322 M E M O IK S of the 
Jn Jcmmt of Amber; hy M. PhiL Jac. Hartman. Phil 
Tranf. N° 248. p. 5. Tran/latedfrom the Latin. 
TH E known virtues of amber in ancient times have made 
the Greek writers celebrate it many ages before Chrift; as 
^lato and Jriftotle amongft the philolbphers, Herodotus and 
Ctefias amongft the hiftorians, and Mfchylus amongft the poets: 
After it came to be admired by the Romans^ they rendered it a 
famous gem, efpecially when the luxury of Nero's reign had 
taught them to abufe it ^ a long time after that, prcfents oF amber 
were demanded in Italy by 1'heodoricuSy king of the Goths : In 
how great foever an efteem amber was of old, yet the countries 
that produced it, were unknown 5 from whence arifes fo great a 
diverfity cf fentiments about the place where this treafure was to 
be found, fome making ^fric m native foil, others >^^, and 
others again Europe j in ^fric, the gardens of the HefperideSy 
Egypt ^ Alt hiopia-, and Numidia 5 in ^Jia^ India, and Arabia 
were efpecially reckoned amber countries 3 in Europe^ the moft 
famous country for it was Italy y and in it the Eridanus and the 
Adriatic fea; but more authentic hiftory, after the Romans 
had fpread their viflorious arms all over Germany^ makes its 
native foil 10 be chiefly the iflands of the German ocean and 
Baltic fea, not altogether excluding Britain and Spain from a 
fhare in its production: Both the common report and written 
accounts of amber being the produce of the eaftern countries, are 
either altogether uncertain or falfe : Nor is it produced in all the 
abovementioned provinces of Europe, yet it appears that amber 
has been dug up in Toland, Silefia, and "Bohemia, altho' the 
annals of thofo countries rarely mention it 5 there is more fre- 
quent and clear an account given of the German amber 5. for 
the moft approved authors affirm, that it has been gathered on 
the fhore of the pelgic iflands, in Holfatia, Jutland, and on the 
banks of the rivers, as alfo that it has been dug out of the 
bowels of the earth in Saaony, Mifnia, Suahia,^c, but there is a 
greater quantity of it in thofe places that border on the Baltic -^ 
It is often gathered in Swedland, being either thrown out upon 
the banks of the lake Meier, or dug up there 5 amber is dug up 
in confiderable quanlities near Copenhagen, and out of the mid- 
land hills of Zeland'j and in digging a fmall hill, there were 
found to the quantity of 50 pound weight 5 according to Borri- 
chiiis, in the iflands bordering upon Jutland and Holfatia a 
great deal of it is found upon the fliore ; but in much greater 
plenty upon the coaib of Samogitia, Courlaml, and Livonia, io 
that 
