PHYSICAL AND LtTERAHY. SS9 



tit pretty quickly difTolved it, leaving on- 

 ly a few particles at the bottom. From 

 thefe chara(fters I think we may conclude, 

 that the acid liquor, produced in this o- 

 peration, is a true aqua regia : I chufe ra- 

 ther to call it fo, than fpirit of fea fait ; 

 becaufe I found it had a greater and 

 quicker effedl in diflblving gold than the 

 plain fpirit of fait had ; therefore it is pro- 

 bable, that a fmall quantity of the nitrous 

 acid had accompanied the acid of fea 

 fait. 



There remained in the retort a cake 

 of folid white fait, like melted nitre, or fal 

 prmellae : After it had been diifolved in 

 Warm water, the folution filtered and eva- 

 porated, there appeared many regularly 

 lliaped chryftals,long, flender, and prifma- 

 tical, of the nitrous kind ; which being 

 removed, and more of the moifhure ex- 

 haled, the chryftals which formed were 

 not fo large nor fo regularly fhaped as 

 the preceeding, but the whole appeared 

 like a mafs of white fait coarfely powder- 

 ed: However I could difcover, among 

 thefe chryftals, fome that had a quadran- 

 gular 



