OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 35 



that their opaque red coloured glafs, called H;c- 



matinos, the white and murrbinc, and the ims 



C 2 tations 



floncs was dug out of the earth. Some of thofc that were 

 blue Gmcllinus diflolvcd in aqua rcgia ; and, having made a. 

 perfect fululion, he dlfcovercd evident marks of iron. Had 

 there been any cobalt, it would have formed the fympathctic ink. 

 There is no mention made of cobalt among ancient authors ; 

 for what is called cadmia by Pliny feems to have been zinc, or 

 rather arfcnic. I have not heard of any one yet who ha 

 found cobalt, either in Egypt, Arabia, Kuinidia, or Ethiopia. 

 And, as to the mineral of which Lehman fpeaks, that was 

 brought fiom mount Atlas, and poifcifed the property of 

 tinging glafs of a blue colour, it was probably the ore of iomc 

 other metal. If you except Picdcmont, there is no appear- 

 ance of cobalt in all Italy. It was certainly found however in 

 Picdernont after the time of the Romans : and the inhabitants 

 of that country were fo ignorant of the art of making it into 

 imalt, that they fold the cobalt but rudely calcined to the peo- 

 ple of Nurcmbi-rg.The iflandof Cyprus fo celebrated for its vein* 

 of topper, produced no cobalt. Thii mineral, however, was firil 

 Jug up in Liter times in the country of the Grifuns, in France, 

 and in Spain. It is well known, that the Chinefe, Japancfe, 

 and Indians ufe a blue pigment in colouring their porce- 

 lain, and that they have long poflcflcd this art ; but, it is pro- 

 bable that they took the lapis lazuli for tin's purpofr, with 

 which the northern provinces of China every where abound. 

 Delaval, by fomc particular procefs, made a blue glafs 

 with iron, which he mixed with other glafs that was white and 

 pellucid, and thus obtained various degrees of colour, but not 

 all thofc which arc difcovcrcd iu the ancient monuments. 

 Iron is found every where; and it is not pofliblc, that thofc 

 who knew how to make jwrcclain (hould be ignorant of its 

 ufc. The Egyptians were acquainted with the hxmatiics, 

 jjj with red ochre, from both of \vliich ochre is now extracted 



