Year: 1861

Editors Courier In your number of the I'd instant
you recommend Sulphurc Acid Mandatory, which
will enable the South to compete successfully with
Northern manufactures even without the aid of ten per
cent. duty.


| venture to recommend you the same mandatory
under more general point of view, for the sulphurc
acid is the right of chemistry the results of which
by their usefulness the most wonderful of the age
Indeed this suphuric acid aids to manufacture about
all the products derived from the composition of COM
mon Salt such chloride of lime or bleaching powder
soda ash, salts, and carbonate of soda, &C., &c.


Thus by of the suphuric acid the manufacture
ing OF artificial Soda has become universal This scien-
tfc and truly admirable production was discovered by
the French chemist Leblanc, in the end of the last CEN


ury, when the supply of natural Soda from Spain was
stopped by the during the French revolution The
National Convention made at that time warm appeal


to the chemists of France, to devise process in which
common Salt and Chloride of Soda might be made avail
able as a source of Soda The discovery OF Leblanc
the answer not only for this local and transitory
want during the war, but for the of all nations in
coming time during peace. His method, patiently and
skilfuy initiated by British spectators now carried
on so great scale near Liverpool Glasgow and New
Castle, that England to have built on her chem
cal products the foundation of her manufacturing supe
riority.


American spectators, too have been aware of the
profits OF such an industry, and numerous Chemical
Banks have been chartered in the North for American
izing the same pursuit But several of these Yankees
have taken much greater care of making directly
money than chemical products and therefore their banks
have been of chemical avail AS to the other for
getting always that their first condition of was
to have at home their prime matter the common Salt
they have made nearly similar failure.


Now, you see that you cannot recommend Sulphu-
ric Acid Mandatory, without recommending at the
same time Southern Salt Mandatory. Many other
pursuits could be enumerated but it is enough to give
idea of the immense manufacturing interest calling
every day for domestic supply of this vital article


Indeed, the Salt applied to industrial pursuits opens
field without limits Tor internal improvement; but
field where no step, no progress be done without
having at first cheap Salt production. The cheapest
is taken from the and conducted by solar evapo-
ration. Therefore, when the Southern people avail
themselves of the Brine either the Atlantic coast
or on the Mexican Gulf they will have at home several
producing centres of this vital article and the traveller
will say of this national production what Hugh Miller,
the Scottish geoogst tells about the Salt Works of
Droitwich and its saltiferous region.


1t forms, says he the inexhausble storehouse of
our household Sat-al that employ in fisheries,
in meat curing establishments for the army and
navy in our agriculture, ia our Soda manufactOres-
all that fuses glass and ertiizes fields impart
the detergent quality to soaps and gives salt her.
rings and salt pork, and everything elseSat that is
the best for being down to dinner celery and
breakfast eggs it forms, in Short to Scottcism,
the great Sat-basket OF the empire and the hand how
ever frequently thrust into it, finds empty
corner.'


Thus the Atlantic coast will be inexhaushle to US,
and the brine the great Satbasket Of the SOAhen
Confederation. r. THOMASSY.