( 49 ^ ) 
and found feveral Notches in it 5 but I judg*d that it 
had been little ufed to a Hone, becaufe there was fp lit- 
tle of it worn away, tho’ he inform’d me fince that he 
had fct it above Fifty Times, but cou’d never bring it to 
bear. 
I pafTed the fame Pvazor over my Strop or Smooth- 
ing-Leather, which I had prepared with fine Emery, 
and then gave it him again 5 and a few Days after, 
askc him if he had made ufe of it, who told me he 
had, and. that he had found it very good, and that 
in fifteen Perfons he had fhaved with it, he had 
found but one Beard that the Razor cou’d not Con- 
quer. Now as one Razor ’is fofter than another, I 
wou'd advife that the fofe Razor Ihoud be pafTed on a 
Strop that is prepared w'ith Tripoly, and the hard one 
upon a Strop prepared with Emery 
You fay further, ‘Sir, that if one cou’d difeover the 
fine Particles of the Sred, of wbi:h the SharpncTs or 
Edge of the Razor docs confih, you imagine that one 
might alfo be able to find out the caufe of the very 
di&rcnc Effeds produced in the faid Razor. 
To which I anfwer, that as for what concerns the 
fine Particles of Steel, as alfo Gold, Silver, &c, they 
ere inconceivably fmall : one may indeed, by the help 
f f a good Microfeope, juft difeover the exceeding fmall 
' Particles of Gold and Silver, but one cannot perceive of 
what Figure they are 5 and w'ho can tell of what a 
Multitude of Parts thofe little Particles, .which we fee 
bv the help of a Microfeope, are again compofed .• and 
: althou&h we can difeover thofe little Particles of vvhich 
G Id and Silver are cempofed, becaufe we can difiblve 
bath Cold and Silver in propd Menftrua or Waters, and- 
ean as it were unite them with thofe Waters, and again 
collect thofe Particles of CoU and Silver together, fit tor 
our view 5 yet this ha« no Place in Iron or Steel, the fine 
Particles that compofe vvhich, we can only difeover in 
the 
