[ 370 } 



V. Mqysw anticipated : or, The Difcoveries of Hooke re- 

 ive to tin- Compojition of our Atmofpbere. Communi- 

 d by Dr. Thok vrox, Phrjician to the General Dif- 

 penfary. 



XTlOOKE's Micrographia was, by the Council of the Royal 

 Society, ordered to he printed, November 23, 1664. — Speak - 

 Lqo- of charcoal, Hooke obferves, that " the. body to he 

 charred or coaled may he put into a crucible, pot, or any 

 other vcflel that will endure to be made red-hot in the fire 

 without breaking, and then covered over with fand, fo as no 

 part of it he fuffered to he open to the air ; then fet into a 

 good fire, and there kept til! the fand has continued red hot 

 for a quarter, half, an hour or two, or more, according to the 

 nature and bignefs of the body to he coaled or charred; then 

 taking it out of the fire, and letting it Hand till it he quite 

 cold, the body may be taken out of the land well charred 

 and cleanled of its wateriih parts; but in the taking of it 

 out, care mult be had that the fand he very near cold, for 

 elle, when it conies into the free air, it will take fire, and 

 urn away. 

 . . ma\ Ik: done alfo in any elofe vcflel of o;]afs, as a 

 , or the like; ; feveral fluid .0' viances that come 



over may be received in a in recipient^ which will vet further 

 countenance this hypothefis : and their manner of charring 

 wood in great quantity comes much to the fame thing, namely, 

 an application of a great heat to the body, and preferving it 

 from th. free accefs of the devouring air. This may be eafily 

 learned from the I '• [ifti iry of Charring of Coal, moft excellently 

 defcribed and publifhed by that moll accomplished gentle- 

 man, Mr. John blyelyn, in the 100, 101, 103 pages of hi.-> 

 Svlva ; to which 1 ihall therefore refer the curious reader that 

 defires a full information of it. 



' c Next, we may learn what part of the wood it is that is- 

 sombuftible m: tier: for, finee we (hall find that none, or 



\ cry 



