AMBER. 
477 
polish ; oil which account it is used among other 
articles of jewellery, and is particularly prized 
when it contains any insect or vegetable within its 
substance. It has been long known for its elec- 
trical property, being very easily excited by friction 
so as to attract small pieces of paper and other light 
bodies. 
Amber is found, but not in any great quantity, 
in several parts of Europe : the principal place 
where they collect this combustible mineral, is in 
Eastern Prussia, on the shores of the Baltic between 
Konigsberg and Memel, on which it is supposed to 
be thrown by the waves. In this country it is 
found also at the depth of about a hundred feet, 
reposing on wood-coal in lumps of from half an 
ounce to four or five pounds. Several parts of the 
Mediterranean yield this substance, especially the 
coast of Genoa, and the eastern coast of Sicily. 
The amber which is found within the bowels of 
the earth is not confined to Prussia, but is like- 
wise met with in Lithuania, in Poland, and in 
Italy. It ought to be remarked that it generally 
occurs in a blackish sand, among fossil or bituminous 
wood ; and we may reasonably suppose that it was 
at one time in a fluid or at least a soft state, since 
among the pieces collected we frequently meet with 
some that contain the remains of organized bodies. 
These are chiefly of the insect tribe, and the speci- 
mens containing them are so valuable that many 
have been tempted to deceive the public by intro- 
ducing flies and other insects artificially, and this 
