVING WOOD. 9 Royal Hospital, Haslar, 25th February, 1839. Having had occasion, two years and a half since, to repair the water-closet in the 76th, and some Avood-work in the 40th Avard of the Royal Naval Hospital at this place, I found in so doing, that the timber Avas in such a complete state of dry rot, with immense fungi attached, as in many parts to leave the bare paint alone on the face of the wood; which wood had been put up new about five years before. This was replaced by Sir William Burnett's prepared timber, which, on inspection,, is now found to be as perfectly sound as it Avas the day when first fixed, that being, as above stated, two years and a half since. I discovered, eighteen months ago, many other parts of the building also in a very defective state, and having replaced these defects Avith wood saturated with Sir William Burnett's preparation, I now find the wood in question to be as sound and perfectly free from dry rot, as when first used. _ I am, therefore, of opinion, that timber prepared with Sir AVilliam Burnett's solu- tion, Avill be productive of a very great saving to the Public. THOMAS BAKER. Inspector of Worlds. FURTHER TESTIMONIAL. Sir: Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar, &rd January, 1843. I consider it my duty to send you a statement of the woods which we have ore trial, of Sir AV. Burnett's Patent, at this Hospital. I have this day examined the pieces in the 76th Avater-closet, which I placed there in December, 1836, andl find them perfectly sound. The old wood Avhich Avas taken doAvn was in a complete state of dry rot, with immense fungi attached; it had only been up and fixed five* years. I fixed some wood of Sir AV. Burnett's Patent in the same place, six years ago, and I find it perfectly sound. The other pieces of wood that I have placed for trial, have been in so short a time that I cannot give my opinion on them yet. I may state, that in two previous instances, the Avood on trial of Sir W. Burnett's* Patent (taken down from exposed situations in this Hospital) were perfectly sound, whereas the unprepared, which were placed alongside of them, and put up at the same time, and from the same piece of timber, were decayed. I am still of the same opinion that I expressed four years ago, that timber prepared with Sir AV. Burnett's Patent would be productive of a very great saving to the Public. I am, Sir, your very obedient humble servant, THOMAS BAKER. Inspector of Works. To the Secretary, &jc. Extract of a Letter from the Earl of Charleville to Sir W. Burnett. I have been using your Patent Solution extensively, with much satisfaction, and have desired the Clerk of the Works to send your Secretary an account of it. Sir : Copy of Report, dated Charleville Forest, Ireland, 12th January, 1843. I have been using extensively on the Earl of Charleville's Estate, Sir AVilliam Burnett's Patent Solution for the prevention of dry rot, &c, in timber, since June, 1840. All the timber so prepared has a very satisfactory appearance ; I consider it quite as good for seasoning timber, and preferable to the solution of cotrrosive sublimate for timber that is to be worked on the bench;—it does not leave that gritty substance on the-surface that is left from corrosive sublimate, which is so injurious to the plane-irons. I have also had a large quantity of small poles, or tops, prepared prin- cipally of Scotch fir, from one and a half to three inches in diameter, consequently they are nearly all sap. They have been in use about tAvo years in what is com- monly called, American paling. I find, on examining them, that they are as sound between wind and water, as when put into the ground. (Signed) R. TONG. To the Secretary, Burnett's Patent. Foreman to the Earl of Charleville. 1* 10 TESTIMONIALS AS TO Tullamore, King's County, Ireland, lQth July, 1843. I certify that I have made use of a large quantity of domestic timber (beech, elm, and Scotch fir) in the repairs of my boats, which was prepared in Sir AVilliam Bur- nett's process three years since; most of it I find to be perfectly sound, which would not have been the case had it not been so prepared, as I have had, repeatedly, Memel timber decayed in less time, in the same situation. To the Secretary, Burnett's Patent. (Signed) THOS. BERRY. Sir: Tullamore, King's County, Ireland, 11th January, 1842. In reply to your note, I beg to say that from my experience of Sir William Burnett's process of preparing timber, it has succeeded perfectly; and has enabled me to effect a very considerable saving in my establishment, by substituting domestic timber where, heretofore, I used the best foreign. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, To the Secretary of Burnett's Patent. THOMAS BERRY. Portsmouth, 21th January, 1842. Lieutenant-Colonel Piper, R. E., in reply to Sir W. Burnett's note of the 24th instant, on the subject of four pieces of plank, which in February 1839 were depos- it ed beneath the floor of one of the shifting-houses at Marchwood; the one of two pieces being of oak, and the other of fir, which had undergone the process of the patent for the prevention of dry rot and mildew ; as also two other pieces of plank, the one of oak and the second of fir, all of the same dimensions, which had under- gone no process at all; has the pleasure to mention, that in conjunction with Mr. Burgess, the clerk of Avorks, he minutely examined the planks in question when last there, and that they found the two which had received the benefit of the process perfectly sound, but those which had not been subjected to it, in a state fast approaching to dry rot, and smelling offensively, being covered with a yellow powder, and a greasy-mattered paler substance; and they therefore concluded that, in a very short time, the one set of planks would become useless ; whereas, the other would continue sound. And should this description be of any service to Sir W. Burnett's views, Lieutenant-Colonel Piper can only feel pleasure in having af- forded it. The planks were then replaced in their previous place of sepulture for further ti ial. Dear Sir : Botley, near Southampton, 23rd March, 1842. The two small frames, with the doors made of Scotch fir of the growth of this neighborhood, which were saturated with Sir Wm. Burnett's patent preparation, although they have been in a very damp cellar nearly two years, there is not the least appearance of mildew, but are as sound in every respect as when first placed there. The beech plank, saturated soon afterwards, although exposed out of doors, has no appearance of decay. I am, dear Sir, yours truly, F. W. Jerningham, Esq. (Signed) W. E. GUILLAUME. The testimonial of Capt. C. W. M. S. M'Kerlie, late of the Hon. East India Company's Service, as to the efficacy of the Patent Process in the preservation of the planks of the Melbourne's launch, will be found in Part II., page 25. The following refers to a quantity of " Burnettized" deals put down at the same time with other pieces of the same wood unprepared, in a cellar of a house in Chatham Dockyard (where the flooring had been repeatedly destroyed by dry rot, and where large fungi were then growing,) in the latter part of the year 1838 ; the prepared and unprepared planks being placed side by side, alternately. When examined, in the spring of 1842, all the unprepared wood had become completely rotten, and was taken up and replaced by other wood; whilst that which was " Burnettized" was perfectly sound and clean, and was re-laid with new ttnprepared wood for further wear. PRESERVING WOOD. H SlR: Admiralty, 22nd July, 1842. I have laid before my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, your letter of the 21st instant, and am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you in reply, that the report of the inspection made at Chatham by Messrs. Fincham and Edye, on some wood prepared according to your Patent, in contrast with unprepared wood placed in the same situation, is favorable to the preparation invented by you. I am, Sir, your most humble servant, (Signed) SIDNEY HERBERT. Sir William Burnett, K. C. H., &c, &c. Sir : Peckham, Surrey, 28th July, 1842. I have examined several specimens of timber, canvas, and other materials, which, having been prepared by Sir W. Burnett's process, and, together with other speci- mens of similar materials not so prepared, had been placed in situations which sub- jected them to the strongest and fairest comparative test; and I hereby certify that the prepared specimens were in a good state of preservation, and that most of the unprepared specimens were more or less in a state of decay. (Signed) J. NOLLOTH. Late Master Shipwright of H. M. Dockyard To the Secretary, Burnett's Patent. at Portsmouth. Important Official Documents respecting the condition of some prepared and unprepared Timber, which had been in the Fungus Pit nearly pive years. Sir: Admiralty, 26th July, 1841. I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to send herewith for your information a copy of a Report received from the Officers of the Woolwich Yard, on the state of the timber prepared under your Patent, which had been depos- ited in the fungus pit. I am, Sir, your most humble servant, To Sir Wm. Burnett, K. C. H., F. R. S., &c. (Signed) J. PARKER. SlK: Woolwich Yard, 15th July, 1841. Agreeably to your memo, of this day's date, we have to acquaint you, that we have examined the several specimens of timber which have been prepared by Sir AVilliam Burnett, and deposited in the fungus pit at this Yard, and find their state to be as follows, viz.: Prepared. English Oak.—Perfectly sound. English Elm.—Perfectly sound. Dantzic Fir.—Perfectly sound. Unprepared. English Oak.—- Has a small spot of fun- gus on the end. English Elm.—Doaty. Dantzic Fir.—-Has fungus on the out' side, and is decayed in the heart. We are, Sir, your most obedient servants, O. LANG. ' R. ABETHELL. Master Shipwright. Assistant to the Master Shipwright. P. S.—The prepared and unprepared deposited in the pit the 25th August, 1836. To Capt. Superintendent Hornby, R. N., C. B. N. B.—Some pieces of prepared and unprepared canvas and calico were also placed in the fungus pit at the same time, and on its being opened in May, 1838, for the inspection of its contents, the Official Report stated that, as regarded the canvas and calico, the experiment was decisive and conclusive, the prepared being but slightly injured, and in some cases not at all, whilst the unprepared was entirely destroyed. Portsmouth, 8th January, 1839. In May, 1838, I placed in a cellar (where the dry rot has nearly destroyed the floor) a piece of memel fir, prepared with Sir AVilliam Burnett's Solution; also a piece of memel fir without being so prepared, closed the door, and did not open it 12 TESTIMONIALS AS TO PRESERVING WOOD. again until the latter end of December in the same year. It should here be noticed, that the floor of the cellar is constantly under water. The pieces of timber were placed on a stone shelf about four feet above the water. On examining the timber, the piece not prepared was warped, and its surface covered with blue spots, strongly resembling the appearance of decay on boarded linings against damp walls. The piece prepared with Sir William Burnett's Solution, did not exhibit a similar appear- ance, but appeared to have resisted the moisture, which ran off the surface on being removed. (Signed) WILLIAM BURGES, * Clerk of Works, Royal Engineer Department. Sir: Royal Dockyard, Sheerness, 29th April, 1839. In reply to Sir William Burnett's inquiry relating to some pieces of wood pre- pared by him, and sent to this Yard to ascertain the effects produced on them when subject for a given period to a sub-marine immersion; and whether during that immersion any effect was produced by the preparation on the iron nails with which they were necessarily secured to the piles under water ; I beg to state that it is my decided opinion the preparation on prepared pieces of wood has had no injurious effect on the iron nails by which they were fastened, nor does the preparation ap- pear in any way to hasten the oxydation of the metal. I subjected two pieces of wood at the same time (and of the same kind), one prepared, the other not, and from a careful examination afterwards, I am decidedly of opinion, that the pre- paration DOES NOT HASTEN THE OXYDATION OF METAL, AND ON COMPARISON WITH the unprepared portion, appears to retard it. The wood avas two years subjected to this experiment. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, J. MITCHELL. To Dr. AVarden. Civil Engineer. Sir : August 9th, 1838. You requested me to put certain specimens of wood in a place I considered most likely to decay them in the shortest period possible. I received six pieces from you, and put them in a close damp place, on the 6th of July, 1836. The prepared pieces were marked with * W. B.,' twice ; the unprepared pieces with the same letters, Once. In the place where I put them I had witnessed the fatal effects of the dry rot on some wood I had deposited there in store. I examined them on the 13th July, 1837, and found all the prepared pieces per- fectly sound. The unprepared pieces, with the exception of a piece of fir, showed decided signs of decay by the dry rot. I replaced them again, to give them a longer trial, and. again examined them on the 20th May, 1838, when I found all the prepared pieces perfectly sound. I also found a piece of fir, unprepared, sound; the other unprepared were oak and elm, which I found thoroughly diseased and rotten on the surface. It is necessary for me to remark, that the piece of unprepared fir that remained sound, was of that mixed nature with turpentine, that it must take a considerable period to decay it, in the most trying situation. I beg further to remark, that the piece of prepared oak had a- quantity of sap in it, and Avhich I found as sound as when first placed for trial. This I consider most important, as the sap of oak has no durability or strength. On the 29th December, 1836,1 received from you two pieces of canvas, and two pieces of calico and cotton. One of each Avas prepared, and the other not. I put them in the same place with the wood for trial. On examining them, I found the prepared canvas perfectly sound, and the unprepared very rotten. The prepared calico had a slight mark of decay on it; the unprepared calico was thoroughly rotten, and falling to pieces. The statements I have made are the mere facts which I witnessed on the trial of the before-stated materials. Being, sir, rather sceptical in the belief of any certain remedy being found for the prevention of dry rot, I must declare, the trial I have witnessed of the effect of your preparation is such as to leave not the shadow of a doubt but it will have the good effect desired. I am, Sir, your most obedient ancL humble servant, Sir William Burnett, K. C. H., &c. &c (Signed). JOHN INGRAM. PROTECTION OF WOOD FROM FIRE. 13 CHAPTER II. PROTECTION OF WOOD FROM FIRE. Chemical Analyses and Experiments on Bnrnettized Wood. Copy of a Letter addressed to Sir William Burnett, by order of the Lords Commis- sioners of the Admiralty, respecting the application of his Patent process to the protection of Wood from FIRE. Sir: Admiralty, 19th June, 1844. My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having caused experiments to be made to test the incombustibility of woods, when saturated in your solution, I am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you that it has been ascertained that the soft woods, such as yellow pine and other deals, both foreign and English, saturated in solution prepared in certain proportions, when exposed to the immediate contact of iron heated to a blood-red heat, did not at all ignite into flame, whereas unpre- pared wood of the same kind, burst into flame immediately. The same effects however are not produced in the same degree by the same process upon the hard woods. I am, Sir, Your most humble servant, Sir AVilliam Burnett, K.C.H. (Signed) JOHN BARROW. Additional Testimonial as to the Protection of Wood from Fire. Communicated by order of the Right Hon. Lord Stanley, Secretary of State for the Colonies, to the Governors of the North American Colonies. Extracted from the " Bermuda Royal Gazette" of the 21st October, 1845. "Bermuda.—The following portions of a despatch recently received by His Excellency, the Governor, we lay before our readers. The specimens of the pre- pared wood and the Pamphlet alluded to, will be placed, the former in the Museum, and the latter in the Library."—Ed. Bermuda Royal Gazette. {Circular.) Sir : Downing street, 30th August, 1845. The recent calamitous fires at Quebec, have led Her Majesty's Government to consider the proprietv of making known in the Colonies, where timber is largely if not entirely employed in the construction of houses, the success which has attended the inventions in this country for the preservation of Avood from ignition, as well as from dry rot. I accordingly inclose for your information a copy of a despatch, with its annex- ures, which I have this day addressed to the Governor of Canada on the subject. Although the circumstance which has led to that communication has a more direct relation to Canada, it may, to a certain extent, be considered applicable to the other Provinces, and I have to instruct you to adopt such measures as may appear best calculated to effect the object in view. I have, &c, Governor Reid, &c. &c. &c. (Signed) STANLEY. My Lord : Downing street, 30th August, 1845. I enclose herewith the copy of a letter from Sir William Burnett, suggesting the importance of employing, in the re-building of those portions of Quebec, which have been destroyed by the late calamitous fires, wood prepared according to his plan. 14 PROTECTION OF WOOD FROM FIRE. I also enclose the copy of a letter from the Secretary of the Admiralty, forward- ing reports from officers of the dock yard at Portsmouth of the results of experi- ments made by them to test the efficacy of this invention in preserving timber from ignition, together with a statement from the Secretary of the Patentees, showing the cost per load of preparing wood for purposes of building. In addition, I inclose the copy of a letter from Mr. Jones, suggesting the applica- bility of this prepared wood for the formation of roads in the western division of Canada, and proposing that a portion of the sum granted by Parliament for the relief of the sufferers by the fires at Quebec, should be expended in the purchase of the requisite machinery and its conveyance to Canada. This gentleman has lately returned to the province, and would be prepared to afford to your Lordship any explanations which you might require on the subject. Considering the importance of any measure Avhich has a tendency to diminish the risk of fires in a country in which, as in Canada, wood is extensively used for the construction of dwelling-houses, I think it right to bring these suggestions under your Lordship's notice, in case you should think them proper objects either for ex- pending upon them a part of the sum lately voted by Parliament for the relief of the sufferers by the fires at Quebec, or for making them the subject of an applica- tion to the Provincial Parliament. I have, &c. &c. (Signed) STANLEY. To the Right Hon. Lord Metcalfe, &c. &c. Sir : Admiralty, 11th August, 1845. In reply to your letter of the 9th instant, with its inclosure from Sir William Burnett, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to trans- mit to you, for the information of Lord Stanley, a copy of a Report from the officers of Portsmouth Yard, upon the effects of his Solution applied to the purpose of preventing ignition in timber, or rather to prevent it breaking into flames. In con- sequence of that report, my lords have ordered the bulkheads in the holds and magazines in Her Majesty's ships to be fitted with timber so saturated, and it is also applied largely to the various buildings in Her Majesty's doek yards. I send for Lord Stanley's further information, a copy of a statement of the price per load of preparing timber for building purposes. I am, &c, (Signed) W. A. B. HAMILTON. Geo. Wm, Hope, Esq., &c. &c, Secretary, Sir: Portsmouth Yard, 13th March, 18,44. AVith reference to your directions of the 1st ultimo, to make experiments as to the degrees of prevention against ignition into flame, which timber saturated with Sir William Burnett's Solution, affords comparatively with wood of the same kind and unprepared, we have the honor to state, that w? have very carefully instituted a series of experiments on this subject, of which the following are the results. [A portion of the experiments were made by placing the prepared and unpre- pared specimens in one of the furnaces of the metal mills, in which the results were decidedly in favor of the prepared woods; which resisted that intense heat much longer than the unprepared. The experiments were then continued as fol- lows.] Red Pine (Canada), the red hot iron placed over both — the unprepared burst into flame immediately—the prepared gave no symptoms of flame, and the iron be- came cold Avithout its inflaming. Elm (Canada) placed in hot pots containing the copper cakes lately ladled out of the refining furnace. The unprepared ignited into flame in half a minute. The prepared into a very much smaller flame in two minutes and a quarter. YelloAv Pine (Canada) placed in the cake pots similarly to the beforementioned. The unprepared burst into flame immediately. The prepared was watched for twelve minutes, but burst not into flame at all. The heat was very great. A second experiment Avas tried on this timber by placing red hot iron on it. The unprepared ignited immediately into flame. The prepared not at all, PROTECTION OF WOOD FROM FIRE. 15 It appears from the above experiments, that some of the prepared woods (espe- de ee Yellow Pine) have resisted ignition into flame to an extraordinary AVe are of opinion that Yellow Pine Timber prepared in this way might be used most beneficially, not only for magazines and light room bulkheads, but also for all the bulkheads of a ship. There appears to be nothing in the Solution calculated to injuriously affect the health of the crew, and if, by preparing Yellow Pine Timber in tnis way, it might be made as durable as the timber generally used for bulkheads, it would be found to possess the double advantage of preserving the timber and preventing its ignition into flame. The Solution used in the above experiments was about eight times the ordinary strength. We remain, &c., (Signed) R. BLAKE. J. WATTS. F. STURDIE. J. OWEN. Sin • Portsmouth Yard, 25th May, 1845. With reference to your memo. 20th March last, directing me to report whether we propose that bulkheads should be prepared with Sir William Burnett's Solution ?Ll A/rSamif ftrenSth as that used in the experiments described in our letter of the lbtn March last, that is, eight times the usual strength, and if so, what would be tHe expense of fitting a line-of-battle ship in that manner. The following is the comparative expense of fitting the bulkheads of the hold of a Iine-ol battle ship with ordinary timber unprepared, and with Yellow Pine and Riga ±ir prepared with Solution of one pound of Chloride, to two gallons of water. Bulkheads &c. in hold, of English oak, 3 in. thick, 2,760 £ s. d. cubic feet 966 0 0 Do., Yellow Pine, 3 in. thick, 2,760 cubic feet, including cost of preparation 577 18 0 Difference in favor of Yellow Pine £388 2 0 Bulkheads &c. in hold, of Riga Fir, 3 in. thick—2,760 cubic feet, including cost of preparation 646 18 0 Difference in favor of Riga Fir £319 2 0 We have, &c, &c, (Signed) R. BLAKE. J. WATTS. J. OAVEN. Chemical Analyses of and Experiments on various specimens of Burnettized Timber. From Thomas Graham, Esq., M. A., F. R. S., L. and E., Professor of Chemistry, University College, London. After making several experiments on wood prepared by the Solution of chloride of zinc for the purpose of preservation, and given the subject my best consideration, I have come to the following conclusions : The wood appears to be fully and deeply penetrated by the metallic salt: I have found it in the centre of a large prepared paving block. The salt, although very soluble, does not leave the wood easily when exposed to the weather, or buried in dry or damp earth. It does not come to the surface of the wood by efflorescence, like the crystallizable salts. I have no doubt, indeed, that the greater part of the salt will remain in the wood for years, when employed for railway sleepers or such purposes. This may be of material consequence when the wood is exposed to the attacks of insects, such as the white ant in India, which I believe would be repelled by the poisonous metallic salt. 16 CHEMICAL EXPERIMENTS ON PREPARED TIMBER. After being long macerated in cold water, or even boiled in water, thin chips of the prepared wood retain a sensible quantity of the oxide of zinc; which I confirmed by Mr. Toplis's test, and observing that the wood can be permanently dyed from being charged with a metallic mordant. I have no doubt, from repeated observations made during several years, of the valuable preservative qualities of the Solution of chloride of zinc, as applied in Sir W. Burnett's process; and would refer its beneficial action chiefly to the small quantity of the metallic salt which is permanently retained by the ligneous fibre in all circumstances of exposure. The oxide of zinc appears to alter and harden the fibre of wood, and destroy the solubility, and prevent the tendency to decomposition of the azotised principles it contains, by entering into chemical combination with them. (Signed) THOMAS GRAHAM. University College, 25th Oct. 1845. Extract from "Illustrations of the Theory and Practice of Ventilation, &c, &c." By D. B. REID, M. D., F.R. S. E., late Vice President of the Society of arts for Scotland, and Senior President of the Royal Medical Society, Edinburgh. (Pages 73, 74 ; subject, Dry Rot.) In all cases where there is either peculiar exposure, a difficulty in obtaining con- stant and free access to timbers, or a desire to give the highest protection, the mate- rials should be subjected to those agents whose antiseptic powers tend to oppose all incipient vegetation. Among "these the muriate of zinc, introduced by Sir William Burnett, which I have used on different occasions, and which from the specimens I have seen is the most powerful of those materials that do not affect the texture or other qualities of the wood. Many oily antiseptics, though offensive from their odor, are also effectual in preventing Dry Rot; but, as yet, I have not seen any specimens of wood or canvas that have resisted such trying circumstances as those that were protected by the muriate of zinc. Experiments made by Mr. Glass, chemist to the Proprietors of Sir W. Burnett's Patent, to ascertain whether or not, the Solution of chloride of zinc had penetrated to the centre of a log of oak, 11 feet long by 18 inches in diameter, prepared in the hydraulic apparatus in daily use at the Station, Millwall, Poplar. 1. The log was divided into two pieces by a saw. 2. A quantity of wood was then removed by an auger from the centre of one of the ends of the newly cut pieces. 3. The portion of wood removed by the auger, dried and slowly charred in a por- celain crucible. 4. The charred wood digested in hot nitro-hydrochloric acid, and the Solution obtained filtered. 6. The clear filtrate supersaturated by ammonia; succinate of ammonia then added, and the liquid boiled and filtered. 6. To the clear filtrate was added hydro-sulphate of ammonia. This produced a white precipitate which is characteristic of a zinc salt, and proved that the Solution had been forced to the centre of the log of oak. Experiments intended to prove that chloride of zinc produces with wood a compound insoluble in water. A. Some white pine wood was cut out into thin slips about the size of matches and one half digested in a Solution of chloride of zinc for four hours and -then carefully dried. a. The unprepared wood dyed in a boiling infusion of logwood (Hcematoxylon Campechianum). The color obtained was a reddish yellow. EXTRACTS FROM A REPORT" OF AN OFFICER OF ENGINEERS. 17 ft. The one half of the wood so dyed was boiled in water. The coloring matter was nearly all removed,—the color left being yellow. c. The prepared Avood was dyed as in a. A dark reddish brown color was produced. d. A portion of the prepared wood so dyed was boiled in water. The excess of coloring matter was removed, yet the same shade of color was left as in c. e. Another portion of the prepared wood was boiled in water, and then dyed as above. The same color was produced as in c. f. Another portion of the prepared wood treated as in e, was boiled in water. The same color as in c, Avas left on the wood. • 100Q grains of the interior of a Burnettized beech rail used for some time on Prosser's Experimental Railway at AVimbledon Common, cut into very thin pieces, yielded 7 grains of oxide of zinc, of which only 2£ grains could be dissolved by boiling water. This small proportion (being an excess of chloride of zinc) had not combined with the wood, and therefore was soluble in water. Zrd October, !845. EXTRACTS FROM A REPORT OF AN OFFICER OF ENGINEERS, 'Commissioned by the French Government to examine and report upon the merits of Sir AVilliam Burnett's Patent 'Process. Report upon the process employed in England fur the preservation of Wood, Canvas, and Cordage. Many researches have been made until now, more particularly within the last few years, to find a process which will preserve woods from the rapid decay to which they are subject in the universal uses to which they are employed. Amongst the numerous means that have been submitted to the public, there are three worthy of being cited, which appear to have some chances of success. [The writer then gives a brief account of other methods adopted for the same purpose, with objections to them, and proceeds :] The process of which I have to give an account, is that of Sir AVilliam Burnett, Director-General of the Service of health in the English Navy, which has been proved by many years' experience ; and if it does not resolve the problem com- pletely, it has at least, above all the others, some positive advantages, which render it worthy of attention. This process consists in introducing into the wood, by means of great pressure, a solution of chloride of zinc, and in replacing as much as possible the sap by this solution. * * * I have seen some slender plank and some pieces of canvas, which, after having been submitted to the preparation, had been placed during many months upon the soil of a very damp pit, by the side of others of the same dimensions obtained from the same plank, and some other pieces of canvas cut from the same piece, which had not been prepared. The first was perfectly sound; the second showed evident traces of deterioration—some parts were even completely rotten. The intimate contact of a rotten piece has not any effect upon the prepared piece, as has been proved to me by the result of an experiment made to this effect, by the principal surgeon of the arsenal at Portsmouth. The solution of chloride of zinc possesses tAVO other important properties : — 1st, it renders the wood very difficult to inflame; and, 2d, if in a wooden vessel it be mixed with the Avater of the hold, (bilgewater,) it preserves it for a long time from corruption, and it also prevents the disagreeable smell, which is one of the plagues of mariners. This last property has been profitably used on board the royal yacht " Victoria and Albert;" and I saw at Southampton the packet-boat " Oriental," of 450 horse power, on board of which this process has been used with success. As to the first property, it is not less precious; and many great misfor- tunes may be avoided by using it in the construction of roofs, sheds, &c. 2 EXTRACTS FROM A REPORT OF AN OFFICER OF ENGINEERS. To give an account of the action of chloride of zinc upon wood—the action to which its preservative effect is due—I have, myself made an experiment, of which here is the summary. Some small pieces of prepared pine wood and some others of the same kind un- prepared, were plunged separately into a decoction of logwood, and boiled during a quarter of an hour; after which they were taken out and washed. The color had scarcely taken upon the unprepared wood ; that, on the contrary, which had been impregnated with chloride of zinc had taken a very deep red- brown color. Some pieces of wood like the preceding, after having been dyed and washed in the same manner, were plunged during a quarter of an hour in boiling water. The color of the unprepared wood was almost entirely removed — that of the prepared was scarcely changed. In fine, some small pieces of prepared wood, in all respects like those referred to in the preceding experiments, have been first washed, then plunged into boiling water, in which they were kept during a quarter of an hour, after which they were dyed as before, and then washed in boiling water. Never- theless the color remained the same as if all these washings had not been given to them. It appears right to conclude from these facts that the chloride of zinc combines chemically with the ligneous matter of the wood, and that, although this salt is" soluble in water to an enormous degree, the compound which it forms with the wood is perfectly insoluble, even in boiling water. There is, then, no reason to fear that a piece of wood or a sail once prepared will lose, by a long continuance hvwater, the qualities that have been communicated to them by the preservative salt; and it may be conceived that the ligneous matter, having changed its nature, becomes capable of resisting the causes of destruction which it had not the power of resisting before. As to the expenses that would be occasioned by the use of Sir William Burnett's process, they are of little consequence if we consider the saving that would result to the Navy by the use of an efficacious process of preservation ; and there is no good in being prejudiced against it. [After some details as to the cost of the process and a description of the apparatus used for the purpose in the Government dock yards in England, and the Works- of the Proprietors of the Patent at Milwall, Popular, he adds :] An interesting question which presents itself here, is to know in what state the wood ought to be submitted to the preparation. Ought it to be green or perfectly dry ? In my opinion the wood, to be submitted to an efficacious preparation, ought to be that recently cut; for then all its pores are open and the sap is more easily drawn from it and replaced by another fluid; a very dry wood, of which the pores are so close that, in a manner, they disappear, would offer great difficulties to such a prepar- ation ; and there are other hard woods with which it would be impossible. The wood employed then, ought to be recently cut; besides it ought to be reduced to its smallest dimensions. This is economical, for the cube of it is considerably re- duced; moreover, one is much more sure of completely saturating the pieces of which the square is become much less. I saw in a store at Chatham, the members of a frigate intended soon to be put upon the stocks. These members, after being prepared by Sir William Burnett's process had been deposited under a shed for six months for the purpose of drying before being used. This time, it appears, is sufficient to prevent any inconvenience in employing pre- pared wood; as it dries so well that the ordinary working (t. e. planing down) is sufficient when they come to set up the vessel with crooked timbers. As to the cordage, their thickness being comparatively small they can be prepared a long time before they will be wanted for the storehouse. In case it should be ascertained that with the precautions prescribed by the Eng- lish Admiralty, they succeed in completely saturating wood of large dimensions, it would become interesting to apply the process for the preservation of wood for masts; and, in that case, to avoid a useless expense, it would be expedient, at first to carry the dimensions of the cylinder to what it ought to be for the reception of TESTIMONIALS AS TO PREPARED CANVAS, WOOLEN, ETC. 19 the largest piece of wood used for a mast. At Chatham, at the time when I visited that arsenal, the establishment of another cylinder 95 English feet long was in con- templation for this purpose. I will conclude by stating concisely the principal results to be drawn from the preceding considerations. The process of Sir William Burnett is really efficacious for the preservation of wood, canvas, &c, when they can be saturated completely with the preservative liquid. The process is easily employed Avhen once the necessary apparatus is established; and it is attended Avith an insignificant expense, if we compare the figure with that which represents the value of the wood employed. The example given by the English Admiralty is a powerful argument in favor of the adoption of this process ; if not in a general manner, at least for wood of mode- rate and small dimensions. (Signed) A. M. MANGIN, November, 1845- Ingemeur de la Marine. CHAPTER III. TESTIMONIALS AS TO THE PROTECTION OF CANVAS, CORDAGE, COTTON, &c. FROM DECAY AND MILDEW, AND WOOLEN FROM MOTHS. Report by Profetsors Brande and Cooper. London, 21th May, 1844. We have examined the action of chloride of zinc, as applied under Sir W. Bur- nett's Patent for the prevention of dry rot, in reference to the cause of its efficacy, and its influence upon the strength of the fibres of canvas or sail-cloth. We are of opinion that its efficacy depends upon the chemical combination of the oxide of zinc with the ligneous fibre. AVe have found that canvas prepared according to the specification of the Patent, retains oxide of zinc in chemical combination after it has been repeatedly washed and boiled in water, so as entirely to free it from all merely adhering salt or zinc ; and that under such circumstances, when the fibre is burned, the ashes yield abundant evidence of the presence of oxide of zinc. In reference to the strength of the prepared, as compared with the unprepared 20 TESTIMONIALS AS TO fibre, we are of opinion that the Patent process does not tend to weaken its texture. We have unravelled pieces of prepared and unprepared canvas cut from the same piece, and have determined the weights requisite to tear their respective threads asunder, and we have not been able to detect any material difference in the average results of our trials. (Signed) AVM. THOS. BRANDE, JOHN THOS. COOPER. Gentlemen: Albany-Road, 3rd May, 1842. In compliance with your wishes, I have made some experiments on the chemical agencies of Sir William Burnett's Solution of the Chloride of Zinc, proposed for the preservation of various organic substances from premature decay; the result of which I have now the pleasure of communicating to you. Assuming, as proved by previous experiments already made repeatedly, care- fully, and jealously, that the process invented by Sir AVilliam Burnett exercises a marked effect in preventing premature decay in certain substances, exposed under circumstances more than usually favourable to the generation of rot in such mate- rials ; I have not deemed it needful, at the present moment, to re-enter upon the inquiry of its preservative powers, either for the purpose of confirming or of invali- dating the results of former trials. Admitting, then, that some change is wrought in the properties of the substances submitted to it, I have confined my present labours to the attempt to show, by signs very evident to the senses of all examiners, that the changes brought about in the matters subjected to the action of chloride of zinc are effected by a positive chemical action, which is permanent in its results. To make apparent to the eye, even of those not familiar with the character of chemical agencies that organic matters which have undergone the process recom- mended by Sir William Burnett, have assumed chemical properties, differing from those which belong to them in their unprepared state, I have subjected specimens of the same materials, prepared and unprepared, to the action, consecutively, of the same dye. The effect has been, uniformly, that the prepared and unprepared specimens have come out of the same dye-color of different colors; and that, when the dye, unaided, gives a, fugitive color, the color on the prepared cloth is of a much more fixed character ; and, generally, that the color on the prepared substance has much greater intensity. Here we have a palpable demonstration that some change has been Avreught in the chemical properties of the fibres of those substances which have been immersed in the solution of chloride of zinc ; and the plain and indubi- table inference is, that to the new properties thus imparted, the material owes its newly-acquired power of resisting, for a much longer period, those influences which in ordinary cases induce that peculiar decomposition of the organic fibre, com- monly designated by the terms "rot" and " dry rot." Some persons may infer from the fact of the ready solubility of chloride of zino in water, the salt being in fact deliquescent from atmospheric moisture, that it will be readily washed out of any porous or fibrous substances into Avhich it may be in- troduced for the purpose of preserving it; and that then, consequently, the preserv- ative power of the solution will be lost, and the substance be left unprotected against the ordinary causes of decay. Chemists who have given their attention to this branch of the science know, that most of the earthy and metallic salts in solution undergo partial decomposition by the mere immersion in them of animal and fibrous textures; and that the fixedness and variety of colour imparted by the dyer's art, are mainly dependent on this fact. A permanent chemical union takes place be- tween the matter of the fibre and the earthy or metallic base of the salt. That this peculiar action ensues in the process of Sir AVilliam Burnett, I have on this occa- sion demonstrated, also to the eye, by taking the various tissues on which my ex- periments were conducted, and, after having macerated them in the solution of chloride of zinc, and dried them, I have washed some simply in cold water, others in soap and water, and, subsequently in hot water so as to remove, if all were removable, from the cloth by re-solution, whatever had been introduced by the pre- servative process ; and even then, on subjecting these washed pieces to the dyeing process, they all came out with the evident indication of having received the chem- ical action of a mordant; in fact, the colour is usually more uniform, sometimes more PREPARED CANVAS, WOOLEN, ETC. 21 intense in the washed, than in the unwashed pieces.* These facts yield us suffi- cient proof that the change wrought in the chemical qualities of the materials oper- ated upon in the preservative process are of a permanent character, not affected by the subsequent washing out or not of the really superflous quantity of chloride of zinc, which has been deposited by the process in the interstices of the fibrous struc- ture. The matter of the cloth has entered into chemical union with a portion of the oxide of zinc, and to this new combination we are legitimately to ascribe the new power of the fibre to resist the ordinary causes of decay. _ That the cloth has actually gained a permanent accession of matter after immer- sion in the solution and subsequent washing, I have satisfied myself by the mechan- ical test of weight; but these proofs are scarcely calculated for popular demonstra- tion. Notwithstanding the deliquescent nature of the chloride of zinc, when a cloth has been immersed in the solution of it, and subsequently aired, the tissue seems to have acquired a certain repellant power as to water applied to its surface ; not that this repulsion may not be overcome, but the cloth has manifestly less disposition to absorb water than before its maceration in the solution. I have extended my experiments over a variety of material, in order to evidence, as much as possible, the generality of the chemical action. In the annexed speci- mens will be seen the effect on linen, woolen, and cotton; giving in a series the results of the exposure to the same colouring matter, of cloths unprepared, and pre- pared by maceration in the solution of chloride of zinc ; of those which have been submitted to the dye as fully impregnated with the solution, and of those which have been washed from the soluble salt prior to immersion in the dye-vat. On the whole, then, I conclude, and I think it is demonstrated by the experiments herein recited, that the organic fibres, on exposure to the chloride of zinc, enter into chemical union with a portion of the metallic base of salt, forming thence a new compound possessed of properties differing from those of the previously uncombined components. One of the most marked, and, beyond question, the most valuable of these new properties induced in the fibre, is the insusceptibility of taking on, in a confined damp atmosphere, the usual series of chemical aotions which terminate speedily in the decomposition of the organic structure. I am, Gentlemen, your very obedient Servant, To the Proprietors of Sir W. Burnett's Patent. CHARLES TOPLIS. To the Proprietors of Sir William Burnett's Patent. Gentlemen : Albany-road, 11th August, 1842. My first series of experiments on the effects of the chloride of zinc upon fibrous substances, was directed solely to the object of affording ocular demonstration that some permanent chemical change in the fibres of the material submitted to its action was brought about by immersion in the solution. Of the results of these trials, I had the honor to transmit you specimens, which were, I believe, amply sufficient to convince any unprejudiced observer. Since then I have, for my own satisfaction, made some few experiments, with a view to determine the preservative power of the chloride, under circumstances likely to give considerable confidence in the perma- nency of the salutary change operated upon the organic structure. I took two sep- arate pieces of the same woolen cloth, one of which had been immersed for forty- eight hours in the solution of chloride of zinc, then dried, and afterwards washed in cold water; the other piece in its ordinary unprepared state; both were then sub- jected to a similar process of dyeing, in the course of which operation they both remained in the boiling fluid for some time (say twenty minutes.) The two pieces were subsequently buried in the earth of a melon-frame, and taken thence at the end of fourteen days. The unprepared piece was in a state of complete decay ; the prepared piece retained its original strength of texture and colour. These speci- mens were placed in your hands. 1 have now the pleasure of sending you two pieces of sail-cloth which haAre been treated in the same way, and with similar results. The time they remained in the earth was three weeks. * These specimens may be seen at tile Office, 53, King William-street. 2* 22 TESTIMONIALS AS TO These experiments will, I conceive, go very far to remove any doubts which might be raised as to the permanency of the preservative power of chloride of zinc on ani- mal and vegetable fibre ; since the boiling in the dye-vat, subsequently to prepara- tion, may well be supposed to have removed from the cloth Ayhatever was left soluble in water, by the previous maceration in the dissolved chloride. In my OAvn mind, not the smallest doubt exists that a permanent chemical union takes place, as I have before intimated, between the organic fibre and the metallic base of the salt; and that to such union must be ascribed the new power, now so frequently and so satisfactorily ascertained, of resisting decomposition under circumstances well known to induce the premature decay of animal and vegetable fibrous structures. I have the honor to be, gentlemen, your very obedient servant, CHARLES TOPLIS. --- / From C, Busk, Esq., Editor of the « Microscopic Journal." Dear Sir: Hospital Ship 'Dreadnaught,' Greenwich, Jan. 7th, 1843. At the request of Dr. M'AVilliam, I have examined, microscopically, some por-- tions of prepared and unprepared canvas and cloth, which are herewith forwarded. They consist of eight or nine specimens. RESULT OF MICROSCOPIC INSPECTION. No. 1. Portions of unprepared Sail-cloth, which had'been deposited twelve months in vaults under Somerset House, together with some prepared, and marked No 7. Quite rotten, and covered thickly Avith mildew, consisting of two species of mucedo, one of a yellowish color, and the other black. The yellow consisting of minute sporidia and interlaced tortuous very delicate filaments ; the black of larger sporidia, and of straight branched stronger filaments. The sporidia of both are dis - seminated in great numbers among the fibres composing the threads, which fibres are themselves more ragged and uneven on the surface than those of unaffected threads. No. 2. A portion of Canvas unprepared, which was inclosed with No. 3, and sent from Bermuda.* Appears to the eye unaffected; but on tearing portions of its interior asunder, sporidia of the dark-colored mucedo are found strongly disseminated among the ulti- mate fibres of the flax. To prove this, I have inclosed a slide, containing portions of flax from this canvas, from which you will be able to satisfy yourself as to this fact;—one perhaps of some importance, as examinations in this way would be a means of determining as to the condition of sail-cloth, or other similar materials which may be fatally affected with mildew, although outwardly presenting no mark of that disease. No. 3. Pieces of Canvas, unprepared from Portsmouth Dockyard. Very much decayed. The mildew on these specimens consist in only one spe- cies of mucedo, of a black colour, and probably identical with the similarly-colored one in No. 1. No. 1. Portions of prepared and unprepared red Cloth. The prepared piece of woolen cloth presents no trace of mildew, externally or in- ternally ; but the unprepared piece is very friable, and the fibres of wool in it are as it were gnawed or eroded on the surface, and sprinkled over with small bright yellow sporidia of a fungus, the filamentous part of which, if such exists, I have not been able to find. * Portions of the same Canvas were washed thoroughly and rinsed in scalding water, alter which they were placed in a cellar : and, when examined, at the expiration of eight months Irom that time, the prepared piece was perfectly clean and sound, and the unprepared completely rotted. *** These pieces may be seen at the Office, 53, King William-street. PREPARED CANVAS, WOOLEN, ETC. 28 No. 5. Canvas, unprepared, marked A.—The same as No. 1. No. 6. Canvas, prepared, marked A.—No trace of mildew, externally or internally. No. 7. Canvas, prepared, which had been exposed with No. 1, in the vaults under Somerset House. No trace of mildew, externally or internally. This is a striking evidence of the! preservative power of the preparation which the canvas has undergone, Avhen it is compared with its fellow pieces No. 1. No. 8. Portions of sail, from on board the " Wilberforce," of prepared Canvas. No trace of mildew. I shall be happy, if you wish it, to prepare slides, containing the proofs of the above statements, and which will enable their verification to be determined Avith great ease. I employed a power of about four hundred lines, but one of three hundred would be sufficient. Believe me, with much respect, yours truly, Sir W. Bu#tett, K. C. H., &c, &c. &c. GEORGE BUSK. Particular attention is requested to the following important Documents from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, relative to some of the trials made at Ports- mouth Dockyard. Sir: Admiralty, 13th July, 1840. With reference to your letter of the 29th of last month, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to acquaint you, that from the report of the trials of the strength of the Cordage and Canvas prepared with the solution on your plan, as compared with that unprepared, it appears that after both were equally exposed to wet and damp, as well as to the effects of the atmosphere, the prepared Cordage is on the average about one-twelfth stronger,* and the Canvas about two-thirds stronger than the unprepared. I am, &c. &c, H. E. AMEDROZ, Sir AVilliam Burnett, K. C. H., P. R. S., &c. &c. Pro-Secretary. Copy of a Report forwarded by Sir John Barrow, together with the Report on Cordage, in page 24. To the Admiral Superintendent. Portsmouth Yard, 21th June, 1840. Suspended by weights, canvas No. 3. Immersed in the solution two pieces pre- pared, and two unprepared, which had been placed in a damp cellar for twelve months; when tested, broke at the undermentioned Aveights: Prepared. Unprepared. Pieces laid open. Pieces rolled up. I Pieces open. Pieces rolled. Weft Weft Weft Weft broke at 414 lbs. broke at 505 lbs. | broke at 197 lbs. broke at 267 lbs- Two pieces exposed on the Sheers. Prepared. Unprepared. Weft broke at 293 lbs, j AVeft broke' at 266 lbs. From the foregoing trials of strength, I am induced to suggest, that it would be beneficial to Her Majesty's service, were all cordage, canvas, &c, especially that for store at home, or for foreign service, dipped in this Solution, as it appears in every instance to preserve the articles from the effects of damp, mildew, and pre- mature decay. I am, E. W. R. SADLER, Master Attendant. P. S.—The damp cellar alluded to, is under the Hemp-house, or Store. (Signed) W. P. * The cordace, in this instance, was submitted to the Solution as Rope, previously tarred ;•—condi- tion in which cordage cannot derive the full benefit of the Paent. It should be prepared in the state of yarn. 24 TESTIMONIALS AS TO Extract from a Report made by the Commander of H. M. Brig " Water-witch," dated at Sea, Sept. 23, 1840. Having received from Portsmouth Dockyard, in March, 1839, four sails, alternate cloths of which were prepared with Sir W. Burnett's Solution, an old top-gallant- sail being allowed to remain wet for a considerable time, the prepared cloths were free from mildew, while the unprepared were much affected by it. Sir : Goswell Mews, London, 29th March, 1841. Being desirous of preventing the effects of mildew in canvas employed in some of our manufacture, we procured in January, 1840, a small piece of No. 1 canvas that had undergone your process, and put it with an unprepared piece in a very damp situation, nearly excluded from the air; and on examining these pieces in November last, we found the unprepared piece nearly covered with the usual greenish appearance indicating mildew, and the prepared piece as clear as when deposited. We consider this trial so decided an advantage, that we flftend in future that our canvas shall undergo your process. We are, &c, CHARLES MACINTOSH & CO., To the Secretary, Burnett's Patent. Patentees of Waterproof Cloths. Extract of a Letter to Sir William Burnett, from Mr. Byham, Secretary to the Board of Ordnance, dated 19th July, 1841. " In reference to the request contained in the latter part of your letter, I beg to inclose a Copy of a Report from the Superintendent of Ordnance Shipping, respecting the fore-sail of one of the Ordnance Sloops, prepared by your process." Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, 19th April, 1841. Captain Soady presents his compliments to Mr. Byham, and in reply to his note of the 3rd instant, requesting to be informed whether any trial or experiment has been carried on under his direction, with cloth, cordage, &c, which have undergone the Anti-Mildew process of Sir William Burnett,—begs to inform him, that in the month of October last, the Somerset Ordnance sloop was supplied with a new fore- sail that had undergone the process referred to, and that the trial has answered every expectation; the sail having been exposed to the wet and damp, without exhibiting the least symptom of mildew; whereas a new main-sail, supplied at the same time, and subject to the same exposure, that had not undergone the Anti- MildeAv process, has become mildewed in several places: thereby justifying the opinion, that the Anti-Mildew process of Sir AVilliam Burnett tends materially to the preservation of sail-cloth. 8m,: 21 Salisbury street, 28th April, 1841. Having just come home from H. M. S. Terror, I take the liberty of informing you c-f the success of the sails sent out in us for trial. They proved themselves much superior to the other canvas, and for work are much better, particularly where there is much wet, and that you cannot dry your sails for days together. I am sorry my log is not here, it is at Chatham, or else I could show you a copy of Lieut. M'Murdo's remark on the same subject. It Avas also remarked how we expended the old sail cloth, and the saturated was never required to be repaired. As an instance,—We wore three main-top-gallant- Bails out for one of the other canvas, which was used as a fore-main-top-gallant- sail, and when we arrived at Hobart Town, it was as good as ever. If you refer to the last logs sent home from the Terror or Erebus, you will see the remarks made by the first Lieutenants of both the ships. Wishing you all success with your trial, and also good to the service, I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant, E. MOLLOY, Sir AVm. Burnett, K.C.H., F.R.S., &c. Mate jj N PREPARED CANVAS, WOOLEN, ETC. / 25 Further Testimonial, In confirmation of the above, respecting the Sails of H.M.S. " Terror." Sm : Golden Cross, February 16, 1843. In reply to yours, in relation to the wear and condition of the two top-gallant- sails supplied to H.M.S. Terror, which had undergone the Patent preservative pro- cess, I feel great pleasure in stating it was'most satisfactory, and have to regret that all that ship's canvas had not been prepared, particularly the spare canvas, which Avas nearly all destroyed by dampness, as well as a quantity of small cordage and Avoolen stores. As senior Lieutenant of that ship, I had a very good opportunity of testing it: bending one main top-gallant-sail, prepared with your Solution, against two fore of the other canvas, the former proving itself far superior, after a very considerable time ; the dates, I am sorry to say, have escaped my memory, and as the logs of ships on that station are not transmitted, it will remain, I fear, unproved up to the time they return. I can only say, that should I at any future time have to do with a sea-going ship, I should request that all the canvas might be prepared. I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant, A. M'MURDO, To Sir W. Burnett, K.C.H., F.R.S., &c. &c. &c. Lieut. Royal Navy. Letter from the late Joseph Somes, Esq., M. P., dated London, May 1, 1841. Sir: An awning made of "Burnettized " canvas, which was supplied to the Boadicea, (one of my ships,) in July, 1840, has been in her voyage to Ascension, and is now returned in a surpassing state of preservation ; it being now in no Avay discolored, but actually whiter on both sides than it was when new, and apparently of undi- minished strength. I consider this trial such conclusive evidence of the value of the Patent, that I shall have all my canvas for awnings and studding-sails transmitted to Sir William Burnett's process, and you are at liberty to make any use you think proper of this information. The awning may be seen at 35, Broad street, Ratcliff. I am, &c, To the Secretary of Sir Wm. Burnett's Patent. JOSEPH SOMES. Further Testimonial From the late Joseph Somes, Esq., dated London, Nov. 29, 1843. I hereby certify that I have had upwards of 24,000 yards of "Burnettized" canvas in use, as awnings and sails, on board my ships, in all quarters of the globe —the greater part of which have been in wear more than three years, in India and China ; and I find, on their return to this country, that they are invariably free from mildeAv, and, comparatively, in a good state of preservation. Having experienced such beneficial results from the adoption of Sir W. Burnett's process, I shall use it more extensively, and recommend it with the greatest confidence. (Signed) JOSEPH SOMES. To the Secretary of Sir W. Burnett's Patent. My Dear Sir : 16, Upper Seymour street, Portman square, 9th Feb., 1842. In reply to your question respecting the effect of your Solution upon the sails and awnings of the vessels of the Niger Expedition, the canvas of which was steeped in it before they were made, I have much pleasure in being able to state that they were most effectually preserved from mildew, and this after as severe a trial as canvas could well undergo, being alternately exposed, during several months, to heavy rains and a burning sun, with the thermometer sometimes at 93°, and generally much above 80°. I am, my dear sir, H. DUNDAS TROTTER, To Sir W. Burnett, K.C.H. &c, &c. &c. Capt. R. N, 26 TESTIMONIALS AS TO We, the undersigned Captain and Officers of the Niger expedition, on board the Wilberforce, having paid attention to the general wear and condition of the sails, awnings, and tents, supplied the vessel, which had been subjected to Burnett's Patent preservative process, feel pleasure in testifying to its efficacy; the canvas generally having been greatly exposed to tropical rains and a vertical sun, and not- withstanding that provided by contract to the ship was of a much lighter description than that issued in the Royal Navy. The rain awnings would appear to be made somewhat water proof by the prepara- tion, as they are less pervious to rain than common canvas, and are likewise more flexible and tougher than that which has not undergone the process. We are also most decidedly of opinion that the Patent is a perfect preservative against mildew and rot, as is manifestly shown by the present condition of the sails and awnings, they being still good and serviceable; which would in all probability, had they not been " Burnettized," have become rotten and useless. Given under our hands, on board the Wilberforce, at Cape Coast Castle, this 29th day of March, 1842. ixttt ttau atttjxt ( Captain and senior Officer present of WILLIAM ALLEN, J the Niger Expedition. WILLIAM ELLIS, Commander of H.M.S. Soudan. WILLIAM FORSTER, Master of H.M.S. Wilberforce. M. PRITCHETT, M. D., Surgeon of H.M.S. Wilberforce. *»* See next page, Lieut. Cockraft's Testimonial respecting a main deck awning of the Albert, used on the same expedition. Letter from Captain W. Cook, one of the Commissioners appointed by Government for conducting the Niger Expedition. Dear Doctor : II. M. Steamer Wilberforce, at Sea, 5th April, 1842. In compliance with your request, I herewith give you my opinion as regards Sir William Burnett's Patent composition for preserving canvas, &c. I do this the more readily, because I have narrowly watched its effects upon the sails of this vessel, during the last twelve months ; and I have no hesitation in asserting that, but for the Patent composition, they would long since have rotted from the yards. In confirmation of this, I may state that during the late rainy season, when there was so much sickness on board, I have frequently known the sails to have been rolled up to the yards for many days together, without an opportunity of airing or drying them. Under the same circumstances, sails made of the best bleached coker canvas, without the composition, would have been destroyed ; whereas these sails, though not originally of the best sail-cloth, are still bent and in constant use, without exhibiting the least signs of mildew. I remain, my dear Sir, yours faithfully, M. Pritchett, M.D., &c. &c. W. COOK. Woolwich, 29th November, 1842. With reference to the sails, awnings, &c. of H.M.S. Vessel Wilberforce, which Avere prepared with Sir W. Burnett's Patent Solution two years since, and which have been, since that period, much used, and greatly exposed to heavy rain, and to the intense heat of the climate of Western Africa; I have to acquaint you, that the sails, &c, so prepared, continue in a good and serviceable condition, although the sail-cloth in the first place was not of -the best quality. It is also my opinion, that, had not the sails, &c, been so prepared, they must, long ago, have been destroyed, by constant wear and the effects of climate. In further proof of the efficacy of the Patent, I may state that the old fore-top-sail which was used to sweep her bottom after getting ashore in the River Niger, in July last, is still in so good a condition, that a piece of it is now in use as a tarpaulin for the after hatchway, (Signed) W. H. WEBB, Lt., Commanding Officer of H,M.S.V. WiL *force. PREPARED CANVAS, WOOLEN, ETC. 27 SlR : 12, Northampton square, St. John's street road, London, Dec, 1844. In reply to your inquiry as to how far the sails, awnings, &c, prepared by being Bteeped in your Patent Solution were preserved thereby, I beg to state that during the two years I commanded H. M. Steam Vessel Albert, I had many opportunities of testing its effects, and found in all cases the result to be very satisfactory. The awnings prepared by you were subjected to every alteration of atmosphere, being kept spread night and day, both in the dry and rainy seasons (which I con- sidered to be the severest test to which they could have been subjected.) These awnings lasted, at least, twice as long as it is possible for unprepared canvas to have done under the same circumstances; and they, when worn out, presented as white and unmildewed an appearance as they did when first put on board. The sails also, which were frequently many days together wet through without being loosed (owing to the incessant rain,) never became either mildewed or warm, while a top- sail, made at Ascension of unprepared canvas, became black with mildew from head to foot. In fact, the prepared sails when repaired with new canvas, presented after a short exposure to the rain a checquered appearance, owing to the new canvas becoming warm and turning black. A new unprepared quarter-deck awning sup- plied by H. M. Steam Vessel Kite was worn out in fourteen months, while a main- deck awning much worn in the Niger expedition was subsequently used by me for twenty months, and then became unserviceable almost as much from its being cut up with shot, and torn by being kept spread in tornadoes to preserve the health of the people, as from its natural decay ; this awning must have been in use for nearly thirty months, being constantly spread and exposed to rain, sun and damp. This I think is as satisfactory a test of the efficacy of the Solution as can be wished. I think it necessary further to state that the process gone through, does not in any way thicken the cloth, or render it difficult to handle, it being as soft and pliable, in fact rather more so than unprepared canvas. In conclusion, I should certainly say that a great saving is effected by your invention ; and its adoption by vessels, especially those employed in the African trade, would be of incalculable advantage to them. I have the honor to be, your very obedient servant, (Signed) MACLEOD B. COCKRAFT, Lieut. Late commanding H. M. Steam Vessel Albert, on the West Coast of Africa. To Sir W. Burnett, K.C.H., &c. &c. &c. Sir: Southampton, December 1841. I beg to inform you that, haAring in compliance with your request subjected a slip of canvas three feet long and four inches wide, eighteen inches of which had been saturated with Burnett's Patent preparation, to the action of an extremely damp part of my cellar, from July last for about two months open, and afterwards folded up and subjected to the pressure of an iron weight in the same place, but for some weeks under water which had found its way into my cellar; on examining it recently I find the part perfectly saturated with the composition sound and good, but the part wholly free from the influence of the said composition rotten and easily torn. I therefore do not hesitate to record my most favorable opinion as to the value of the discovery, which seems effectually to destroy the principle of vegeta- tion so productive of fermentation, and consequently of rot, or decay; and I think considerably lessening the probability of spontaneous combustion in sails or ropes on board of ships, unavoidably, at times, under the influence of wet or damp. Yours truly, F. W. Jerningham, Esq., Southampton. AV. AVARD. Memorandum : Select Committee Office, Woolwich, 3rd March, 1842. Attended this day with Mr. Jackson, and saw deposited in a hole dug for the purpose, close to the outside wall of the old dipping square, Royal Arsenal, near the South Eastern Angle, six pieces of canvas and three pieces of woolen cloth, prepared with Sir AVilliam Burnett's Patent preservative against dry rot, mildew, &c, and six pieces of canvas and three of cloth unprepared, previously cut off from the same canvas and cloth. The hole was about four feet deep. The specimens 28 TESTIMONIALS AS TO were placed alternately over each other, prepared and unprepared in four heaps, two of each sort next the ground under a wooden box without a cover, inverted, the earth thrown in over it. The spot was selected for its damp situation and its exposure to the rays of the sun. Damp and warmth combined being most productive oj mildew. (Signed) HENRY PALLISER, Captain R. A., Secretary to Committee. Dear Sir : Woolwich, 9th September, 1842. In reply to yours of the 9th, I beg to inform you that the prepared and unpre- pared specimens of cloth and canvas Avhich were taken out of the hole in the Arsenal, and examined in your presence, were afterwards washed in plain water and dried. They were then, on the 22nd July, put together into a deal box, perforated in several places, and placed in a damp sink, but not in contact with the water. They will be examined by the Committee at their next meeting. I remain, dear Sir, your obedient servant, C. Jackson, Esq., &c. &c. &c. (Signed) HENRY PALLISER. Dear Sir: Select Committee Office, Woolwich, 23rd September, 1842. The specimens of cloth and canvas have been taken up, after having been nine weeks exposed to a damp air subsequent to washing. The prepared canvas was clean and uninjured, the unprepared covered with mildew. The Committee have made their report to the Master-General; and the box con- taining the specimens is at this office, and open to your inspection at any time until 4 P. M. daily. I remain, Sir, yours faithfully, C. Jackson, Esq., &c. &c. &c. (Signed) HENRY PALLISER, Secretary. Official Report, Sir: Dated Office of Ordnance, 10th October, 1S42. Having laid before the Board of Ordnance your letter dated the 8th instant, signi- fying the request of the proprietors of Sir. W. Burnett's Patent to be furnished with a copy of the Report of the Select Committee upon the experiments made in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, Avith canvas and Avoolen prepared with Sir W. Burnett's Solution, and that they may also be allowed to have the specimens at their Office: I am directed to acquaint you, that the Report which has been received on the sub- ject of Sir W. Burnett's preparation for the prevention of mildew is favorable to the invention. But the Board must decline to furnish you Avith a copy of it, or with the specimens. I am, Sir, C. Jackson, Esq., Your most obedient, humble servant, Sir W. Burnett's Patent Office. (Signed) R. BYHAM. Pacific Steam Navigation Company's steam-vessel' Chile,' My Dear Sir : CaUao, l"Zth March, 1842. It affords me much pleasure to be able to report very favourably of the process of ' Burnettizing' sails, as exemplified by those of the Pacific Steam Navigation Com- pany's vessels Peru and Chile, more particularly shown in the fore and aft sails, which have been bent ever since the steamers left England (now seventeen months,) except at short intervals whilst painting the spars, and during the repairs of the latter vessel. The head-sails, although exposed to the vicissitudes of alternate wet and solar heat, have hitherto had no repairs ; and the main-sails have only required canvas to be shifted where the action of the heat and smoke from the funnel had caused deterioration. For the sails of steam-vessels, where the saving of time in port is of so much im- portance, and labor so expensive, I consider the application of this invention to be of the utmost utility; as they may be left furled to the yards, gaffs, or stays, with PREPARED CANVAS, WOOLEN, ETC. 29 impunity, until required for use in the ordinary course of the succeeding voyage. This will particularly hold good with the coasting steamers of the British Islands, where, unfortunately, the vast importance of having good sails constantly bent, has been so wantonly overlooked in one or two aAvfully fatal instances. Your faithful and obedient servant, To the Secretary of Sir Wm. Burnett's Patent. GEORGE PEACOCK. Sir:' Junior U. S. Club, Aug. 2nd, 1842. I regret that indisposition has been the cause of my not having replied to your note of the 20th July, ere this. And in answer to your inquiries respecting the sails of Her Majesty's steam vessel Devastation, that had been prepared with your Solution, I regret to inform you that only one sa.il was so fortunate as to be submitted to your preparation, but which was sufficient to prove, beyond doubt, the merits of your valuable invention, as it was the only sail, after a trial of three months of incessant wet weather, that had not the slightest appearance of mildew; whereas all the others, notwithstanding every means were taken to prevent it, became more or less mildewed, and I feel perfectly convinced, had they been prepared with your Solution, nothing of the kind would have taken place ; and I am satisfied from its incomparable merits, that the day is not far distant, when not a sail, or bolt of canvas will be permitted to be supplied to Her Majesty's ships, without having been prepared with your a'aluable discovery. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, To Sir Wm. Burnett, K. C. H., G. J. GORDON, &c. &c. &c. Late Commander of II. M. S. Vessel' Devastation.' Further Testimonial. Dear Sir William : H. M. S. V. ' Cormorant,' Callao, 7th Sept. 1845. I am much surprised at hearing from Mr. Holdsworth, that you have not received the letter that I wrote you last April twelvemonth from Tahiti, giving an account of an experiment we tried with an awning that had been prepared by your (I think) invaluable Patent: and I have much pleasure in congratulating you on its complete success as the accompanying document will testify. The suit of sails that we now have bent are very much stained, and mildewed; and in fact, are useless— with the exception of the studding sails, which have undergone your preparation, and are, at this moment, as free from stains and mildew as when first taken in use, which is now more than tAvo years : of course they have not been as much exposed as the other sails, being usually unbent in harbor; but I can assure you they have been well tried; as I invariably set sail when there is the slightest prospect of its being useful; and I have become, if possible, a greater advocate for all sails being prepared with your Solution, than I was when in command of the Devastation, when I first became acquainted with its value. I hope you caution the persons who superintend the preparation of the canvas to be very particular with it, as I am convinced should it ever fail, it is from their negligence, and not from any imperfection in the solution; so that your credit is entirely in their hands. I must now conclude, Avith every wish for the success for your Patent. Believe me, very truly yours, (Signed) G. J. GORDON, Commander, R. N. The rain awning supplied to Her Majesty's steam-vessel Cormorant, having under- gone Sir William Burnett's preservation Patent, was kept spread for five successive days in rainy weather, when it became thoroughly saturated with water. It was then rolled up and exposed to a tropical sun and rains, for the purpose of testing the preparation, and on opening it, after remaining in this state for ten days, it was found to be entirely free from mildew or stains. The quarter-deck awning, which had not been prepared, was on the contrary much mildewed after being exposed in a similar manner, only a few hours. 3 30 TESTIMONIALS AS TO From this trial, as also from other circumstances which have come under our ob' servation, we are of opinion that Sir AVilliam Burnett's Patent, for the preservation of canvas, is invaluable. Given under our hands, on board H. M. steam-vessel Cormorant, at Callao, this 1st of September, 1845. G. J. GORDON, Commander. (Signed) R. HILL AVHARTON, Senior Lieut. J. AV. WARREN, Master. Dear Sir : 8, Lockyer-terrace, Plymouth, 6th November, 1845. During three years' experience on the Coast of Africa, I have seen your prepared canvas tried in every form and shape, Avith the greatest success; in fact, I never saAV a spot of mildew on prepared canvas (either in awnings or sails,) Avhcn I have frequently seen unprepared canvas completely covered with mildew in six or eight hours. I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant, (Signed) JOHN SECCOMBE, Lieut., R. N, Late of II. M. Ship ' Espoir ' serving on the Coast of Africa. To Sir AVilliam Burnett, K. C. PL, &c. &c. ' Trent,' Nov. 10, 1843 {Southampton.) I have much pleasure in bearing testimony to the state of the sails on board the Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company's Ship Trent, under my command—one suit of which has been almost constantly bent for nearly two years, and, during that time, exposed to the sudden Vicissitudes of heat, wet, and cold, peculiar to our voyages ; also, that the spare suit have been on board the ship the same period of time, and occasionally bent, Avhen those generally used required repair; and that, in neither case is there one spot of mildew—having carefully examined every sail a few days previous to our arrival in port. I am, your most obedient servant, To the Secretary of Sir AV. Burnett's Patent. F. S. BOXER, Captain. Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company's Offices,- Sir : Southampton, 8th January, 1844. I beg to acquaint you that I have examined the condition of the sails originally supplied to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's ships Thames, -Trent, and Med- way, said to have been ' Burnettized,' and found the canvas in a state of good pres- ervation, free from mildew ; but as there are none of the stamps remaining, I have no means of ascertaining the fact if these sails actually underwent the process referred to. I am, Sir, To Charles Jackson, Esq., Your obedient servant, Secretary, &c. &c. RICHARD BARTON, Superintendent. Testimoniul from the Late E. N. Kendall, Esq., R, N., Formerly Superintendent of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's vessels, under whose inspection the Sails above mentioned were prepared with Sir AVm. Burnett's Patent. Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's Offices, ■My Dear Sir: 57, High-street, Southampton, 1th March, 1844. I regret to say that the Oriental sailed on the 1st instant, the date of your note. I was unable to obtain from Captain Soy that Avhich I knoAv he would have been ready enough to grant, namely, a further testimonial as to the efficacy of Sir Wm. Burnett's preparation in destroying or rather neutralizing the offensive effluvia from bilge-water; but I can afford myself the most ample testimony to the fact, not only in the Omental, but in other vessels in the Company's employ, where the experiment has been made Avith the happiest results ; so that I have no hesitation Avhatever in recommending its application, not only for the purpose of purification, but because of its preservative properties, of which I am more and more convinced by experiencp. PREPARED CANVAS, WOOLEN, ETC. 31 It is now nearly three years and a half since I recommended to the Directors of the Royal Mail Company the propriety of having the canvas of all their ships subjected to this process; but from some unexplained cause I was not successful in carrying out my views to their fullest extent. Some of the sails Avere however made of ' Burnettized' canvas, and to the best of my recollection they Avere the following, viz. •: Medina, Trent, ) Thames, Isis. ) m a*l ^bout 760 bolts. Medway, Since I have held the appointment of Superintendent to the Peninsular and Orien- tal Steam Navigation Company (three years,) with twelve ships under my charge, I have had abundant opportunity for testing the value of the opinion which I had previously entertained as to the utility of Sir AV. Burnett's invention, and feel pleas- ure in recording that my favorable impressions have in every instance been most satisfactorily confirmed. AVith my owa will I Avould never use a yard of canvas that had not undergone the process. I am, my dear Sir, yours truly, Charles Jackson, Esq., R. N. E. N. KENDALL. Peninsula and Steam Navigation Company's Dear Sir : Offices, Southampton, 27th May, 1844. I hereby certify that the sails Of the Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company's ships Thames and Trent were subjected to Sir AVilliam Burnett's process before being made up. I also inclose the certificate of Captain M'Leod, of the Great Liverpool, which you will find entirely to bear out the opinion which I have so often expressed as to the efficacy of the preparation. Yours, truly, C. Jackson, Esq., E. N. KENDALL. Secretary to Sir AV. Burnett's Patent. Sir: ' Great Lira-peel' steam-ship, Southampton, 27th May, 1844. In compliance with your oract to report on the sails of this ship which were saade of 'Burnettized' canvas, I have to inform you that a great part of the said sails have been in constant use for nearly three years, and that they have be"en fre- quently furled for fifteen and twenty days together, in head winds, and when at anchor ; that not the slightest appearance of mildew has been observed Avhile bent or in the sail-room, and that the canvas is in every other respect equal to that used for sails. To Lieut. Kendall, R. N., I am, Sir, Superintendent, Peninsula and Your obedient servant, Oriental Steam Navigation Company, A. M'LEOD. Southampton. Commander. Extract from a Note, dated the 29th March, 1845, from A. II. Holdswokth, Esq., to Sir William Burnett. I Avrote a few lines before I left London ; I have now the pleasure of mentioning that I have just heard from Gordon, of the Cormorant, in which letter the following passage occurs: Pray make my compliments to Sir A\ritliam Burnett, if you see him, and say nothing can have behaved better than his canvas. Our quarter deck aAvning, that had not been prepared by him, in one night became full of black spots, and in fact became completely mildewed. I then ordered one that had been prepared by his process to be brought on deck, to be wetted, and then rolled up and kept in that state for ten days, exposed to a hot sun and heavy showers near the funnel; and at the expiration of that time it Avas dried, and found to be as good as Avhen it came from the sail-loft. This is as satisfactory an account as you could wish to receive, but you have so many proofs, that it is perhaps of little value. I haye, however, only obeyed his wish, in troubling you with it. 0lC TESTIMONIALS AS TO S«t: 3, Great .Queen-street, Westminster, 12th June, 1844. Since my arrival in England I have been desired, for the information of my Lords- Commissioners of the Admiralty, to make a Report upon the awnings dipped in Sir William Burnett's Solution, which Avere sent out to Rio de Janeiro for the use of H. M. Receiving Ship Crescent, then under my command. They had been in constant use for about twelve months, were not in the least affected by mildew, or rotted by alternate hot sun, and rain, as former awnings were. My opinion is, they will last as long again. I have further to add, that several of H. M. Ships on the station made a practice of sending some of their sails on board of the Crescent to be taken care of until going to sea. I remarked those dipped in the solution were perfectly free from mildew, whilst the others were much affected. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient and humble servant, (Signed) M. DONELLAN. Lieutenant late commanding H. M. S. ' Crescent" To the Honorable Sidney Herbert, M. P., Admiralty. Extract of a Letter, dated Bombay, 31st October, 1845. Dear Sir : The Commander of my Ship Buckinghamshire, just returned from a voyage to China, speaks so highly of the batch of canvas you sent to me, both as regards the quality of the canvas, and the benefits derived from " Burnettizing " it, that I beg you will send me by an early opportunity on my account (100) one hundred bolts of the same quality as before. I wish the canvas to be of exactly the same quality, the only difference from the last consignment being in having a few more of the heavy Nos., on account of the large size of my ships. I hope I shall be able to persuade some of the ship-owners here to patronize the " Burnettized " canvas to a great extent, as soon as its real value becomes better known. Dear Sir, yours sincerely, (Signed) FRAMJEE COAVASJEE. To Charles Jackson, Esq., Secretary to Sir AVilliam Burnett's Patent. Dear Sir: Ship Buckinghamshire, London, 2nd D-ec., 1846. Having tried your " Burnettized " canvas on board this ship for the last three years, I am anxious to add my testimony of its superiority over canvas in an unpre- pared state. Since I have used your prepared canvas, my sails and awnings have been entirely protected from mildew and rot. The sails were seAvn with unprepared twine; after they had been exposed to much wet, the twine became ratten, leaving the canvas perfectly free from any tendency to decay. I am, dear Sir, your most obedient servant, (Signed) D. MACGREGOR, Commanding the Ship Buckinghamshire. C. Jackson, Esq., Secretary, &c, &c. Extract from an Official Report, dated Portsmouth Dockyard, 21th September, 1847. Sir: In obedience to your memorandum of the 23d instant, respecting the canvas that was rolled upon rollers, and h£s been d3posited in the cellars of the hemp-house since April, 1839, we beg to report that we have carefully surveyed the said canvas, and find that one of the pieces was prepared with Sir AVilliam Burnett's solution] and the other unprepared. The latter is very much mildewed in every part, and in several places so rotten that it broke through on being removed from the roller which was very much decayed; whereas the canvas prepared with Sir William Burnett's Solution is perfectly free from mildew, excepting a few small spots, which appear to have been caused by its being in contact with some particular fluid ; and PREPARED CORDAGE, NETS, ETC. 33 the sound state of the roller on which the prepared canvas was rolled, compared with the other, is very remarkable, it having been cut from the same spar. We remain, Sir, your most obedient servants, (Signed) CHARLES BROAVN, Master Attendant. J. TAPLIN, Master Sailmaker. B. HARVEY, Master Rigger. To the Admiral Superintendent, &c. &c. &c. Prepared Cordage. Sir : Admiralty, 8th January, 1842. "I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to send you herewith, a copy of a report from the officers of Portsmouth Yard, of trials of strength of cordage and canvas prepared with a solution of chloride on your plan. I am, Sir, your most humble servant, To Sir AVilliam Burnett. J. BARROAV. Sir: Portsmouth Yard, June 21th, 1810. Having made the undermentioned trials of strength of cordage and canvas pre- pared Avith a solution of chloride on the plan of Sir AVilliam Burnett, also of cor- responding sorts unprepared, agreeably to your directions, I beg to report the result as follows, as ordered by your memo, of the 22d instant: Cordage 2£ inches, 25 thread. Tons. cwt. qrs. lbs. Italian white, prepared, - 2 10 3 7£ ( Hung up and exposed to Avet and dry Ditto unprepared, - - 2 9 3 26^ ( in Dr. Henderson's garden. Unprepared broke in the splice. Ditto prepared, - - 2 7 3 7£ ( Hung up at the sheers, exposed to wet Ditto unprepared, - 1 19 3 7£ ( and dry. Unprepared broke in the splice. Ditto prepared, - - 1 9 2 7£ C Buried in the mud, in the South Cam- Ditto unprepared, - - 1 8 3 7£ \ ber. Unprepared broke in the middle. Ditto prepared, - - 1 9 3 7\ C Under water at the South dock- Ditto unprepared, - - 112 0 7hi gate. Unprepared broke in the splice. {Hung under the arch at the end of the South Camber, under water, and out of it, as the tide ebbed and flowed. See Testimonial signed H. E. Amedroz, for the Secretary of the Admiralty, dated July 13, 1840, as to prepared Cordage and Canvas, in page 23. Sir : Jerusalem Coffee-house, London, 12th May, 1$42. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday's, date, requesting me to give my opinion of Sir AVilliam Burnett's Solution for the preservation, of 3* 34 TESTIMONIALS AS TO rope, canvas, planks, &c; a large quantity of each of these articles having been supplied in a prepared state to the late East India Ship Viscount Melbourne, lost in January last, in the China'Sea. , It is with pleasure I give my testimony to the value of Sir William Burnett s Solution, having had ample opportunity to judge of its good effects, during a period of fifteen months, viz : from October 1840 to January 1842, when my unfortunate ship was lost. I will briefly give my reason for judging thus favorably of it, viz : 1. Rope. The Melbourne's rope was supplied and made by the same person, of the same description of yarn ; one-half was tarred in the usual manner, the other half was dipped in Sir W. Burnett's Solution. To give both kinds a fair trial, braces, buntlines, clue garnetts, &c, were rove in opposition to each other. After several months had elapsed, the prepared was found to wear better than the tarred rope, and to have the additional advantage of being much lighter, easier to work, and causing less "chafing" to the sails. It is decidedly to be preferred for " running gear." 2. Canvas. All the Melbourne's new sails and store canvas had been dipped in the solution, which made them softer, consequently lighter to work, than they would otherwise have been. There was not the least appearance of mildew during the voyage. 3. Planks. The launch was lined with planks prepared in the solution already mentioned; with the exception of one month, when her services were required for the ship, about thirty sheep were constantly kept in her, without the slightest detriment to the wood. This boat was the providential means of saving the lives of twenty-seven people, who were exposed in her to the elements for thirteen days, during which time they traversed 1000 miles. I consider that the excellent sound state in which she was, is to be attributed to her planks for lining having been prepared in Sir AV.. Burnett's Solution ; and having had good cause to know its value, would strongly recommend it to the notice of all persons connected with shipping. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient, humble servant, CHARLES W. M. S. M'KERLIE, late H.C.S. Commander late East India Ship Viscount Melbourne. To the Secretary for Sir W. Burnett's Patent. Gentlemen : 14 Macfarlane street, Glasgow, 12th February, 1844. At your request we have much pleasure in certifying that, so far as our experience goes, your process of "Burnettizing" ropes has been very successful, rendering them much more pliable, and not nearly so liable to decay, wet having no injurious effect on them; the same quantity of ropes now serving us, on an average, fully double the time they formerly did when unprepared. We are, Gentlemen, your obedient servants, (Signed) THOMAS FRAME & Co., To Messrs. W. Middleton and Son, Wood Merchants. 68, Glassford street, Glasgow, Agents for Sir W. Burnett's Patent. Protection of Woolen from Moths. SiR = Admiralty, 27th May, 1839. I beg to acquaint you, that on the 4th December, 1838, I placed several pieces of your prepared cloth and fur in a tin chest, containing some clothing much infested with the moth : upon examination, it appears that the cloths and fur, so prepared are now in the same state as when first placed in the chest, -untouched by the moths, PROTECTION OF WOOLEN FROM MOTHS. 35 indeed the insects appear to me to be totally destroyed, for nothing but the cases or skins remain in the chest, which I conceive can only be attributed to the effects of your preparation. I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient, humble servant, (Signed) THOS. MORTON. To Sir W. Burnett, K.C.H, &c. &c. Further Testimonial, Sir : Admiralty, 1st July, 1841. With reference to my Report to you of the 27th May, 1839, I have again ex- amined the marine clothing (chiefly great-coats, articles the moths make great havoc with, and which were much affected with them,) contained in a tin chest in my custody, and amongst which clothing several pieces of your prepared cloths and fur were placed, on the 4th December, 1838. I now find the cloths and fur so deposited remain untouched by moths, and they appear to me to be in the same state as when first deposited in the chest; and I have no hesitation in stating, that your prepared cloths have been the means of destroying the moths that were in the chest, previ- ous to the introduction of your prepared cloths and fur. I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient, humble servant, (Signed) THOS. MORTON. To Sir W. Burnett, K.C.H., &c. &c. PART II. CHAPTER I. CHLORIDE OF ZINC AS A SANITARY AGENT. Copy of a letter from Sir William Burnett, M. D., Director-General of the Medical Department of the Navy, to the Secretary of the admiralty. gIR . Admiralty, 20th May, 1848. In consequence of the numerous reports, both Avritten and verbal, Avhich have been made to me during the few past years respecting the application of the Solu- tion of chloride of zinc, as a disinfecting, or, at all events, as a deodorizing agent, I have been induced to request you Avill be pleased to lay the accompanying papers before my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, convinced that whatever tends to increase the comforts or to improve the moral and physical condition of all classes of men in Her Majesty's Naval Service, Avill meet Avith their Lordships' most favor- able consideration. Presuming that the value of the chloride of zinc as a preservative of vegetable fibre is now established beyond all doubt, I may be permitted to call your attention to its effects Avhen brought into contact with noxious gas in whatever way generated, or with putrid animal or vegetable substances evolving noxious odors, either of which, if indeed they be not chemically the same, can seldom exist for any length of time in ill-ventilated rooms or in densely populated districts, without producing disease, and frequently contagious diseases. The application of the fluid to correct the fcetor of bilge-water is now in general use both in vessels of war and in mer- chant vessels, whether employed in the conveyance of goods or passengers, and it is admitted on all hands, with the most unquestionable success. In the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's vessels, the experiment was fairly tried, so far back as 1844, and with the happiest results. The same proof of its effects has been observed in her Majesty's ships Rapid, Rhadamanthus, Childers, Fisgard, Stromboli, Imaum, and Rosamond. In some of these vessels, and in others not herein mentioned, the effluvia had seriously affected the health of the people on board, causing as in the Stromboli, oppressive headache, dyspepsia, and sleeplessness. Such was the relief obtained in the latter vessel, that the Honorable Captain Plunkett has remarked, in a letter dated 22nd January 1845, that were the solution not allowed by Government he would provide it at his own cost. In the Rosamond, formerly the Eclair, the surgeon reports that the most trifling catarrhal complaints were frequently accompanied with a low typhoid form of fever until by the copious use of the solution, " a noisome fcetor," which existed on the fore orlop, or troop deck had been removed.* * Vide Reports printed by Order of the House of Commons. INFLUENCE AS A SANITARY AGENT. 37 The apparent effects of the solution in three line-of-battle ships in the Mediter- ranean was still more remarkable. In two of these, the Albion and Rodney, in which it was only sparingly used, the effluvia from the after-holds, in which there were salt provisions, and consequently leakage to a certain extent, was very disa- greeable, while the smell from the bilge-water rendered the cockpit cabins scarcely habitable. In the Vanguard, in which it Avas used according to the directions given, the surface of all the timbers and planking in the. hold being thoroughly imbued with it, there was little or no unpleasant effluvia, and the number of her sick were, in consequence, less numerous, and the diseases less severe, than in either of the two other vessels employed in precisely the same duties and localities. In a communication from Commander Ryder, of a recent date, there is further evidence of the great advantages to be derived from a proper use of the solution in steamers, particularly within the Tropics, where disease is more apt to be engen- dered by the accumulation and decomposition of foreign matters in the holds of these vessels, such as indeed appears to have been the case in Her Majesty's ship Growler, which was lately employed in conveying free negroes from the coast of Africa to the West Indies. The surgeon of that vessel states, that he considered the exciting cause of the fever which attacked the greater part of the crew, was the effluvia evolved from the accumulations in her holds and bilges, which (while she was being cleared out at Bermuda) Avas readily neutralized by the solution, with the effect of thoroughly eradicating the disease. The value of the solution, as a sanitary agent, I think I may be permitted to state, has been established by the most unequivocal proofs. Noxious gases are speedily deprived of their more poisonous qualities in its presence, while the odors of corrupt or diseased animal substances, even if arising from a living body, are rendered imperceptible or inocuous, if not annihilated; these, there is every reason to believe, are not only frequently the direct source of fatal and malignant diseases, but they are chiefly instrumental in conveying the principles of contagion from one person to another, when from the debilitating influence of a tainted atmosphere, they have acquired that property. By a report lately presented to the Commissioners of Sewers, the solution appears to have had a vast superiority over several other deodorizing agents employed in a series of experiments performed under their immediate inspection on cesspools and other receptacles of filth, Avith the view of rendering the removal of these matters less dangerous to the communities in their neighborhood. In proof of its efficacy under these or similar circumstances, and consequently of its power over those miasmata so fruitful of typhoid fever, I have already submitted for your considera- tion a number of documents, in which its beneficial effects were freely admitted, and in particular I toqk the liberty of directing your attention to one from the Chairman of the Board of AVatford Union, and to another from the Governor of the AVorkhouse of that parish; and also to a communication from Dr. Lindsay to the Right Honorable Lord Auckland. These, however, form but a small portion of the documentary evidence now in my possession relative to the deodorizing prop- erties of the solution. There is not, so far as I am aware, any means known by which a specific conta- gion may be made perceptible to the senses, in contradistinction to a fever-exciting miasm ; if such an entity does really exist in a separate form, Professor Liebig supposes it most readily attaches itself to certain noxious gases, and by that means propagates the peculiar disease to which it belongs. These gases, however, as pre- viously observed, are capable of being destroyed by the solution, and it seems not unreasonable to infer the contagion also; but if this be not admitted, it is clearly demonstrable that, from the want of a proper vehicle of conveyance, it must be rendered at all events infinitely less diffusible. In this light, therefore, the solu- tion may be viewed as a disinfectant. The following documents bear more parties ularly on these points. Several instances are reported in which it was considered to have arrested or re- tarded the spread of contagious maladies. In September last, erysipelas began to infest the patients in the Royal Marine Infirmary at Woolwich ; it speedily acquired considerable virulence, became contagious, and carried off several men who were under treatment for other ailments of minor importance. On this being reported, J caused the Deputy Inspector to adopt the usual precautions required on these 38 INFLUENCE AS A SANITARY AGENT. occasions, and to cause the vapor of the solution to be diffused throughout the wards by hanging up pieces of woolen cloth moistened with it, and by sprinkling it occasionally on the floors and bedding. In the course of a few days, alter tne employment "of these measures, the spread of the disease Avas arrested, ^lie f~ open sores, with Avhich these patients were affected, put on a much more healtny appearance than they presented previously to the employment of the solution. Earlv in 1848, the disease in a malignant form Avas again introduced to this estab- lishment from one of the ships in the river ; still by the constant use of the solu- tion it was prevented from attacking other patients ; even those with open buboes escaped, a circumstance so unprecedented as to lead to the conviction of the medi- cal officer in its disinfecting properties. In the Royal Marine Infirmary at Chatham, typhus fever, introduced from Ire- land, appears also to have been held in check by its being freely used in the Avards ; and a similar result, it was considered, occurred on board the Baretto Junior trans- port, when crowded with troops on a passage to the West Indies. The great benefit derived from the application of the diluted liquid to foul sloughing or cancerous sores, stands, however, on a more sure foundation. In the Imaum, it was used with the greatest benefit in the treatment of certain forms of ulcer. In cases of scrofulous ulcer, attended Avith an " overpowering odor,'' it was found in the hands of E. AVilson, Esq., to have the effect not only of removing the bad smell, but of promoting a healthy process in the sores. In the case of a child afflicted with perforation of the intestine, it was of essen- tial service. In the city of Dublin Hospital its external application has been highly approved of. I cannot conclude this letter Avithout expressing my firm belief, that a more gen- eral use of an agent so innocuous in itself, and yet so powerful in the prevention of disease, is most urgently required in all hospitals or dwellings wherever typhus fever or other contagious diseases exist, as well as in emigrant ships, Avhere it is at all times so difficult to enforce cleanliness, or dispel foul animal miasmata even by proper ventilation. (Signed) AV. BURNETT, Director-General, pium to procure rest, and relief from his sufferings. There was but little consti- tutional disturbance, nor Avas there any scorbutic taint discovered in any of them. I placed them on their arrival in a detached ward, and they Avere each supplied Avith a basin and sponge. They had a liberal allowance of mutton, fish, and vege- tables, Avith porter. A solution of the chloride of zinc was at first employed, which had the effect, be- yond my conception, of destroying the disagreeable fcetor, and it seemed to me to be the remedy Avhose action Avas most marked and efficacious in arresting the destructive process, and detaching the adherent sloughs when the ulcers Avere languid, showing but little tendency to granulate or cicatrize. I found it an excellent application. In some of the cases narcotics Avere found very beneficial in allaying the irritation and restlessness. Extract from the Nosological Return of Daniel Ritchie, Esq., Surgeon of II. M. S. " Ilccate," between the 1st July and 2oth September, 1848. "The cleanliness of the decks and every part of the ' Hecate' has been carefully attended to, and all disagreeable odors, immediately on their being perceived, at once and with complete certainty removed, by the use of Sir AVilliam Burnett's patent solution, when it was possible to effect its proper application. This was, however, rendered difficult and imperfect on our passu go home, by the quantity of luggage received on board, and stoAved away in the hold or between decks. The influences of putrid and hurtful emanations Avere also increased by the reception of a number of men, and above thirty invalids, three of whom Avere in the last stage of phthisis, and there Avas one Avith a sloughing ulcer, the putrid odor from which was at first excessively disagreeable and diffused. The free use of the solution to the decks and hold, and also to the ulcer, however, completely destroyed all offen- sive effluvia; and the ulcer, from vapidly sloughing to a great extent, and steadily resisting the remedial means employed, (circumstances which led the surgeon of Her Majesty's ship 'Howe,' and the invaliding officers, to characterize it as malig- nant. ) was almost at once changed to a healthy suppurating sore, which healed kindly and rapidly." Extract of a Letter from M. C. French, Esq., Surgeon of H. M. S. "Devastation," dated llth September, 1848. " In regard to the ship's economy, a week has scarcely passed without the chloride of zinc having been used for the purpose of purifying the Avell and bilges, the stench of bilge-water at times being so great as to produce nausea, but which was imme- diately removed on application of the chloride of zinc ; and a glass of water taken from the bilges shortly afterwards Avas perfectly sweet and clear. "In regard to the round-houses, I haA*e, Avhen the effluvium has been very offen- sive, used it Avith equal success, a slight application remo\*ing the unpleasant odor instantaneously. " In several cases of ulcer, AArhen other means have failed, I have found a solution of the chloride of zinc, gss to gj of Avater, succeed admirably; also in cases of gonorrhoea it has acted equally Avell as an injection, and in syphilitic sores, both primary and secondary, the application of it has succeeded in producing healthy action. " I have now little hesitation in stating that the continued use of the chloride of zinc on board has in a great measure contributed to the health of the ship's company." Sir AV. Burnett, K. C. H., &c. &c. &c. II. M. S. " Kestrel," Rio Janeiro, 21st June, 1848. - Sir: I have the honor to inform you, that in compliance with the Admiralty Circular, to report on the efficacy of chloride of zinc as a disinfectant, that the only oppor- tunities that have occurred on board Her Majesty's brig " Kestrel," have been in the cases of its destroying the fcetor of two ulcers, and also correcting the unpleasant 4* 46 ACTION ON OFFENSIVE EFFLUVIA. odor arising from the water-closets fitted on the lower deck of this vessel; in the cases it Avas perfectly successful. I have, &c. (Signed) GEORGE EVEREST. Sir AV. Burnett, K. C.H., &c. &c. &c. CHAPTER III. CHLORIDE OF ZINC As a Deodorizer, applied to Bilge Water, Foul Holds and Cellars, Cesspools, Vaults, Cabinet and Chamher Vessels. The Right Honorable the Lords of the Admiralty, having directed Sir AVilliam Burnett to cause the following facts relative to the action of the solution of chloride of zinc on bilge-water, and on certain deleterious gases extricated during the decomposition of animal and vegetable substances, to be made known throughout the naval service and to the public generally; it is proper to state, that it is not intended to claim for the solution any direct influence over the more subtle ele- ments of which the contagion of febrile and exanthematous diseases is supposed to consist, although it yet remains to be proved whether it has or has not some con- trolling poAver over these; were presumptive proof admissible, evidence is not wanting to warrant the conclusion that it has, at least, a modifying influence. For the present, it is not deemed advisable to do more than to point out, by a selection of documentary evidence of a character hardly to be disputed, eVen by the most incredulous, that it is a fluid calculated above all others that have yet been dis- covered, to improve the sanitary condition of densely-populated localities, as avcII as to add to the comfort of all grades of society, whether in health or disease. In proof of this, it will not be necessary to resort to A'ague assertion; the facts which Avill be adduced to prove its action on known deleterious gases, and on what may he called the morbific or offensive animal miasmata, are explicable upon the prin- ciples of sound chemical philosophy, or at all events admissible on the grounds of the constancy of the results obtained from repeated experiments carefully conducted under the observation of men, the conscientious wording of whose documents suffi* ciently attests that their only aim in these investigations was truth. Nothing has been stated on bare theory, and nothing admitted until the premises were unde- niable. It is, moreover, a consideration of no minor importance to know that the fluid being innocuous in itself, no evil consequences need be apprehended from its most abundant use,—a quality not possessed by several other substances and fluids employed for disinfecting or purifying purposes. ACTION ON OFFENSIVE EFFLUVIA. 47 For the preservation of timber, canvas, and cordage, the chloride of zinc was first employed under patent in the year 1838, and is now in general use for that purpose In the principal Royal dock-yards and arsenals, as well as in many extensive private establishments ; but it was not until a later period that the discoverer, Sir AVilliam aurnett, by the most simple process of reasoning, was led to suppose that as it acted as a preservative on these bodies, it would also arrest decay already begun. inis by experiment was found to be the case, and further, as a necessary conse- quence, that the evolution of effluvia was also instantly arrested. To put this property, however, fairly to the test, some substances in a state of decav, together Witn offensive bilge-water, were obtained, to which, in separate portions, small quantities of the solution of various degrees of strength were added, and in every instance with the most satisfactory result. The effluvium was instantly and com- pletely annihilated. These results were at the time considered curious, but not ol the importance and utility which experience has since proved them to be. It was, nevertheless, not long before an opportunity offered for trying the experiment on a large scale, and, as may be perceived by the following notes, with the most perfect success: H. M. S. " Hastings," Rio de Janeiro, 31st August, 1848. oir : We beg leave to submit to you the folloAving report upon the properties and efficiency of the solution of chloride of zinc, supplied for the use of Her Majesty's ship " Hastings," previously to her departure from England as flag-ship on the East India Station. The "Hastings" sailed from England on the 1st July, 1848, and before clearing the English Channel, encountered some rough Aveather; soon after which, a smell, of an unusually foul and unpleasant nature, began to arise from the pump-Avell, holds, and fore-cockpit. Several bucketsful of the solution diluted to the proper proportion, were poured doAvn beneath the fore-cockpit close to the stem, and it was repeatedly and liberally distributed in the pump-well, but only with partial and temporary effect, for in tA\ enty-four hours after each application, the effluvia, returned with almost undiminished pungency, though the ship was regularly pumped Out every morning, and the pump-well itself kept as dry as possible in the intervals, by having hanging stoves daily placed in it. The lower tier of tanks, and the ballast Avhich had b*een stoAved in the hold several years before the ship was commissioned, have not been disturbed since, and it was probable that such an accumulation of various substances might have taken pla'ce around and beneath them during that period, as, combined with heat and moisture, could scarcely fail to generate effluvia of a highly offensive character, and afforded at least a very probable clue to the source from Avhcnce the smell emanated. On the 9th July last, a case of small-pox showed itself, which soon assumed the con- fluent form ; the sick list, already amounting to 55, Avas daily increasing, and as it became imperatively necessary to leave no means untried that might tend to arrest the progress of disease, and improve the health of the crew, and seeing that little or no benefit had resulted from the previously limited application of the solution of the chloride of zinc, the surgeon recommended that it should be distributed through the interior of the ship, on the largest scale compatible with the quantity supplied to her, and Avith a due regard to reserving a portion for any peculiar con- tingency that might afterwards arise. Tavo hundred and forty gallons cf mixed fluid were accordingly (in the proportion of one part of the solution supplied to twenty parts of sea water) prepared, and previously to its application on the 14th July, the ship was pumped out, and the pump-Avell baled as dry as possible. The forcing-pump and fire-engine were used, and by their means the solution Was forced into every part of the bottom of the ship, Avhich it was possible to reach; the nozzle of the pipe connected with the hose having been first directed into every opening between the beams in the wings com- municating Avith the limbers, and afterwards led through the fore-cockpit, and pointed under the floor of the fore-magazine. Tavo hundred and twenty gallons were thus disposed of, the remaining twenty having been poured round the step of the main- 48 ACTION ON OFFENSIVE EFFLUVIA. mast. The good effects of its application not being obvious at first, five days wore allowed to elapse before it was pumped out, and for five weeks subsequently, during the greater part of which period the ship Avas Avithin the Tropics, and experienced various changes of Aveather, little or no disagreeable smell was perceptible—a result in our opinion, chiefly attributable to the application of the solution of the chloride of zinc. AVe beg to express our decided conviction of its efficacy ; and although various other means of ventilation Avere used simultaneously with the solution of chloride of zinc, we are of opinion that the improved condition of the lower parts of the ship, has been mainly OAving to the employment of the latter. AVe have, &c. (Signed) J. AV. MORGAN, Captain. J. II. COCKBURN,' Commander. R. T. C. SCOTT, Surgeon. Sir W. Burnett, K. C. H., &c. &c. &c. If. M. S. " Spy," Ascension, 29th November, 1848. •Sir : In compliance Avith the directions issued by you, to report on the chloride of zinc, I beg leave to state the following :— On lifting the scuttle of a small store-room beneath my cabin, on the 1st November, a most insufferable effluvium immediately arose, and disseminated itself throughout the A*essel. On search being made, the cause of it Avas discoAfered to be the bursting of a case of preserved meat, and the escape of its contents, which, from exposure to air, had become putrid. It immediately occurred to me that it would be a favorable opportunity of trying the chloride of zinc, and, after the store-room had been thoroughly cleaned, I used it in the manner directed by the pamphlet. In about twenty-four hours, the effluvium had entirely left the lower deck, and in five days was imperceptible in the store-room itself. Of the powers of the chloride of zinc, as a deodorizing agent on this occasion, all the officers on board Avere fully convinced. • I have, &c. (Signed) GEORGE AVILLES, Assistant-Surgeon. Extract of a Letter from Dr. W. Loney, Surgeon of H.M.S. " Amphitritc," dated 2nd September, 1848, from Ascension. " I have the honor to enclose you Captain Eden's testimonial of the usefulness of the solution of chloride of zinc as a disinfecting agent; and I would add, that its easy and simple application, together with its perfect freedom from the strong and disagreeable smell of chlorine, Avhich attended the old process of purifi- cation by the evolution of that gas, ensures it a readier application on board ship than it Avould otherAvise meet Avith, Avhich, for obvious reasons, is no small recom- mendation." ENCLOSURE. H. M. S. " Amphitrilf," Ascension Roads, 1st Sept. 1848. I hereby certify, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admi- ralty, that the chloride of zinc solution has been regularly used on board the " Amphitrite," in conformity Avith the instructions accompanying the supply, since the 1st May last, and with* the best results. The offensive smell of sulphuretted hydrogen from the bilge, Avhich existed previous to this date, ceased altogether after the first few applications, and to the regular use of this deodorizing agent, I feel warranted in attributing the continued total absence of all noxious effluvia. (Signed) THOMAS RODNEY EDEN, Captain. ACTION ON OFFENSIVE EFFLUVIA. 49 Extract from the Nosological Return of Thomas Kincaid, Esq., Surgeon of H.M.S. "Helena," between 1st August and 1st September, 1848. 'a T!he ^ Y?f fitte the officers, blackening not only the ^mSTm^P . ™g g°ld laCG- The diseases which occurred &these vessels ontS siclTJe fttype> esPecially on board the " Rodney," and the numbers what can ^ I • GaCv WGr! generall>- double that of the " Vanguard." Now to o^ this no n ™munity and this difference be attributed ? After much reflection thanlLt X Sf ™™S .* m ^ its bearings, I can come to no other conclusion duidwm^ffi^^ Zm?\Td asitwas^the "Vanguard," must have pro- sSarfrl' V d ^r1111^ t0 itS M Share of credit°in contributing to this SerfromS *?* ilxose diseases which may originate from effluvia* arising positfon of^aST Water.' k, theuevolution of deleterious gases during the decani? position of animal or vegetable substances in the holds of ships. I have the honor, &c. &c, (Signed) ERNEST ELLIOTT. oorts from^p6 f.T6?*1168.8. °f £f statements made in the preceding letter, the re- comparatTve rati 5°]^F' "^T'land " Y™S™*>" were referred to, and the comparative rate of sickness found to be as follows :— Department of the Director-General of the Medical Department ) . p of the Navy, 17th January, 1848. > A Comparative Quarterly Statement of the Sick of the following Ships, extracted from the Nosological Returns received into Office during the Year 1847. Ships Names Rodney, Albion, Vanguard, Number Sick. Lady Quarter, 1847. 243 156 155 Mid- summer Quarter, 1847. 194 210 146 Michael- mas Quarter, 1847. 279 204 113 Total Number Sick during 9 months. 716 570 414 Of diseases frequently influ- enced by causes within ships of war,there occurred on board the under-mentioned as follows: Fe- vers. 55 48 6 Erysi- pelas. 11 2 2 Rheu- matism 37 33 22 Ulcers. 40 42 24' B. P. HOBART. Letter to Sir Gordon Bremer. Dock-yard, Woolwich, November 10th, 1847. Sir: I beg leave to acquaint you with the result of the application of the Burnett so- lutio^on H. M. S. " Fisgard." THf condition of this vessel afforded a very favorable opportunity of testing the powers of this disinfecting agent. A truly nauseating effluvium pervaded the whole of her interior, produced chiefly by the presence of sulphuretted hydrogen gas, consequent upon the liberal use of sulphur employed in smoking out the rats ; so distressing were the effects of this gas, that almost all at work in her suffered from headache and sickness. The chloride of zinc was accordingly used, but only to a moderate extent; within a short space of time, not a trace of unpleasant odor was perceptible, and the ship became perfectly sweet and wholesome. I am, Sir, your very obedient servant, J. N. DERRIMAN, M. D., Assistant Surgeon. Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer, Superintendent. The complete control which the solution has over the elimination of offensive effluvia from bilge-water, or other accidental matters decomposing in the holds of a ship, having been clearly ascertained by the preceding experiments, and numerous 5* 58 ACTION OF THE CHLORIDE ON OFFENSIVE EFFLUVIA. otfiers of a similar nature, it is now used generally in all Her Majesty's vessels, in- stead of the chloride of lime. To obtain a substance harmless in itself, and free from smell, but possessedof the property of destroying all other smells, particularly such as are offensive or injurious to health, has long occupied the attention of scientific men, more especially such as were interested in the health, comfort, and longevity of that part of the community compelled to reside in densely-populated towns ; but until this solution was brought into use, it may be safely asserted that no such boon had been extracted from tne secret stores of nature. Under this privation we had become accustomed to trie emplovment of various things that are not only ineffectual, but in a large majority of instances positively obnoxious to the senses, detrimental, and it may even De asserted, occasionally dangerous to health. Such for instance, are the fumes oi corrosive gases, which from their irritant effect on the delicate bronchial tissue, can never be breathed Avithout considerable risk by those who have either actual disease of the lungs, or a predisposition, from whatever cause, to disease of these organs. These gases, or at all events, chlorine gas, are in other respects highly objectionable from the injury they occasion to the better sorts of furniture. The well known bleaching properties of chlorine render it totally inapplicable where there are tissues consisting of silk, cotton, or wool of delicate dyes. The colors it would instantly destroy, and if used to a moderate extent, it Avould even act upon the fabric itself. Chloride of lime was at one time extensively used as a fumigating or disinfecting agent, both in the chambers of the sick, and for the dispersion of foul odors m close places, but without the slightest advantage. The same objections in a modified degree apply to it as to the former ; it has therefore of late been almost entirely discarded from use within doors ; the smell arising from it being moreover to many people more insufferable than those it has been required to correct; particularly as it only partially covers other effluvia, without in the least degree destroying them or preventing their evolution ; it thus becomes an aggravation of the evil sought to be got rid of. The smell of vinegar, although grateful and refreshing, yet when mixed Avith the tainted air of a sick chamber, or the Avards of a hospital, where offensive animal effluvia are seldom altogether absent, is exceedingly disagreeable and sickening. Equally offensive, if not more so, is the smell from burning rags ; a mode of fumigating that has too frequently been resorted to from a want of other means in the humbler walks of life. Pastiles, although they are seldom burned in the presence of the sick, are not infrequently made use of to overcome offensive odors,—the principle in fact on which nearly the whole of these articles have been used, and the only advantage they are capable of affording. Considering the acrid poisonous nature of several substances with metallic bases, the introduction of secret chemical compounds for purifying the wards of hospitals, and the dwellings of the poor, cannot be too strongly repudiated, at least by npdical men ; yet a preparation of lead, one of the most obnoxious of the metals as regards health, with which Ave are acquainted, but which possesses considerable destructive power over certain mephitic gases, has been proposed for general use as a disinfectant. AVhatever its properties may be in this respect, and it is assumed they are not great, there are feAV people acquainted with the danger of sleeping while in sound health in a newly-painted room, that would consider the diffusion of the vapor of a solution of one of the salts of that metal in the wards of a hospital, anything but a very dangerous and an unwarrantable procedure. As the vapor of the preparations of mercury, when diffused in the atmosphere, will speedily produce the specific effects of that mineral on those exposed to them, so it is submitted under every precaution will those of lead produce its specific effects, namely, obstinate colic, paralysis, and permanent decrepitude. The danger attending the application of the solutions of lead, mercury, and arsenic, to even superficial sores, is Avell known to every medical man ; in an equal degree should the community be advised of the danger of these poisons when applied directly to the body, diffused in the foul atmosphere of an ill-ventilated house, in the Avards of a crowded hospital, or betAveen the densely peopled decks of a ship. ACTION OF THE CHLORIDE ON OFFENSIVE EFFLUVIA. 59 The following documents refer principally to the action of the solution of chloride 01 zmc on the effluvia or malaria from which dangerous and contagious diseases frequently arise, and also as regards its effects in correcting the offensive odor of all natural or morbid discharges from the living body, or such as pervade the wards of Hospitals, the chambers of the sick in private life, or adhere to the necessary apparatus or utensils used in these. Extracts from a Return to an Order of the Honorable the House of Commons, dated 19th July, 1847, for a Copy,of Reports on Sir Wm. Burnett's Disinfecting Fluid. Royal Naval Hospital, at Haslar, 12th July, 1847. Sir: In compliance with your directions to us to report on the use of Sir AVilliam Burnett's fluid as a disinfectant, or as to the removal of noxious smells, Ave have to inform you that it has been used in this hospital in the close stools of patients affected Avith dysentery, in the water-closets and cesspools, and also in the wards, when the air was tainted by purulent expectoration or discharge from sores, Avith the effect of immediately removing the disagreeable odors. It has also been used in the surgery with good effect, in removing the smell of putrifying animal sub- stances, the odors of dead bodies under inspection, and when employed as a dress- ing to ulcers, it removes the disagreeable smell of purulent matter, and in propor- tion of one part of the clear solution to eighteen of water, it preserves subjects of natural history from putrefaction, and in a fit state for anatomical inspection, after more than a year has elapsed, or as long as our trials of it have lasted. A\re have had no contagious or epidemic diseases in the hospital, by which its poAvers of ar- resting infection might be tested; but it has been used, much diluted, for sponging the skin of patients affected by fever, with evident benefit, and the immediate removal of the odor of perspiration ; and as it is itself inodorous, it is in no way offensive to the patients. We have, &c, (Signed) JOHN RICHARDSON, Medical Inspector. J. ANDERSON, Medical Inspector. JAMES ALLAN, Deputy Inspector. ALEXANDER M'KECHNIE, M. D., Surgeon. ALEXANDER STUART, Assisting Surgeon. Captain Superintendent Sir W. E. Parry. Royal Marine Infirmary, Woolwich, 2nd July, 1847. Sir: The solution of the chloride of zinc has been used in this hospital for a consider- able time past. It has been employed both as a disinfecting agent, and to remove offensive odors. Of its poAvers in the former capacity, the opportunities Avhich have offered here of testing them have not been such as to enable a decided opinion to be given; but of its utility as a destroyer of all kinds of offensive effluvia, there occur daily the most satisfactory proofs. Formerly the patient and others suffered annoyance from the use of the close-stool in the wards, notwithstanding the care which Avas then taken to prevent it; a disagreeable odor likewise clung to the water-closets, Avhich Avere proof to constantly repeated ablutions; but since the chloride of zinc has been introduced into daily use, these inconveniences have en- tirely disappeared. Patients whose cases require it, may now be accommodated without discomfort either to those around them or to the medical attendants, and the water-closets are now enabled to be kept free of the slightest taint. The great advantage which the chloride of zinc possesses over other agents em- {doyed for a like purpose, is, that it removes the disagreeable effluvium without eaving one little less offensive in its room, and may therefore be made use of wher- ever this effect is required,—in private as well as public buildings, in the sick bed- chamber no less than in the crowded ward. The method adopted at this hospital is to supply each of the wards with a bottle of the diluted solution, which the 60 ACTION OF THE CHLORIDE ON OFFENSIVE EFFLUVIA. nurses have directions to use whenever occasion may require, besides sprinkling it over the floors before the morning and evening visits are made. I have, &c, (Signed) THOMAS NELSON, Assistant Surgeon, Royal Marine Hospital. Sir William Burnett, K. C. H., &c. &c. &c. Letter to Sir William Burnett. 100 Great Portland street, August 24, 1847. Sir: I have much pleasure in bearing testimony to the efficacy of your solution of chlo- ride of zinc, in purifying the air of sick chambers, to the great comfort both of the attendants and the patient. In diseases attended with a foetid discharge, I have used the solution as a lotion with immediate and complete success. In the case of a child afflicted with perfora- tion of the intestine, and from which a most offensive faecal discharge is constantly escaping at the umbilicus, the solution has proved of the greatest benefit; the smell formerly occasioned nausea, which he is now relieved from. Solutions of the chlorides of lime and soda corrected the evil, but they substituted an odor scarcely less disagreeable than the original one. The solution has proved of the utmost service in a series of experiments I have been engaged in for some time. To prepare and preserve animal substances in a state fit to be brought to a consistency approaching petrifaction, a circumstance of paramount importance is, that no trace of putrescence should appear, otherwise dis- integration of fibre and destruction of the objects are the certain effects. No pre- paration which I have tried (and I have used almost every metallic and earthy solution,) has proved so convenient and successful as the chloride of «inc ; it neither changes color, form, nor texture. It also arrests putrefaction when it has already commenced. A mass of animal substance, into which the chloride has well pene- trated, may be removed from the solution and dried in the open air, without the slightest fear of decomposition. This effect also is permanent, for if the substance be again wetted and kept in a damp place, still putrefaction does not commence. When its poAvers are more known, I am persuaded it will supersede every fluid used for preserving or disinfecting. I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant, GEORGE WILSON. Letter from Dr. Cronin. Clarence Place, Cove, September 21th, 1847. My Dear Sir : A period of two months or nearly so having elapsed, since I ventured to express an opinion on the value of chloride of zinc as an adjuvant in the treatment of disease, or as a powerful means of rendering the air wholesome or pure in hospitals or the houses of the sick, by destroying bad smells, I think it desirable to inform you as to whether any change of that opinion then expressed may have, from ex- tended observation, become necessary. Anything occurring since has tended most strongly to confirm those opinions. While fever remained unabated, another formidable and loathsome disease has sprung up, which in the numbers attacked, and its severity, surpasses any epidemic that has occurred in this country for half a century—I mean dysentery. In every case of public and private practice, both for this disease and fever, th e fcetor arising from the excretions, and the noxious smells generated in the air o f the wards and rooms, the effect of the diluted solution of chloride of zinc has, in every case, been almost magical in its effects of removing those smells, and purify- ing the air. Although I have not been able to come to any more decided conclusion as to its curative powers, in fever or dysentery, I must only allow you to deduce your own inferences from the fact that in our hospitals, since I last wrote to vou, over 350 cases of fever have been treated, and only six deaths have occurred ; "while outside, ACTION OF THE CHLORIDE ON OFFENSIVE EFFLUVIA. 61 Of over 400 cases of dysentery, not more than four deaths have occurred, two of those in very old people, and two infants. I could not observe that the use of the chloride prevented the spread of disease, or checked its progress, though I do still think that it had and has some modifying influence on disease during its course. On the whole, it is a most valuable agent as a means of purifying the air of crowded and ill-ventilated rooms, &c. I am, my dear Sir, most truly yours, (Signed) JOHN J. CRONLN, M. D. Physician in Charge, Cove Fever Hospital, Infirmary and General Dispensary, and Acting Surgeon to Artillery wr t • -^ an^ Ordnance in Cork Harbor. W. .Lindsay, Esq., M. D., Deputy Inspector of Naval Hospitals. Notes by Dr. McWilliam, R. N., who attended the following experiment, which was made with the view of fairly testing the powers of the solution oter the effluvia liber- ated from feculent matter Sx r January 26th, 1848, P. M. Cesspool in AVestminster-yard, (which from.information from an official hard by, had not been opened for twenty years,) 6 feet long, 4 feet broad, and 7 feet deep. The cesspool Avas brimfull, therefore the mass to be operated upon by the solution consisted of a cube of ordure = 168 feet, which was treated in the folloAving man- ner :— A quantity of paper, straw, and other fibrous matter, was raked up from the sur- face, with the effect of causing the mass to emit a most insufferable smell; I say insufferable, because the hydro-sulphate of ammonia, and other gases, were so abundantly evolved, as to drive us back from the privy door. Mr. Glass, at this time, directed the nozzle of a tube connected with a forcing pump, containing the solution, (diluted with 50 parts of water,) to the surface of the contents of the privy, and the power of the solution in destroying the gases was evident in a very few minutes, for all of us could enter the privy with little annoyance, while the smell in a coal-house next door was horrible, from the quantity of gas that had escaped before the chloride was applied. When a sufficient quantity of the solution had been poured in to fluidify and deodorize a stratum of ordure, say a foot deep, the nozzle of a haAvse, perforated at the end with small holes, was plunged into the mass, and the fluid contents were drawn off by means of a double action pump; by continuing this process the cesspool Avas emptied. On breaking ground, at every fresh stratum, the stench was most noisome; but it was instantly annihilated the moment the solution fairly penetrated the mass. After this, I need hardly say, that when the privy was emptied, it was perfectly free from smell. The quantity of solution used was less than I had expected, eight quarts only be- ing required; thus 8 X 50 = 400 quarts, or about 100 gallons to liquify, so as to be penetrable, a tolerably solid cube of 168 feet. On examining narrowly the matter operated upon, there was no ocular evidence of chemical action; a sulphuret of zinc must, I presume, be formed, but the precipitate is white, and is not discernible in the coloring matter of the animal substance. There was not either, so far as any present could discover, any proof of the form- ation of a new gas, (as in many instances of chemical reaction) appreciable by smelling; the only change being a gradual and steady diminution of the offensive smell, until this was completely annihilated. There were two other gentlemen present during about an hour; they went away quite satisfied with the experiment, even so soon as that (for the process occupied 2£ hours, the liquified mass having to traverse about 180 feet of hawse before i% was discharged into a drain outsidp.) The folloAving observations refer to the preceding experiment, whioh was also attended by the Very Reverend the Dean of Westminster ; From the " Daily News." metropolitan commission of sewers. A meeting of the Commissioners was held yesterday in one of the committee- 62 ACTION OF THE CHLORIDE ON OFFENSIVE EFFLUVIA. rooms in the New Houses of Parliament. Viscount Ebrington occupied the chair. Among the gentlemen present were Dr. Buckland, Mr. Broderip, Mr. E. Chadwick, Sir E. N. Buxton, Professor Owen, and Mr. Leslie. ******* Dr. Buckland observed, with reference to the deodorizing fluid, that he had made various experiments with the inventions of Sir W. Burnett and the other gentle- men. He had commenced with that of Sir W. Burnett, and the result was perfect. He had ascertained that to annihilate the odor in four cubic yards of fluid, it would require ten quarts of the deodorizing fluid, and the time occupied in the process would be two hours. He had, however, no doubt that, when the operations were conducted more upon system, they would be able to do twice as much work in a day as at present. He begged to put in a written statement of his experiments. PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES. 63 PART III. ----♦---- PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES. Not the least singular and useful of the properties belonging to the chloride of zinc solution is that of preventing or arresting the process of putrefaction in dead animal substances ; for this purpose, together with its " antibromic " powers, it has been recently used with marked benefit in several of the London anatomical schools, and by private individuals in performing laborious dissections of the inferior animals. It has also proved a singularly useful menstruum for preserving specimens of morbid anatomy. As a proof of its having these properties it is presumed the following documents will be deemed satisfactory; if they are not, the production of any others tending to establish the same facts, would as a matter of course be equally unavailing:— 14 Golden square, February 13th, 1846. My Dear Sir : It affords me much pleasure to state the result of some experiments I have made with your patent fluid, with the view of testing its value as a preservative of animal structures prepared by the anatomist. This will not require many words. When used in a proper degree of dilution (about one part to fifty of water) its success is complete, and it appears to me to preserve the color and texture of the parts very admirably. It has the further very important advantage of not acting on the steel instruments employed, being in this respect equal to alcohol. I consider this fluid as a very valuable addition to the means hitherto at our command for such objects. Believe me, my dear Sir, ever faithfully yours, , (Signed) W. BOWMAN, F.R.S., Demonstrator of Anatomy in King's College and Assistant Surgeon of the King's College Hospital. Sir William Burnett, K.C.H., &c. &c. 14 Golden square, March 8, 1847. My Dear Sir AVilliam : Since I last reported to you the result of the application of your fluid to the purpose of preserving anatomical specimens, I have had more extended experience of its employment in the same way. We have injected with it the subjects dissected at King's College, under the provisions of the Anatomy Act, during the last six months, and I have great pleasure in assuring you that I regard it as a very valua- ble material. The different animal textures admit of being perfectly preserved from putrefaction under its judicious employment, and I need not say that it has enabled us to keep the apartments where dissection is carried on, in a more salubrious and wholesome condition than heretofore. When we consider how extremely important 64 PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES. it is to the whole community that the fullest means should be afforded to medical students to master the details of human anatomy, and thus to lay the foundation for a substantial and sound knowledge of medicine and surgery, the discovery of a fluid which will remove the greatest impediment to dissection, and render its prose- cution not unhealthy, must certainly be regarded as a public boon,—and the liberality which you have shown in giving us abundant supplies of your preparation, for the purpose above mentioned, deserves our warmest acknowledgments. (Signed) W. BOAArMAN, Sir W. Burnett, K.C.H. Demonstrator of Anatomy, 8$c. From Professor Sharpey. University College, London, 29th October, 1815. My Dear Sir William : I gladly state the result of the trials I have hitherto made of the chloride of zinc, as a preservative of the dead body for anatomical purposes. * * " * The liquor not only prevents the access of putrefaction, but corrects its effects, and arrests its further progress when employed after the process has commenced. I witnessed a most singular instance of its efficacy in correcting offensive putres- cence, and checking further decomposition, during the warm and moist weather of JuIa', and can speak most confidently on the point. AVe are now trying the qualities of the solution as a liquid for preserving wet preparations in jars, for which purpose I think it ought to answer jvell. I shall let you know the result of our trials when sufficiently advanced. I remain, my dear Sir William, yours faithfully, (Signed) W. SHARPEY. To Sir William Burnett, K. C. H., &c. &c. University College, London, 10th March, 1847. My Dear Sir William : Further trials, and eighteen months' further experience of the use of your anti- septic liquor, have only served to confirm my conviction of its decided efficacy in checking the putrefaction of animal substances, in permanently preserving from decay portions of the animal body immersed in it, and in correcting offensive smells arising from putrescent animal matter. Yours, very faithfully, (Signed) W. SHARPEY. Sir W. Burnett. 12 Cecil street, Strand, May 18th, 1847. Sir William : Having observed, in a printed testimonial of Professor Sharpey, a reference to a signal instance of the efficacy of your patent antiseptic solution in correcting offen- sive putrescence, I have much pleasure in being able to afford you a correct account of the matter, being myself the individual who dissected the putrid body alluded to. The season was the month of July, and the weather warm and moist. The body was much swollen from putrefaction, and the abdomen of a deep green color, while the stench was so overpowering that, on opening the cavity of the chest, for the purpose of injecting the arteries, the dissecting-room porter was so overpowered as to be obliged for a time to quit the body, while my own stomach became quite sick. On this being made known to Professor Sharpey, he consid- ered it an excellent case for testing the effect of your solution, and accordingly ordered the vessels to be injected with a weakened portion. The effect was marvel- lous, as in less than ten minutes all trace of bad odor had disappeared. I was enabled to dissect and perform all the operations with the greatest comfort, and a portion of on3 extremity was permitted to lie for many weeks on the dissecting- table, exposed to the atmosphere, without undergoing much visible change. In fact, I fully concur with Dr. Sharpey, that it is one of the greatest boons conferred upon the profession. I am also inclined to think that it will be the means of eav- PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES. 65 ing many valuable lives, which are annually lost by wounds received in the course of dissection : for while in the course of dissecting the above subject, I cut myseK several times, and once received a punctured wound, without the least bad conse- quences arising,—a circumstance, considering the extreme prutrescency, I could not have deemed possible, had not your solution previously destroyed the effects of vhe putrid virus. I have the honor to remain, Sir AVilliam, Your obedient servant, (Signed) AVILLIAM L. METHVEN. To Sir William Burnett, M. D., K. C. H., &c. &c. From W. V. Pettigrew, Esq., Lecturer upon Anatomy and Physiology, St. George's School of Anatomy and Medicine. 30 Chester street, March 21th, 1846. Dear Sir William : I have now used extensively your preparation for the preservation of animal matter, and I find that it succeeds most completely. From the 3rd to the 28th February, I lectured upon the superior extremity. The arm when received was green in color, and highly offensive. I injected the arteries Avith the fluid, mixed in the proportion of one pound of chloride of zinc to three gallons of water; and as the dissection proceeded, the surface of the limb was sponged about every alternate day with the solution. It was perfectly restored to its former fresh condition. I have also placed various portions of the body in the solution, and they at present remain quite free from putrefaction. All our subjects are now injected with the fluid immediately they arrive, and I do not hesitate to say that our dissecting-room is more free from unpleasant odor than any room of the kind in the metropolis; and the great advantage this fluid possesses over all others we have as yet tried is, that it has no effect upon the knives. I cannot but consider it one of the greatest boons conferred upon the profession. Dissections may be carried on in the hottest weather, without the slightest injury to the health, or offence from smelL Believe me, dear Sir William, Yours very faithfully, (Signed) AV. ATESALIUS PETTIGREW. Sir W. Burnett, K. C. H., F. R. S., &c. &c. From R. Partridge, Esq. My Dear Sir : 17 New street, Spring-gardens, 9th March, 1847. I have now given a careful and extended trial to the use of your antiseptic, in the preservation of animal bodies, and I can fully corroborate the opinion which others have given of its utility. No body is now dissected at King's College, which has not been previously prepared by injecting your antiseptic into the arteries ; and this preliminary proceeding is not found to interfere with the subsequent success of the ordinary paint-injection, which should be thrown in on the following day. As the parts become exposed in the progress of dissection, it is useful to moisten them with a little of the solution by means of a soft sponge, and the holloAv viscera should be washed out with the solution by the aid of a syringe. By these measures, the different structures of the body are fully and distinctly preserved ; the muscles, however, become paler, and perhaps a little more fragile than natural, but remain quite distinct. A great advantage of this solution over ordinary antiseptics is, that it does not blunt the knives employed in their dissections. It only now remains for me to try the fluid in the preservation of the brain, and as a substitute for spirits in museum preparations. The best proportion for the preservation of fleshy parts is, one part of the solution 66 PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES. to ten parts of water. For membranous structures, one part of the solution to fifty parts of Avater are sufficient. I remain, dear Sir, faithfully yours, Sir William Burnett. (Signed) RICHARD PARTRIDGE. Extract from the Journal of Mr. James M'Bain, Surgeon of H. M. surveying vessel " Mastiff," between 21st February and 26th December, 1846. I beg leave to add my testimony to the rapid and perfect effects of the chloride of zinc solution upon animal matter in a state of putrefaction. Having frequent opportunities of dissecting, or examining large fish, &c, cast on shore, Avhilst un- dergoing decomposition, the task has been occasionally anything but agreeable, for want of a convenient poAver to destroy the putrefactive process. I have simply to say, that the chloride, in these cases, acts like magic ; and as a great practical agent over one of the most important conditions of animal and vegetable matter, viz., putrefaction, it stands unrivalled. From Sir James Murray. Anatomy Office, Merrion-square, Dublin, March, 1847. My Dear Sir William : Much as medical men are indebted to you for advancing their professional im- provement and comfort at sea, we all owe you CA-en more gratitude, for promoting the practice of anatomy, and securing the health of its students on land. Your preserving liquor has been used in several anatomical schools, under my inspection, in Ireland; and I am happy to state, it answered every purpose which its chemical properties led us to expect. The chloride of zinc, when judiciously diluted, preserves the animal texture without rendering it hard or injurious to the knife. The long preservation of subjects give students plenty of time to dissect slowly and minutely, and deliber- ately to fix in their minds the relative positions of all parts of the body. Formerly dissection was a race against the rapid progress of putrescence; this is by your invention avoided. During fifteen years as Inspector of Anatomy, I have known many youths deterred from dissection by the disgusting fcetor of dead bodies, whilst several students suffered severely from inhaling the odious vapors of cadaverous dissecting-rooms. But those where your liquor is used are as free from smell as an ordinary school or college; and thus dissection is exempt from the distaste and danger with which rapid decomposition invested the practice of anatomy, by the study of which only can medical men hope to reach perfection in the healing art. I trust soon to see all the sick wards of hospitals " sweetened" by your disin- fecting chloride of zinc. I remain, my dear Sir William, yours very truly, (Signed) JAMES MURRAY, M. D., Inspector of Anatomy, Dublin. Sir William Burnett, M. D., K. C. H. From Professor Hargrave, to Dr. R. Graham. Dear Sir: York Street, December 14, 1847. In reference to the conversation we had a feAv days since, as to the value of the " chloride of zinc" a3 a disinfecting agent against miasmata, I feel pleasure in complying with your request to state my experience of it. For the last tAvo sessions that I held the professorship of practical and descriptive anatomy in the school of the Royal College of Surgeons, I was in the daily habit of sponging the portions of the subject for my lecture with a solution of it, drachmam ad libram aq. distillatse, and was more than pleased to find that all effluvia was destroyed, I may say annihilated; after lecture, I always sponged my hands with a fresh portion of the solution, and had the gratification to find that no odor Avhatever was left on them ; so that I could examine the mouth and nose of the most sensitive patient, Avithout any risk of betraying what my previous occupation had been. In the use of it, the instruments, however finely edged, did not seem to be in any way blunted, nor did any unpleasant sensation remain on the hands after it; which PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES. 67 has always attended the use of any other disinfecting agent of the saline class that 1 ever availed myself of. > I have recommended its use to my pupils before commencing post-mortem exam- inations of those dying of peritonitis, whether of the puerperal form, or from any I may also mention to you that in my practice in the City of Dublin Hospital, in the past autumn, I had a male patient (Ryder) suffering from extensive cutaneous cancer of the perinaeum, which emitted an intolerable foetor; the chloride was pre- scribed as a lotion, » granum ad uncium aq. dist," which did not only remove the odor, but acted for four or five days as a perfect calmative to his sufferings. I remain, dear Sir, faithfully yours, (Signed) AVM. HARGRAVE, Professor of Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland. APPENDIX. SPECIFICATION Of the Patent granted to Sir William Burnett, Knight, Commander of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order, of Somerset Place, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, for Destroying the Tendency of certain Vegetable and Animal Substances to Decay. Sealed July 26, 1838. To all to whom these presents shall come, &c. &c. Noav know ye, that in compli- ance with the said proviso, I, the said AVilliam Burnett, do hereby declare that the nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, (that is to say) : — The in\*ention consists in destroying the tendency of certain vegetable and ani- ' mal substances to decay, by submitting them to the action of Chloride of Zinc. In preparing wood, canvas, cordage, sail-cloth, hemp, flax, wool, and other vege- table and animal matter, or articles made thereof, a tank, or other vessel of wood or other suitable material, is provided. This is to be filled ahout two-thirds full of chloride of zinc, dissolved in cold Avater, in the proportion of one pound of chloride of zinc to five gallons of water; this is allowed to remain for ten or tAvelve hours, when the Solution will be ready. The material which is to be prepared is then placed in the Solution, keeping it completely covered by the liquid. If wood or timber is to be prepared, it is to remain in the Solution from 10 to 21 days, accord- ing to its size and thickness; that is to say, if the timber be of the thickness of from 8 to 13 inches and upwards, it is to be immersed in the Solution for 21 days ; if from 4 to 8 inches thick, for 14 days ; and if less than 1 inches thick, for 10 days. When the wood or timber has been so immersed, it is to be taken out and placed in a situation sheltered from the weather, until it becomes perfectly dry. In prepar- ing canvas and cloth of hemp or wool, they are to be kept in the Solution for 18 hours, and then dried under cover ; and in this manner, other vegetable and animal materials of thin texture may be prepared. In the preparation of rope or cordage above the thickness of 2 inches, steep the hemp or yarns of which the same is to be formed, in the Solution, for 48 hours, and all rope or cordage of 2 inches or less, is to be steeped in the Solution for 72 hours. In all cases, where tar is employed, the yarns forming the cordage should be placed in the Solution for 48 hours, and allowed to dry before undergoing the tarring process. In ship building, and in building or repairing houses, besides preparing the timber to be used therein as above described, it is desirable to use a paint, made by grinding impure oxide of zinc (lapis-calaminaris) with oil or other suitable vehicle. This paint is recom- mended to be applied at the time the materials are brought into contact, to the faying parts of all scarfs, and on the joists and faying parts, wherever else two pieces of timber are brought into contact, and also on the under sides of the flats of all magazine-platforms, and all other platforms below the orlops of Ships of the Line, and lower decks of Frigates, and below the upper decks of Sloops and smaller vessels. In houses, the paint, made as before stated, is to be used for the inside of skirting and Avainscotting of ground floors, and upon every part of the timber ma- terials below the external surface of ground floors. In witness* whereof, &c. Enrolled January 21, 1839. PURPOSES AND METHOD OF APPLICATION. SANITARY PURPOSES AND METHOD OF APPLICATION. 69 Objects. Mode of applying the Fluid. Proportion of Mixture. To purify Sick Rooms and the Wards of Hospitals, Workhouses, Prisons, Factories, and Crowded Places, the betweeh- decks of Ships, &c. To purify Fever Wards, In cases of death. To purify the Clothes.Lin- en, &c, of sick persons. To prevent the communi- cation of Infectious Dis- ease. T" purify the odor of Night-chairs. To disinfect dead bodies, and purify apartments preparatory to the visits of Searchers, Undertak-- ers, and Jurymen, and in cases of Post-mortem Examination. To prepare, and arrest the decomposition of Sub- jects for Dissection. To disinfect Cesspools, Drains, Water-closets, &C. To purify Larders and Stables. To sweeten Musty Casks, Tubs, &c. To destroy Canker and Fungus in Trees. To extirpate Bugs and other Vermin. To purify Bilge-water, and the Holds of Ships. Moisten, with the diluted solution, a piece of flannel cloth, attached to a long rod, and wave it through the air of the apartment for ten minutes at a time; in addition to which, the floor should be mopped or sprinkled over with the same, If necessary, several times a day, and a small quantity of the same dilute solution should be put into the close-stools and bed-pans. The water-closets should also be cleansed with It, and a couple of gallons occasionally thrown down each. ---...-__ N. B. For use on board ships, between decks, andinplaces where, from imperfect means of ventilation, it may be incon- aenient to wet the floors.—Moisten with the diluted solution thick pieces of flannel cloth—the thicker the better—and wave them through the air of the apartments for ten minutes, and then suspend them in the most convenient manner to the deck-beams, or across the rooms, and keep other similar pieces of cloth thoroughly and repeatedly saturated with the same solution, in flat dishes upon the floors. It is essen- tially necessary that the bilge-water in the hold of the vessel should be purified agreeably to the instructions given below. When a patient dies of fever, the body should be sponged over with the dilute solution, and the clothes and bedding should be immersed and kept in a sufficient quantity of it, for forty-eight hours, before being washed. The floor should be well mopped over with the solution. Flannel moistened with it (as before recommended,) should be waved through the room. - - - Immerse the articles in the dilute solution, as directed in sick rooms. *--*-.- Sprinkle the dilute solution over the whole of the floor of the apartment, and very slightly on the coverlid of the patient's bed. The clothes used should be immersed in the solution, and afterwards thoroughly dried. Moisten pieces of flannel cloth, and use them as directed above. Put half a pint of the dilute solution into the pan previous to its use, and Avhen emptied, rinse It out with a small quantity. - ..-*..- AVash the body occasionally with the dilute solution, which will remove all unpleasant smell, and retard putrefaction. Immerse the subject in the dilute solution, and let it remain about two hours; after which time it will be purified. As the dissection proceeds, the parts should be sponged over with the same; and, if they are to be preserved, the blood- vessels should also be injected with the solution. Tour in a quantity of the solution in proportion to the capacity of the receptacle. For ordinary water-'closets, one gallon of the dilute solution will generally be effectual. For large cesspools the quantity must be Increased in proportion to their contents. - Sprinkle the floor, and wash all the wood-work with the dilute solution. * Rinse them well with the dilute solution. Apply the solution carefully with a brush, to the parts affected only. .... Wash the floors and all the crevices with the dilute solution. The joints,