59 
ALKALIES. 
White salt, as it is prepared from various saline liquors, 
nay be distinguished into the following kinds : 1, marine 
poiled salt, which is extracted from sea water by boiling; 
2, brine, or fountain salt, prepared by boiling from natural 
brine, whether of ponds or springs ; 3, that prepared from 
sea water, or any other kind of salt water, first heightened 
into a strong brine, either by the heat of the sun and the 
operation of the air, or by evaporation, accelerated by me 
chanical means ; 4, that prepared from a strong brine or 
lixivium drawn from earths, sands, or stones, impregnated 
with common salt; 5, refined rock-salt, which is boiled 
from a solution of fossil salt in sea water, or any other kind 
of salt water, or pure water ; 6, lastly, salt upon salt, which 
is bay-salt dissolved in sea water, or any other salt water, 
and then boiled into white salt ; and, under these heads, 
may be ranked the several kinds of white salt now in use. 
The salt boilers, and particularly those who prepare brine 
salt, have long been accustomed to make use of various 
substances, which they call additions or seasonings, and 
mix them with the brine while it is boiling, either when 
they first observe the salt begin to form, or else afterwards, 
during the time of granulation. These additions they use 
for various purposes. First, to make the salt grain better, 
or more quickly form into crystals ; secondly, to make it of 
a small fine grain ; thirdly, to make it of a large, firm, and 
hard grain, and less apt to imbibe the moisture of the air ; 
fourthly, to render it more pure ; and, lastly, to make it 
stronger, and fitter for preserving provisions. 
These additions are wheat flour, resin, tallow, new ale, 
stale beer, bottoms or lees of ale and beer, wine lees, and alum. 
Wheat flour and resin are used for the property they pos 
sess of giving the salt a small grain. Butter, tallow, and 
other unctuous bodies, are commonly applied, as they are 
said to make the brine crystallize more readily; for which 
end, some salt boilers more particularly prefer the fat of dogs 
but others have little to plead for their using these sub 
stances but immemorial custom : how far they have the 
effects ascribed to them, can only be determined by experi 
ments, as several boilers, who formerly used them, now find 
they can make as good salt without them. Wine lees, new 
ale, stale ale, the lees of ale and beer, are now generally re 
jected by the marine salt boilers, except in the west of Eng 
land, where the briners who use them affirm that they raise a 
large grain, and make their salt more hard and firm; and 
some say, that they make it crystallize more readily. Hoff¬