196 Mr. T. Taylor on some 



The mother-liquor was mixed with water, when a precipitate 

 separated which by agitation was converted into a viscid tur- 

 pentine-looking substance that adhered to the sides of the 

 glass. When a drop of the mother-liquor was evaporated on 

 a glass plate, very few crystals could be detected, but a great 

 number of thick, viscid oily-like drops : by heating the glass 

 vapours arose, and a hard uncrystalline resin was left. When 

 the alcoholic solution of the crystals was mingled with water, 

 a crystalline precipitate was thrown down, which beneath the 

 microscope appeared in the form of small irregularly-shaped 

 prisms, arranged in stellate groups. This difference in the 

 character of the two precipitates appeared to indicate that the 

 mother-liquor contained either a volatile oil or some soft resin 

 in addition to the crystalline resin previously described. To 

 determine this question the whole was placed in a retort, and 

 submitted to distillation ; the spirit came over quite free from 

 any essential oil, merely retaining the peculiar odour of the 

 calculus: the last portions smelt much stronger, and were 

 slightly turbid. The precipitate had melted and formed a 

 deep red oil, which adhered to the sides of the retort; when 

 cold it was soft and ductile between the fingers. It was readily 

 soluble in solutions of potass and ammonia, the solutions 

 were rendered milky by the addition of an acid, but no pre- 

 cipitate fell. The milky liquor when examined by the micro- 

 scope gave the appearance of oily globules. The soft resin 

 remaining in the retort was now divided into two portions; 

 to the one solution of ammonia was added, and to the other 

 aether. 



The ammoniacal solution was perfectly clear and of a bright 

 red tint ; it was neutralized by muriatic acid, a viscid preci- 

 pitate separated, which was collected together, washed, broken 

 into fragments, and put into a glass tube together with aether. 

 It only partially dissolved, and after standing some days six- 

 sided prisms were found adhering to the tube, the aethereal 

 solution was evaporated, and a resinous matter more fusible 

 than the former was left. 



That portion of the soft resin which had been digested 

 with cold aether did not entirely dissolve, but left some cry- 

 stals of resinous matter undissolved ; the aethereal solution 

 was evaporated, and the residue, which was quite similar to 

 that which had been previously treated with ammonia, was 

 mixed with it and both dissolved in alcohol, sp. gr. 0'84;0. 

 The tincture was set aside for some weeks ; only a small 

 quantity of crystalline matter was deposited, together with a 

 little soft resin ; it was therefore distilled, and the residue 

 again treated with absolute aether, in which, with the excep- 



