( 49 ? ) 
And I have been confirmed herein by the following 
Experiments. 
A very gouty Perfon being lately dead at Rome , 
I procured as much as I could of that tophaceous gouty 
Subfiance commonly found about the Joints of Per- 
fons afflicted with this Diflemper: And having got a- 
bout three Ounces and a Half, I took fix glafs Bottles, 
and put ten Grains of it into each. The firfl of thefe 
Bottles I filled with diftilled Vinegar, the fecond with 
Spirit of Vitriol, the third with Spirit of Salt, the 
fourth with Spirit of Sal-armoniac, the fifth with Spi- 
rit of Hartfflorn, and the fixth with Spirit of Urine. 
After four and twenty Hours, I found the aforefaid 
tophaceous Matter totally difiolved in the three firfl 
Bottles, which contained the acid Spirits, but in the 
three others, which I filled with alcaline Spirits, it re- 
mained entire and untouched, even for fome Time 
after. From hence I concluded this tophaceous Mat- 
ter to be of an alcaline Nature,, forafmuch as it is the 
Nature of acid Spirits, to difiolve fuch Subfiances as 
are either altogether alcaline, or compofed in Part of 
an Alkali. And this alfo I conceived to be the Rea- 
fon why the aforefaid tophaceous Subfiance remained 
entire in the Bottles filled with alcaline Spirits, both 
being of the fame Nature, and confequently not to be 
difiolved by each other. 
But for a farther Satisfa&ion, I took the remaining 
Part of this tophaceous Matter, being about three 
Ounces, and put it into a fmali Retort. Then ha- 
ving fixed a Recipient to it, I diflilled it, according to 
the Rules of Art, by a gradual Fire, and obtained a 
Spirit, with fome few Drops of Oil, about two Drams 
of a Caj>ut Mortuum remaining in the Retort. is 
