Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-12-19

meats, and no meats cured Witn Oolieu salt | are purchased for navy or arny-nse by the 1 great powers of the world. In England, | whence our ordinary supply of salt is ob- tained, their own article, produced by boil 1 ing, Is not used for domestic purposes.- The reason of the difference is that the diff | ferent saline substances held in solution by 1 the brine are all obtained together when boiling is resorted to, but by spontaneous evaporation the least soluble of these are first deposited, and the brine being then conveyed to other reservoirs the salt IS ob- tained, leaving the most soluble salts still dissolved in the residual liquid, to which, from its taste the name of '' buteln' IS given. Much of this matter still remains with the salt wi hen the process is carelessly conducted, and this gives to some salts as those ot Spain and Portugal--a disa- grecable sharpness and acridity, which they only lose by draining and drying for year or more, and not entirely even then.
 At Key West, by the construction of series of embankments, the water, admitted from the sea, is caused to flow by q cir cuitous course through chain of lagoons, for distance of fifteen miles, after which it is pumped up by windmlls into shallow reservoirs, varying in size from 50 feet square to an acre or more It IS well known to all observers that liquids of diff ferent densities do not mix rapidly, and the column of water which flows through this series of lagoons pushes forward, so to speak, the water before 1t, which gradually becomes stronger as evaporation progresses, besides which 1t is found that this moder- ato motion accelclates the eyaporation.- The same circulating process Is continued through the selics of reservoirs, until tine brine, besides deposting an immense mass oi impurities, becomes concentrated to the point of saturation, after which 1t is pump ed up into covered wooden pans, there to crystalline. This process is necessarily slow, never occupying less than six weeks, and from that to sixty days or more.
 Different methods are used in ditte 1t places to accelerate the process of eyapora- ton, but all substantially the same in principle, that principle being by minute subdivision toincIcase The exposed surface. 1 In some places the water is thrown into the air from an engine worked by the same 1 WIndmiii which does the pumping, and 1 falls upon high piles of brush; ill others II ! is ma le to flow down the surface of rocks or to perc0latc from elevated tanks through kind of wall or hedg- of iaggotS. Prob ably the best of these methods is that used 1 in Germany, which IS thus described by ! Mr.. Dennis, of Key West:
 :. Alter the saturated brine is heated, 1t is pumpel into small tanks, which are arranged aronnd the top of q frame from 70 to 30 feet high, and of suitable size, on the ground, from which, ropes are suspend e perpendiculariy, about 6 inches apart. On these the brine from the tanks iS caused 10 flow in small streams, where t rapidly crystalIizes. In twrnty-tonr hours. the ropes become So loaded with salt that 1t requires to be knocked off, One would think this wasteiul process; but Dr, Ire says: that, with care, 1t k not so, and my own experience confirms this statement.- lie further says that as much can be effect
 ed by thi, plan in 24 hours as by the other in thiee days. And this process of cIys- tal!izing must tun out purer article than even by lAe slow, careful manner ol effect iug this in tho laus, lar tho reason that all impurities of ether salts ara immediately drained off from tho ropes when rejected by the forming crystals ot salt, and have 10 chance to adhere 10 the surface, nor 10 fill Q casual in;er>tice, as is likely to be the ease in other plans of specialization.
 It would seem that by such q process as
 this every family living corycniont to salt
 water might easily manufacture tE ir own ! ua If ,v;th lift'n apDora+I,S ana olr,C.+ .vi. I out expense All that iS needed would Nc
 . barrel with a perforated bottom through
 which the ropes might hang, and tub
 beneath. The bottom of the barrel Shonld
 be packed with some snbstance-a layer of sand, with cloth beneath 1t. would be
 sunicicnt-to prevent the brine passing through too rapidly. The brine, by being repeatedly passed through this apparatus,
 would soon eyaporate; or, fl one chose to conduct the process on a more extensive scale, series of such stauds might he erected, and the brine passed through them successively. Itmight also be concentrated at no cost but that of little trouble, by keeping kettle of 1t constantly on the kitchen ire which would accelerate the process. A barrel of sea water, treated thus, should make about halfa peck of salt
 Collision on the ohio-Lose of Life.
 CIzcfHNArI, November @0-The steamer | Belle Creole, from Cincinnati to Pittsbprg deep ly laden, and the steamer Ere, stoue, from ! Eanawha, with 9 portion of Col. LytIe's lGih 1 Ohio regiment, coIdcd last night seven miles above the c,!y. The Belle Creole sunk almost | a -,.l