Royal Society. 335 
colle£l tlic faline cryftals, it favoured more and more of vitriol, 
and even the cryftals thcmi'elves did lb, only that the fweetnefs 
of iron was the firft tafte that was felt on the tongue, and this 
was confirmed by repeating the Iblution, and collefling a fecond 
time the little cryftals j he put the wood, diverted of its falf, 
into a retort, which he laid in lb ftrong a fand-heat, that the matter 
within the glafs was red hot, and thus he extrafled all its moi- 
fture 5 the milky liquor, that diftilled from it, was like an emul- 
fion of almonds^ it had afterwards a little pellicle on the top, and 
the calciform particles fubfided to the bottom 5 there was a very 
ftrong Imell of lulphur felt all over the ftove, but upon bringing 
the liquor nearer the nole, he perceived it Imell a little of amber; 
not like the fragrant glebe, or oil, but like the fmell of the 
phlegm that remained in the retort after diftillation^ it tafted alio 
of linoke like the phlegm, withlbmewhat of a lalti/h acor 5 the 
milky colour afterwards dilappeared, leaving behind it a fat 
fcum J he expoled a fecond time part of it to the fire, to lee 
if by repeated diftillation he could obtain any volatile fait, or any 
of the purer drops of oil, but no fait afcended, and the more fub- 
tile oily particles floated upon it, cohering no longer in the form 
of a fcum, whilft Ibme of them funk to the bottom in the form 
of tranfparent globules, of a fiery amber-colour 5 a few drops of 
oil were extracted from a pound of liquor, which very much 
refembled, both in tafte and fmell, oil of petre; the globules, 
tho' they appeared refinous at bottom, were mixed with the 
liquor by a gentle fhaking of the veflel, and the calx, which was 
the finer earthy particles, was fublimed by the force of the fire; 
the wood, when taken out of the retort, was of the colour of rufty 
iron, it fmelled ftrong of lulphur, and put into the fire it burnt 
like fuel^ its furface was fpnnkled with a red kind of powder. 
He put it into a crucible for thre^ hours in the fire, and when 
it cooled, it was covered over with a powder like cinnabar; it 
did not take fire readily, nor retain it long, nor fpread itfelf like 
fuel 5 it fmelled like lulphur, and had its tafte ; when let on fire 
it fmelt lefs of lulphur than what was left behind in the retort, it 
was alio of a brighter colour j again, he kept it above nine hours 
in the crucible, but it would not take fire any more, and after 
being calcined, it appeared white like Amianthus, without any 
Imell of lulphur 5 by ftanding lb long in the crucible, its colour 
was partly a greyi/h black, and partly Ihining; fome parts 
appeared by the microfcope like drofs, others like borax, and 
iamc like a calx. 
Native 
