June II. Altitudes of the Sun. a. m. 
O 7** 28' 13'' O 58° 30' 
7 30 54 0 58 30 
7 35 S 3 O 57 
7 38 33 O 57 
Correfponding Obferv. p. m. 
- 4** 28' 53/' 
4. 26 15 
4 21 16 
4 18 36 
Sina, or Snelrne, in Mr. de Lifle’s Maps. 
Lat. North. 30° 9' 
34 ° 23' 35'^ That Village is no farther diftant from 
Hamadan than 8 common Leagues, of 25 to a Degree. 
I have begun my obfervations upon aftronomical 
refradtions, which here are fomewhat lefs than in 
Europe. I think myfelf fure, that the vaft number 
of flars, which one imagines to fee in Europe, in a 
clear winter-night, is not a mere illufion caufed by 
the fcintillations of the ftars, marked in the cata- 
logues, and upon Blaew’s globes ; but that it comes 
from thofe very flars, which here we qbferve at Am- 
ple fight, and in Europe, only by means of fhort 
telefcopes, as the air there is much more loaded with 
Vapours than it is here. Yet, whatever travellers 
may fay, I always obferved here fome fcintillations. 
That the nitre is produced by a combination of 
the iiniverfal acid with the natrum of the ancients, 
appears by my obfervations. The afafoetida is drawn 
from a ferulaceous plant of the thapfia kind, which 
plant is very common in Media, &c. I have had the 
good luck to find the fmall nardus Indica : It is a 
gramineous plant, of which fome bear fpicaceoiis 
flowers, both male and female, and others only fe- 
male ones. I fend you fome feeds of this plant. 
It is a valuable thing to botanifls, as they are hi- 
therto ignorant of the true genus of this plant, tho’ 
the root is in ufe ever fince the age of Diofcoride^. 
I have- 
