35S ESSAYS and OBSERVATIONS 



altogether fb pungent as what we com- 

 monly ufe ; but more agreeable and cool- 

 ing, yet without any acidity. This fait, 

 while moift, weighed two ounces, fix 

 drams and a half; but, when well dried, 

 and flightly decrepitate, the v/eight was 

 reduced to two ounces and two drams, 

 I put this quantity of powdered fait into 

 a fmall glafs retort, and poured upon it 

 two ounces of ftrong fpirit of nitre, whicl\ 

 occafioned an ebi;llition with heat and 

 fmoke, I proceeded to the diftillation, 

 with a fire gradually increafed ; when the 

 veflels were cooled, I found in the recei- 

 ver, two ounces four drams and <\ half of 

 an acid liquor, of a faint greenifh colour, 

 which fmoaked much when the vefTel^ 

 were fir ft disjoined ; but the fumes were 

 paler and whiter than thofe of fpirit of, 

 nitre, and fooner ceafed. I put a few 

 drops of this liquor into a folution of 

 filver in aqud fortis ; it made it white and 

 cruddled, and at length a white powder 

 fell down. I poured a fmall quantity of 

 it upon a few grains of filings of gold ; 

 with the affiftancs of a little heat, the fpi- 

 rit 



