200 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



I made a cauftic or foap ley in the following 

 manner. 



Twenty fix ounces of very ftrong quick- 

 lime made of chalk, were flaked or reduced 

 to a fort of fluid paflie, with eleven pounds 

 of boiling water, and then mixed in a glafs 

 veflTel with eighteen ounces of a pure fixed 

 alkaline fait, which had been firfl: diflTolved 

 in two pounds and a half of water. This 

 mixture was fliaken frequently for two hours, 

 when the aftion of the lime upon the alkali 

 was fuppofed to be over, and nothing remain- 

 ed but to feparate them again from one ano- 

 ther. I therefore added 1 2 pounds of water, 

 ftirred up the lime, and, after allowing it to 

 fettle again, poured off as much of the clear 

 ley as poflible. 



The lime and alkali were mixed together 

 under the form of a very thick milky liquor 

 or fluid pafl:e ; becaufe they are thus kept in 

 perpetual contad: and equal mixture until 

 they have aded fufficiently upon one another: 

 whereas in the common way of ufing a larger 

 quantity of vs^ater, the lime lies for the mofl: 

 part at bottom, and, tho' ftirred up ever fo 

 often, cannot exert its influence fo fully upon 



the 



