fuch plenty and variety of aromatic herbs, that the cattle never fuffer by epidemic diseases. Forage being the chief product of this country, flocks and herds are the principal commodities, by vending which the inhabitants procure from thofe of the plain, corn, and whatever elfe they need, which is not much, for having no factitious taste or appetite to gratify, they find in bread, and their own excellent milk and cream, wild fpinnage, and other herbs, more delight and better nourishment, than the most costly tables of learned luxury can supply. As the reward for this temperance and fimplicity of life, they are exempt from all diseases but fuch as effect the eyes, and are produced by fudden tranfitions from the mild foft air of the vallies, to the keen penetrating breezes of the heights, except that fome who have naturally a weak digestion are troubled with worms. The author faw a man in his eightieth year, who was employed in building a wall, lift large ftones with furprizing vigour; he was trait, agile, and full of spirits; his complexion was fresh, and his teeth found, and white as ivory; he had never been blooded nor taken any medicine, having never known fickness or pain, except a foreness in his eyes, of which he then complained as a mighty evil, being unacquainted with "All the natural pangs that flesh is heir to," in other countries : : upon being queftioned concerning his manner of life, he said, that he had never eaten flesh or drank wine but once a year at the fair of Luz. The company however that come to the village for the benefit of the waters, are accommodated with fuch food as they have been used to eat in great plenty, and at a reasonable rate: the mountains furnish excellent mutton, venifon, pheasants, gelinots, quails, and white partridges the lakes and ftreams, trout in great plenty, and the neighbouring plains of Tarbe fupply every thing else that is defireable, except good wine, which may be eafily procured from Ju rançon near Pau in Bearn not very far diftant. Three very confiderable navigable rivers, the Garonne, the Dour, and the Gave, take their rife in the neighbourhood of Bareges; the Gave falls from its fource in a cascade at Gaverny, and is in many respects a very ex-. traordinary natural curiofity: the fummit of the rock from which it is precipitated, has the appearance of a ruined amphitheatre, being femicircular with the concave outwards; it is perpetually covered with fnow, and the irregularity of the ridge over which the torrent flows, divides it into a great variety of ftreams, fome of which are broken into a kind of rain, which when the fun fhines upon it reflects the prifmatic colours in the form of a rainbow as the fummit of this mountain is covered with fnow, fo there is alfo a large tract of fnow many feet high under its shade at the bottom, in this fnow the falling water running in feveral rivulets, has formed innumerable cells, vaulted apartments, and bridges regularly arched, which have probably fubfifted ever fince the univerfal deluge. Even those mountains that are naked, offer their tribute to mankind, fome of them contain metal, and others the most curious marble and chrystal: of chrystal the author has feen many very large pieces detached from a rock near Bareges, which in cut and polish were not inferiour to the productions of art. Affociated with the chryftal in the rocky clefts of these mountains there is found also the Afbestos, an incombustible substance well known for its ufe among the ancient Romans who made bags of it, in which they burnt their dead,and by this means, preferved their afhes intire and unmixed: it fhoots out in filaments from fibrous roots of a stony substance; whence alfo the chrystal rifes in cluflers, fome wholly transparent, and fome tranfparent only in ftreaks. It has been a question among naturalifts, whether the afbestos is a mineral or vegetable fubftance; it has many appearances of being vegetable, nor does its refifting the Gra fire argue the contrary, for there is an Indian wood of which, fays this author, the ingenious Chevalier de Baillou at Florence gave me a fpecimen, that, like the afbeftos, endures the fierceft fire without confumption. The Pyreneans manufacture the afbestos into purfes and garters, which they fell to strangers; it would certainly be convenient for lamp-wicks, and might be useful for other purposes. In the clifts with the chrystal and asbestos there is alfo found a very remarkable fand; it is of an olive colour, of impalpable fineness, and abounds with particles both of the asbestos and chrystal: this fand being put into a crucible, and kept in the fire fix days, affumed a new appearance, and came out a yellow heavy powder, resembling limel, or the filings of metal, hav. ing among it a few lumps of a vitrified substance, resembling chrystal. A far ther examination of this fubject is recommended to the curious and able. The medicinal fprings of Bareges rife in the lower end of the village, at the foot of the mountain which bounds the valley to the south; a vaulted ftone building has been erected over them by order of the king of France, and the area is divided into four bathing rooms; three of these are in a line, and the fourth on one fide, their fituation being directed by that of the springs. The hottest rises in the middle room, called the Great bath, and supplies two lateral pipes which go into each of the neighbouring rooms, one of which is called the Little bath, and the other the New bath; the pipe that conveys the water into the little bath is not more than 5 feet long, yet it lofes much of its heat in the paffage; the pipe that carries it into the new bath is longer, and the heat is proportionably diminished. In these two rooms there alfo rife two fprings, which are only blood-warm, and form what are called the Pleasure baths the warmth of the water of the fpring that rifes in the lateral room is a middle degree between the pleasure baths and the great bath; the name of this lateral bath we are not told. : The waters of all these fprings are fpecifically the fame; they all iffue directly from the earth, and bubble as they rife; they are well inclosed within feparate vaults, very closely cemented, which prevent the diffipation of the fpirituous parts, and convey them to their proper outlets, free from alteration or taint. Under these outlets, or pipes, bathing-tubs are placed, which have a vent below of exactly the fame capacity as the pipe above, so that as the water is always running in and out of the tub at the fame time, and the tub is ftill full, the patient lies in a stream of fresh water perpetually renewed, and his bath has the fame falutary virtues the last minute as the first, how long foever he continues in it. The floors of these rooms are paved with marble, and kept constantly clean by the water that flows over them, which is collected as it runs out into a fewer that conveys it to a common receptacle, called the Horse bath, where that useful and noble animal finds a cure for a broken wind, stiff finews, fwellings, ulcerations, and many other difeafes. From this receptacle the waters are discharged into the neighbouring ftream that flows thro' the valley. The author judiciously obferves, that very little can be known of mineral waters by chemical analysis, because tho distillation and evaporation exhibit the elementary principles of a mixed fluid, yet its properties cannot be determined from fuch principles, fince they do not remain the fame either in species or effect as before they were disunited. A chemical analyfis fhews, indeed, the power of fire in dividing and new modifying bodies, but it can teach us nothing of their primitive constitution and economy. Neither acids nor alkalis raise a fenfible effervescence in any fresh drawn waters, and therefore the alkali found in the waters of Bareges after evaporation and distillation, is manifeftly a new creation, and can bear no more analogy to their native falt, than a volatile falt chemically extracted from our blood bears tothat of the circulating mafs. There There is scarce any substance which fire does not specifically change: Laurel leaves diftilled yield a strong poifon, barley and other foft farinaceous fubftances a burning fpirit; rhubarb, a purgative when in its natural state, becomes an aftringent when toasted; nitre which naturally cools, when raised to a fpirit is violently hot, and alum by calcination becomes cauftic; analytical experiments, therefore, can never fhew the constitution and œconomy of mineral waters. It is indeed of little confequence, to know how these waters produce falutary effects; it is enough for us to know, that falutary effects are produced by them. The following account of the appearances which they exhibit in a natural state is added chiefly as a gratification of curiofity. They fend forth a very fenfible fteam, which has a bituminous fmell. They have alfo a bituminous taste, and are smooth, fweetish, and refresh ing to the palate, fomewhat like a very fmall quantity of fine manna diffolved in water, but without its maukish quality. The furface is covered with a fine pellucid oil, which very foon difap pears. lefs. They are perfectly clear and colour White filaments are feen floating in them, when first they iffue from the fpring. These filaments fubfide, and with them an oleagenous fubftance, for which they form cells. These unctuous particles are difcern able while they are fufpended, for the water flips through the fingers like oil, and the body, when immerfed in it, feels as if it had been rubbed with pomatum or cool crea:n. This precious balfam is found whereever the waters glide or ftagnate, fome of it is left in the pipes through which it paffes, the bathing tubs are lined with it, and it may be taken up in handfuls along the fewer that leads from the rooms to the horse bath. VOL. III. The water, if exposed to the air 24 hours, lofes its bituminous taste and fmell, its unctuous quality and pellu cidity. The fediment fpread on a leaf of paper will exhale in a few hours, and leave little more than a filamentous fcum. The heat of the spring in the great bath is, by Farenheit's thermometer,, 1114, that of the water fupplied from this fpring to the little bath 110, of the water fupplied from the fame fpring to the new bath 109, of the fprings that rife in the little bath and new bath, which form what is called the pleasure bath, 944. The heat of the spring that rifes in the lateral building, as alcertained by the thermometer, is not mentioned. These waters taken internally are principally difcharged by perfpiration and urine, for they feldom purge. From the catalogue of cures effected by thefe waters, the following are selected as an encouragement to the af flicted. General Keith, fince killed in the fervice of the king of Pruffia, and lord Crawfurd, with many officers of dif tinction, who had been defperately wounded, and notwithstanding the af fiftance of the most skilful furgeons, were afflicted with fiftulous ulcers, finus's, carious bones, contractions of the mufcles, anchylofis or inflexibility of the joint caufed by the end of the bong above, and that of the bone below growing together, attended with languor, wafting, hectic heats, lofs of appetite and relt, and every other, dreadful and dangerous fymptom, yet found a perfect cure by the internal and external ufe of thote waters. A magiftrate of Metz had a fiftulous ulcer in the middle of his thigh, occa fioned by vitiated juices; the probe entered to be bone which was become rotten, and there were many finus's, or long cavities in the flesh, reaching as high as the hip, through which flowed a profufe quantity of foetid malignant matter, yet he was by bathing, pump ing, ing, and drinking the waters perfectly the womb, a moft difadvantageous cured in one season. A failor had been cut for an empye ma, or collection of matter in the left breaft, at the hofpital of Bourdeaux, but the wound became fiftulous and could not be healed; great quantities of fætid matter iffued from it thro' a canula, or pipe, which was placed in it for that purpose: the water of the hot spring was injected into the wound; at first it brought away vaft quantities of matter, which gradually decreased; after feven weeks the water returned clear without mixture or fmell, the ulcer clofed, and the patient recovered perfect health. A magistrate of Thoulouse had a fiftula in ano, for which he had been cut without fuccefs: after 15 months the perforation in the inteftine was still unhealed, callofities were formed, and extremely foul matter discharged. The pump, temperate baths and injections, with embrocrations and lint dipped in the mineral water effected a cure in about two months. The daughter of a merchant in Bourdeaux had a fistula lachrymalis in each eye, and after nine months was cured by fomentation, pumping, and injections of the water into the lachrymal ducts by means of a fyringe, properly contrived, in fix weeks. A lady who had been long afflicted with a malignant ulcer in her womb, which wasted her extremely by a conftant and copious difcharge, was perfectly cured in a month by injections of thefe waters, at the fame time taking them internally, and ufing the tempe rate bath. Another lady afflicted with the fame diforder in the very bottom of the womb, aggravated with hysteric affections, and great lownefs of fpirits, was alfo cured by the fame means. A married lady about 26 years of age, finding her felf greatly out of order, was examined by Mr. Douglas, a celebrated man-midwife of that time, who discovered a fchirrous tumour on the left fide of the interior orifice of tuation, because of the great contraction and tenfion of the fibres in that part, and of its connection with the bladder and rectum, which produced mutual inconveniencies in all the parts. This difeafe refifted all Mr. Douglas's skill in the ufe of medicine, particularly mercury, and after two years the fwelling was increased fo much, that it occafioned constant pain in the pelvis, both before and behind, which was always increafed in the moments of evacuation: fuch irritations alfo invaded the whole belly, that inflammations came on, and life was in the utmost danger. Being then at Paris, fhe was fearched again by two of the most eminent furgeons of that city, who found the fchirrus tumour to be of the size and fhape of a pear, preffing laterally on the rectum, the pfoas muscle, and sciatic nerves, in confequence of which the had become lame. Bleeding, domeftic baths, anodine clyfters, emolient injections, aperatives and gentle purgatives were administered in their turn, but all without effect; and during an accidental fever the local ailment acquired new malignity, and the tumour degenerated into a perfect carcinoma, or cancerous ulcer. She then went to Leyden to confult the celebrated Dr. Boerhaave, who sent her to Aix-la-Chapelle, where she used the waters externally and internally two fummers without benefit. In 1739 fhe went to Bareges; the firft temperate baths gave her ease and sleep, and by continuing them with injections and clyfters of the water, all the fymptoms gradually abated, and in about three months the thought herself well. A relapfe, however, obliged her to return the next season, and to be certain of a radical cure, she went a third feafon. The great point was, to bring the waters in contact with the fchirrous part, which was happily effected by a tin pipe, one end of which was formed into a funnel, and the other by a intermediate leathern duct was joined to a very smooth ivory pipe. This inftru ment The BEAUTIES of all the MAGAZINES feleted. 259 ment was contrived by the author, and the patient being properly feated before the hot fpring, introduced the cannula into the paffage of the womb as high as the inward orifice, and then a female attendant held the funnel under the "Spout, by which means the water, in the manner of pumping, was poured against the fore. By this operation a fanious matter continued to drain from the part more than a month, after which all the fymptoms difappeared: fhe took the benefit of the waters añother season, after which, being re-examined, the furgeons found no traces of the fwelling, and, to the author's knowledge, 14 years elapfed without the least token of its having ever exifted. These waters, though they do not cure, yet they ftop the progrefs of a true cancer, and procure ease to the patient. They radically cure the king's evil. A child feven years old was fo bad with this disorder, that all the falival glands were deeply ulcerated with hard invert ed lips, and many other glands were obftructed. The waters, affifted by mercurial frictions, effected a perfect cure. A gentleman of Montpellier was perfectly cured of a fleshy fwelling in his testicles, called a farcocele, which had at length impoftumated, and made its way through the gland in many finuffes, fo that the best furgeons were of opinion that the lofs of the part could not be prevented. A poor lad, about 20 years old, whose legs had from his infancy been quite bent under him, by a contraction of the flexor tendons, fo ftrong that no force could extend them, was perfectly cured, and got his living by going on errands for the company at the baths. A French officer, M. Sefredy, had an anchylofis in the knee of 14 years standing, fo that all that time he had worn a wooden leg, yet in one feafon he was fet on his feet. Another officer having been fhot in the thigh, the member be ame paryliic after the wound was healed, and wafted away, but he obtained a perfect cure at Bareges. A magiftrate of Thouloufe who had tendons of his right leg, which prea large nodus adhering to the flexor vented him from walking, was perfectly freed from it in fix weeks. tofes, or boney protuberances in various Several perfons were cured of exofparts, particularly in the angle of the lower jaw, and the cheek bone.' vies, and even the leprofy, yield to the The most inveterate hereditary fourfalutary power of thefe waters. ruptions from his infancy, became fo A gentleman fubject to cutaneous ebad at thirty that his body was one univerfal fore, and in this dreadful condition he continued no less than years, though being very wealthy he 15 tried, during that time, all the remedies that the moft skillful in phyfic could advife, and particularly mercury in every form. It was generally imagined that his diforder arofe from an inveterate fcorbutic taint, but the author imagined it to be tetterous, than which no evil is more difficult to eradicate. This gentleman in two months ters, and the author faw him fix years was cured by a milk diet and the waafterwards, and he had then had no return of his complaint. itching puftules and running fores in eafes that are wholly independant of all There are many local cutaneous diftaint or vice in the blood, which are, notwithstanding, extreamly difficult to cure; these however, yield to Bareges waters, and cold bathing afterwards prevents their return. Thefe waters diffolve carnofities in L12 |