( =25 ) 



found in fea-filli. Then, becaufe I imagined that thefe particles, as 

 far as I could judge by my eye, were no other, than abfolute falts, 

 I immerfed fome of them in burnt wine, to fee whether they would 

 be difTolved in the wine. But, all of them preferved their Ihapes 

 unaltered, fome of them exhibiting on the glafs, a triangular figure, 

 -and fome being perfe6tly fquarc. But, it was my opinion, that thefe 

 falts, had been inclofed in certain veficles in the root, and, when 

 extrafted from them by the water, had concreted into the falts I 

 have defcribed ; for, I had obferved the Pareira Brava to be fur- 

 nidied with many of thofe veficles. 



Not having fully fatisfied myfelf by the examination of this piece 

 of the Pareira Brava, I endeavoured to purchafe fome of the root in 

 our town, but I found, that the very name of it was unknown here ; 

 however, in a neighbouring town, where it had been in ulc for about 

 xi twelvemonth, I procured an ounce and a quarter, and, upon com- 

 paring this with the former fpecimen, by the help of the microfcope, 

 1 found them to correfpond exactly. 



This laft-mentioned root, was a piece, fplit lengthwife, and, as 

 ■near as I could judge, of five years growtli : it was half an inch in 

 thicknefs, and tlie texture of it appeared to me of a wonderful 

 make.* I divided a fmall piece of it, into very minute fragments, 

 and, putting tlicm into a clean glafs with fome rain water, 1 caufed 

 the water to boil, until more than half of it was boiled away, the 

 remainder I took oifthc fire, judging, that the faline particles, were, 

 by this boiling fully incorporated with the water. In this water, 

 Jiowever, I difcovered nothing by the microfcope, exCept feveral very 

 fmall and thin membranes fvvimming on the furfacc : I therefore 

 expoi'ed I'ome drops of it to the air, in order, that the evaj)oration of 

 the nioifture might caufc the I'alts to concrete. But, in a ii;crt tiine, 



* The .luthor Ii.is not ^Jven a figr.re of this root. 



E e 2 



