692 
feptic acid to the foda is greater than it 
is to the flefh? 
On fuppofing the former to be the cafe, 
it is poilible that potafh may have a 
greater affinity to the muriatic acid than 
the flefh (though the foda had not), and. 
of courfe difengage it therefrom, forming 
a muriate of potafh, and leaving the flefh 
entirely frefh, good, and potable, not- 
withftanding its having been already de- 
prived of its feptic acid by falting in the 
firft inflance. I think Dr. Mitchell fays 
the feptic acid is unwhelefome ; if fo, the 
meat may be all the better for being de- 
prived of it. 4 
On fuppofing the latter query to be the 
cafe, it is clear that potafh would have’ 
the defired effe&&; fince (by our fuppofi- 
tion) the affinity of the muriatic acid to 
the flefh cannot be fo great as itis to ieda 
(and it is well known that it is greater to 
potafh than.to foda), its union therewith 
having been a work of necefiity, it having 
had nothing elfe wherewith to unite after 
the formation of the brine (or. feptate of 
foda). 
Again, on fuppofing the latter query, 
would not foda frefhen.the falt meat, i.e. 
would it not decompofe the muriate of 
fiefh (which is falt-meat, agreeably to cur 
hypothefis; or, in other words, it is meat 
deprived of its feptic acid, and combined 
with muriatic-acid).? TI think it would, 
becaufe it is fuppofed there is no more fep- 
tic acid in the flefh; of courfe, the muri- 
atic acid, whole affinity to the flefh, as 
before noted, is not very great, would quit 
it, and {eize the foda, leaving the flefh en- 
tirely freth, &c. as before, with the potafh. 
Had I the time and conveniences, I 
fhould make thefe experiments; but as I 
have not, I hope to fee the refult given by 
fome of your correfpcndents: and inculd 
it be found that neither potafh nor foda will 
produce the efic& of extracting the murt- 
atic acid from falt meat, fo as to render it 
agreeably potable, could not there be 
found fome other iubfiance which would 
have the effect ? 

Now my hand is in, I have a word to 
tell your correfpondent who wishes to 
know what can be done with his horfe- 
chefnuts, Some time ago FT had accefs to 
a very large library of French books, 
where I faw a litile book, whofe title, as 
well as I can remember, was “* Les Secrets 
des Arts. there faw feveral ways of em- 
ploying the horfe-chefnuts to advantage; 
yet I am doubtful whether any of them be 
Fy. 5 
practifed in France, notwithftanding a 
Sutting Meat—Saturn’s Satellites. 
[ O&tober. 
decree which poflibly might have been 
pafied for making ufe of them; and 2 
great reafon I have for thinking fois, be- 
caufe I faw laft fall, in feveral parts. near 
Paris, the horfe-chefnuts lying under the 
trees rotting, nobody taking any notite of 
them. Xx. 
, . ; ; 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR; i 
'R. DERHAM in the preface to his 
Aftrotheology fays, «* I remember 
that F once verily thought I had found out 
feven fatellites of Saturn with this glafs of 
Mr. Huygens, fo regularly were they 
placed in refpe& to Saturn.”"=-As Saturn 
is now known to be accompanied with 
feven fatellites, may it be fuppofed that 
Mr. D. faw them? and if fo, was he the 
frit difcoverer of them?—It is true that 
he adds, he had reafon to fuppofe from 
after obfervation, that five were fixed 
fiars. 
In Mr. Lalande’s Hiftory of Aftrono- 
my, given in your Magazine of July, he 
{peaks of the work publifhed under the title 
ot Connoiffance des Tems, containing, 
among other articles, obfervations on the 
planet Mercury; perhaps fome one of your 
intelligent correfpondents can give your 
readers fome information concerning the 
nature and refult of thofe obfervations. 
Your’s refpeétfully, 
Aug. 2%, 1799. Me jos. 
SS 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
R. MITCHILL’S THIRD LETTER OW 
ALKALIES, TO MISS A——. 
My amiable Margaretta! 
T) URING the very pleafant excurfion 
Mrs. M-——, yourfelf and Mrs. 
C—— made to the falls near the town of 
Patterfon, in the itate of New Jerfey, a 
few days ago, you recolle&t we vilited the 
{pot where the copper-mine, on the neck 
of land between the Hackiniack and Pa- 
faick rivers had been worked. Qn ex- 
amining famples of the ore, you atimired 
very much the heavinefs of fome pieces, 
and the green, blue and variegated colours 
of others. But nothing attracted your 
attention fo much as the beautiful and 
crjfiallixed fpars which had been drawn 

‘from the mime with the maffes of ore. 
The regular and elegant forms of thefe 
mineral produStions were fo ftriking and 
curious, that you obtained from me a pro- 
mife, IT would give you fome further ac- 
count of the earth of which they confilted, | 
on our return to New-York. This I 
purpole 
