2 3 2 Of the G o l v 



ready fome of this metal, previous to their addi- 

 tion, namely, per fe, as appears by the magnet ; 

 tho' I doubt much, whether there be any in loam 

 asfuch, a pure marl-earth. And M. Lemery can- 

 not deny, but that by the addition more iron is 

 procured than otherwife would from the tnatters 

 taken apart : yet neither thus is the difpute at an 

 end : for GeofFroy alleges that the marl, in order 

 to its becoming iron, wants fomething, which by 

 means of the linfeed oil mnft be communicated to, 

 and incorporared with it. Lemery, on the con- 

 trary, infifts, that it wants nothing, only fome im- 

 pediment remains to be removed: the former, that 

 there is no iron yet, but that it mud be firfb pro- 

 duced : the latter, that it is already formally there- 

 in, and wants only to be feparated from the foreign 

 matters, that hinders its affuming a metallic form. 

 The former, that what in the clay or loam (lands 

 in the way of the metallifation, as alfo of the mag- 

 net, is an acid, which may be removed by a fatty 

 matter, as an abforbent or alcali ; which appears 

 not improbable, from the following circumftances ; 

 firfb, that acids ufually reduce metals to an earthy, 

 loamy form : again, that metals do by calcination 

 rather encreaie than decreafe in weight, and thus 

 lofe nothing, that muft again be refunded, but 

 rather gain fomething. 



But not toinfift on the acid in loam and clay ; a 

 fmall matter therein cannot greatly contribute to fill 

 up the pores of fo much iron, as may be procured 

 from it, there being more than a little acid requifite 

 to reduce to earth only a fmall quantity of iron : or 

 otherwife, I find not fuch a fimilitude of circum- 

 ftances, as to believe, that an artificial metal-earth 

 agrees only in this with a foflil. But it may be an- 

 fwered, which yet, I think, is not to be allowed 



him, 



