THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 533 



the antimony with the sublimate, are highly noxious, 

 and sometimes issue so copiously and suddenly as to 

 be avoided with great difficulty. The utmost circum- 

 spection, therefore, is necessary. The butter of anti- 

 mony, as it is called, appears to be a solution of the 

 metallic part of the antimony in the marine acid of the 

 sublimate ; the sulphur of the antimony, and the mer- 

 cury of the sublimate, remain at tlie bottom of the re- 

 tort, united into an sethiops. The solution does not 

 succeed with spirit of salt in its liquid state, and can- 

 not be effected, unless, (as in the case of making sub- 

 limate,) either the acid be highl)^ concentrated, and 

 both the ingredients strongly heated, or, when the an- 

 timony is exposed to the vapours of the acid distilled 

 from the black calx of manganese. By this last pro- 

 cess, a perfect solution of the regulus of the antimony 

 in the muriatic acid is effected. Of this more simple, 

 more safe, and less expensive method, of preparing 

 muriatic antimony, an account is given by Mr. Russei, 

 in the Transactions of the Edinburgh Royal Society. 



Antimonial Powder 



Take of antimony, coarsely powdered, hartshorn 

 shavings, each two pounds ; mix and put them into a 

 wide red-hot iron pot, stirring constantly till the mass 

 acquires a grey colour. 



Powder the matter when cold, and put it into a 

 coated crucible. Lute to it another crucible inverted, 

 which has a small hole in its bottom ; increase the 

 fire by degrees to a red heat, and keep it so for two 

 hours. Lastly, reduce the matter, when cold, to a 

 very fine powder. 



In this preparation, which is the celebrated James's 



