4° thoughts on Configurations and Cryfials • 
Divifion and Subdivifion feem direCtly con¬ 
trary to the EfFeCt of an attractive Power; 
fince Attraction can hardly be fuppofed to 
make Particles of the fame homogeneous 
Matter feparate. I am however inclinable 
to believe, that the Fits of Repulfion, which 
pufh out the aforefaid Lines and Branches, 
maybe attended or immediatelyfucceeded by 
Fits of Attraction, laterally, in the Particles 
compofing them; whereby the interme¬ 
diate faline Particles difperfed in the Fluid 
between the faid Lines and Branches are at¬ 
tracted to the Sides, combine with, and 
become a Part thereof. For was it pther- 
wife, when the Fluid is quite evaporated. 
Particles of Salt would be found between 
the Lines, which they are not in any Quan¬ 
tity. Such a Propulfion forwards and At¬ 
traction tideways, at, or nearly at the fame 
Xnftant of Time, may eafily be imagined, if 
we luppofe two oppofite Sides of the faline 
Particles endued with an attractive, and two 
other oppofite Sides of the fame Particles en¬ 
dued with a repulfive Property, in fome fuch 
Sort, as every Ray of Light is confider’d by 
Sir Ifiaac Newton , in his Obfervations on the 
double RefraCtion of Ifland Cryftal, as hav¬ 
ing * four Sides or Quarters, two whereof 
oppofite to one another incline the Ray to 
be refraCted after one Manner, and the other 
two oppofite Sides incline the Ray to be re¬ 
fraCted after a different Manner. 
* ffivJ ton’s Opticks, p. 334. 
Cryftals 
