Salts and Saline Subjlances . 13 
N. B. It happens oftentimes that a Drop 
of a Saline Solution can hardly be fpread on 
the Slip of Glafs, by reafon of the Glafs’s 
Smoothnefs, but breaks into little Globules, 
as it would do were the Surface greafy $ 
this was very troublefome, till I found a Way 
of preventing it, by rubbing the broken Drop 
with my Finger over the Glafs, fo as to leave 
the Glafs fmear’d with it; on which fmear’d 
Place when dry, another Drop of the Solu¬ 
tion may be fpread very eaftly inwdiat Form 
one pleafes. 
It likewife fometimes happens, that when 
a heated Drop is placed properly enough for 
Examination, the Obferver finds he can dif- 
tinguifh nothing: which is owing to Sa¬ 
line Steams that rife from the Drop, cover 
and obfcure the ObjeCt Glafs, and therefore 
mu ft immediately be wiped away with a foft 
Cloth or Leather. 
J Tis I think an allowed Maxim, that Salts 
adt not unlefs in a State of Diftblution, for 
which Reafon I dilTolved them in order to 
obferve their Manner of acting. A certain 
Degree of Heat is likewife moft commonly 
employ’d by Nature in all her various Pro¬ 
ductions : wherefore I imagined that by 
the Ailiftance of Pleat, applied in different 
Degrees, I might in forhe Sort imitate Na¬ 
ture, and produce fuch Figures as Salts are 
thrown into, not when they ceafe to adt, 
which I apprehend is the Cafe when they 
are 
