VOL. LXXXIV.] PHILOSOPHICAI- TRANSACTIONS. SQl 



place is a hole dug in the ground to the depth of about 13 or 14 feet, and, to 

 remove all offensive smell, a little stream is turned through it. Mr. G. found, 

 on first looking into it, that the flesh was quite white, and on drawing up the first 

 piece, found it changed in the manner before described. From this place he has 

 procured at least 12 lb. weight of a substance equal in every respect to spermaceti. 

 Having seen many specimens of different animals, which had been changed 

 under somewhat different circumstances, that is, where some had been buried in 

 dampish ground, some in wet ground, and some even in water itself, Mr. G. 

 began to suspect that he might bring about the same change in a shorter time, at 

 least he might determine the time necessary for it : with this view a piece of the 

 leanest part of a rump of beef was confined in a box full of holes, which being 

 tied to a tree near a river, was suffered to float in it. On taking this up from 

 time to time, he perceived that it gradually got whiter and whiter, and at the 

 end of a month it was perfectly to appearance changed to a mass of fatty matter. 

 From some circumstances, he is induced to believe that it is sooner changed in 

 running water than when it is perfectly at rest ; for when this beef was exposed 

 to the water in the river, a piece of mutton was placed in a reservoir of water, 

 and though the mutton was exposed for a longer time than the beef, yet it was 

 not so much changed. 



Finding that this substance was so formed, and that he could procure large 

 quantities of it, he tried some experiments to purify it ; for this purpose he took 

 several pieces of it and melting them, found, though they were brought into 

 a closer union, yet the foetid smell was as bad as before. After trying some 

 unsuccessful experiments, it occurred to him that if he could add a substance to 

 it which would unite with the offensive parts, and not with the fat, he might 

 then get it pure ; accordingly he poured some nitrous acid on it, which imme- 

 diately had the desired effect ; a waxy smell was perceived, and on separating and 

 melting it, got it nearly pure. The nitrous acid turns it yellow, but by sub- 

 mitting it to the action of the oxygenated muriatic acid, he got it quite white 

 and pure. In the beginning of last June he buried a cow, in a place where, 

 from the rising of a river to supply a mill twice a day, it was submitted to the 

 action of running water. On taking this cow up in December, he found that 

 where the water was constantly running over it, there it was changed into a fatty 

 substance, but where the water which had acted on the meat could not pass off, 

 there a very disagreeable smell was sensible, and the flesh was not so much 

 changed. A piece of this cow, that was perfectly lean, was stuck through with a 

 stick, and fastened to the bottom of the river ; this piece was perfectly changed 

 into a fat matter, and had lost its offensive smell. 



Mr. G. has brought about this change in a much shorter time, in the following 

 manner. He took 3 lean pieces of mutton, and poured on them the 3 mineral 



