408 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I7O8. 



the same manner, and troubling the sea, there rose up several rocks, that fixed 

 themselves to this island; so that now, June 21, it is about half a mile in cir- 

 cumference. 



From the Paris Gazette, April 14, 17O8. 

 Constantinople, Jan. 4, 17O8. — They write from the island of Sant-Erini in 

 the Archipelago, about 28 leagues north of the town of Candia, that there 

 lately sprung up from the bottom of the sea an island, formed of stones cast 

 up by a volcano, which has often produced the same effects, and after the same 

 manner. In the year 726, in the time of the emperor Leo Isauricus, an 

 island was formed on the north side, called the Burnt Island, by matter thrown 

 up and heaped together by this volcano. In 1427, in the month of December, 

 this Burnt Island was increased by huge rocks cast up by subterraneous fires. 

 In 1650, in the month of September, the volcano again took fire, and pro- 

 duced the same effects, without forming any island, but only a shelf or bank. 

 ] fathoms under water. Lastly, in the month of November last, 1707, the 

 volcano made an island, which is already two miles in circumference, and still 

 increases by rocks and other new matter thrown up. This burning was pre- 

 ceded, as at all other times, by violent shakings of the earth, followed by a 

 thick smoke, that rose out of the sea in the day time, and by flames in the 

 night, and accompanied with a terrible roaring under ground. There is no 

 instance of the effects of any volcano at land, like these in the sea ; and yet 

 what renders them the more credible, is, that the island of Sant-Erini itself 

 is almost all of it composed of burnt rocks and pumice-stones: it produces some 

 sorts of grain, but has neither rivers nor springs, nor any other water but what 

 is saved in cisterns. 



Experiments on the Luminous Qualities of Amber, Diamonds, and Gum Lac. 



By Dr. Wall. N°314, p. 69. 

 It is well known that human urine and dung abound with an oleosum and 

 common salt ; so that I take the artificial phosphorus to be that animal oleosum, 

 coagulated with the mineral acid of spirit of salt ; which coagulum is preserved, 

 and not dissolved in water, but accended by air. These considerations made 

 me conjecture that amber, which I take to be a mineral oleosum, coagulated 

 with a mineral volatile acid, might be a natural phosphorus ; so, after many 

 experiments upon it, I at last found, that by gently rubbing a well polished 

 piece of amber with my hand in the dark, it produced a light ; on which I got 

 a large piece of amber, made it long and taper, and drawing it gently through 

 my hand, then very dry, it afforded a considerable light. I then used several 



