Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1862-03-06


seem to have been most in fault. Nobody appears to
have stayed long enough to do any good Gen. Wise
had DO time to have organized ANY system, con-
c7ding him military skill and ability The talk that
attributes the removal Of General Hill and other mat
ters and things Of that kind the operation Of State
party politics Confederate party politics, strikes
being all wrong; wrong the attempt OF some Vir
GINA papers lay broad claims for distinction in ia
v3ur OF particular VTgnans, while the country bows
in modification. 1t is like pumping blood out Of tur
nip The men on Roanoke we're good and true, but
unfortunately circumstanced. Better luck next time.
S"Hpesr..
Tie subjoined article on Nitre Or Satp2tre from
Ures Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures aHd Mines,
may be found useful at the present time. Evidently old
lime rubbish, the foundations Of old houses and the ike,
would form the only immediate sources OF supply. We
would call the attention OF Charleston cotempoPa-
res to this matter Their great FIRE has unfortunately
supplied them with any amount of such rubbish from
which large quantities OF Nitre might be rapidly made
We would point particularly to the last paragraph
quoted.
We will try and publish the article under tie head
OF GUNPowDER next week:
NITRATE OF rorAsH tire saIoete Nitrate de potasse
FRI >dpottrSdIe kali GerIu 1t occurs native as
eff upon Hmestones sands0nes mars chalk
and cactu ii forms SALINE crust in ca erns a. also up
the OF the ground ceItsin pa es, especially
hee animal matters have been CecompOsed. Such
erys xist in Germany near Hombnrg (Bu kardnsl in
pua upon the Aoriatc (Puo di ofetta) in France
il the East ECies CeyUn here % nitrerCus caYerns
are mentioned IN North Am rica at Crooked Kver Ten
nessec, Kentucky and upon the hi souri, i'll Brazil Ten
erltf, and africa Nitre el0rescence upon
the ground in Arragon Hungary, Podoia Sicily Egypt,
Persia Bengal Chlna, Arabia, North America, and South
America several plants coHtain satpetre; particularly
borage, oil tobacco, flow stalks Of maize, beet
root bugCss, parietara, &C. 1t has not hitherto been
found in animal substances
The question has been frequently put; how is Iitre
annually epr0duc ed the surface lmetOnes and
the ground after has been owed by washing 1t has
been sad in reply that as secondary mesones contain
remains OF animal matters the oXyge CT the sphere,
absorbed in Of the structure will combine
with their azote to form nre acid whence nitrate lime
Of that base wills be formed The gene1 alton of
nitre is in all cases limited very small distance from the
surface OF porous stohes 10 further indeed than where
atmOsphe;icai air ard moisture peneate and none
is pruduccd upon the surface of such
marble aid quartz Of argaceOus minerals Dr. John
DaV! ana M LoDgChP nave advanced an opinion, that
the presence of z6d matter necessary
generation Of nitric acid nitrous Salts Tut that the oxy-
gen aud azoe OF the sphere, when condensed by
pHalty wi combine III such proportions form nitric
cidthrCugh he ageLcy OF moisture and OF neuaEzng
bases such as lHe Ma Aefa, potash CT soda They
ceye that as sporgy pana serves TO combine oxygen and
ydrOgen into tie V4pOr Of alcohol and oxygen
to acetc ACID and as the peroXyde well the
OF iron and agilaceous minera generate
mona from the oxygen of the air and he by drogen
le IN Ike manner porous Iestohes through the agency
Of water operate the Of the
| t.
ter lhls opinion may certainly be malnained for in In
da, II ain, and several other Countries, at distance from
duced i'll soils which have been washed the year before
But the othr hand, it is known that the production
this salt lie greatly facilitated increased 10y tie
mixture OF animal ofai6 with calcareoua earths.
The spontaneous gererao of nitre Spain Egypt and
especially in India, is sufficient to supply the wants Of tie
whole world. There this sail is observed to form IN, the
surface Of the ground silky tufts slender pIis-
matte crystals particularly during the continuance Of
hot weather that succeeds copious rains These saline
| & collected O.
broom are hxiVlated allowed SETTLE eVapoTated, and
crystalized In France, Germ many Sweden Hungary c.
quantities of Nitrous salts obtained by artificial ar
ngements called rl10rteS ne- beds. Very little
rate of potash indeed is obtained in The fsf aee bnt
the nitTaes of lime and magnesia, which being denGues
cent, remain in the nitrOns earths in temqud stale
The operation of covering these salts into GOOD ne Of
ten sufficiently complex, in consequence Of the presence
several muriates which are difficult TO eliminate.
The following inst uctons Rave been given by the con
sutng committee of pOudTeS Ct SdereS in France,
construction OF theI th e''eS dtcte4ts Tie permeabil
y of the to the air. being
be indispensable is the presence Of base to fix the
nitric acld at Tie instant s Its formation, the frs
to select light tia6le earth containing much carbon
ate of lime old mortarrubbish possible; to inter
stratify it with beds Of dung, five inches thick TIL
considerable heap be raised in the shape
pyramid, which should be aced under open she'd
Atpt moist by watering lrtm TINE to time. Whtn tht
whole appears to be decompOsednto kind of uId it
to be spread under sheds of fom
thick which are to be WateIed occasionally with
the DRAWINGS OF dung Ills taxing Them
much lest they should be rendered mpemeabe to the air
though they should be awaJ damp ugh he
sorpuon and mutual action of The atmospherica gases.
mould au0TGS example Of The physical
dton most favorable TO beds The compost should
be turned over and ell mixed with the spade
in every fortnight and the sides Of the should par
italy closed for although air be essential, wind is rjur
ous by carrying eft the acid vapors, instead allowing
them to rest incumbent 3ine WITH the bases
The ch mical reaction is slow and SUCCESSIVE
made effective only by keeping agents and als il
state OF quescence The whole OCess lasts two years
but since organic matters would yed u xivaton sew
era soluble substances detrimental to the extraction
saitpehe they must not be added during the operations
the latter months must thing except clear wa
ter be used Tor water ng during this period
which the Whole ingredients the will to
tally decomposed. Where dung is sufficiently bundan
Tor the above srdthr atOns, ntrebed should formed
IN stable with irabe earth covered with layer litter
at er four months the liter IS to be lifted eff the
be tn ned over then another layer fresh EARTH or
inches thick. 10 tie placed it, layer of the OLE
ana litter over all at tae end of other months
this operation is 10 be repeated; and in the
year the whole is ready to be transferred into regua
ntre beds under shed above described Such are Thu
aud dlsageeabe pTactsed by
ants OF Sweden, each of whom is bound by law have
and to furnish certain quantity OF
state every year. Bis nltta1y Commonly consists of
small Eut built Of boards with bottom ramm2d clay
covered by wooden floor, upon which spread mixture
OF ordinary earth with cacaTeOus sand mari xvia
ted wood asheS Ibis mixture WatereG with stable urine
ant It's surface is turned week in summer am
feet think, and igh raised with the pitrfyin
Ionrn