io6 Retnarks'oh a l^atiiral Fhofphoras. 



rfn.d thumb AYcre free from pain ; yet wlien expofed again to 

 tlie air, the fiery appearance and pain returned. He was then 



led to wafh them in water, with plenty of foft foap,* which 



■J ^_ 



extingiii/hed the Jucid appearance, though the pain continued. 



The attempt to extinguiih the iire on the iloor was attended 

 with the fame difEcvdty ; nor was the flafliing fupprefTed till 



r 



after repeated ablutions. He obferves that the blaze had the 

 appearance and fmcll oi burning fulphur. Two pieces being 

 preferred, one in paper, the other in a fllver fait celler, till next 

 day, the firft, on examination, appearing partly diifolved, was 

 WTapped in a frefli piece of paper, and put in a fmall clofe 

 trunk. . On taking it out to examine again, it unexpectedly 



flaflied into a blaze, and was confumed with the paper. The 

 other piece, he brought with him in a fmall fnuff box. This 

 retained its luminoiis appearance feven or eight nights with- 



friction, a lucid vapour ariiing ixom it on opening the 



box 



> 



€' tf- 



a ^ <•■ 



^ Mr. Jenkins conje(5lured,j:hat it might have been conveyed 

 mto the flore from the neighbouring bank of the river, by ad- 

 hering to the foot offome perfon j and to flrengthen this fup- 

 pofition, mentions the report of boys* having obferved fome- 

 thing like fire flafhing from the bank, wkca filhing in the 



evening. 



The box herewith enclofed, contains only a very fmall piece 



of this matter adhering to one fide. When laft examined, it 



had not fo far lofl its properties, but that a piece, the fize of a 



2 



pm s 



* Query, whether the alkaline fait of the foap did not neutralize the phofphoric acid 

 m this natural produ-aion ? 



> 



( 



