VOL. XXIV. J PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 205" 



perceive that those crystal parts were indeed united to the little flint stones, 

 but that there were several small cavities between them ; from whence I con- 

 cluded, that the flint stones lying so upon one another, as we now find them, 

 a fluid crystalline matter, out of which all the crystals were coagulated, had in- 

 sinuated itself between the flints; and where those stones were not so closely 

 joined, there did not happen to be enough of the crystalline matter to fill up 

 the vacant space. 



Fig. 1, pi. 8, shows one of the crystal particles; where may be observed at 

 ABC, and partly also between d and f, how it had been joined, and broken off^ 

 from other crystal particles; between dep is that part from whence proceeds 

 several prominent points. 



Fig. 2, represents a larger particle of crystal, which had been joined to 

 another particle lying by it; viz. ghiko show that part which had not been 

 united, and in which the several prominent points are represented by lmngo. 



From the softness of these crystals, I imagined, that what we call wild crystal 

 is mostly salt, if perhaps it be not all so. And when burnt in a strong fire, 

 and thrown into water, it immediately fell down into a fine white powder, like 

 lime. And by evaporating some of the water, there remained innumerable 

 multitudes of salt particles, of all different forms, which coagulated, and shot 

 in crystals again. And the same happened on dissolving the crystals, by boil- 

 ing them in water over the fire, and then evaporating the water agajn. 



Fig. 3 shows a small figure of a salt, in which such a salt particle lay^, that 

 according to all appearance was at first coagulated, and afterwards arrived at 

 that size when the water was quite exhaled. Fig. 4 is another salt particle, 

 having likewise within it a coagulated salt particle, which at r has 2 right 

 angles, and at s an acute one, both its long sides running parallel, and at equal 

 distance from each other ; there was a great many of this shape. Fig. 5 shows 

 a hexangular figure, in which also lay a smaller of the same shape ; which in- 

 closed figure was very thick. Fig. 6 is a salt particle, whose superficies made 

 an exact square : of these figures I met with very few, especially where the 

 water had lain thick. Fig. 7 shows a form, of which I discovered an exceedingly 

 great number, though it was very thin. Fig. 8 shows also another salt particle, 

 of which there was an unspeakable number coagulated in the water. 



Having made a great many experiments on the last mentioned water, till it 

 was quite exhaled; and having also poured new water twice over the wild, 

 crystal, I saw with great surprise, that each time there was a coagulation of 

 new salts on the surface of the water ; but most of them so very small, that 

 they appeared through the microscope no larger than a grain of sand to 

 the naked eye; and yet I could perceive the shapes of them very clear, and 



