101

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

Army Medical Department,
November 16th, 1857.
17270—B. F:

Sir,—The Minister for War having sanc-
tioned the expenses shown by your estimate to
be necessary to supply the Apparatus referred
to in previous communications, and to have it
erected at Suez, I have to request you will be
pleased to have it furnished with the least pos-
sible delay.

I have, &c.
A. SMITH, Director-General.
To Dr. A. Normandy, 9, Lancaster Place.

(D.)

Royal Mail Steam Packet "Atrato,"
Southampton, September 29, 1857.

Sir,—We have great pleasure in informing
you that your Apparatus fitted on board this
ship has worked admirably during the voyage
hence to St. Thomas and back, and gave us no
trouble whatever, distilling 18 gallons per
hour, sea water 70 degrees; 17 gallons per
hour, sea water 82 degrees; the distilled water
received at the filter having the same tempera-
ture as that of the sea water, and being pro-
duced in equal proportions of aërated and con-
densed water fit for the table.

The water is beautifully clear and equal to
any water that can be used, and was as much
in demand on board as that received at South-
ampton. From the little room occupied, and
the ease with which water can be had, Dr.
Normandy's Marine Aërated Fresh Water
Apparatus in time will become one of the re-
quisite appliances in first class passenger
Ocean ships. From the certainty with which
good water can be had fit for the table, a
portion of our water tanks has been removed,
thus making space for 30 Tons more of Cargo,
&c.

We are, Sir, your obedient Servants,
F. WOOLLEY, Commander.
JAMES WILKIE, Chief Engineer.
WM. VINCENT, Marine Superintendent.
Dr. Normandy,
Patent Marine Aërated Fresh Water Company.

Royal Mail Steam Packet "Atrato,"
Southampton, November 16, 1857.

Dear Sir,—I beg to inform you of our ar-
rival here on the 14th instant; also to say your
Apparatus worked well all the way out and
home.

I am, &c.,
JAMES WILKIE.

To Dr. Normandy,
Patent Marine Aërated Fresh Water Company,
9, Lancaster Place.

Southampton, November 17, 1857.

Dear Sir,—In reply to your note of yester-
day, I have again the pleasure to inform you
that your Patent Aërated Fresh Water Dis-

tilling Apparatus gave every satisfaction during
the last voyage of the "Atrato."

Yours truly,
ROBERT RITCHIE.

To Dr. Normandy,
Patent Marine Aërated Fresh Water Company.
9, Lancaster Place.

(E).

Faversham, December 17, 1857.

Sir,—We have had your Patent Distilling
Apparatus for the production of pure water in
operation for some time, and it is satisfactory
to us to be enabled to testify our approbation
of their utility.

We are, &c.,
JOHN HALL AND SON

ON THE PRODUCTION OF FRESH
WATER FROM SEA WATER.

BY DR. A. NORMANDY.

Sea water is, as everybody knows, a liquid,
which contains from three-and-a half to four
per cent. of saline substances, two thirds of
which are common salt, and also a certain por-
tion of organic matters, which impart to it its
well-known odour and taste, and render it
unfit for drinking or other domestic purposes.

The accidents resulting from an insufficient
supply, or from an absolute want of fresh water
in sea voyages, the difficulty of preserving in a
pure state that which is stored up, or of procur-
ing a fresh supply of it when it is exhausted,
the valuable stowing room occupied by the
tanks containing this most important fluid, have
induced many people at various times, and for
a great many years past, to contrive apparatuses
by means of which sea water could be rendered
fit to drink.

At first sight, one would think that it is
sufficient to submit sea water to distillation to
convert it into fresh water, and that the solu-
tion of the problem is altogether dependant
upon a still, constructed so as to produce, by
evaporation, a great quantity of distilled water,
with a consumption of fuel sufficiently small to
become practicable.

Distillation at a cheap rate is, doubtless, an
important item, and fuel being a cumbrous and
expensive article on board ship, it is superabun-
pantly evident that, supposing all the appara-
tuses which have hitherto been contrived for
the purpose to answer equally well, that one
would clearly merit the preference which would
produce most at the least cost; but there are
besides other desiderata of a no less primary
importance, and it is from having neglected,
ignored, or been unable to realise them, that
all the apparatuses for trans-forming sea water
into fresh water, which have from time to time
been brought before the public, have hitherto,
without exception, proved total failures, or
(after trial) have been quite discarded, or fulfil
the object in view in a way so imperfect or
precarious, that, practically speaking, the manu-