Mr. Ray to Dr. Robinfon. 1 8 1 



we met with in our Travels $ but all my Notes of 

 high and low Germany were unfortunately loft. 



Your Chapter de Chymicd Phntarum Analyfi I have 

 read over with much Pleafure and Satisfaction ; in 

 the Title before -JJfu^ I think it will be neceflary to 

 add Refolutarum^ or Partium Refolutarum. It is all 

 very good 5 only in a particular or two, wherein you 

 are pofitive I am fomewhat doubtful, as whether all 

 the Parts into which a Plant is feparable by Fire, be 

 tranfmutable one into another. For though I am of 

 your Opinion, that their immediate component Par- 

 ticles are not primary and indivifible Elements 5 yet 

 do they contain fo many fuch of one Kind, that I 

 doubt whether the whole Body of one (for Example 

 Fix* d Salt) be tranfmutable into the whole Body of 

 the other 3 (for Example Water $ for . if it may, then 

 thefe being the molt fimple Bodies we know, one 

 would think that quodlibet may be made ex quolibet^ 

 and that there are no fix'd and indiflbluble Principles 

 in Nature, which I think is otherwife demonftrable. 



I grant that the component Particles may be fepa- 

 fated from each other, and fome of them mutually 

 tranfmuted as inflammable Spirits and Oils, they, after 

 the Separation made by Fire, remaining ftill mix'd : 

 But from Argumentation we mull appeal to Experi- 

 ence. Another thing I fufpe£t is, that fix'd Salts of 

 Plants^ were they perfectly freed from all adherent 

 heterogeneous Particles, would not be found to dif- 

 fer from each other in any fenfible Quality or Acci- 

 dent : But neither do you affirm fo much of fixed 

 Salts fo freed 5 but of them, fuch as we have themj 

 wherein I do fully agree with you. 



Black NPtley, A$r\l 29. —85, 



Dr, 



