290 Mr. George's Chemical Examination of some of the 



been deposited from a solution containing excess of acid, are 

 exposed to the sun, the supposed formation of octahedral cry- 

 stals is merely a removal of the enveloping rhombic crystals 

 by efflorescence, and the consequent development of the in- 

 closed octahedral crystals ; for rhombic crystals formed in the 

 requisite mode frequently contain minute octahedrons, which 

 may be observed by merely breaking the crystal, which will 

 explain their occurrence, even without any external change in 

 the enveloping rhombic prism. 



LI. Chemical Examination of some of the Substances connected 

 with an Egyptian Mummy, By E. S. George, F.L.S. Ser 

 aetary to the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society*. 



I. — A PORTION of the pounded wood found about the 

 -**- throat and breast, was digested in boiling alcohol ; a 

 deep brown solution was thus obtained, which, after being 

 filtered, remained permanently transparent. The odour of 

 myrrh was very sensible, and the alcoholic extract afforded 

 with water the characteristic precipitate of solutions of myrrh. 

 By a careful examination of the wood, it was separated into two 

 parts ; the one, and that the most abundant, was myrrh, and 

 the other cassia. The odoriferous wood from the abdominal 

 cavity, subjected to the same treatment, gave similar results. 



II. — The folds of cloth with which the mummy was ban- 

 daged, presented, near the body, a much deeper colour than 

 the external wrappings. A portion having a deep chesnut 

 colour was digested in boiling water ten minutes ; a very deep 

 brown-coloured solution was thus obtained. The addition of 

 a few drops of gelatine to this solution, gave an immediate 

 precipitate, indicative of the presence of tannin : this result 

 was rendered more" striking by concentrating the solution, 

 when large flakes of the tannate of gelatine were precipitated. 

 A few drops of a solution of muriate ofbarytes were added to 

 this aqueous extract : an immediate precipitate fell down ; it 

 was found to consist principally, of carbonate of barytes, and 

 by the requisite tests, the presence of the carbonate, muriate, 

 and sulphate of soda was discovered, the former salt in the 

 largest proportion. 



III. — Analysis of the fleshy parts of the body. 



1. — A piece of thick abdominal muscle, weighing 97 grains, 



* From Mr. Osburn's " Account of an Egyptian Mummy presented to 

 the Museum of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, by the late 

 John Blayds, Esq."— A further notice of this work will appear in our next 

 Number. 



was 



