Dr. Davy’s observations 
$60 
impregnated with muriatic acid ; and, judging from its smell, 
appears to contain a minute quantity of artificial camphor. 
From the calomel that is mixed with it, and which rises with 
it, forming a very dense white vapour, it is not easy, on a 
small scale of experimenting, to demonstrate the actual form- 
ation of camphor. 
I believe, that changes very similar take place, when 
corrosive sublimate is heated with other oils, both volatile 
and fixed. Of the latter, I have tried one only, oil of al- 
monds ; when heated with corrosive sublimate, it immedi- 
ately blackens, and acid fumes are disengaged. Of the 
former, I have tried, in addition to the oil of turpentine, the 
oils of cinnamon, nutmeg, juniper, carraway, peppermint, 
and cloves. On the application of heat to the first four, 
mixed with corrosive sublimate, the colour changes to brown, 
and then to black, and copious acid fumes are disengaged. 
The mixture of oil of cloves and corrosive sublimate, when 
gently heated, becomes of a beautiful bright purple, and the 
heat being raised, acid fumes are disengaged, an oil of the 
same purple colour distils over, and the residue becomes 
black. The purple oil appears to be a compound of muriatic 
acid gas and oil of cloves ; and it can be produced either by 
passing muriatic acid gas into oil of cloves, or by agitating 
the oil with liquid muriatic acid. On the addition of corrosive 
sublimate to oil of peppermint, the colour of the oil is im- 
mediately changed to bright yellow ; on the application of 
heat, it instantly blackens ; a light purple oil volatilises with 
acid fumes, and calomel with carbonaceous matter remains. 
The production of a purple oil in this instance, appears to 
depend on the same cause as in the preceding, and it can be 
