Its  taste  and  smell,  fresh  at  the  spring,  are  that  of  all
waters  strongly  impregnated^ with  sulphuretted  hydrogen
gas.  When  removed  from  the  spring,  and  kept  in  an
open  vessel  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  for  this  gas  to
escape,  or,  when  it  has  been  heated  or  frozen  for  this
purpose,  it  becomes  essentially  tasteless,  and  inodorous,
and  could  scarcely  be  distinguished,  either  by  smell  or
taste,  from  common  limestone  water.  Its  cathartic  ac-
tivity, however,  is  rather  increased  than  diminished
when  thus  insipid  and  inodorous.*  It  does  not  lose  its
transparency  by  parting  with  its  gas,  as  many  other  wa-
ters do ;  nor  does  it  deposit  its  salts  in  the  slightest  de-
gree when  quiescent — not  even  sufficiently  to  stain  a
glass  vessel  in  which  it  may  be  kept.
The  gas  of  this  spring  is  speedily  fatal  to  all  animals,
when  immersed  even  for  a  very  short  time  in  its  waters.
Small  fish  thus  circumstanced  survive  but  a  few  mo-
ments, first  manifesting  entire  derangement,  with  great
distress,  and  uniformly  die   in   less  than  three  minutes.
The  springs  are  surrounded  with  mountain  scenery  of
great  beauty,  and  blessed  with  a  most  delightful  climate
in  summer  and  fall.  Independent  of  the  benefit  that  may
be  derived  from  the  waters,  a  better  situation  for  the
invalid  during  the  summer  months  can  scarcely  be  im-
agined.    They  have  the  advantage  of  a  salubrious  and

See  Chapter  III. — On  "  The  relative  virtues  of  the  saline  and
gaseous  contents  of  the  White  sulphur  water."


28  WHITE  SULPHUR  SPRINGS.
