80 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, [aNNO 16q6. 



craw-fish and fowls. However it is certain, that near where it comes forth, 

 there is no enduring any part of the body but it takes off the skin. It cures 

 ulcers, and contracted nerves and sinews in a few days. Col. Beckford, who 

 was given over by the physicians, with very acute pains in his bowels, that had 

 worn him out, and another for the venereal disease, and one for the belly- ach, 

 are now gone up. It has been tried with galls in my sight; but it makes the 

 water in 24 hours look only like canary, or old hock. 



Sir, it is now the 18th of April, since that above; Col. Beckford is finely 

 recovered, and the other almost cured of his ulcers, so that the water is 

 beyond doubt, and many are resorting to it. And since that time I have tried 

 several water springs, and rivers hereabouts, and find them all tinged with some 

 metal, more or less. 



On the Soap-Earih,* near Smyrna. Communicated bij Dr. Edward Smilli, F. R. S. 



N" 220, p. 228. 



There is a considerable natural curiosity in the neighbourhood of Smyrna, 

 called by the Franks soap-earth, and has no other proper distinguishing name 

 among the Turks or Greeks. It is found only in two places near Duraclea, a 

 large open village, about 6 leagues to the eastward of Smyrna ; and in a very 

 flat plain, about a league westward of the river Hermus, and several leagues 

 from the sea. It is a fine soap, and at the first gathering a whitish earth, 

 which boils or shoots up out of the earth. It is gathered always before sun 

 rise, and in mornings when there falls no dew; so that a stock must be laid in 

 for the whole year in the summer months. It comes up in some places an 

 inch or two above the surface of the ground. But the sun rising upon it, 

 makes it fall down again. Every morning there is a new crop, tiiough all be 

 taken away which the preceding day atfbnled. The earth producing it lies low 

 in both places, and is in the winter washy; it is covered, though but thinly, 

 with grass. 



To discover what quantity of salt this earth contains, I had the following 

 experiments made. 300 drams put into a retort in balneo arenae, for 12 hours, 

 in a violent fire, gave between 5 and 6 oz. of an insipid phlegm. Finding there- 

 fore no volatile salt, as tliat must have come over by the foregoing experiment; 

 200 drams calcined at a bagnio-fire, in a German crucible, were dissolved in 

 water. The composition of earth and water boiled into a lixivium, made 500 

 drams. It was boiled for 3 hours, always skinuningoff the froth, then filtrated, 

 after that evaporated over a gentle fire ; it was kept to crystallize, and appeared 



The term soap-ciirth is commonly applied to steatilic and talcky earths ; bill ihc substance here 

 described appears to be natron (carbonate of soda). It is improperly called an earth, being an 

 alkaline salt. •, ■ ■ ' •'- 



