The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-11-27 00:00:00

RENOVATION OF THE ATMOSPHEER nog
VEGETADLE sOURCES,

The total superficies of the globe is usually estimated at
about 200,000,000 British square miles, and the natural di-
vision of this surface is into earth and water; about seven-
tenths of the whole being occupied by the ocean, and the re-
maining three-tenths consisting of land ;

Or 140,000,000 square miles of water
60,000,000 ditto, of land.

Total 200,000,000

From chemical analysis, sea-water is found to be composed
of the following ingredients :—Sea-water may be regarded as
one of the saline mineral waters. Its taste is disagreeably
bitter and saline, and its fixed constituents amount to a little
more than three per cent. Its specific gravity varies from
1.0269 to 1.0255 ; and it freezes at about 28.5 deg. F. Ac-
cording to the analysis of Dr. Murray, 10,000 pints of water
from the Frith of Forth contain
Water 9 696.91
Conimon salt 220.01
Sulph. soda
Mur. magnesia 42.08
Mur. lime 7.84 = 10,000 pints.
If we consider that every eight pints in nine are composed of
oxygen, in water, and only one of hydrogen, we shall be
struck with the enormous quantity of that fluid in our globe,
for as stated above 140,000,000 of square miles, is the esti-
mated quantity of superficies of water, and every 9 lbs. by
weight contain 8 lbs. of oxygen.
Again, if we take into consideration the atmospheric air,
we shall find it also contains a large quantity of oxygen,
amounting to 21 pints in every 100. The other ingredients
being nitrogen about 79, and a slight proportion of carbonic
acid—about 0.049. The atmosphere is supposed to extend to
an altitude of about 40 miles. Its pressure is calculated at
about 15 lbs. upon every square inch of surface—
If the surface of a man's body be computed at 14 feet square,
the weight which he sustains will be upwards of 13 tons.
14 sq. ft. X 144 in. = 1 sq. ft. X 15 lbs. = 13 tons 10 cwt.
Water is taken as the standard for computing the specific
gravity of solids. One cubic inch, at 62 degs. F and 30 in.
bar., weighs 252.458 grs. Atmospheric air is generally used
as the standard for gases. 100 cubic inches, at 60 degs. F,
bar. 30, weigh 31.0117 grains, being 815 times lighter than
water.

The pressure of the air is, at the level of the sea, about 15
lbs. on every square inch, and is capable of supporting a
column of water 30 feet high, and one of mercury of 30 in.—
that is, a column of mercury one inch square and 30 inches
long, has the same weight (nearly 15 lbs) as a column of water
of equal base and 34 feet long, and as a column of air of equal
base, reaching from the level of the sea to the extreme limit
of the atmosphere.
1728 cubic inches, or 1 foot cubic of water, weighs 1,000
ounces, avoirdupoise ; 1728 cubic inches, or one foot
cubic of mercury, weighs 13,600 ounces, avoirdupoise.
A large proportion of the ingredients which constitute the
mass of the earth contain oxygen gas, so that it is not exag-
gerating to affirm, that one-half of our globe is composed of
this element. This will appear more evidently when we take
into consideration the composition of the primitive rocks,
taking as an example granite, which may be considered an
aggregate of feldspar, quartz, and mica.
We find by analysis that felspar is composed of
Common Felspar. Ceylon. Siberian.
Silez 64 68.5..
Alumina .24 20.5 17.02
Lime
Ox. 1r0n.... 2.0
Potash

Silicia is composed of 15 silicium lor 50 per cent. of oxy-
-15 oxygen J gen.
Alumina is composed of 123.00 sulphate of alum.
119.32 bisulph. of potash.
187.00 water.

429.32
Quartz may be considered as nearly pure silica, the compo-
sition of which, as stated above, is about 50 per cent. of
oxygen. Mica is a compound, and, as analyzed by Vauque-
fin, is composed of
Silex 5O Bergmen, 40
Alumina
Lime
Magnesia 1.35 5
Ox. iron
Loss 5.32
100
100.00
The proportions of silex and alumina are specified above ;
thus we see that granite, on which all the superficial strata
are superimposed, contains a large proportion of oxygen.
All the earthy carbonates contain a large proportion of
oxygen, as the carbonates of lime, magnesia, barytes, stron-
tites, &c._ _