*8d Of the Vitriol 



but in itfelf, or rather its flakes, containing fome- 

 what of a foreign earthy nature, which, for want 

 of a fufHcient quantity of it, I could not properly 

 examine. As to the etymon of the word, I am apt 

 to think it derives from Myfia, a country in the 

 lefTer Afia, and denotes a Myfian vitriol, and that 

 Its firft defcription was taken from fomething ex- 

 ternal and incidental, namely, its yellow colour. 

 Sory> doubtlefs, derives from Soria, or Syria; 

 and as the ftrft vitriol-ovz from that country ap- 

 peared externally, in its roughnefs and matrix, of 

 a dark-grey, its defcription was founded on that 

 circumftance. Melanteria mould, from its ety- 

 mon, feem to denote a black vitriolic concrete. 

 Chalcitis is, by fome, held to be' a red, by others, 

 a white vitriolic concrete, and really is no other 

 than a woolly and capillary fort, and confequently 

 a white efflorefcence. Now, it is true, we have 

 fuch effiorefcences of a real white colour, and that 

 on a red mineral, whence chalcitis is denominated 

 red, and this is the genuine white vitriol mentioned 

 by Lohneifs •, feldom found any where, and with 

 "us at Friberg, not at all. 



But we are to guard againfl taking it either for 

 the trichiies, or capillary vitriol in general, which 

 only appears white on account of its tenUernefs, 

 but which,, by a due cryftallifation, plainly enough 

 ihews its green colour ; or for the aluminous effiore- 

 fcences, appearing among and near vitriol^ on alu- 

 minous, pyrity mixt-work, as is that of BrawnfdorfF: 

 moreover, writers feem to mean by the calchites a 

 a vitriol calcined to whitenefs. But the prevailing 

 opinion is, that among the ancients; it denoted a 

 vitriolic red mineral. But whether white or red, 

 native or artificial, it rnuft needs have been an iron, 

 and not a copper vitriol* as having be^n ufed in 

 making their mithridate. 



