$6o ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



gular bafe, but long fides, like two cubes 

 joined, others varioufly compounded ot 

 broken : Even this part of the fait had 

 the cooling nitrous taile ; and part of ic 

 put upon a live coal fparkled and excited 

 a bright flame like falt-petre. 



Aga FN, I took two ounces of that neu- 

 tral fait, Called tartarus fo/ubilis, the pre- 

 paration of which is very well known ; 

 in this compoficion, the native acid of 

 ■white tartar, or the chryflals of tartar, is 

 impregnated with an alcaline ley, or ol. 

 tan. p. d. from the union of thefe.in due 

 proportion, arifes a mild neutral fait, 

 which difTolves more eafily in water, than 

 tartar or its chryflals j whence it hath the 

 epithet of foluble. I put two ounces of 

 this preparation into a fmall glafs retort, 

 and poured upon it one ounce of oil of 

 vitriol, which raifed a bubbling and ef- 

 fervefcence. In diftillation there came o- 

 ver Cix drams of liquor, of a brownifli- 

 colour, with a little oilinefs upon it : Its 

 tafte was four, but difagreeable and em- 

 pyreumatic j it had an unpleafant fmell,- 

 but not very ftrong or pungent j it effer-" 



vefced^ 



