PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 203 



filver difh over a lamp, and melted the fait, 

 after having diffipated the water*. 



The cauflic thus produced was diflblved 

 again in a fmall quantity of water, and de- 

 pofited a trifling portion of fediment, which 

 I imagined at firft to be lime ; but finding 

 that it could ealily be diflblved in a little 

 more water, concluded it to be a vitriolated 

 tartar, which always accompanies the fixed 

 alkali of vegetables. 



I then faturated the folution of the caufl:ic 

 fait with fpirit of vitriol, expecting thus to 

 detedt the lime ; becaufe that acid precipi- 

 tates a calcarious earth from its ordinary folu- 

 tions. During the faturation, a large quan- 

 tity of white powder was formed ; but this 

 likeways turned out to be a vitriolated tartar, 

 which had appeared in the form of a 

 powder, becaufe there was not enough of 

 water in the mixture to dlflTolve it. 



Lastly 



* This evaporation \va^ performed in a filver difh, on ac- 

 count of the acrimony of the fah ; which is fo very great, 

 that, having once evaporated a part of the fafrie ley in a 

 bowl of Englifh earthen or ftone ware, and melted the cauflic 

 with a gentle heat, it corroded and difiblved a part of the 

 oowl, and left the infide of it pitted with fmall holes. 



