14 WRITINGS OF JAMES SMITHSON. 



In the mouth they immediately fell to a pulpy powder, and 

 had no taste. 



A bit exposed on the charcoal to the blow-pipe became 

 black, melted like some vegetable matters, caught flame, 

 and burnt to a botryoid inflated coal, which soon entirely 

 consumed away, and vanished. 



A piece put into water fell to a powder. The mixture 

 being boiled, this powder dissolved, and turned the whole 

 to a jelly. 



These properties are exactly those of common starch. 



No. V. 



Agreed entirely with No. IV. in appearance, properties, 

 and nature. 



No. VI. 



The pieces of this parcel were white, quite opaque, and 

 considerably hard. Their taste and effects at the blow-pipe, 

 were perfectly similar to those of the H^'drabad kind. 



No. VII. 



Much resembled No. VI. only was rather softer, and 

 seemed to blacken a little when first heated. With fluxes 

 at the blow-pipe it shewed the same effects as all the above. 



Conclusion. 



1. It appears from these experiments, that all the parcels, 

 except No. IV. and V. consisted of genuine Tabasheer; but 

 that those kinds, immediately taken from the plant, con- 

 tained a certain portion of a vegetable matter, which was 

 wanting in the specimens procured from the shops, and 

 which had probably been deprived of this admixture b}'^ 

 calcination, of which operation a partial blackness, observ- 

 able on some of the pieces of No. III. and VI. are doubtless 

 the traces. This accounts also for the superior hardness 

 and diminished tastes of these sorts. 



