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Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir, 1863-1944

"The Delectable Duchy"


This well bubbles up under a low vault scooped in the bank by the
footpath and hung with hart's-tongue ferns. It has two founts, close
together; but whereas one of them oozes only, the other is bubbling
perennially, and, as near as I have observed, keeps always the same.
Its specific gravity is that of distilled water--1.000 deg.; and though,
to be sure, it upset me, three weeks back, by flying up to 1.005 deg., I
think that must have come from the heavy thunderstorms and floods of
rain that lately visited us and no doubt imported some ingredients
that had no business there. As for its temperature, I will select a
note or two of the observations I made with a Fahrenheit thermometer
this last year:--
_June 12th_.--Temperature in shade of well, 62 deg.; of water, 51 deg..
_August 25th_.--In shade of well (at noon), 73 deg.; of water, 52 deg..
_November 20th_.--In shade of well, 43 deg.; of water, 52 deg..
_January 1st_.--External air, 56 deg.; enclosure, 53 deg.; water, 52 deg..
_March 11th_.--A bleak, sunless day. Temperature in shade of well, at
noon, 54 deg.


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