396 PHILOSOPHICAL TKANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1/30. 



water, that it much increases the vehemence of the flame, which lasts till the 

 subtle parts of the ether are consumed and ventilated by the flame. This ex- 

 periment should be made in a large and lofty room, not in danger of taking 

 fire. (Not showed.) 



Exper. 5. — The sense of touch does not manifest the least oiliness or fatness 

 in this ethereal liquor, though it is the true, natural, and only dissolvent, or 

 menstruum of all fat, oil, rosin and gum whatever: by means of which all 

 sorts of fat, and every kind of fire or flame is extricated by a speedy, safe, 

 and pleasant operation. On these accounts it is that this ethereal liquor will 

 not unite with any kinds of salts whatever; but all sorts of oils, pitch, turpen- 

 tine, opobalsams, camphor, wax, ambergris, spermaceti, mastic, musk, copal, 

 and the like, it dissolves most readily, and with the greatest ease extracts their 

 best essences. 



Exper. 6. — And indeed a wonderful harmony is observable between gold and 

 this ether, even greater than between gold and aqua regia; insomuch as from 

 hence gold appears to approach nearer to the nature of oils than of earths, 

 as shall be proved when we treat in their proper place of the three harmonious 

 menstrua which we have discovered, viz. The corrosive one, for the devoration 

 or solution of earths, minerals, and metals; the aqueous one, for the solution 

 of all kinds of salts; and lastly, the ethereal liquor, or oleous menstruum. If 

 a piece of gold be dissolved in the best aqua regia, and on the solution cold, 

 be poured -^ oz. or what quantity you please of the ethereal liquor, shake the 

 glass carefully, and all the gold will pass into the ethereal liquor, and the aqua 

 regia, robbed of all its gold, will presently deposite the copper at the bottom 

 of the vessel as a white powder, which turning of a green colour, contains the 

 portion of copper with which the gold was adulterated. The ether will swim 

 like oil on the surface of the corrosive waters. The experiment deserves the 

 utmost attention; for here the heaviest of all bodies, gold, is attracted by this 

 very light ether, or the gold, by the force of its gravity, as by an impulse, 

 would descend from thence; or lastly, this phenomenon is owing to a certain 

 harmony and similitude of them both. (Succeeded.) 



Exper. 7. — Ether then is certainly the most noble, efiicacious and useful 

 instrument in all chemistry and pharmacy, Ubi enim ignis potentialis, ibi ac- 

 tuali non opus est, inasmuch as essences and essential oils are extracted by it 

 immediately, without so much as the mediation of fire, from woods, barks, 

 roots, herbs, flowers, berries, seeds, &c. from animals, and their parts too. 

 Thus, from castor, by a certain manufaction, may be prepared an oil sweeter 

 than that of cinnamon, and also the true oil of saffi-on, of wonderful eflicacy; 

 and all by this particular encheiresis, witiiout the help of lire or distillation. 

 For an example of our method, take mint, sage, or orange-peels, cinnamon. 



