166 CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 



Orphus as we find in Gesner. I did describe most of the 

 animals we met with in our travels ; but all my notes of 

 high and low Germany were unfortunately lost. 



Your chapter de Chymicd Plantarum Analysi I have 

 read over with much pleasure and satisfaction ; in the 

 title before Usu, I think it will be necessary to add Re- 

 solutarum, or Partium Resolutarum. It is all very good, 

 only in a particular or two, wherein you are positive I am 

 somewhat doubtful, as whether all the parts into which 

 a plant is separable by fire, be transmutable one into 

 another. For though I am of your opinion, that their 

 immediate component particles are not primary and indi- 

 visible elements, yet do they contain so many such of one 

 kind, that I doubt whether the whole body of one (for 

 example fixed salt) be transmutable into the whole body 

 of the other (for example water) ; for if it may, then these 

 being the most simple bodies we know, one would think 

 that quodlibet may be made ex quolibet, and that there 

 are no fixed and indissoluble principles in nature, which 

 I think is otherwise demonstrable. 



I grant that the component particles may be separated 

 from each other, and some of them mutually transmuted 

 as inflammable spirits and oils, they, after the separation 

 made by fire remaining still mixed ; but from argumenta- 

 tion we must appeal to experience. Another thing I 

 suspect is, that fixed salts of plants, were they perfectly 

 freed from all adherent heterogeneous particles, would 

 not be found to differ from each other in any sensible 

 quality or accident ; but neither do you affirm so much 

 of fixed salts so freed, but of them such as we have them, 

 wherein I do fully agree with you. 



Black Notley, April 29, 85. 



