into a Substance much resembling Spermaceti. 
lean, was stuck through with a stick, and fastened to the bot- 
tom of the river; this piece was perfectly changed into a fat 
matter, and had lost its offensive smell. 
I have brought about this change in a much shorter time, 
in the following manner. I took three lean pieces of mutton 
and poured on them the three mineral acids, and I perceived 
that at the end of three days each was much altered ; that in 
the nitrous acid was much softened, and on separating the acid 
from it, I found it to be exactly the same with that which I 
had before got from the water ; that in the muriatic acid was 
not in that time so much altered ; the vitriolic acid had turned 
the other black. 
From these experiments, it appears to me that it is not at 
all necessary that the putrefactive fermentation should take 
place ; on the contrary, that it takes away a great deal of the 
flesh which might serve for the formation of a greater quan- 
tity of this waxy substance. 
The foregoing experiments may not appear new to every 
one, but as they are perfectly so to me, I take the liberty of 
offering them. 
