[ 4*4 ] 
Partition III. N° 3. The fame bitter felt concreted 
into fmall folid and tranfparent maftes, of an irregular 
form, in which ftate it is found in great quantities, in 
many parts of the collieries of Howgill and Whingill, 
near Whitehaven, in old works which have been 
deferted fourfcore or a hundred years. Specimens of 
the native bitter fait, in this form, I fent to Sir Hans 
Sloane thirty years ago. 
Partition III. N° 4. ( a ) The native bitter fait 
(N° 3.) depurated by folution in water, and decan- 
tation of the clear lixivium from the coal and other 
heterogeneous fubftances that had fubfided therein ; 
which clear lixivium, after having been brought to a 
due ftrength by coition, and then fet in proper veffels, 
gave cryftals, of which thefe here exhibited are 
a fpecimen. 
Partition III. N° 4. ( 'b ), Specimen of the fame- 
depurated fait, formed into lomewhat larger cryftals, 
in repeating the foregoing procefs. 
The figure of thefe cryftals is that of a quadrila- 
teral column terminating, at the fummit, in a qua- 
drilateral pyramid. At the bafe they ufually appear 
broken off from the veffel or other body to which 
they adhered during their formation. The four plain 
fides of the columns meet always at right angles, 
and in the flender cryftals that firft fhoot, are of 
equal dimenfions ; but in the larger cryftals (which 
feem compounded of fmaller ones) two of the fides, 
that are oppofite to each other, are often greater 
than the two other fides. The four triangles, that 
arife from the four fides of the column, rnofl com- 
monly differ from each other in form and in magni- 
tude, and therefore compafe irregular pyramids : 
and fometimes thefe cryftals, inftead of ending at a 
5 point. 
