PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 3^7 



ducefome corollaries which feem natural- 

 ly to arife from them* 



I. The acid fpirits, as thofe of vitriol, 

 nitre, lea fait, vinegar, &c. are faline li- 

 quors, or fluid faks, made up of the very 

 minute particles of an acid fait, and a cer- 

 tain proportion of phlegm or water. 



IL The particles of thefe acid falts cant^ 

 not be brought to unite, among them- 

 felves, by chryftallization or fublimation, 

 fo as to appear in the form of a folid or 

 dry fait : But they readily lay hold on the 

 particles of certain metals or femi-metals, 

 calcarious or abforbent earths, or oppofite 

 faks, fixed, or volatile, which ferve them 

 as the bafis ; and, joined to thefe, they 

 afTume a chryr ailine form. 



III. Whem any of the acid liquors are 

 joined, in due proportion, to any alcaline 

 fait, whether fixed or volatile, the parti- 

 cular acrimony and pungency of both, as 

 to our fenf;?s, and their power of dilTol- 

 ving certain bodies, in a feparate ftate, are 

 quite deflroyed, at lead overcome and 



fufpended, by their union. 



IV. When 



