X80 ANALYSIS OF AMBERGRIS. 



The inhabitants From the accounts of various travellers, the inhabitants of 

 feek for fu>n the ^^^^ Sambailas feek for it in a fingular manner : they hunt it by 

 fiiore after fcent. After a fiorm they run along the fliore, and if any 



Seii!* ^^ *^* ambergris be thrown up, they find it by the fmell. There are 

 Certain birds Certain birds and other animals on thofe coafls, that are very 

 anfm°als7ond of ^^"'^ ^^ ambergris, and, attraded from a dillance by itsimell, 

 t. they fearch for it to eat. 



Certainly a There is no doubt, that ambergris is a vegetable produ6tion. 



Sotl'^™' ^^^")' ^iibftances referable it greatly in fmell, fuch as the ex- 

 Excrements of crements of raammiferous animals, particularly thofe of the 

 W animals, ^^ ^^^ j,^g • j ^ ^ ^^ ^j^^^ cowdung dried in the fun, 



particularly of ' " ' » 



the ox and p'g, has a fmell much like that of ambergris, and even ot mulk, 



refemblcitin whence in fome countries this fubflance, fo prepared, has re- 



Cowdung called ceived the name of native miijk. 



in fome places Araberp;ris, ambra srifea, is a light fubftance, fwimming on 



native mufk. . .?.,' r . i A i j M, 



External quali- ^'^.ter, loiid, opaque, of an amen gray colour itreaked with 



tiesof amber white and yellowifh brown, flightly odoriferous, its odour dif- 

 Its odour more P^^> '"S it^^H more as it grows old, or when it is mixed with 

 powerful as it muflc or other aromata, as is done in preparing perfumes or 



grows old, or odoriferous waters. 



when mixed 



with other per- In its natural ftate good ambergris is known by adhering like 



M k* f A ^^^ *■" ^^^ edge of a knife with which it is fcraped, retaining 

 ambergris. the imprefllon of the teeth or nails, and emitting a fat odori- 



ferous liquid on being penetrated with a hot needle. Though 

 folid, and in general brittle, it is not hard enough to take a 

 polifli ; but on rubbing it with the nail it becomes as fmooth 

 as hard foap. 

 The older che- GecfTroy, Neumann, Grim, and Brow, have claffed am- 

 among the b'itu- ^^''g'"'^ among the bitumens. The analysis made of it by thefe 

 nicns. chemifls was inadequate to determine its nature. Ambergris, 



analyfis^of 't b ^^^^ GeoffVoy, melts into a refin of a yellow or gold colour; 

 alcohol, kindles, and burns with flame. Spirit of wine does not difTolve 



it entirely; a black fubflance like pitch being left, on which 

 it does not act. When it is dilTolved, it lets fall after fom.e 

 time a white cloudy fediment, which gradually coagulates, 

 and grows thicker and thicker. This coagulum, on drying, 

 changes to a (bining foliated earth, nowife different from 

 fpermaceti. 

 andbydlftilh- On diftillation, according to the fame chemift, ambergris 

 fton. yields at firft an infipid phlegm, thea an acid fpirit or liquor 



and 



