Dr. Robinfon to Mr. Ray. 1 8 3 



Accidents, according to the Operations, or other 

 Circumftances, tho' they be carefully purify'd. Mr. 

 Lewenhoeck hath obfery'd great Variety of Figures in 

 them after they had been diligently freed from ad- 

 hereing heterogeneous Particles 5 and the very fame 

 numerical lixivial Salt will put on different Shapes and 

 Figures ; fo that it will appear a marine or muria- 

 tick Salt, an eflential Salt or Nitre of Plants, and 

 alfo a fix'd alcaly Salt. I have feen great Varieties 

 of Fermentations produc'd, by pouring the fame acid 

 Spirit upon many feveral fix'd Salts prepar'd and pu- 

 rify 'd all alike: Their Sapors do very fenfibly differ 

 in Solutions $ and you cannot make Aurum Fulminans 

 with fo fmall a Quantity of any fix'd Salt, as that of 

 Tartar. I do conclude therefore againft you and 

 Dr. Daniel Cox, that fix'd Salts do- really differ ini 

 Qualities and Accidents. However, I fubmitto your 

 excellent Judgment, and I will not be pofitive in this 

 or the other Controverfy. 



Mr. Ray's Anfwer to Dr. Robinfon. 



I siR r : ; . ■ : % 



YOurs of May 9. came to hand laft Poll, where- 

 in you produce good Authority for what you 

 afhrm concerning the mutual Tranfmutation of ve- 

 getable Principles, or immediate component Parti- 

 cles, whereto I can fay nothing, unlefs 1 had the Au- 

 thor's Books you cite 5 and perhaps not then nei- 

 ther, unlefs I fhould repeat the Experiments my 

 felf. 



But that there are fix'd and phyftcally indimfible 

 principles in Nature, I thus argue, ; 



If 



