P . schwediawer’s Account , &fc. 227 
It melt? In a moderate degree of heat into a blackifh thick 
oil, and then fmoaks, Ikums, and flies by degrees entirely off, 
without leaving any coal behind; fo it does likewife when put 
upon any heated metal, leaving only a black fpot upon it : 
when the metal is red-hot, it melts and inflames inftantane- 
oufly, lmoaks ftrongly, and flies fpeediiy otf, without leaving 
the lealt mark behind. When brought near a burning candle 
it catches fire immediately, and burns with a clear bright flame 
till it is conlumed. A red-hot needle eafily penetrates through 
its fubftance, a blackifh oil then exfudes, but no part of it 
leems to adhere to the needle; the needle, however, feels af- 
terwards as if it had been put into wax. 
It is to light, that it fwims not only upon the fea, but alfo on 
the furface of frefh water. 
Its colour is white grey* or yellowifli, or blackifh, thefirft of 
which is effeemed the heft. All ambergrife, when kept for a 
certain time, is covered with a kind of white ^rev daft like 
chocolate. When broken it appears to be of a granulated tex- 
ture ; and in fome pieces it l'ecmsto be laid on in ftrata. 
It feels rather rough when firft touched, but, when rubbed 
with the finger, it feels like hard lonp, or rather like that kind 
of ftone which the mineralogifts call Smediis. 
It is found lwimming upon the fca, or the fea-coaft, or in the 
land near the fea-coaft; efpecially in the Atlantic Ocean, on the 
fea-coaft of Bralil, and that of Madagafcar; on the coaft of Afri- 
ca, of the Eaft Indies, China, Japan, and the Molucca Illands ; 
but moft of the ambergrife which is brought to England comes 
from the Bahama illands, from Providence, &c. where it is 
found on the coaft. It is alfo lometimes found in the abdomen 
of whales by the whale-filhermen, always in lumps of various 
fhapes and lizes, weighing from half an ounce to an hundred 
G g 2 and 
