in the Pyrites, 157 



demy of Sciences at Paris. Now, though Stahl, in 

 his Bedencken, has made much mention of it to all 

 ufeful purpofes, yet, as I find this fulphur-hiftory 

 to be ftill very defective, being propofed by this 

 ingenious perfon only as an efiay, it may not be 

 improper, or unufeful, to infert here, at large, his 

 whole relation (from which Stahl has only felected 

 one fingle part, or experiment) together with fome 

 remarks and experiments of my own ; efpecially as 

 he brings many experiments, which deferve a fe- 

 rious attention in the hiftory of nature. His ac- 

 count is as follows, under the title of, An ejfay on 

 common fulphur. 



1 All thofe matters called fulphureous, are fo 



c entangled and blended with earthy, faline, and 



c aqueous particles, as very rarely to deferve the 



8 name of fuiphur ; in chemiftry ufually applied, 



■ without distinction, to the inflammable matters, 

 1 as, common fulpbur, bitumen, oils, &c. Some- 



■ times they are alfo confidered as certain mat- 



* ters, efpecially among minerals, in no manner 

 c inflammable, and mult be called fulpbur, merely 

 1 on account of their colour : fo that we fee this 



* appellation applied to things of quite oppofite 

 c natures, and men appear (till to have very con- 

 c fufed notions thereof, nay, to be almoft quite 

 P ignorant of what fuiphur properly is. Now, ful- 

 B pbur is one of the moil: confiderable principles in 



* chemiftry.' 



Here I would hope, that by the term principle, 

 he means not a fimple or original principle, as will 

 appear from what follows. 



* Wherefore as in this art it muft be known, in or- 

 1 dcr to the forming a rational judgement of it, it ap- 



t peared 



