Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 145.djvu/142

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126
MR. HORNER ON THE ALLUVIAL LAND OF EGYPT.

lizing properties, and brought to improve the gardens near Alexandria. It is a fine-grained blackish-grey, loosely coherent earth. It was analysed by Mr. Johnson at the Royal College of Chemistry, under the superintendence of Dr. Hofmann, and yielded the following results:—

  1. Silica56⋅86
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Sesquioxide of iron13⋅19
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Alumina12⋅11
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Carbonate of lime3⋅12
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Sulphate of lime0⋅38
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Lime3⋅53
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Magnesia2⋅73
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Potassa0⋅90
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Soda0⋅89
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Chloride of potassium0⋅57
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Organic matter5⋅53
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  1. Loss0⋅19
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
———
100.00

On the application of Mr. Murray, Mougel Bey, the French Engineer of the Barrage of the Nile, was so obliging as to send me ten specimens of the soils penetrated at different depths in sinking the foundations. These were analysed at the Royal College of Chemistry by Mr. Brazier, and gave the following results:—

C.—A greenish grey, smooth, fine-grained earth, which when moistened kneads into a somewhat gritty clay. The exact locality was not given, but Mougel Bey describes it thus: "Dans les couches d'argile on trouve des nids de limon ferrilgineux que les Fellahs, emnploient comme amendement sur les terres."

Silica ................... . . 49 77 Sesquioxideof iron.............................. 22-25 Sesquioxideof alumina .. 549 Alumina ................................... 7-38 Carbonateof lime .3*37 Lime.............................. ......... .. .. 153 Magnesia.... i.. ....................,. +..e 014 Potassa.....................e .. ... .. ... 077 Soda . ....................*...... 037 Sulphuricacid . ,. ...... . O.15 Phosphoricacid .......... ,.... traces Organic matter ..e. ........,.,....... 8s78 100 00

D.—A blackish brown earth, very much resembling A. except in colour. Like it, when moistened, it kneads into a clay. From the apex of the Delta, on the right bank of the Damietta branch, and from a depth of nearly 20 feet from the surface.