Royal Society; 365 
be accounted for, water is tranfmuted into ftoncs, ^c, Helmont 
particularly, and his followers, are very pofitive in this, and 
offer fome experiments to render it credible ^ and Mr. Soyle dil- 
covers a great propenfity to the fame opinion ; the experiments 
they infift upon are chiefly two; the firft is, that mint and leveral 
other plants thrive very much m water 5 the other is this, take a 
certain quantity of earth, and bake it in an oven, then weigh it, 
and put it into an earthen pot, and having water'd it well, chule 
fome proper plant, which, after being firil carefully weighed, fet 
therein, and let it grow, continuing to water it for Ibme time, 
till it is much advanced in bulk 5 then take it up, and tho* fhe 
fize and weight of the plant be much greater than whc^n firft fet, 
yet upon baking the earth, and weighing it as at fir/l, you will 
find it little or not at all diminifh'd in weight, and hence they 
conclude that it is not the earth, but the water that nourifhes, 
and is turned into the fubflance of the plant. 
Dr. Wood-ward could not fee how this lafl experiment could 
ever be made in all its circumftances with that nicety and juflnefs 
that is requiiite; however, nothing, like what they would infer 
can poffibly be concluded from it 5 unlefs they lb ppofe water, 
which they ib plentifully beftow upon the plant in this expe- 
riment, to be pure, hpncwgeneous, and not charged with any ter- 
reflrial mixture, for if it were, the plant after all might owe its 
growth and increale intirely there^^o : Some waters are fo vfry 
clear and tranfparent, that one would not eaflly fufpecl there was 
any terreflrial particles latent therein, yet that is far fhort of a 
proof that in reality there is none; for water may be highly fatu- 
rated with fuch particles, tho' the naked eye cannot prelently 
difcern them : Silver, tho' an opake and very denle LK)dy, yet if 
pure and ablblutely refined, diiTblved in Ipirics of nitre, or Aqua- 
foniSy that is rectified and perfeilly fine, it does not render the 
Metiftruum lefs pellucid than before : But after all, the Doctor 
could never meet with any water, nowever fielh, and newly taken 
out of the fpring, that did not exhibit even to the naked eye, 
great numbers of exceeding fmall terreflrial particles, difleminated 
thro' all its parts; thicker and crafT^ water exhibits them Hill in 
greater plenty: Thefe particles are of two general kinds; the one 
a vegetable terreflrial matter, confifling of very different cor- 
pulcles, fome of which are proper for the formation and increment 
of one fort of plants, and Ibme for others; again, fome for the 
nourifliment of one part of the fame plant, and Ibme for another 
part: The other kind of particles, fuflained in water, are of a 
mineral nature ; in fome fprings we find common fait, in others 
vitriol, 
