102 MiIcROGRAPHIA. , 
that is from the even breaking off of the ftick, the folid imterftiti 
having a regular termination or furface, and having 4 pretty {trong re- 
fleting quality, the many {mall reflections become united to the naked 
eye, and make a very pretty fhining furface. : Misch 
Thirdly,the reafon of its hardnefs and brittleness feems evident,for fince 
all the watery or liquid fubftance that moiltn'd and toughn’d thole Inter- 
tia of the more folid parts, are evaporated and remov'd, that which 
is left hehind becomes of the nature almoft of a ftone, which will not at 
all, or very little,bend without a divulfion or Jolution of its continuity. 
- Te isnot my defign at prefent, to examine the ufe and Asechani{me of 
thefe parts of Wood, that being more proper to another Enquiry 5 but 
rather tohint, that from this Experiment we may learn, 
Firft, what is the caufe of the blacknefs of many burnt bodies, which 
we may? find to be nothing elfe but this; that the heat of the fire agi- 
tating and rarifying the waterifh, tran{parent, and volatile water that is 
contain‘d in them,by the continuation of that action,does fo totally expel 
and drive away all that which before fill'd the pores, and was difpers'd 
alfo through the folid mafs of it, and thereby caus'd an univerfal kind of 
tranfparency, that it not onely leaves all the pores empty, but all the Jx- 
terflitia alfo fo dry and opacows, and perhaps alfo yet further perforated, 
that that light onely is refleGted back which fallsupon the very outward | 
edges of the pores, all they that enter into the pores of the body, never 
returning, but being loft in it. aa 
Now, that the Charring or coaling of a body is nothing elfe, may be 
eafily believ'd by one that fhall confider the means of its production, 
which may be done after this, or any fuch manner. The body tobe 
eharr'd or coal’d, may be put into a Crucible,Pot,or any other Vefiel that 
will endure to be made red-hot in the Fire without breaking, and then 
cover'd over with Sand, fo as no part of it be fuffer’d to be open to the 
Air, then fet into a good Fire, and there kept till the Sand has‘continu’d 
red hot for a quarter, half, an hour or two, or more, according tothe 
nature and na ofthe body tobe coal’d or charr'd, thentaking itout 
of the Fire,and letting it ftand till it be quite cold,the body may be taken 
out of the Sand well charr'd and cleans‘d of its waterifh parts but inthe 
taking of it out, care muft be had that the Sand be very neer cold, for 
elfe, when it comesinto the free air, it will take fire, and readily burn 
away. | | 
% This may be done alfoin any clofe Vefiel of Glafs, as a Retort, or the 
like, and the feveral fluid fubftances that come over may be receiv'd ia 
a fit Recipient, which will yet further countenance this Hypothefiss And 
their manner of charring Wood in great quantity comes much to the fame 
thing, namely, an application of a great heat to the body, ny aw 
it from the free accef of the devouring airs this may be eafily learn’ 
from the Hiftory of Charring of Coal, moft excellently deferib’d and 
rae d by that ee mere Mr. Jobs Evelin, in the 
> 101, 103, pages of his Sylva, to which I fhall therefore refer the cu- 
rious Reader that defires a full information of it, re 3a 
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