VOL. III.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 307 



Trees afford no sap at all, that has been observed, in autumn. And the 

 quantity of sap depends on that of the rain. 



Answers to Queries and Observations in the East Indies, By Sir Phil. 

 Vernatti, President in Java Major. iVMS, p. 863. 



The greatest length of time that pearl-divers in these parts can continue un- 

 der water, is about a quarter of an hour ; and that by no other means than 

 custom : for pearl-diving lasts not above six weeks, and the divers stay a great 

 while longer under water at the end of the season than at the beginning. Here 

 at Batavia is an expert diver, who draws wages for nothing else but diving for 

 anchors, guns, &c. lost in the road. I have seen him several times go down, 

 holding my breath as long as I could, and he stayed ten times as long under 

 water as I could hold my breath. But he will not go down unless you give 

 him a whole pint of strong-water before. 



The oil drawn out of the roots of cinnamon-trees, and resembling camphire, 

 is thus : the roots being dried, bruised, and steeped in water, it is then drawn 

 over by an alembic. 



The lignum aloes is part of a living tree, but commonly found when it is 

 withered. The tree itself is of a white soft wood, giving a milky juice, which 

 is so venomous, that if, in cutting the tree, any of the milk drop on the eye, 

 it blinds it ; if on any other part of the body, it becomes scabby and a noisome 

 sore. The lignum aloes or calambac is found within the white-wood, but not 

 every where. When the tree decays, the white- wood soon withers and be- 

 comes worm-eaten ; and the milk soon dries up, that it may be easily rubbed 

 asunder with the hands. The best is found in the midst of the tree nourished 

 by the heart-root, which goes straight down into the ground. The wood 

 smells rank like human excrement, and grows naturally in the isles of Solor 

 and Timor. 



There are serpents in these parts, which have a head on each end of their 

 body, called capra capella. They are accounted sacred by these people, and 

 fortunate to those in whose house and lands they are found ; but pernicious to 

 those who do them harm. 



The General Laws of Motion. By Dr. John IFallis. Translated 

 from the Latin. N° 43, p. 864. 



1 . If an agent A produce the effect E, then the agent 2 A will produce the 

 effect lE\ 3 Aj 3E,hc. and, universally, w-^will produce the effect mJS, 

 putting m for the exponent of any ratio. 



OQ 2 



