PHYSICAL AND LITERARY, 397 



ny. Then the lunar cauftic was tried, but 

 with no better fuccefs ; and the excref- 

 cences, at laft, became fo extremely hard, 

 that the moft concentrated oil of vitriol, 

 fpirit of nitre, Belhofte's liquid cau- 

 ftic, butter of antimony, or any o» 

 ther the mod violent cauitic I could 

 fuggeft, had not the fmallefl efFed to- 

 wards diminifning their fize. They did 

 indeed burn the furface where-ever they 

 were applied, and rendered it as hard 

 as a piece of board ; but, upon fliaving 

 off this incruftation with a fliarp fcal- 

 pel, they did not appear to be in the 

 fmalleft degree lefs than they were be- 

 fore the application of the cauftic. 



Having gone on in this way for fome 

 confiderable time, touching with the 

 cauftic every day, Ihaving oft'the harden- 

 ed furface next morning, and again ap' 

 plying the cauftic, but v/ithout any the 

 leaft profpefl of fuccefs ; it became to 

 be a very difEcult matter to determine on 

 what farther might be proper to be done 

 in this cafe. 



It 



