VOL. XXXVII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 4^5 



The children of the emperors, and such as had a prospect of rising to the 

 throne, and their guardians, sometimes wrote with green ; gold also was em- 

 ployed for the like purpose. Those who wish to see more on this subject, may 

 have recourse to Mabillon De Re Diplomatica, and Monfaucon in his Paleeogra- 

 phia Graeca. 



Experiments concerning the Poisonous Quality of the Simple Water distilled from 

 the Lauro-cerasm, or common Laurel. By Cromwell Mortimer, M. D., R. -S'. 

 Secret. N° 420, p. l63. 



Dr. Mortimer took a peck of laurel leaves, and put them into an alembic 

 with 3 gallons of water, which he distilled in the common way, as penny-royal, 

 mint-water) or any other simple waters. The fire at first being too Iiot, there 

 came over an oilyness with the water, (l) which made it appear milky, till 

 about half a pint had run: this tasted and smelt very strong like apricot kernels, 

 as did the next running, (2) which was clearer. He kept the first quart of it 

 by itself: then he drew off another quart, (3) which was not near so strong in 

 taste or smell, but rather resembled black-cherry water: the remainder was 

 almost insipid. The leaves after the distillation looked brownish, were brittle, 

 and tasted bitter, without the roughness, or apricot kernel flavour, which they 

 have while fresh. 



In the afternoon of the same day he took a mungrel puppy, weighing 2-i-lb. 

 about l6 days old ; it had sucked its dam in the forenoon, but had now fasted 

 6 hours. He took 1 oz. of the 3d water, and gave some of it to the puppy, 

 gradually by tea-spoonfuls, that it might the better swallow it. When it had 

 taken half the quantity, he let it go ; it walked about pretty strongly for 5 

 minutes, when it began to foam at the mouth, and soon after vomited up some 

 curdled milk, and then discharged the faeces ; after which the sickness seemed 

 to go off. He then gave it 3 tea-spoonfuls more; in 10 minutes it began to 

 stagger, and draw its hind parts after it; it sat on its breech, whined, and made 

 several efforts to vomit, but brought nothing up ; and then again would walk 

 about, and sit down and whine, and again seem to recover, for about 15 minutes 

 longer. Then thinking the second water would dispatch it sooner out of its 

 misery, it seeming to be very uneasy, he took 1-i^ oz. of the second running ; 

 and gave it first 3 tea-spoonfuls, and set it down, when in 2 minutes time it 

 became strongly convulsed, put out the tongue, and made strong efforts to 

 vomit, but to no effect ; it could not stand on its legs, but lay with its hind 

 legs stretched out. Five minutes after he gave 3 tea spoonfuls more, when it 

 was stronger convulsed, rolled over and over several times, drew its head back 



