178 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO iSSS. 



A Letter from Mr. Nick. fVaite, Merchant of London, to Dr. Robert Plot, 

 Concerning some Incombustible Cloth, lately exposed to the Fire before the 

 Royal Society. Dated Sep. lOth, l684. N° 172, p. IO49. 



The great respect and honour I bear to the learned and ingenious gentlemen 

 of the Royal Society, prevailed with me, within few days after my arrival in this 

 city, to expose to their sight and examination a piece of linen cloth, which by 

 their experiment consumed not in the fire: and you being then desirous I would 

 give a short narrative of what substance, and in what parts it is said to be made; 

 I here send you the same account I received of it, from one Conco, a natural 

 Chinese, resident in the city of Batavia in the north-east parts of India, Who, 

 by means of Keay-arear Sukradana, also a Chinese, and formerly chief customer 

 to the old Sultan of Bantam, did after several years diligence, procure from a 

 great Mandarin in Lanquin, a province of China, near |- of a yard of the said 

 cloth ; and declared that he was credibly informed that the princes of Tartary, 

 &c. used it in burning their dead ; and that it was said and believed by them, to 

 be made of the underpart of the root of a tree growing in the province of 

 Sutan ; and was supposed, in like manner, to be made of the todda trees in 

 India : and that, of the upper part of the said root, near the surface of the 

 ground, was made a finer sort, which in three or four times burning I have 

 seen diminish almost a half: they report also, that out of the said tree there 

 distils a liquor, which not consuming, is used with a wick made of the same 

 material with the cloth, to burn in their temples to posterity. 



The handkerchief or pattern of this incombustible linen, which was shown to 

 the Royal Society, being measured, was found in length 9 inches, between the 

 fringe or tassels; the fringe at each end being 3 inches more; so that the whole 

 was just a foot in length: and the breadth was just 4- foot. 



There were two proofs of its resisting fire given at London: one before some 

 of the members of the Royal Society, privately, Aug. 20, l684 ; when oil was 

 poured on it whilst red-hot, to enforce the violence of the fire. Before it was 

 put into the fire this first trial, it weighed 1 oz. 6 drs. 16 grs. and lost in the 

 burning 2 drs. 5 grs. 



The second experiment was public, before the Society, Nov. ] 2 following, 

 when it weighed, before it was put into the fire, 1 oz. 3drs. 18 grs. Being put 

 into a clear charcoal fire, it was permitted to continue red-hot in it for several 

 minutes: when taken out, though red-hot it did not consume a piece of white 



after her removal to London, several physicians of eminence requested permission to open the body; 

 but " vUi cuJQsdam nimis pii luasu" this request was not complied with. 



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