$C[8 Mr. Hatchett’s additional Experiments 
somewhat remarkable, I shall here more particularly relate 
them. One hundred grains of pure dragon’s blood, reduced to 
powder, were digested in a long matrass with one ounce of 
strong nitric acid ; the colour immediately changed to deep 
yellow, much nitrous gas was evolved, and to abate the effer- 
vescence, one ounce of water was added. The digestion was 
continued until a deep yellow dry mass remained, and the 
matrass being still kept in the sand-bath, a brilliant feather-like 
sublimate arose, which weighed rather more than six grains, 
and had the aspect, odour, and properties of benzoic acid.* 
The residuum was of a brown colour, and with water formed 
a golden yellow-coloured solution, which by nitrate of lime 
was not affected. 
With sulphate of iron it afforded a brownish-yellow preci- 
pitate. 
With muriate of tin the result was similar. 
With acetite of lead a lemon-coloured precipitate was 
produced. 
Gold was precipitated by it in the metallic state, whilst the 
glass vessel acquired a tinge of purple : 
And dissolved isinglass produced a deep yellow deposit, 
which was insoluble in boiling water. 
A portion of the same dragon’s blood was simply exposed 
to heat in the same matrass, but not any appearance of benzoic 
acid could be discovered. I am therefore induced to believe, 
* According to these experiments, dragon’s blood ought to be arranged with ben= 
zoin and the balsams, but as the samples of this drug are not always precisely similar, 
it would be pro- er to examine every variety. That which was employed in my expe- 
riments, was a porous mass of a dark red, and was sent to me by Messrs. Allen and 
Howard, of Plough Court, in Lombard Street. 
