( '-^3° ■) 



ter was evaporated, fuch a quantity of falls appeared, that I was 

 aftoiiinied at the figlit ; for they hiy heaped together, in like man- 

 ner as, in a wood, the twigs and Ihiall branches are leen Ipread on 

 the ground. After they had remained thus for a I'mall time, though 

 within an hour, they dillblved into moifture : I found the fame ef- 

 fect to follow breathing" on them. 



Now, what fliall we fay of this mod extraordinary and intimate 

 union of thefe faits with the root ? For, it has been obferved, that 

 though the glafs melted by the vehemence of the heat applied to it, 

 the falts in the pieces of root, which la}' on the glafs, were not ex- 

 pelled ; though afterwards, when Turrounded by a ftronger heat, 

 they were fei)arated fro)n the wood. 



When we find thefe things upon exi>eriment, we cannot but rea- 

 fo;i thus with ourfelves ; How w onderful is the make and texture of 

 this root, arid how powerfully may the fait which is thus clofely 

 united to it, adt as a medicine on the human body ! For my part, if 

 I may fpeak my opinion, it is, that the make of thefe falts is not to 

 be altered by the power of firo. 



Again, upon confidering whether the charcoal, which I had ufed 

 in the preceding experiment, might not pollibly have fome fouhiefs or 

 extraneous matter on it, which was imparted to the root wliilft burn- 

 ing, I |:)laced fome pieces of the Pareira Brava on a filver plate, and, 

 Avhen they feemed to be quite burnt to allies, and were glowing hot, 

 I threw them into ibme rain water, which had been boiled in a clean 

 vellisl well tinned, and only ufed to boil water for the making of tea 

 or coffee. This water, after (training it through filteriiig paper, I 

 ])laced in four feparate glaOes, and fuffered it to remain there all 

 night. The next day, the atmofphere being dry and clear, I examined 

 them by four feveral microfcopes, and found, that the greatcR part, 

 but not the whole, of the water was evaporated. The event of the 

 experiment was, however, the fame as in the laft, namehs that an 

 innumerable multitude of the falts before defcribed, were to be leen, 

 and that more diltindtly than before. 



