The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-07-03 00:00:00, page 1

; To THE PUBLIC.
SALTPE TRE, is an Article much inquired af
ter, at the prefect Day ; and as the Exportati
on of it, is at present prohibited, from Great-
Britain, and being essentially necessary, in federal
Blanches of Bulinefs, especially in making Gun-
Powder, it may, I presume, be both entertaining
and instructive, to those unacquainted with the Pro
cess, in making this ufeful Article, to give them the
bed Intelligence, I have been able to obtain, respec
ting its Nature andCompofition. Though extract
ed out of the Earth,it is highly impregnated with the
spirit of the Air; it cleaves to Stone-Walls, Rocks,
Clefts, and Caverns under Ground : That extracted
©utoffatEarth, is made in moftCountries in Europe,
but much the greatest Quantity comes from the Eak-
Indies. Saltpetre is composed of near an equal
Quantity of fixed, and volatile nitrous te:al Salts,
bitterilh in 'ate : It is the product of the Elements,
and deposited in the Bosom of the Earth for the ge
neration and nourishment of Vegetables, and may
not be improperly called the universal and unfpeeific
Mercury.---To purify it you need only dissolve it in
warm ®ater, filter, evaporate and crystallize it as
other Salts :---The Eatth from which Saltpetre, or
Nitre is made, in Persia and the E Ul-Indies, is of
a kind of yellowiffi Marl, found in the bare Cliffs
of the sides of Hills, exposed to the northern and
eartern Winds, and in no'other Situation : The
Earth is light, crumbly, and friable : and tho' fub
jed tQ accidental Variations of Colour from other
• Earths among it, and appears at Times blackish,
rediih, or whuiffi, j.tits other Qualities always
dikinguilh it with E fe, (viz.) melting freely in the
Mouth, and leaving a bitterilh Salpetre Take be
hind it :---It is certain that the Air and Water are
all impregnated with a kind of Nitre, which is fre
quently to be seen coagulated into fine white Salt,
like Flour of Wheat, kicking to the sides of plaifter
ed Walls, and in Brick Wails, to the Morter be
tween the Bicks, (in dry Weather, or where the
Wall is defended from the Rain) for Lime strongly
attracks it---Dew and Rain convey much of it to
the Earth,which is demon ftrated by extracting Salt
petre out of Rain or Dew, but from the latter more
plentifully,accompanied indeed with a purple grea
sy Oii whi h diminilhes its Value --handing Water
and deep Wells have some in them, and indeed the
face of the Earth is universally impregnated with
Salt; fo'l without it, no Vegitation can be had :
But in such temperate Climates, as those in Europe
and in North-America, this Salt is no sooner dis
solved and dilated by Rains and Dews, than it is
applied to the production and nutriment of Plants,
&c. so that there will never be a fufficient Quantity
of it collected from the Earth, or Water, or Air, to
pay the labour of Collection.---In northern Coun
tries, therefore,Saltpetre is to be colle&ed elsewhere,
viz. in Stables,Pigeon houses, Cellars, Barns, Ware
houfes,and indeed any Place covered from theßain,
which dissolves it, and makes it vegetate, and from
the Sun, which rarifies and exhales it into the Air.
Pigeon Dung, mellow Horse Dung,wet with Urine,
yeild large Proportions. The Earth under old
Buildings, and such like Places, yield large Quan
tities of this Kind of Salt; and the general Rule of
determining,whetherEarth is impregnated with large
Quantities of it, or not, is by laying a little on the
Tongue ; if it takes bitter, there is plenty of it in
proportion to the Bitterness.---The Procefs,l will be
as concise in describing as possible Provide eight,
ten, or more Tubs or Vats, fixed every Way like
theLyeTubs,(which need noDefcription to the people
©f this Colony,) fix these on proper Stands, and fill
them with such Earth as you have chosen, and pre
pared as before directed, then pour on common cold
Water, until the whole be thoroughly soaked and
wet: Ihe V ats must have Spiggots, near the
Bx&orn, which must be looted, when the Earth is
wet, that the Liquor may leak, or dribble into
Tubs set below ; which if it does not, as it proba
bly will not, come off clear,at firft, it must be pour
back into the Vat, u^til it come off clear, and of
the colour of Urine ; this is called the raw Liquor :
If you are curious to know how rich this Liquor is,'
Containing the Freshest ADVICES,
MONDAT, July 3, 1775.
CONNECTICUT
AND
WEEKLY
take a Bottle, fill it with common Water, and weigh
,"°^" " w "h your Lye and weigh, and by the
Comparison, may be determined the Quantity of
Saltpetre, which will be made;—When the Vats
are done running, take away your Liquor, for bioT
ing, and fill the Vats with Water, afrelh, to fetch
away the remaining Particles of Saltpetre, in the
Earth, this Liquor is not for Use, otherways; than
to pour on frefh Earth, with which your Tubs or
Vats mult be fill'd, after throwing away the old,and
° n successively, until a fufficient Quantity of raw
Liquor is obtained, to proceed to the boiling. As
your Liquor boils away, gradually supply it with
frefh, for the space of about two Days and a Night,
until alittle ofit, flirted in the Fire, will slash like
Powder; .the Liquor will then contain, 'in each
hundred Wt. „lb. of Petre, or a' out that Propor
tion, and is then fit to be pafs'd tl ough the Alhes;
which is done in this Manner fix a number of
I uos, nearly as before, but.great Care ;o prevent
pie Ashes from coming through the Tap, fill thera
within afoot of the Top,with common WoodAJhes,
and pour on your Liquor, boiling hot from the-
Copper, draw it off, and pour on again fucceflively,
until the Liquor come away clear: When all the
Liquor has thus passed through the Ashes, take it a
way for the second Boiling, and purhot Water .on
the Allies, to bring away what Saltp'ere may be ftilb
remaining in them ;---this. lak Liquor, put firft into
the Copper, and as it wafteth fill it up gradually
with the stronger, until the Salt be ready 'to Iheot, or
chrykallize :- --A Froth or Scum,' which, fifes plenti-'
fully towards the close ofthe Bo?'ig, must be Dim
med off and thrown 'away; and what common Salt
precipitates, must be taken out with your Skimmer,
and laid by for other Use: To know when the
Liquor is ready to ffioot,put a drop of iton a Knife,
and if it kick like Tallow, it is Time to flop the
Boiling, and put it into the Coolers, in the follow
ing Manner, firft into a high narrow Tub, called
the Settler, in which let it stand, till you can bear
a Finger in it, then draw it off, about fix Inches
from the Bottom, into Pans or Trays, to cool ; and
the quicker it cools the better. Some Salts will kick
to the sides of the fettling Tub, which with the
Settlings are to be refined a-part. The Saltpetre
will not at firft be entirely white, but yellowish, and
even blackish; but is easily purified, as direded
before. Each hunderd Weight of Liquor, after the
second Boiling, will yeild about feventy-five Pounds
of good Saltpetre. There are several other Me
thods of colleding and making this Article, and o
ther Materials from which it is gathered, but the a
bove appears to me the molt simple and effectual,
though, should any one set up the Business, they
will, on experiment, be more competent Judges,
than a mere Speculator, like myfelf.
SPECULATOR.
"''"^ ^o % a ^ e in manufaauring this va
luable Article, are requested to fend to the Printer, every
Thing new, which the, may learn b, Experience, that
the Country may have the benefit of its Publication.
[Hutchinson's Letters continued.]
Pofon, Feb. 1770.
Mj dear Sir, ' "
THE principle of independence is increasing
every day.---l dare fay next eledion there
will not be seven counfellors,perhaps not one chose,
who are of a different principle. The fame princi
ple is spread among the people, and will influence
the executive powers of government, and in a short
time no juries will be formed, but such as will be
governed by it in all their verdids. Itis not much
in the royal governments. One of the council of
New-York writes by the last post that nothing can
rellore America but a lord lieutenant and American
parliament; and however jealous they may be ofitin
England, yet they will find the spirit of democracy
to be so persevering, that they will be obliged at
last to come to it. Things appear to me necessary,
in the firft place, that each colony should be made
sensible of the obligation to submit to the supreme
legislative authority. In what way parliament will
dothis, I cannot tell. I know it would have been
less difficult to have done it last year than it is this;
THE
X/Joi^^
°^B£@o*^^^^^^Fl^^^s
both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.
L th i lnkWll1in proportion be mere difficult if it
be delayed another year. Could any thing be tho't
of which would answer the purpose of a tell or ex
plicit owning the power of parliament without li
mitation ? What if upon the repeal of the late aft
^^re,^ another „ w „be made, (in
short hand) providing that all the members of the
council and of the house, in each colony,dt the fame
time they took the oaths of allegiance, &c. Ihould
take the fame oath that the governors of the several
colonies are required to take, before they take upon
their adminiftratton, that they will conform to the
acts of trade and endeavour the execution of them
. this as matter for consideration, and what
is less likely to make a general convalfion in the co
lonies, and yet may tend to eftablilh parlimentarv
authority in general, in the colonies. [From the
„ and to end of this^paragraph, the vowels are
all left out, and dots used for vowels in the begin
ning and ending of words, as in feme other letters.]
I can't help thinking that this authority might
have been preserved intire, if more attention had
been given to the colonies. They ought to have been
used to a&s of parliament every session, some to re
fpeQ thefolonies in general, others particular colo
nies. The ad relative to wills extended to Ameri
ca in general. The land bank ad to this colony
only. The ad restraining paper currency I think:
extended to the New-England colonies only ; but
such ads have been rare;. Perhaps it is not too late
td recover wha^ has been loft .by going into this 1
P r ~d. e now i and if at the beginning of, every
eflion a committee was appointed for American, at
the fame time the committee for grievances, &c.
used to be appointed, it would have a good effed.
The New-York scheme of a general government, I
gave you my opinion upon in a former letter: Be
sides the objedion then made, the vaftextent of
country from south to north, makes the scheme of
one government impracticable. If anything of this
nature ihould ever be thought advisable, three dif
tind governments would be the leak which could
be ereded. Canada, Nova-Scotia, and New -Eng
land for one ; New-York to Virginia inclusive, a
nother ; and the Carolinas and the rest of the con-<
tinent southward, a third. Possibly such proviffiore
might be made in an ad of parliament which shall
constitute these governments, for securing partial
mentary authority, (and indeed a submission to the
ad would be the krongeftacknowledgment of that,
authority)as might countervail all the disadvantage&
arising from the union of the several governments/
comprehended in each general government; arid by'
having a nobleman with talents for it, for: each of
the general governors never to remain above three
years, as I think is the case in New-Spaing in a
fliort time a good part of the nobility would have a
perfed acquaintance with America, and parliament
be better able from time to time to make such pra
vifions as ffiall be necessary. . .+ ,1 ' ,
Penal ads alone would answer the purpose, if the
principle could once be eftabiiffied that America is
iubjed to ads of parliament. Ido -not fay that the^
contrary principle is yet established, but there is a
growing tendency to it, and the powers of govern
ment are so enfeebled, that it will be extremely diffi
cult to carry such ads into execution. Such ads
nevertheless would be better than noprovifion atall.
[Mr. Hutchinion wrote upon the above fubjed
of farming three governments, to Sir F. Bernard,
Feb. i 3, 1770, in his letter No. 5 . In the fame
letter, being upon the point of supreme parlimen-'
tary authority, and mentioning the prevalency of
the opposite sentiments, which he universally deno-t
minates principles of independent,, he writes, ^' a great
P"! of the colonies kill keep up Lord Chatham's
dikindion. If parliament gives up taxation, let it
assert legislation, and support it before this part of
the people find out, & it „ the right of Englishmen to
be governed b, laws in general, as well as laws for taxa
tion, to which the, have given their consent in person or
b, their representative.]
I am somewhat apprehensive, Mr. Printer, that'
you will not know how to allow me more room,and:
y e r' ™ u " P ra y y° u to insert one more letter wrote
to Lord Hillfoorcugh.
[NUMBER 54;.]
COURAN T,
HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCER.