124 



HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE- GOSSIP. 



when they perish the Chain whereby the Parts arc 

 kept together becomes broken, the Salts regain 

 their Liberty by Putrefaction, some fly away into 

 the Air, and the rest remain in a condition to enrich 

 and render fertile that lean and hungry Earth 

 which is destitute of such Salt. 



"Tastes, Smells, and most other Effects of Bodies 

 on one another, seem occasioned by the Action of 

 Salts, which, by striking on our Organs, produce 

 Sensations correspondent to their figures, and by 

 the same means affect all other Bodies. 



" Being transparent, and having a strong attrac- 

 tive Power, they probably supply both Matter, Con- 

 sistence, and Eorm to Spars, Crystals, Diamonds, 

 and all other pellucid angularly-figured Eossils. 

 When combined and at Rest, they are perhaps the 

 Basis of Cohesion and Solidity in most Bodies, the 



Fig. 64. Infusorial Animalcule as described in 1754. 

 (.See p. 122.) 



Pegs and Nails that hold the Parts of other Matter 

 together ; but when put in Motion by the Separa- 

 tion of their component Particles, and their repul- 

 sive Force (which is no less vigorous than their 

 attractive Power) becomes exerted, they are the 

 most active Principles in Nature, like Knives or 

 Launcets, cut their Way through everything, and 

 produce the most surprizing Changes. 



" Whence the Chemists say that in the Sun and in 

 Salt are all Nature's Productions, and that he who 

 knows not Salts will never perform anything in 

 Art. 



"The Distinction of Salts into acid and alkaline, 

 into volatile, fixt, and essential, I shall leave the 

 Reader to consult chemical writers about." 



After this dissertation on salts, he gives minute 

 instructions for making a cabinet and preparing 

 solutions of various salts ; he also recommends 

 experimenting with mixtures of the various salts, 

 by which means new and wonderful configurations 

 may be discovered. Mr. Baker asserts the proba- 

 bility of the existence of a "Universal, volatile, acid 

 Spirit, and it is produced by] the continual Per- 

 spiration of growing Vegetables, the Putrefaction 

 and Dissolution of those that perish over the Face 

 of the whole Earth, all of which abound with vola- 



tile acid Salts, these, combined with Vapours from 

 Seas, Lakes, Rivers, and other Waters, the Steams 

 and Vapours from Metals and other Substances, all 

 these compose together the volatile acid Spirit 

 wherewith the Air is filled, and which probably is 

 the active Principle that gives the Figure and sup- 

 plies Part of the Matter to Crystals, Snow, and 

 Nitre." 



The following is the list of salts figured :— " Sal 

 Gemma, or Rock Salt, Sea Salt, Spring ditto, Niter 

 or Salt Peter, Bleu Vitriol, White ditto, Green 

 ditto, Verdigrease distilled, Alum, Borax, Salt Am- 

 moniac, Salt of Lead, Salt of Tin, Ens Veneris." 



As the author was much struck with the beauty 

 of the last-named crystals, we quote his remarks : — 

 "Ens Veneris is a Sublimation of Green Vitriol 

 with Sal Ammoniac, and therefore might be called 

 Ens Martis with better Reason. It must, however, 

 be acknowledged that blue Vitriol was employed 

 formerly instead of Salt of Steel, and that, being 

 impregnated with Copper, rendered the Name less 

 improper : but the Ens Veneris our Shops afford at 

 present has nothing of Copper in it. 



" It dissolves readily in Water, and gives to a So- 

 lution sated with it a Colour resembling that of 

 Mountain Wine, which Colour its Crystals likewise 

 retaining, appear like the most beautiful Chrysolites 

 or Topazes, seemingly cut with the greatest elegance. 



But the Singularity of this preparation 



is, that in some part or other of the drop, you will 

 seldom fail to find a very regular and well-fashioned 

 two-edged Sword of Crystal." 



Flowers of Antimony, Salt of Amber, Scarborough 

 Salt, Cheltenham ditto, Epsom ditto, Glauber ditto, 

 Sal Polychrestum. 



The above list is sufficient to show the kind of 

 salts he experimented with, and it will, therefore, be 

 unnecessary to give the names of all the salts 

 examined. Some of them it is difficult to under- 

 stand how they were prepared, as, for example, Salt 

 of Coral, Salt of Fennel, Salt of Thistle, and salts of 

 various other plants. 



Chapter LIII. part I., describes his investigations 

 "Concerning the Vegetation of Metals." He 

 gives very minute directions for the preparation of 

 Akbor Diante, or the Silver Tree, Arbor Martis, 

 or the Iron Tree, and Arbor Veneris, or the 

 Copper Tree. 



The following is his formula (or, rather, Monsieur 

 Hernberg's, whom he quotes) :— " Make four Drams 

 of fine Silver into an Amalgama without heat, with 

 two Drams of Quicksilver. Dissolve this Amalgama 

 in four ounces of Aqua Fort is, pour the Solution 

 into 12 Paris Pints (about three Gallons) of common 

 Water. Stir it well together and keep it in a Glass 

 Vessel well stop'd. To about an Ounce of this 

 Water in a small Phial put the Quantity of a small 

 Pea of the Common Amalgama of Gold or Silver, 

 which should be as soft as Butter. Let the Phial 



