OF THE ASBESTINE EARTH. 



Paper made of afbeftos is both brittle and abfor, 

 bent; and fo little adapted to the purpofe of 

 writing, that as yet it has never been otherwife 

 confidercd than as a curious phenomena in 

 phyfics. 



Perpetual mutches, or wicks for lamps not 

 confumable by fire, may indeed be formed with 

 the proper kind of albellos ; but they require to 

 be occationally cleaned, otherwife the oily mat- 

 ter, that nouriihes the Hume, depolits a carbo- 

 naceous refiduum on the top of the match, and 

 accumulates in fuch quantity as finally to ex- 

 tinguilh it. Beiides, feveral of the varieties 

 whole fibres are fuiliciently detached, to draw 

 up the oil or fatty fubilance, run fo clofely to- 

 getherinthe hottcft part of the dame, us to pre- 

 vent the necellury fupply. 



Various llories are related of ruilles made of 

 the albedos, by the Chinele, and worn at the 

 end of their linen llcevcs; that they were finely 

 wrought, and, when dirty, were readily and 

 thoroughly cleaned by throwing them into the 

 lire. But the fpecimen lent to the collection of 

 minerals in the academy, a few vears lince, doe* 

 by no means anfwer this. defer! ptiou; For on 

 examining it, it wns found to be nothing elfe 

 than a flight open cloth made of tome vegeta- 

 ble fubilance, and therefore ealily deilrudi- 

 blc in the fire. 



THOUGHTS 



