the fibrous part is alone heavier than the Serum since a great deal of the latter is dispersed through the Pores of the former which appears since four ounces five drachms and thirty four grains of the fibrous part of Blood being distilled in a digestive Furnace the dryed Blood remaining weighed but one ounce three drachms and thirty four grains whereas the serous Liquor distilled from it amounted to three ounces fifty three grains and the like tryal being again repeated with another parcel of Blood the dryed mass amounted to one ounce six drachms and fifty grains and the Phlegmatick Liquor distilled from it to seven ounces Red Sealing-Wax suspended at a Hair weighed in the Air one drachm fifty six grains in Water thirty five in Serum thirty three And having made use of an Instrument purposely made when common Water weighed 253 grains an equal bulk of Serum weighed 302 and the Serum of the Blood of another Person being weighed it wanted but two grains of the weight of the former Serum which was tinged with Blood being strained through Cap-Paper the Liquor which passed through it was of a yellow colour Spirit of Salt being dropped into Serum coagulated some Parts which subsided in the form of Cheese-Curd and Oyl of Vitriol had the same effect but more powerfully But Spirit of Sal-Armoniack rather made it fluid Oyl of Tartar per Deliquium produced a white Curd by uniting with some Parts of the Serum but not so powerfully as the other had done Spirit of Wine rectified produced a copious white Curd but so soft that it swam upon the top of the Liquor Upon an infusion of a solution of Sublimate it yielded a white Curd but some of the Serum of Human Blood being poured upon filings of Iron the Liquor dissolved some of the Steel which appeared since upon an addition of some of an infusion of Galls the Liquor which before was muddy and thick laid down a whitish Sediment and a convenient quantity of the infusion being added the two Liquors united into a consistent Body wherein the Eye discovered no distinct Liquor at all But having put some of our Liquor upon filings of Copper which when wrought upon by Bodies that have in them any thing of Urinous Salt usually give a conspicuous Tincture we accordingly found that the Metal was in a few hours discoloured by the Menstruum and afterwards it began gradually to grow more blue and in a day was of a deep Ceruleous colour And to shew that this colour proceeded from some Volatile Salt latent in the Serum we mixed some of it with Syrup of Violets and found that it appeared of a fine green And one thing observable in the Serum impregnated with Copper was that I kept it several weeks in my Window without perceiving that it in the least sunk About two ounces of Serum was left in a South Window three weeks in the Month of July but did not appear in the least putrified but had let down a considerable Sediment and in three or four days after it stunk offensively and that at the same time it was void of Acidity appeared since it would not take off the blue colour of a Tincture of Lignum Nephriticum This fetid Serum being distilled in a low Cucurbite the Liquor that first came over was so little Spirituous or Saline that it would not in an hours time turn Syrup of Violets green yet that it was not without a Volatile Alkaly appeared since being dropped into a good solution of Sublimate it caused it to lay down a white precipitate Serum of Human Blood filtred through Cap-Paper being distilled in a small Retort placed in a Sand Furnace we obtained only a few drops of a darkish red Oyl some of which subsided to the bottom of the other Liquor but the greater part swam upon it and after a good deal of insipid Phlegm had been drawn off there came over a good proportion of Spirituous Liquor which smelled almost like the Spirit of Blood and contained a pretty deal of Volatile Alkaly so that it would readily turn Syrup of Violets green and cause a white precipitate and ferment with Spirit of Salt And this Spirit being rectified in a small Head and Body a good quantity of a thick Substance like Honey was left in the bottom of the Glass which was for the most part of a dark red and seemed to contain more Oyl than appeared upon the first Distillation The Liquor that came over the Helm was purer but not stronger than the first but having put it into a Glass-Egg with a slender Neck and given the Vessel a convenient Scituation in hot Sand we obtained a Volatile Alkaly that sublimed into the Neck in the form of a white Salt from whence it seems to follow that the serous part of the Blood affords the same Elementary Principles or Similar Substances both as to number and kind as the fibrous and consistent part tho' not as to quantity that of the Oyl and dry Salt being less in a determinate proportion of Serum than of Blood Tho' it be necessary to loosen the Spirit of Urine from the more drossy Parts of it that before Distillation it should putrefie for about six weeks yet if fresh Urine be poured upon Quick-Lime a great part of the Spirit will presently be united and ascend in Distillation Encouraged by which Observation I mixed Serum with Quick-Lime upon which there ensued a transient Heat and this mixed Body being committed to Distillation first it afforded a Phlegm in a gentle fire and then in a stronger a moderate quantity of Liquor that was thought to smell manifestly of the Lime but had not a brisk taste and this was accompanyed with a greater quantity of fetid Oyl than was expected The other Liquor being slowly rectified the Spirit which first came over had a strong and piercing smell but less rank than common Spirit of Human Blood Its taste was somewhat fiery and being dropped upon Spirit of Violets it presently turned it green in a solution of sublimate with Water and another of Quick-silver in Aqua Fortis it presently made two white precipitates And being mingled with some good Spirit of Sea-Salt there appeared a thick and whitish Smoak but neither any visible conflict nor bubbles yet the colour of the Spirit of Salt seemed much heightned by this operation And here I shall observe that having set the lately mentioned Mixture of the Spirit of Serum and of Salt to evaporate the Salt afforded by it was not like that of Sal-Armoniack but the colour produced in the Mixture whilst fluid was so heightned in the Concrete that it appeared of a Blood-red colour but of such a confused shape that it could not be reduced to any kind of Salt by all which Phaenomena this Spirit of the serous part of the Blood seems to be very near of kin to that of the concreted mass To try whether the fixed Salt of Pot-ashes would have the same effect on Serum
that not to intimate that a Body may have many similar Qualities in respect of another Body and yet distinct Operations on a third Substance I say not to intimate that there may be a considerable difference betwixt Volatile Salts or Spirits as they are commonly prepared and when prepared as they may by reiterated Rectifications and other ways of Depuration by a dextrous Chymist to bring them to a greater degree of Purity and Simplicity a greater degree I say because it may be difficult to bring them to an absolute Purity since unheeded commixtures may be made upon the Account of some Corpuscles of Fire with the Body they work upon And that there is a manifest difference betwixt Spirit of Human Blood and other Alkalies as Spirit of Urine and Harts-horn is evident to several People who tho' they abhor the Odour of Spirit of Blood yet they will with Pleasure hold their Noses a great while over Spirit of Urine and Sal-Armoniack And tho' from a due proportion of Spirit of Urine or Sal-Armoniack with Spirit of Salt I have got a Salt which shoots into the shape of that of Urine or Sal-Armoniack yet I have seldom if ever obtained a Salt of the like shape from a Mixture of the Spirit of Humane Blood with that of Common Salt for tho upon an Evaporation of the superfluous Moisture the Salts would coagulate together yet the Concretion seemed confused and not of the Regular shapes of those Salts resulting from a Mixture of the Spirit of Sea-Salt with Urinous Spirits And Helmont tells us that the Spirit of Human Blood will cure Epilepsies which Spirit of Urine will not do TITLE V. Of the Quantity of Spirit contained in Human Blood whether accompanied with its Serum or dryed THIS is not easie to determine since some Mens Blood is much more Phlegmatick than others or more Serous which may of it self be more Spirituous according to the Complexion Age Sex c. of the Person that Bleeds Twelve Ounces of Healthy Human Blood afforded us seven Ounces and a half of Phlegm and consequently about Four Ounces and a half of dry stuff And haviâ—g distilled in a Retort in a Sand Furnace seven Ounces of well dryed Blood we obtained about an eighth part of Spirit which tho' not rectified left in the Receiver and Viol I kept it in a good deal of Volatile Salt undissolved which a Phlegmatick Liquor would not have done And if Spirit of Blood be but a Salt and Phlegm united We may well suppose that Human Blood yields a far greater Proportion of Spirit than this since from the seven Ounces of dryed Blood we obtained about five Drachms of Volatile Salt which had it been united with a due quantity of Phlegm it would probably have afforded us near two Ounces more of a Liquor deserving the Name of Spirit TITLE VI. Of the Consistence and Specifick Gravity of Human Blood A Compact Body which in the Air weighed fifty eight Grains and in Water weighed six Grains and ¾ in rectifi'd Spirit of Human Blood weighed but five Grains and ¼ and what was considerable was That a piece of Amber would not subside to the Bottom but kept floating upon the Top and if plunged into it would emerge again As for the Degree of the Fluidity of the Blood or its immunity from Tenaciousness tho' divers other Alkalizated Liquors as Oyl of Tartar per deliquium fixed Nitre resolved per deliquium a Solution of Pot-Ashes are sensibly unctuous and but languidly fluid yet I observed that Spirit of Human Blood did not appear more Unctuous than common Water And whereas it is commonly found That as Liquors are more spirituous so the Bubles raised by Agitation soonest disappear I have observed that the Spirit of Blood was almost as soon clear of them as Spirit of Wine and when some Drops of it were let fall they manifestly appeared less than Drops of Water To discover the subtlety of the Parts of Human Blood we so prepared common Water by Infusions made in it without Heat that by putting one single Drop of our Rectified Spirit of Human Blood into ten Ounces and four Scruples of the prepared Water and lightly shaking the Viol there appeared throughout the Liquor a manifest Colour whereof no Degree was discernible before so that it dispersed it self through a thousand times as much Water and produced a manifest Change in the Colour of it And tho' this Computation is made upon the common supposition that a Drop of Water weighs a Grain yet tho' it weighs more a little the Difference is recompensed since having dropped ten Drops of common Water into a common Ballance well adjusted and having likewise dropped ten Drops of this Spirit we found that the last were not only less in bulk but lighter since they weighed not above four Grains so that the Proportion to which it extended it self may be said to be as one to betwixt 4000 and 5000 and this subtlety of the Parts of the Spirit of Human Blood will appear to be yet much greater if we consider that some Part even of this Drop must needs be Phlegm TITLE VII Of the Odour Taste Colour and Transparency of the Spirit of Human Blood THat the Spirit of Human Blood is in respect of some Liquors potentially Cold since it refrigerates them and with reference to others potentially Hot since being mixed with them it renders them Hot may appear from the following instance for having put the lower end of an Hermetically sealed Weather-Glass into a slender Cylindrical Glass we poured as much moderatly strong Spirit of Blood into it as covered the Ball and then dropped on that Liquor some good Spirit of Salt upon which ensued a conflict accompanyed with a Noise Bubbles and Heat which made the Spirit of Wine presently ascend above two Inches and a half which Experiment seems to be the more remarkable because several other Volatile Alkalies being mixed with Acids produce a notable degree of coldness and whereas I had several times found by Tryal that the Spirt of Verdigrease would with Volatile Salt of Sal-Armoniack or Urine produce a real coldness This Spirit of Verdigrease being mixed in the small Cylindrical Glass with Spirit of Blood moderately strong not only produced a hissing Noise and store of Bubbles but an actual Heat upon which the Liquor in the Thermoscope ascended above an Inch and a half tho' both the Liquors employed amounted not to above two spoonfuls TITLE VIII Of the dissolutive power of Spirit of Human Blood THAT this Spirit is not only a good Medicine for several Diseases but is also a good Menstruum will appear from the following instances And first having poured Spirit of Human Blood upon Crude Copper in about a quarter of an hour the Liquor was tinged blueish which colour grew higher and higher till in some hours it was deeply Ceruleous And to this I shall add that having dropped a drop or two of Spirit of Blood upon a piece of
Spirit of Human Blood being kept in Vacuo Byliano when the Air was pumpt out it afforded fewer and less bubbles than an equal quantity of common Water TITLE XIV Of the Hostility of the Spirit of Human Blood with Acids whether they be in the form of Liquors or Fumes IT exercises its Hostility against more than one sort of Acid Spirits as Spirit of Salt of Nitre Spirit and Oyl of Vitriol Aqua Fortis Aqua Regis c. And not only against Facitious but natural ones as the Juice of Lemons upon its Mixture with which there presently ensued a great commotion with noise But there is not only an Hostility evident betwixt the Parts of these Liquors but also their Effluvia for if Spirit of Salt of Nitre be put into a Vial somewhat wide mouthed and Spirit of Blood rectified into another when these Liquors are held near one another their invisible Emanations joyning together will form a manifest Smoak Some pure Volatile Salt of Human Blood being just satiated with Spirit of Nitre we slowly evaporated the superfluous moisture which being done we took the compound Crystals which the Mixture afforded and put it into a Bolt-Head with a slender and a long neck and then adding to it a convenient quantity of Salt of Tartar and as much distilled Water as made the Mixture Liquid enough the Salt of Tartar detained the Spirit of Nitre and a good proportion of the Volatile Salt ascended in a dry form to the neck of the Vessel Spirit of Blood and Nitre being mixed together there ensued a conflict in which thick white fumes rose plentifully and circulating in the Vessel ran down the sides of it in a white stream untill the fumes ceased to rise again the Mixture in the mean time appearing reddish Being setled and seeming to have been so discoloured by a fattish Substance we put to it a little rain Water and having by filtration separated the Faeces and slowly evaporated the thus clarified Liquor the saline Parts shot into Crystals like those of Salt-Petre but after a while seemed yellow as if tinged with the Oyl N. Tho' on several occasions the Spirit of Blood appears Oyly yet I not long since dissolved another parcel of Blood whose Liquor was clear and limpid a year after Some of the before mentioned Crystals being put upon well kindled Charcoal presently melted and burnt away like Salt-Petre but the flame seemed not so halituous and differed in colour being not at all blue but yellow and after the Deflagration ceased there remained upon the Coal a lump of dirty coloured matter which had scarce any taste nor was that little it had Alkalious This brittle Substance being held in the flame became red hot without any sensible imminution and so it did upon a live Coal TITLE XV. Of the Medicinal Virtues of Spirit of Human Blood outwardly applyed SINCE we meet not with any Acid Substance except in the Pancreatick Juice of a sound Person And since the fixed Salt of Blood does much resemble Sea-salt whether its Spirit be Acid or no and since several Parts of the Body whether Solid or Liquid afford a Liquor impregnated with store of Volatile Salt it is not amiss to think that the Spirit of Human Blood may have considerable effects in several Diseases even when externally applyed And that Spirit of Sal-Armoniack hath been found successful in assisting several People in Apoplexies Epilepsies c. when applyed to or put up the Nostrils it 's confirmed by the experience of several learned and able Physicians and upon the like reason I prepared a Volatile Salt sublimed from a compound Salt obtained from Spirit of Blood satiated with Nitre And for a like purpose to bring over the Saline Part of Blood in a liquid form we mixed two Parts of dryed Blood with three of Spirit of Blood and distilling them with a pretty strong fire we obtained a pretty deal of Spirit unaccompanyed with any Volatile Salt in a dry form and this Spirit seemed to have a stronger taste and smell before rectification than Spirit of Human Blood prepared another way had after rectification and had we made use of more Lime I question not but that we should have obtained a more piercing Spirit since it would have retained more of the Oyl and the superfluous moisture And on this occasion I shall add that I have often found Head-aches cured by the separated application of Spirit of Human Blood which is likewise good in Hysterick and Hypochondriacal Cases and in fainting Fits and if the smell of it makes it too nauseous that may be corrected according to the method already laid down in this Chapter to which I shall add that a few drops of Oyl of Rhodium being dissolved in Alcohol of Wine if that be mixed with Spirit of Human Blood it will give it a very grateful and odoriferous smell And here I shall add that Medicines made of Amber have been found successful not only in Convulsions and other Distempers of the Genus Nervosum but the Tincture of it in Spirit of Wine hath proved successful enough in Diseases both of Men and Women And this Tincture may not inconveniently or unsuccessfully be added to correct the Odour and increase the Virtues of Spirit of Human Blood and tho Oyl of Amber will not mix readily with Spirit of Wine yet if they be shaken together and left to settle at leisure tho' they settle in distinct masses yet the Spirit would even in the cold extract a high and a yellow Tincture little different from the Oyl it self which may be mixed with the Spirit of Blood till the smell of the Amber be predominant To what hath been said of the external use of Spirit of Human Blood I shall add that if the Oyl in these Mixtures should be too much predominant it may be easily separated by runing it through a Tunnel whose Orifice at the bottom is formed so small and sharp as to give way for the Spirit to run off first which may when thus separated be kept in a distinct Vessel And since if the Vinous Spirit be sufficiently rectified there will by the Coagulation of the Saline and Urinous Parts be produced a kind of Salt you may either pour the Liquid part into another Vessel and then use them separate or else separate the Salt by sublimation in a dry form and Spirit of Human Blood thus separated will have a fragrant brisk and piercing Odour But To conclude this Spirit is not only good in respect of the Virtues ascribed to its scent but it may be good likwise when used as a fomentation as Spirit of Sal-Armoniack hath been effectual in removing the Pains of the Gout and in the Erisipelas And since upon the account of its Alkalizate Nature it may be good to correct Acidities it may be for that purpose made use of both by Physicians and Chirurgeons TITLE XVI Of the Medicinal Virtues of Spirit of Human Blood inwardly used I Have been
with a highly rectified ardent Spirit upon their being kept all Night in the cold no coagulation ensued nor could we perceive any when it had been kept several hours in a moderate Heat But the Mixture acquired a yellow colour and let fall a pretty deal of darkish powder Some of this Spirit being mixed with good Spirit of Salt they smoaked at their first meeting but produced neither bubbles or noise Another Portion being mixed with Oyl of Vitriol there was produced a great smoak and an intense degree of Heat without any visible Ebullition or any bubbles or noise but the colour of the Oyl was heightned and grew almost red From whence it appears that this Alkalizated Spirit of Blood is very different from simple Spirit of Blood but whether upon this account it becomes a more violent or a less safe Medicine further Experience must discover EXPERIMENT II. Two Ounces of Tartar calcined to whiteness by an equal weight of Nitre being distilled in a Retort in a Sand Furnace with an equal weight of dryed and powdered Blood it appeared that Quick-Lime acts on this occasion otherwise on Blood than other Alkalies do for whereas the Blood distilled with that yielded a strong Spirit before rectification and unaccompanyed with dry Salt this Mixture afforded us at the first Distillation a weaker Spirit but so much Volatile Salt with it as covered the whole internal Surface of the Receiver Besides there was a manifest difference in their Caput Mortuums And tho' the Spirit drawn from Quick-Lime did not ferment with Acids yet this Salt upon an affusion of Spirit of Salt would EXPERIMENT III. An equal quantity of the powder of Human Blood and Oyl of Vitriol being mixed together in a little time they grew warm and then placing the Retort in a Sand Furnace by degrees of fire we obtained a Spirit which was preceded by a good deal of Phlegmatick Liquor of an odd Sulphureous smell and very strong and lasting The Caput Mortuum seemed to be of a very compounded Nature But one thing observable in our Experiment was that tho' Oyl of Vitriol usually exercises a fixative Power on many Bodies wherewith it is mixed in Distillation yet this Experiment afforded us a pretty quantity of Volatile matter in the form of a white Salt but of an uncommon smell and taste EXPERIMENT IV. We prepared an Aurum Fulminans by precipitating a Solution of Gold made in Aqua Regia with Spirit of Human Blood and by dulcifying the precipitate with common Water and then drying it leisurely EXPERIMENT V. Having immersed the Ball of a Weather-Glass in Spirit of Blood contained in a wide mouthed Glass we poured on some Spirit of Verdigrease which made a conflict with it and excited bubbles there was likewise produced a degree of warmth not insensible on the outside of the Glass and the Liquor was raised in the Thermoscope a considerable height tho' when the conflict was over it began moderately to subside again EXPERIMENT VI. Having gradually mixed Spirit of Blood with as much Spirit of Nitre as it would work on it they produced bubbles with a considerable noise and when the Liquors had setled in a cool place it appeared that an Oyl had been separated from it in this operation since a red colour was not only produced by it but the Surface of the Liquor was covered with such a film as Liquors copiously impregnated with Antimony or other sulphureous Bodies usually are And when it was looked upon with Eyes conveniently placed in reference to it and the Light it appeared to be adorned with vivid colours of a Rain-Bow as Red Yellow Blue and Green and that too in their natural order EXPERIMENT VII Spirit of Human Blood which had been kept twelve years being when it was looked upon not well stopped it appeared to be a Spiritless Phlegm but not of a red florid colour and but little wasted EXPERIMENE VIII Spirit of Human Blood being exposed to the Air in a frosty Night in which Oyl of Vitriol was froze it was not in the least altered or coagulated by it but being put into a frigorifick Mixture it was presently frozen EXPERIMENT IX A piece of black clotted Blood being put into Spirit of Human Blood it became of a florid colour and retained that all Night EXPERIMENT X. Spirit of Blood being poured upon powdered Blood presently dissolved part of it and acquired a deep pleasant colour But Spirit of Wine being poured upon another parcel acquired not a Tincture till urged with Heat and then only a yellow one but common Water presently dissolved a pretty deal of another parcel EXPERIMENT XI Spirit of Human Blood poured on lumps of Vitriol dissolved them slowly without a froth but upon the powder the solution was quicker and with a froth And both the Solutions were of a more lovely blue than the Mineral it self nor was there a dark Precipitate as in a Mixture of ordinary Vitriol and Spirit of Urine EXPERIMENT XII Spirit of Human Blood employed for an invisible Ink is much better than Serum of Blood EXPERIMENT XIII Having immersed the Ball of a Weather-Glass in distilled Water contained in a wide mouthed Glass upon an affusion of two or three spoonfuls of Spirit of Human Blood the tinged Spirit of Wine did presently subside in the Stem within a little as I have observed it with Spirit of Urine And here it may not be amiss to take notice that the reason why I employ distilled Water instead of common Water or Pump Water is because it is not impregnated with Salts which may vary the success of the Experiment EXPERIMENT XIV Spirit of Blood being poured upon filings of Copper and stopped up in a Glass extracted a Ceruleous Tincture which in a few days gradually growing fainter I opened the Glass upon which its Ceruleous colour was renewed and extended it self downwards towards the bottom of the Vial and so strong as to render the Liquor almost Opacous And tho' the Liquor was stopped up several days after yet it lost not its colour EXPERIMENT XV. Some of the same Spirit being poured upon Lapis Armenus extracted from it a lovely and a deep blue almost like a Solution of filings of crude Copper in the same Menstruum Postscript To conclude this Chapter I shall add that tho' I have laid down these notes with what exactness was possible yet I question not but that the Blood of several and even of the same Animals is so different at different times that were they to be tryed over again they would scarce have the same effects yet it will not be a just reason to discourage others in further Tryals since the advantage natural knowledge may attain by it will be a sufficient reward CHAP. XI Of the Reconcileableness of Specifick Medicines to the Corpuscular Phylosophy Of specifick Medicines BEfore I descend to shew that the notion of Specifick Medicines is agreeable to specifick Medicines I shall first represent that I am induced to
their In doing of which instead of Liquors made use of in common Glasses we employ Spirit of Wine tinged with Cochineele opened by the most Volatile Spirit of Urine which is not only in less danger of being froze but susceptible of the slightest degrees of Cold impressed upon it by external Bodies But tho' we think these Weather-glasses subject to fewer Exceptions than common ones yet in estimating the several degrees of Cold we look upon them as Instruments to be employed by our Reason and not quite exempt from those Imperfections we have imputed to Weather-glasses since I suspect that some sort of Steams penetrateing the Pores of the Glasses may have other effects upon the Spirit of Wine than what they have in reference to Heat and Cold For I once observ'd that having immersed the Ball of a Weather-glass in a strange kind of a Luke-warm mixture the Spirit rose up slowly 8 or 9 Inches in a Tube not above a foot long and subsided not again much above half an Inch when exposed to the Air a good while after it had been immersed in Water 5 hours The Chymist Orthelius in his Theatrum Chymicum Vol. 6. tells us That the Liquor Distilled from the Oar of Magnesia or Bismute will swell considerably in the Glass it is kept in at the full Moon and subside at the New which observation the Jesuit Casatus makes use of as an Argument And I have observed my self a Tincture of Amber made with rectified Spirit of Wine undergoe several changes when stopped up in a Bottle which other Liquors abounding with Spirit of Wine did not so that not unlikely if Weather-glasses furnished with different Liquors were kept together in the same Place there would be some disparity which could be ascribed to nothing but the peculiar Natures of the respective Liquors which tho' of different kinds may receive the same Colour from the same Metals So Copper gives the known Colour to Aqua fortis and affords a fair Solution in Aqua Regis as well as gives a lovely Blew to Spirit of Urine or Sal Armoniac and I have found that it would give a good Tincture to Chymical Oyl of Turpentine And to shew that even Spirit of Wine in Weather-glasses may be worked upon and influenced by external Bodies I shall add That I have observed in one that lay by me some time emergent Bubbles Which whether they were only made up of united Bubbles lodged in the Pores of the Liquor or some Parts of the Wine disposed to Elasticity by frequent alterations I examin not But sometimes they have been so great as to possess many Inches of space in the shank of the Weather-glass which Bubbles if they be small and lurk about the juncture of the Ball and of the Cylinder may by dividing the Spirit in the Stem from that in the Ball hinder it from rising according to the Changes of the Weather a Bubble of Air being more dicffiultly removed up and down in the Stem of the Glass than the Spirit it self in favour of which we have else-where shewn That Water will pass through a narrower space than Air except the latter be forced But to draw near to a conclusion tho' I have mentioned all these difficulties about sealed Glasses I would not be thought to do it with a design to set Men upon greater Nicities than are necessary but rather to excite us to take into our Consideration as many collateral Experiments and Observations besides those made by our Sensories on Natural as well as Factitious Bodies in judging of the degrees of Cold as we can For tho' Water be thought to be most susceptible of such an intense degree of Cold as destroys Fluidity yet besides Oyl of Aniseeds I have distill'd a substance from Benzoin which becomes fluid and consistent upon much slighter alterations as to Heat and Cold than would freeze Water or thaw it And I have observed likewise That Amber-grease dissolv'd in highly rectified Spirit of Wine or in other Sulphereous or Resinous Concretions dissolved in the same Liquor will shoot into fine figured Masses in cold Weather and re-dissolve in warm others being more rudely congealed And even in Chymical Preparations of Harts-horn and Urine I have observed That sometimes the Spirits would be clear and at other times would suffer a greater or less quantity of Salt to Chrystallize at the bottom according to the various alterations of the Weather in point of Heat or Cold. But to bring Instances from more obvious Liquors it is observed in some Parts of France by the Water-men That their Boats will carry greater Loads in Winter than Summer and on frozen Coasts in several Countries it is observed That Ships draw less Water than on our British Coasts which is an Argument that the Water is heavier and thicker in Winter than in Summer And I my self have poised a Bubble so exactly with Water in it that tho' it would swim upon the top of the Water at Night yet in the Day when the Sun had rarified the Water it swam in it would subside to the bottom And sometimes was so exactly of a correspondent weight with and so equally poised in the Water that it would neither subside nor swim upon the top but move up and down till the Water was either more rarified or further condensed From what hath been said in this Chapter it appears 1st That by reason of the various predispositions in Bodies the testimony of our Senses is not to be taken in judging of the several degrees of Cold. 2dly Tho' Weather-glasses are subject to fewer alterations than our Senses yet they may misinform us except we at the same time measure the Air 's Gravity by other Instruments 3dly Our sealed Weather-glasses are highly preferable before common ones 4thly To conclude this Chapter I shall add That I would not have Men easily deterred from making Experiments about estimating Cold because they may seem disagreeable to vulgar Notions since I doubt not but that the Theory we have is not only very imperfect but ill grounded CHAP. IV. Concerning the cause of the Condensation of the Air and ascent of Water by Cold in common Weather-glasses COncerning the Reason why Water in common Weather-glasses descends upon Heat and is raised by Cold there are three Opinions which may deserve our Consideration The Opinion of the Schools concerning the ascent of Water in Weather-glasses examined The first is that of the Schools and common Peripateticks which teaches That the external Air condensing that included in common Weather-glasses it rises to fill up that space deserted by the Air to prevent a Vacuum But not to urge That they have not yet proved that Nature will not admit of a Vacuum or that it is contrary to the Notion a Naturalist ought to have of Matter to suppose it to act any thing contrary to its own natural tendency for a publick Good I say not to urge these Arguments which we have elsewhere made use of I
bright Copper within about half a minute of an hour the Verge of the moistened part of the Surface appeared blueish and in a little time after the rest of the wetted Part acquired a fine Azure Having poured Spirit of Blood upon filings of Zinke or Spiltre it presently began to work manifestly in the cold and when assisted by a little Heat it dissolved the Zinke briskly and not without producing store of bubbles being also a little discoloured by the operation of this Experiment Having put a piece of clotted Blood which had been exposed to the Air into a slender Vial of clear Glass and then poured on a little rectified Spirit of Human Blood and shook the Glass a little the blackness of the superficial part of the Blood presently disappeared and became a florid Scarlet and the Liquor was tinged with a fairer red and from a succession of bubbles passing from time to time out of the cold into it seemed to work somewhat like a Menstruum but in a little time after the Blood was degenerated from its former colour to a little more dark one But another clot of Blood one side of which was red and the other black being put into the Vial and Spirit of Blood poured upon it the red side had its colour improved but the other continued black and dirty And I once preserved twelve drachms of Blood in two of the Spirit of Blood and found that twelve months after it remained fair and florid and little less than totally fluid and when the Vessel was opened there appeared little sign of Putrefaction but only a small clot was fastened to the bottom the rest passing readily through a strainer so that the Spirit seemed to have a great embalming Virtue since it was able to preserve six times its weight of a Body so apt to putrefie But to what hath been observed I shall add that having comitted the Mixture to Distillation the first Liquor was a kind of Phlegm which was succeeded by a Spirituous Liquor and Volatile Salt in a dry form Having poured some of our Spirit upon filings of Iron where they were not in the least Rusty and kept them together a while in digestion we found as we expected that that Liquor by working upon them had produced a light substance something paler than a Crocus and there appeared likewise in the Liquor good store of thin Plates which after a gentle Agitation being held against the Sun-Beams exhibited the colours of the Rain-Bow very vividly but the taste of the Liquor appeared not at all Martial TITLE IX Of the Tincture that may be drawn with Spirit of Human Blood SPirit of Blood being put upon Saffron presently acquired a yellow colour and from Tu merick a Tincture like a solution of Gold which may doubtless prove a good Medicine in the Jaundice and some of this Spirit being put upon powder of Blood it presently extracted from it a colour as red as that of French Claret but when I made use of another parcel of Spirit well rectified I found that it extracted not a Tincture so soon and after several hours the colour it obtained was brown which in some hours after was heightned into redness and in a longer time it became almost as red as the former Tincture To shew that Spirit of Human Blood may extract Tinctures out of the hardest Bodies we put filings with it into a small Egg and kept them all night in digestion in a moderate Heat and the next day we found the Liquor tinged with a deep brownish red and those filings which stuck to the sides of the Vessel and were above the Liquor were turned by the Exhalations of this Spirit into a yellow Crocus But the Mixture being kept some days longer in the same Vessel the colour of it was grown Opacous and appeared to be black when it was looked upon in a considerable bulk but it seemed of another colour when looked upon as it was spread thin upon white Paper Some of this Ticture being poured upon an infusion of Galls it would not make it of an Inky colour nor was the precipitate which presently fell to the bottom of an Inky colour From which Experiments it appears that it is unsafe either to suppose that if Chalybeates be dissolved in the Body it must be by some Acid Juice or to conclude that if Steel be dissolved by the Liquors of our Bodies they must be ex predominio Alkalizate since a Liquor that is very different from Acids dissolves it but without touching further upon this account I shall rather commend it to the consideration of Physicians to pitch upon some other method of explicating the effects of Chalybeates upon Human Bodies and whether martial Medicines may not be made use of which are prepared by Volatite Alkalies instead of Acids Spirit of Human Blood being kept in digestion with powder of Amber it extracted no considerable Tincture but whether the fault was in the fineness of the Amber or the weakness of the Spirit I shall leave undetermined Some Spirit of Human Blood being put upon some of that Gum called Seed-Lac soon became tinged which I supposed to proceed from a superficial colour of some Parts of the Gum proceeding from some adhering Blood of the little winged insects who by their bitings occasioned this Gum upon the twigs of the Trees where it is found so that the colour seems not to be given by the Gum but the Blood of those Animals and may probably be a good solvent Medicine since most of the insects used in Physick consists of Parts very subtle and penetrating and of considerable Efficacy TITLE X. Of the Coagulating power of the Spirit of Human Blood HIghly rectified Spirit of Human Blood being well mingled by shakeing it with a convenient quantity of Urinous Spirits there will presently ensue a Coagulation or a concretion of Parts either of the whole Mixture or a Portion of it into corpuscles of a Saline form which cohering loosely together make up a mass of a fluid and consistent soft temper in which form it will continue in a cool place several months TITLE XI Of the Precipitating power of Spirit of Human Blood IT hath a power of Precipitating as other Volatile Spirits most Bodies dissolved in Acid Menstruums I say most because there is no need this rule should be general or hold when the Body is of such a Nature that it may be as well dissolved by an Acid as an Alkaly and that there are such Bodies appears since Spirit of Human Blood will dissolve both Copper and Zink which may be likewise dissolved by Aqua Fortis and other Acid Menstruums But that this Spirit will precipitate other Bodies dissolved in Acid Menstruums I am convinced by several tryals made on red Lead dissolved in Vinegar Silver in Aqua Fortis Gold in Aqua Regia and Tin dissolved in an appropriated Menstruum and several other Bodies And out of a Solution of common Salt made in Water
of Nitre The Ingredients of Gun Powder Charcoal and Sulphur without the least shadow for the Pretence of a Substantial Form a Body is produc'd of Effects more prodigious than any of Nature's Production Nor can Nature produce a more Noble Concrete than Glass which is but the Product of Matter brought together by Art where in less than an Hour an Opaque Body becomes transparent and acquires several other Qualities for as much as appears to Sense without the Addition of any other Body which yet by another change in a trice may make a Substance not Glassy but Opacous * Substantial Forms not necessary to Discriminate Bodies Nay the Aristotelians themselves allow That there may be slight Changes in Matter so as to distinguish Genus's without an Introduction of Substantial Forms as in Coral which in the bottom of the Sea is tender and grows like a Plant yet when harden'd in the Air it is by several Eminent Writers class'd amongst Stones And indeed its Calx is very much unlike the Ashes of Plants being apt to be corroded by Vinegar as Lapis Stellaris and several other Mineral Stones are And a thing equally to be admir'd is to be seen in Sombrero an Island in the East-Indies near Sumatra according to Sir James Lancester who relates a Story of a Worm which is transform'd into a Tree and that again into a Stone much like white Coral And Piso in his History of Brasil vouches many Witnesses for the Transformation of Animals like Grass-hoppers into Vegetables Likewise Michael Boym a Jesuit affirms That he saw in the Island Hainan in China Crabs which pull'd as out of the Water were immediately petrify'd But Pyrophilus that I may draw to a Conclusion I shall only further add to what hath gone before Oyl of Vitriol turn'd into Allom. that Remarkable Experiment of Helmont's which is that Oyl of Vitriol may be turn'd into Allom by the Fumes of Mercury To which may be added another Instance presented us in the Production of Salt-Petre For if on the white Salt afforded by Solution of Pot-Ashes Spirit of Nitre be pour'd Salts obtain'd from Spirit of Nitre and Pot. Ashes till they cease to ferment that Mixture will yield Crystals endued both with the Shape and other Qualities of Nitre CHAP. VII Experimental Attempts concerning the Redintegration of Bodies HAving already to confirm the Origin of Forms as intimated in our Hypothesis alledged the Measures taken in the Productions of Forms I now proceed to illustrate it from their Reproduction which might prove the stronger Argument of the Two could it be clearly made out because to Re-produce a Body whose Substantial Form hath been destroyed may argue that a Form is only a Modification of the Parts of Matter of which a Body is composed in such order in reference to each other as is requisite to produce such Properties Whereas were those Parts otherwise placed they would make up a Body of a different Nature which would be again of the nature of the former were the Parts of which it consists associated in their former Order But tho' an Adaequate Redintegration of Bodies Chymically Analized were impossible by Reason of some Dissipated Parts yet such a one as is possible may be sufficient to our Purpose which is the Experiment concerning the Reproduction of Salt-Petre But Experimental Attempts of this kind being very difficult all that I shall do at the present is to represent that Difficulty And An Attempt to re-unite the Parts of Amber First we shall do it by relating our Success in an Attempt to dissipate and re-unite the Parts of common Amber for having put Four or Five Ounces of Amber into a Glass Retort by a gentle Heat it began gradually to melt and bubble and after the Operation was ended we found in the Receivers half the weight of the Amber consisting of a Mixture of Volatile Salt Spirit Phlegm and Oyl and in the bottom of the broken Retort we found a Cake of Matter very black yet so smooth that nothing could be finer Polished so that it might very well have supplied the place of a Looking-Glass which when it was broke the Fragments were accompanied with a more than ordinary Lustre All which divided Parts of Amber being mix'd in a Glass Body to which a Blind Head was luted and placed in Sand the Fire being by Accident increased the Fumes raised the Vessel out of the Sand which falling the Top of it was broke by striking against the side of the Furnace and the Fumes flew away The remaining Matter was very like Tarre but would not Tincture Spirit of Wine tho' with Oyl of Turpentine it would make a Blood-Red Balsom The whole Process being again renewed and some Accidents happening we could not finish the Experiment An Attempt to re-unite the Parts of Roch-Allom But notwithstanding the Difficulty of Tryals of this kind having once drawn what Quantity I could of Phlegm and Spirit from Roch Allom and poured it again upon the Caput Mortuum after some time some Parts were so associated again as to form several curiously figur'd Crystals An Attempt to re-unite the Parts of Vitriol And though Vitriol may seem a Body unapt for such Experiments yet I once drew from blew Vitriol a Phlegm and Spirit together with a heavy Oyl which being divided into several Parts the red Caput Mortuum was divided into an equal Number one part of each of which being mixed over Night in the Morning I found several Grains of pure Vitriol upon the Surface of the Matter which I again found upon the Mixture of another part of the Powder and Liquor only more in Quantity and this Experiment was also confirm'd by a Third Tryal As also of Antimony and Oyl of Vitriol To these I shall add what happened upon the digestion of powdered Antimony with a double quantity of Oyl of Vitriol For having drawn from it a little Liquor together with a considerable Quantity of combustible Antimonial or Antimonio-Vitriolate Sulphur the Caput Mortuum remaining in the Report was light and friable and upon the upper part white like common Wood-Ashes the rest being like a Cinder Whereupon we exposed it to the Fire in a Retort of Glass well Coated and fitted with a Receiver and after some time separating the Vessels we found very little Sulphur sublimed and not the least Antimonial Quicksilver but the Caput Mortuum was united into a Mass of black Antimony covered over with white transparent Glass From whence we may infer that Antimony generally abounds with more Sulphur than is requisite to constitute that Mineral though in this Experiment we might suspect that part of it was turned into Glass by the Loss of the Sublimed Sulphur Another to re-unite the Parts of Vitriol But amongst all my Experiments of the Redintegration of Bodies the following was the most successful for having distilled from several Ounces of Turpentine in a Glass Retort a considerable Quantity
those Vapours which Swim in our Atmosphere A Transparent Liquor may yield a Liquor Diaphanous and another Opacous Having said thus much of Fluidity it may not be amiss to subjoyn one Experiment which shews how a transparent Liquor may be divided into two the one Diaphanous and the other Opacous Pour into a warm Solution of an Ounce of Quicksilver with a double Quantity of Aqua Fortis about half an Ounce or an Ounce of Filings of Lead being cautious that it be not put in so fast as to make the Liquor Boyl over the Event of which will be that the Lead will be immediately precipitated in the Form of a white Powder the Mercury running together again into a Fluid Body immersed in the Aqua Fortis And here it is to be noted that if the success of this Experiment be frustrated the Mercury may by degrees be again recovered if the white Precipitate be diligently ground for some time with Water Motion in the Parts of some Consistent Bodies But to put a Conclusion to this Chapter it is highly probable that not only Fluid but some consistent Bodies have their Parts in a certain degree of Motion whence as we may conjecture proceeds that Dust which is the Effect of Putrefaction in some sorts of Wood And it is not absurd to imagine that from hence Worms in Fruit as well as Magots in Cheese derive their Original And that there is Motion amongst the Parts of some consistent Bodies is further made probable both by that Turpentine which I have observed to Sweat out of Deal Boards and the growth and increase of the Bones and other consistent Parts of Bodies but more particularly in those of colder Animal Substances as Oyster-Shells Crabs-Claws and such like consistent Substances Having said thus much concerning Fluidity it might not be improper to take notice how by the Mixture of Liquids their Fluidity is sometimes promoted and also sometimes destroyed But since we shall have occasion sometime or other in the following Chapter to make such Observations I shall to close this Chapter add an Experiment which may intimate that the event of Mixtures is not always certain The Experiment is the following We Evaporated a Solution of Copper in Spirit of Nitre from whence we obtained a Vitriol of a lovely Colour We likewise dissolved one Part of good Tin in a double Quantity of Spirit of Nitre and tho' Salt-Petre as well as Tin be both Fusible yet this Metalline Mixture would neither melt on quick Coals nor in a red hot Crucible Whereas the Vitriol of Copper would melt with the heat of ones Hand though the Metalline Ingredients be much more hard to be brought to Fusion than Lead or even Silver it self and we have sometimes obtained such a Vitriol as might be preserved in a Fluid Form by the Languid heat of the Sun in Winter either with Spirit of Nitre or a certain Aqua Fortis From whence it appears that the Textures of Compositions are to be considered as well as the Particular Consistence of the Ingredients CHAP. XII Experiments concerning the Superficial Figures of Fluids Especially of Liquors Contiguous to other Liquors COnsidering that the greatest Part of the Universe is made of Fluid Bodies especially if according to the Cartesian Hypothesis the Sun and fixt Stars consist of Fluids it may not be amiss to illustrate what we have only hinted at in the foregoing Chapter For the following Experiments made about the superficial Figures of Fluid Bodies may not a little contribute to illustrate as well what hath been before delivered as what hath been said concerning the Pores of Fluid Bodies besides they may be of no small use in accounting for several Phaenomena belonging to the Grand System of the World EXPERIMENT I. and II. The Figure of the Surface of a Nitrous Liquor To try whether the concave Surface of Fluids contained in a Pipe was wholly to be attributed to the Pressure of the Contiguous Air I poured Dephlegmed Spirit of Wine upon a strong Alkalizate Menstrum which was made of fixed Nitre run per deliquium in a moist Celler and contained in a Cylinder of Glass of about a quarter of an Inch Diameter I found that the Menstrum changed it's concave for a horizontal Superficies and the like succeeded in a Glass of a much greater Diameter And that Superficial Cavity was likewise almost destroyed by pouring on Oyl of Turpentine instead of Spirit of Wine EXPERIMENT III. Of Water If instead of the former Liquor common Water was put into the Glass Cylinder it retained it's former Surface tho' Oyl of Turpentine Swam upon it instead of Spirit of Wine EXPERIMENT IV. To try what Surface would be made by an Oyl heavier than Water Of Oyl of Turpentine by being contiguous to it I put pure Oyl of Turpentine into a Glass Cylinder and found that the Concave Superficies which it had whilst the Air was Contiguous became Convex and protuberant upon an Affusion of Water EXPERIMENT V. The Superficies of a Solution of Tartar c. Again having put Salt of Tartar deliquated into a Glass Cylinder and poured Oyl of Guajacum upon it we found that the Concave Superficies was not altred as it was by Oyl of Turpentine And having gently poured Water upon these two the Oyl of Guajacum Swam betwixt the Water and the Oyl of Tartar having a Convex Superficies at each end that next the Oyl of Tartar being most protuberant EXPERIMENT VI. Of Oyl of Cloves Having likewise put Oyl of Cloves into a Glass Cylinder by pouring Water upon it it 's Concave Superficies presently became Convex and this Oyl being too heavy to Swim upon Water we poured some of it upon Deliquated Salt of Tartar pouring upon it likewise a little common Water which being done we found the Oyl Protuberant at both Ends but more at that which was Contiguous to the Water EXPERIMENT VII Again having put a considerable Quantity of Quicksilver into a Pipe of the same Diameter Of Quicksilver but much longer than the former we found that the Superficies of it which was otherwise considerably Protuberant was in some measure Depress'd when Water instead of Air was Contiguous to it EXPERIMENT VIII Of the same Upon tryal whether a greater or less Quantity of Water would alter the Surface of the Mercury I found that the greater the Quantity of Water was the more it was depressed tho' it did not always succeed But when the Cylinder being of a considerable length was filled with Water the Mercury Contiguous to the Glass was depressed to a Level having in the Center of its Superficies a Protuberance Semicircular and raised above the other level Surface half it's Diameter which Protuberance gradually subsided as the Mercury was drawn off EXPERIMENT IX The Surface of Liquors in Vacuo Boyliano Having conveighed two of the afore-mentioned Cylinders one containing Water and the other Mercury into our Pneumatical Receiver
Qualities and stupendious Multitudes of adventitious Corpuscles which are mix'd with it Agitation requisite to preserve Sea Water from stinking But to proceed amongst the various Observations to be made about Sea-Water it is worth our Notice That if it be kept from Agitation it will in a short time stink which I have not only observ'd by keeping some of it in a Runlet for some time but also I am inform'd by one who in a Voyage was for some days becalmed that the Sea for want of Agitation stunk so much in twelve or fourteen days that the Smell was almost intolerable which continued till the Winds put the Water into Agitation Which agrees with what Sir John Hawkins hath observ'd who relates the following Story Were it not for the Moving of the Sea by the Force of Winds Tides and Currents it would corrupt all the World The Experience of which I saw Anno 1590 lying with a Fleet about the Islands of Azores almost Six Months the greatest Part of the time we were becalmed with which all the Sea became so replenished with several sorts of Gellies and Forms of Serpents Adders and Snakes as seem'd Wonderful some green some black some yellow some white some of divers Colours and many of them had Life and some there were a Yard and a half and some two Yards long which had I not seen I could hardly have believ'd and hereof are Witnesses all the Company of the Ships which were then present so that hardly a Man could draw a Bucket of Water clear of some Corruption In which Voyage toward the End thereof many of every Ship fell sick of this Disease and dy'd apace but that the speedy Passage into our own Country was a Remedy to the Crazed and a Preservative for those that were not touched The Saltness of the Sea differs As for the different Degrees of the Saltness of the Sea I shall deliver what I have been inform'd of as briefly as I can And First It hath been observ'd by one to whom I gave a Glass conveniently shaped to try the specifick Gravity of the Water that it grew heavier and heavier as he came nearer the Line till within about thirty Degrees Latitude from whence to Jamaica he observ'd no Alteration in the specifick Gravity in the least And in Confirmation of this I am likewise inform'd by one who for his own Satisfaction weigh'd the Water both under the Aequinoctial and at Cape of good Hope and found that the Weight of both was the same To which may be added that it is commonly observ'd at Mosambique one of the hottest Places in the World that the Sea is so salt there that it bears up the Ships a considerable Height out of the Water more than in other Places and that the Water may be much salter in one Place than another by having more Salt dissolved in it does not only appear from what hath been said but also from what is frequently observ'd in the different Strength of Brine-Pits But to pass from what I have learnt by Information to what I have observ'd my self concerning the Proportion of Salt to the Water it was dissolv'd in which I have observ'd in Sea-Water betwixt England and France The Proportion of Salt in Sea-Water The first Experiment I made to discover the Quantity of Salt was this that having in a Viol weigh'd an equal Proportion of Sea-Water taken up at the Surface of the Sea with common Water the Weight of the former exceeded the latter of forty fifth Part but these Liquors being more Hydrostatically try'd by weighing Sulphur in them that which in the Sea-Water weigh'd ℥ ss + 10 ½ gr in Sea-Water fetch'd from the bottom ballanced the same Weight but being weigh'd in common Water it weigh'd ℥ ss + 15 ½ gr so that the Sea-Water was a Fifty third Part heavier than the fresh the Difference in which way of trying it from what was observ'd in the former Tryal I could attribute to nothing but some grosser Saline Parts mix'd with the common Water or some evaporated Parts of the Sea-Water Another way we made use of to try the different specifick Gravity of these Liquors was by Distillation ad Siccitatem in a digestive Furnace in which a Pound Averdupoise Weight yeilded ℥ ss 10 gr of Salt so that the Proportion of the Salt to the Water was as 30 and 12 100 to one being near the Thirtieth Part. But suspecting that the Quantity of this Salt was much increas'd by imbibing Moisture from the Air I caus'd it to be dry'd in a Crucible and found it weigh'd ʒiij + ss which is about a Thirty sixth Part. How so much a greater Quantity of Salt should be obtain'd by Distillation is difficult to conjecture yet I am apt to think that it might proceed from some Parts of the Water detain'd from flying away by being enclos'd amongst the cubical Salts and this I am apter to believe First Because I have elsewhere prepar'd a Salt which would coagulate and embody it self with Water and Secondly Because I am told That a Sort of Salt is brought from the Coast of Spain which being here purify'd and dissolv'd will yield a double Quantity The Sea-Water salter sometimes than at others Whether the Sea-Water may at some times be more impregnated with Saline Parts than at others I conceive probable if we consider the Supplies that it receives both from the Earth which are carry'd to it along with Springs and also the sudden Additions it may receive from Subterraneal Exhalations but these Observations being very nice it most commonly requires other Measures than what Hydrostaticks afford for it may be observ'd That several volatile Salts which are of no considerable Weight above common Water may be mix'd with it without being perceiv'd so that one may easily be deceiv'd in judging of the Saltness of the Sea altogether by Hydrostaticks because that which violently affects the Taste may have but a small Influence in the Balance To confirm which I shall add That a Bubble of Glass having Metal in it weigh'd ʒiij ✚ 51 ¼ gr in Spirit of Sal Armoniack and but ʒiij ✚ 45 ¾ in common Water But further I weigh'd in the same Liquor an equal Proportion of Sea-Salt brought from the torrid Zone and Sal Armoniack and found that the Bulk of the former was to an equal Proportion of that Liquor as two and a quarter to one whereas the Sal Armoniack was not above a hundredth Part above one and 7 10 to one which is the more strange because Part of the Composition of Sal Armoniack is Sea-Salt But that I might be satisfi'd what was the greatest Degree of Saltness that Water would be impregnated with I shook a Lump of Salt in Water till it would dissolve no more and found that a Brine might be made so strong that the Salt would be dissolv'd in five times its weight of Water To conclude this Discourse I shall add one
Parts are checked by Cold. But leaving this plausible tho' not satisfactory Experiment I shall proceed to another which is this Having filled a Glass Bubble capable of containing about three Ounces with near equal Parts of Oyl of Vitriol and Water half a dozen Iron Nails being cast into it we stopp'd the Cylindrical Neck of the Tube with Diapalma so close as to exclude the Air altogether which being done we immers'd the Neck of this Bubble into a Glass Vessel full of the same Liquor and in a little time perceiv'd Bubbles to rise to the Top of it being rais'd by the Heat produced by the Action of the Oyl upon the Nails and this Air was so much increas'd in a little time as to depress the Water quite out of the Bubble into the Cylindrical Neck of it But lest that Pressure should be thought to proceed from the Agitation of those insensible Parts of Matter we observ'd That tho' the Vessels were expos'd to the Air for four days to give the Motion of the Parts time to cease had the Effect proceeded from them we observ'd That the Liquor all that time continued depressed the Space beforementioned being filled with Air. And what was worthy to be noted Upon a small degree of Heat approaching the Bubble the included Air was further dilated And the like Phaenomena succeeded upon a Tryal with Nails corroded in Aqua fortis From which Experiments it might be inferred That if Water be not convertible into Air yet it seems probable that it may be generated anew And that Air and Water are mutually convertible into each other might further be urg'd as nothing but what the Aristotelians teach and allow of But we shall rather urge That if what Democritus Lucippus and Epicurus together with other Naturalists teach be allow'd of viz. That the Qualities of Bodies depend on the different Figures Shapes and Textures of the Parts of Matter they consist of it will be reasonable enough to think That the Texture of the Parts of Water being alter'd they may acquire the several Qualities of Air since it is certain That the Parts of Matter may by a lucky Concourse of Causes become springy So Silver by being beaten with a Hammer acquires Springiness which it loses by being heated in the Fire and becomes flexible EXPERIMENT XXIII The Subject of the former Experiment prosecuted IN Prosecution of what was deliver'd in the foregoing Experiments We filled a Glass call'd a Philosophical Egg with common Water about a Foot and a half high it being large enough to contain about nine Ounces and the Diameter of the Neck being at the Top half an Inch and at the Bottom an Inch this being put into the Receiver and the Pump ply'd when the Air was pretty well exhausted several Bubbles rose to the Top and broke but all of them finding an easy Passage through the Water did not elevate it as when they ascended in a narrower Cylinder but upon an Admission of Air into the Receiver again the Water was sensibly depressed To try whether distilled Water was more subject to expand than common Water I put two Ounces of it into a Glass Bubble which wrought to the Middle of it's Neck but it neither swelled nor yielded Bubbles upon an Exsuction of the Air. But having put distilled Water into two distinct Philosophical Eggs the Neck of the former being straitned with a Glass Tube we plac'd them in the Receiver and found a manifest Difference upon the Exsuction of the Air for in that which was straitned the Air manifestly elevating the Water several Bubbles were gather'd about the bottom of the Glass Tube whereas in the other Egg the Water was not in the least elevated and though the Bubble in the last-mentioned disappear'd upon the Re-ingress of the Air those above the Tube continu'd visible only a little contracted for a considerable time the Surface of the Water which was before elevated being depressed lower than when first put into the Egg. And after a days time having again ply'd the Pump we observ'd That the Bubbles were so much drawn out before that we could scarce discern a Bubble in either but that in which the Cylindrical Tube was plac'd swell'd the Breadth of a Barly Corn tho' the other did not yet in the former upon a Re-ingress of Air it subsided again and whether that Swelling was caus'd by the Rarefaction of the Water or the Spring of some latent airy Parts is not easy to determine EXPERIMENT XXIV The former Experiments prosecuted with other Liquors HAVING put Sallad Oyl into a Glass about the Size of a Turkey's Egg whose Stem was near â…“ of an Inch in Diameter the Liquor reaching up to the Middle of the Stem we plac'd it in the Receiver together with the like Vessel fill'd to the same Height with Water and upon drawing out the Air the Bubbles were not only more copious than those of the Water but rose much sooner as well as longer continuing till the Pumper was quite tired with Pumping and what was very remarkable in this Experiment was that when the Oyl was put into the Receiver before the Receiver could be closed and the Pump put into Action it subsided near half an Inch in the Stem Having put Oyl of Turpentine into a Glass Bubble we observ'd That it afforded a good Quantity of Bubbles which expanded themselves in their Ascent and would sometimes raise the Oyl in the Tube so much as to make it run over But besides the foregoing we try'd the like Experiments with other Liquors amongst which a strong Solution of Salt of Tartar afforded very few Bubbles and those much later than other Liquors Spirit of Vinegar likewise yielded very few Red Wine afforded Bubbles pretty plentifully which chang'd Places by moving in an oblique Ascent and formed a sort of Froth near the Top which presently disappear'd Milk afforded plentiful Bubbles which elevated that Liquor more than common Water We likewise put Eggs into the Receiver to see whether the Substance contain'd in the Shells would break them leaving the Film within it whole as that Substance frozen had done but it succeeded not We put Spirit of Urine into a Glass Egg filling another up to the Middle of the Neck with common Water to which we added as much Spirit of Wine as rais'd it half an Inch higher and into a Glass which differ'd from the former only in having a flat Bottom we pour'd rectify'd Spirit of Wine till it rose to â…” of the Neck And the Edges of these three being mark'd we put them into a Receiver Upon the Exsuction of the Air the Mixture of Water and Spirit of Wine afforded very few Bubbles The Spirit of Urin swell'd near an Inch and a half above the Mark affording Store of Bubbles which formed a Froth upon which several larger Bubbles lay which were plac'd one above another to the Top of the Tube The Spirit of Wine afforded Bubbles till we were weary
of pumping which ascended very swiftly and immediately disappear'd at the Top first lifting up the Surface of that spirituous Liquor so as to form a thin Film And it was further observable That the Motion of these Bubbles in their Ascent was in a strait Line whereas those of the Water and Wine made a Line which on each side appear'd like the Teeth of a Saw And lastly in this Spirit we took Notice That the order which these Bubbles ascended in was in Lines parallel and of an Equal Distance from each other the Bubbles likewise following each other in such an order as to form a sort of Bracelet one end of which seem'd to rise from a certain Point at the Bottom of the Glass When Air return'd into the Receiver the Bubbles on the Spirit of Wine gradually subsided yet neither that nor the Mixture of Water and Spirit were depress'd below the Mark But the Spirit of Wine continu'd expanded near half an Inch which I found to succeed upon several Tryals EXPERIMENT XXV Concerning the Air 's Gravity and Expansion under Water HAving fill'd a Wide-mouth'd Jar with about half a Pint of Common Water we sunk two Glass-Viols whose Shape and Size is represented by the Eighth Figure one of which contain'd just so much of a Ponderous Mercurial Mixture as was requisite to sink it when cover'd with white Wax the other being weigh'd down by Water and the Mouths being downwards the Quantity of Water contain'd in the former filling three Parts of four of the Glass the Air contain'd in the latter being equal in Dimensions to a Pea. These being let down into the Receiver upon plying the Pump at the last so many Bubbles rose up to that which swam upon the Water as were able by expanding themselves to cause some of the Water to fly out and make the Viol emerge to the Top of the Water contain'd in the Jar where at every Exsuction it continu'd to expand till it was able to raise up the side of the Viol and in part to evacuate it self upon which it presently swam upon the Water as before and eight times after discharg'd a Bubble of Air about the Size of a Pea but when we permitted the Air to enter in again it presently subsided to the Bottom As for the other it continu'd at the Bottom all the while But some time after the Pump being ply'd it rais'd it self considerably but about sixty Parcels of Air as big as Peas finding vent and getting out it presently subsided tho' upon a further Expansion of the Air it rose again and subsided which successive Ascent and descent it continu'd Nine times after after the Pump ceas'd working but when the Air was again let in it was presently fix'd at the Bottom From which Experiment that Hydrostatical Rule That a Body will swim in the Water if it be lighter than its equal Proportion in Bulk will appear to be likewise true when the Weight of the Atmosphere is taken off EXPERIMENT XXVI Concerning the Vibrations of a Pendulum IT being usually taught That the Motion of a Pendulum is something quicker accordingly as the Medium it moves in is thinner we suspended one which weigh'd about twenty Drachms in our Receiver fixing it to the Cover by a piece of Silk and having fix'd another of an equal weight without the Receiver we gave them both an equal Motion and observ'd that whilst the Latter made twenty Vibrations the Former counted twenty but the Pendulum being afterwards put into Motion in the exhausted Receiver and likewise in the same Receiver before it was exhausted continu'd it's Vibrations to an equal space of Time in both so that from what we could observe the Difference of the Vibrations in Air and that more rarify'd Medium viz. the exhausted Receiver was scarce sensible EXPERIMENT XXVII Concerning the Propagation of Sounds IT hath been the receiv'd Opinion of the Schools That the Air is the Medium through which Sounds are conveigh'd But the Industrious Kircher having observ'd that if a Bell be fix'd in the upper end of a Tube and upon making the Experiment de Vacuo be left there a Load-stone apply'd to the side of the Tube will attract the Steel-clapper which upon a Removal of that Load-stone will fall upon the other side of the Bell and cause an Audible Sound He thence infers That the Medium through which Sounds are conveigh'd must be much more subtle than the Air. But to evince the contrary we suspended a Watch in our Receiver by a Packthred and observ'd That the Sound was not only audible at the sides of the Receiver but that that which was likewise perceiv'd by the Ear held near the Cover was different from that which we heard at the sides of the Receiver but the Air being drawn out we could not perceive the least Sound tho' the Motion of the Minutes assur'd us that the Pendulum continu'd it's Motion yet upon admitting of Air again into the Receiver the Sound was again renew'd which Experiment seems to evince that the Air is the Chief Medium through which Sounds are conveigh'd Yet it is not a little strange that so slight a Stroke as that of the Pendulum should give such an Impulse to the Ambient Air as to inable it to communicate a Motion to the sides of the Receiver strong enough to put the External Air into an Undulating Motion But having supported a Bell in the Middle of our Receiver by a large Stick which reach'd from one side to the other the Diameter of the Bell being about two Inches we observ'd that tho' the Sound in the Receiver was not equally as sharp as in the open Air yet there was no considerable Variation when the Air was drawn out which evinces that a subtler Medium than the Air is not altogether incapable of propagating Sounds no more than Air however in the foregoing Experiment try'd with a Bell suspended in a Glass-Tube it may not without Reason be suspected that the Cavity of the Tube was not wholly void of Air since Experience informs us that it is impossible to fill the Glass-Cylinder so as to keep the Upper Part of the Tube void of Air since the Aery Parts lodg'd in the Pores of the Mercury fly up into it And further on this Occasion to shew how far the Air is the Principal Medium of Sounds we might alledge that it was observable in a former Experiment that tho' upon the striking of Fire with the Lock of a Pistol in our Receiver the Sound is audible yet it is much more dead than when made in the open Air And the like Variation is observable in all other Sounds made in our Receiver EXPERIMENT XXVIII The Eruption of Bubbles from Water upon the removal of the Air. FOR a further Confirmation of what hath been deliver'd in the XXth Experiment viz. That the Air included in our Receiver makes as strong a Pressure upon Bodies encompass'd by it as if they were
shew that the Accounts given by others are false yet it is not altogether easie to determine a Controversie in which the Truth is so hard to be assign'd and therefore I shall only lay down something in order to the Elucidation of it And first it is necessary to take Notice that the Weight of an equal Proportion of Air and Water about London is agreed on to be as 1000 to 1. In the next place it will be requisite to consider the Difference in Weight of an equal Proportion of Air and Quicksilver to discover which I took a Glass Pipe such as is represented by the Sixteenth Figure See Plate the First which being partly fill'd with Quicksilver and held in such a Posture that the Superficies of the Quicksilver in each Leg was in a Horizontal Line E. F. I. pour'd Water into one Leg till it was fill'd up to the Top by the Weight of which the Surface of the Mercury was weigh'd down from E. to B. the Surface of the other being rais'd from F. to C. so that measuring the Height of the Tube of Mercury D. C. which was buoy'd up by the Water in the other we found it to amount to 2 13 54 Inches the Height of the Cylinder of Water B. A. which counterpois'd the Mercury being 30 45 54 Inches and the whole Numbers with the Fractions being reduc'd to improper Fractions of the same Denomination the Proportion was as 121 to 1665 or by Reduction as one to 92 121. Besides this we took another Method to discover the Proportion of these two Liquors by weighing them in a Glass Bubble by which we found that it was as 1 to 13 19 28 and because Spirit of Wine is usually esteem'd the lightest of Liquors and Quicksilver the heaviest I weigh'd that likewise and found the Proportion of Quicksilver and it to be as 1 to 16 641 1084. So that the difference betwixt Spirit of Wine and Water was as 1 44 171 And here it may be necessary to observe that I the rather weigh'd these Liquors in a Bubble because when they are weigh'd in open Vessels the Protuberant Surface of the Mercury and the Concave of the Water makes it a difficult Matter to proportion them exactly if the Superficies be large The Weight of an equal Proportion of Air and Mercury But to return to the Atmosphere Having laid down the Proportion of Air to Water and of Water to Quicksilver it will be no very difficult thing to find the Proportion betwixt Air and Quicksilver And since from the Torrecellian Experiment it appears that the Cylinder of Mercury is buoy'd up by the Pressure of the Air it consequently follows that the Proportion of Air to Quicksilver is as 14000 to 1 so that a Cylinder of Air that is able to buoy up Mercury two Foot and a half must amount to 35000 Feet of our English Measure or seven compleat Miles supposing the Air to be equally compress'd above as here below but this Computation is not to be accounted so exact since not only Seneca Nat. Quaest. lib. 4. cap. 10. says Omnis Aer quo propior est Terris hoc crassior quemadmodum in Aqua in omni humore Faex ima est ita in Aere spississima quaeque desidunt but it likewise is a Consequence of the Air 's Spring since it must needs be considerably compress'd by the Weight of what lies upon it besides if we consider that the Air may be expanded by Heat to near a hundred and fifty times its Bulk it may not be improbable but that the utmost extent of the Atmosphere may reach to some Hundreds of Miles And this Conjecture may enable us to guess at the Height to which some Vapours may ascend allowing what Emanuel Magnen a diligent Mathematician observ'd at Tolouse in a clear Night in August for as Ricciolus records it Vidit ab Horâ undecimâ post Meridiem usque ad mediam Noctem Lunâ infra Horizontem positâ Nubeculam quandam lucidam prope Meridianum fere usque ad Zenith diffusam quae consideratis omnibus non poterat nisi à Sole illuminari ideoque altior esse debuit tota Vmbra Terrae And the same Author further says Addit simile quid evenisse Michaeli Angelo Riccio apud Sabinos versanti nempe viro in Mathesi Eruditissimo But to conclude It would be of no small Use in estimating the Height of the Atmosphere were Observations of the Density and Rarity of the Air made upon several Parts and on high Mountains but till by some Means or other we can arrive at some degree of Certainty as to the various Degrees of it's Rarefaction above it will be a hard Matter to determine the Height of it EXPERIMENT XXXVII Concerning Flashes of Light in the Receiver AT the first when our Engin was made we observ'd upon drawing down the Sucker and turning the Key several Flashes of Light in the Receiver which would not appear if the Window which fac'd North-ward were darkned and this Phaenomenon depended on so unknown Causes that upon often repeated Tryals I found that sometimes it would appear and sometimes not though for as much as I was able to perceive there was not the least Difference in the Circumstances of these Tryals which made it difficult to bring our Observations to any Rules about it or to frame an Hypothesis to Account for the Cause tho' the Validity of some Conjectures that have been made may be afforded by the following Tryals and Observations For First We found That the Phaenomenon might as well be exhibited by a Candle-light or Day-light and however situated so that the Rays of Light could but fall upon the Receiver Next The Flash appears just when the Key is turn'd to let the Air out into the Cylinder but the same Phaenomenon would appear in a small one upon drawing the Sucker hastily down tho' the Key was turn'd before and it was further to be observ'd That the Flashes which appear'd when first the Receiver began to be exhausted were much stronger than when it was further evacuated And it was besides observable That when the Experiment was made in the small Receiver and the Sucker had not been long before well oyl'd the Oyl upon the drawing of it down being put into Agitation and divided into small Parts by the Attrition of the Pump would rise into the Receiver like Smoak which would likewise flow out of the Valve when it was open'd on purpose and these Fumes if the Glass was held in a light Place would in some Measure appear luminous And what was further to be admir'd was That when the Flash was considerably great upon the Disappearance of it the Receiver would become opacous leaving white Steams upon the internal Superficies of the Receiver And now if it should be asked Whence all these Phaenomena proceeded We should propose the following Conjectures viz. First That had the Phaenomenon constantly succeeded we should have suspected the seeming
the Viol Yet upon letting in the Air the Froth presently disappear'd and the Liquor became transparent again And these Phaenomena successively follow'd each other no less than five times as the Air was drawn out or let in again and the Ebullition in those Tryals upon the drawing out of the Air was so great sometimes as to run over the Top of the Glass and that those numerous Bubbles might not be suspected to arise from the Spirit it self we clear'd it of those before the Coral was put in but the same Phaenomena still succeeded nor was there any considerable Difference when the Tryal was made with Powder of Coral except that the Liquor was obscur'd by several Parts of it carry'd up along with the Bubbles But one thing in the Foregoing Experiments was remarkable That tho' the Ebullition was so violent yet the Viol immediately taken out of the Receiver did not affect our Hands with the least sensible Heat EXPERIMENT XLIII Of the spontaneous Ebullition of warm Liquors HAving clos'd in our Receive a Viol of four Ounces fill'd with hot Water which had been freed from Air by boiling we pump'd out the Air and observ'd That upon the fourth Exsuction it began to boil as if it had been over a hot Fire so that part of it ran over and continu'd boiling in our Receiver And what was more remarkable was that as often as the Air was let out of the Receiver into the Pump the Ebullition was again renew'd the Fiery and Agitated Parts of the Liquor upon a Removal of the Air 's Pressure having more Liberty to expand themselves And that the Phaenomenon was promoted by the Removal of that Pressure we may guess because the Ebullition was only in the Top of the Liquor and that it was renew'd upon a Removal of that Pressure But especially because Sallet-Oyl whose Parts adhere by Reason of their Clamminess would not ferment yet Oyl of Turpentine or Wine would whose Parts are not so tenacious the former rising five times its Height and near four Parts of the latter running over into the Receiver From all which Experiments it appears that the Air may have a considerable Influence on a greater Number of Phaenomena than Men usually think of especially where the tumultuous Agitation of the Parts of a Body are concern'd so that were a hot Body convey'd above the Atmosphere the Effects of it would be different from what they are here below and the Parts of it would have more Power to dissipate themselves Having thus far My Dear Lord given you a faithful Historical Account of the Productions of your Lordship's Commands if they may invite you or your Friends at Paris to a further Prosecution of what Discoveries may be made by that Engin I hope they may afford your Lordship as much Pleasure as they did me in endeavouring to express my self Your Lordship 's Most Obedient Servant c. CHAP. XIV The Doctrin of the Spring and Weight of the Air defended against Franciscus Linus THIS Chapter containing the Honourable Author's Vindication of his own Hypothesis concerning the Weight and Spring of the Air It will not be requisite here to lay down all the trivial Objections of Franciscus Linus which are easily answer'd by any one that hath but read and consider'd the Author's Hypothesis and will at the first sight appear to be ill-grounded or invalid Arguments or rather false Criticisms But it being more consistent with the design'd Epitomy I shall only take notice of such as may serve to illustrate the Hypothesis already laid down and think it unnecessary to fill an Epitomy with what our judicious Author did not repute as Arguments against his Doctrin And especially because the Learn'd World by their General Consent have agreed upon what the Honourable Author hath taught Wherefore I shall lay down only those Objections which may seem considerable and annex their Solutions The first Argument of Franciscus Linus Answer'd The first Argument alledg'd by Franciscus Linus is That did the Suspension of the Mercury in the Cylinder depend on the Aequilibrium of the Weight of the Atmosphere when a Cylinder is fill'd full and inverted upon an Inversion of the Tube and a Subtraction of the lower Finger the Mercury would not subside were its descent not promoted by the Dilatation of the Air above the Mercury for if it were that Expansive Force would raise the Finger upon the upper Orifice of the Cylinder To which is answer'd That the included Air may depress the Mercury by it's Expansion downwards without raising the Finger for the Weight of the whole Cylindrical Pillar of the Atmosphere which presses upon the top of the Finger being too strong to be overpower'd by the weak Expansion of the Air in the Pipe it must consequently press downwards where the Weight of the Mercury is ready to joyn with it to over-balance the Pressure of the Air which before buoy'd it up And that the Weight of the Cylinder of Mercury disposes it to spend its expansive Force downwards appears from a Cylinder of Water suspended instead of Mercury for the Weight of that being not able to resist the Pressure of the Atmosphere downwards equally as the Mercury the Air in the Top of the Cylinder does not press it down near so far And tho' the Objector says that if Water instead of Air be above the Mercury it will not subside the Reason of that is only because the Water wants a Springiness to expand it self And as for the Reason why the Pulp of the Finger seems to be drawn down into the Tube that only happens by Reason of the Weight of the Incumbent Atmosphere the Rarifi'd Air within not being able to make an equal Resistance to prevent the Finger from being press'd into the Pipe And tho the Objector further urges that he cannot conceive how the Air can be so expanded without possessing a greater Space we have sufficiently clear'd that by comparing the Expansion of the Air 's Spring to a piece of Wooll squeez'd together which when it is no longer Compress'd dilates it selt by Virtue of its springy Parts A snd Objection The second Objection is That if Mercury be suspended in a long Pipe about 40 Inches long when the Tube is inverted and the Finger is taken from the lower Orifice it falls down till it comes to its usual Station and the Pulp of the Finger is equally depress'd into the Tube which evinces that the Mercury is suspended by a Funiculus which draws down the Pulpy Part of the Finger But what Answer is to be given to this Objection Answer'd appears from what hath been said to the former for the Mercury subsiding till it came to an Aequilibrium with the Atmosphere the Air above it being very much Rarifi'd and unable to buoy up against the Finger the Depression of the Pulp of it must proceed from the Weight of the incumbent Atmosphere tho' the swelling of the Pulp in the Pipe might
of the Hill was ¼ part of an Inch below the Mark it reach'd at the Latter and as the Barometer was brought lower the Mercury in the Pipe rose higher and higher But if such Observations could be made at the Top and Bottom of the Mountain Teneriff the Experiment would afford further Proof of our Hypothesis concerning the Air 's Spring and Weight An Appendix about the Height of Mountains The Height of Mountains NOtwithstanding some Ingenious Men have taught that the Height of the Atmosphere is of stupendious and others confine it to narrower Dimensions yet I shall add some Observations which may confirm what we have taught concerning it and tho' as Ricciolus takes notice the Jesuit Rector Melensius says that of all the Clouds whose Height he measur'd they did not exceed 5000 Paces yet if we allow Meteors and Comets to arise from Terrene Exhalations and that the Height of Clouds varies according to the different Degrees of the Air 's Rarefaction it will follow that the Height of most of them exceeds what Carden and Kepler allow But to proceed to what I have to relate concerning the Height of Mountains I shall relate what I have learn'd by Information And first the Ingenious Mr. Sydenham told me that the Mountain Teneriff is so high that the Top of it may be seen 60 Leagues off and that he himself had discover'd it at 40 Leagues distance like a blew Pyramid above the Clouds and he likewise told me that the Island of Madera might be seen from it tho' 70 Leagues distant and that the Great Canary seem'd so near it that one would think it possible to leap down upon it And indeed Ricâ—iolus observes that it might be seen 4 Degrees distance and Snellius also allows the Height of it to be Ten Miles tho' I believe that the way he takes to calculate the Height of it may be none of the truest he likewise by Refraction judging the Mountain Caucasus to be 51 Bolonian Miles high which is not believ'd probable since the Mountain Teneriff hath been observ'd by one who took it's Height in a Ship at Sea not to be above 7 Miles high in a Perpendicular Line yet it is esteem'd the highest Mountain in the World tho' if what Aristotle and others report of Mount Caucasus be true there may be others much higher than those For tho' if measur'd from the Foot or Level of that piece of Ground which they stand on they may be lower yet considering that the Ground they stand on may be much more protuberant from the Level Superficies of the whole Globe they may be much higher upon that Account EXPERIMENT XXVI The Pressure of the Atmosphere may be able to keep up the Mercury in the Torrecellian Experiment tho' the Air presses upon it at a very small Orifice IT being observ'd by several Learned Men That Mercury is suspended at an equal height in a close Room as in the open Atmosphere to prove that the Air having a Communication with the External even at small Crannies may have an equal Force as if the Mercurial Cylinder was immediately subject to the whole Atmosphere I shall add That if the Tube just before mention'd for a Portable Barometer be so drawn out at the Flame of a Lamp that the Orifice is but about a tenth Part as big as before the Mercury will be suspended at the usual Height and the like will succeed if instead of drawing the End of the Pipe out so a Cork be put into the End of the Tube leaving but a small part of the Orifice open to the Outward Air. EXPERIMENT XXVII An Oblique Pressure of the Atmosphere may be sufficient to keep up the Mercury at the usual Height in the Torrecellain Experiment and the Spring of a small quantity of Air may do the same IF the the Shorter Leg of a Syphon See Plate the 7th Fig. the 3d. being bent as represented by Fig. 3d. Plate the VIIth the Mercury be suspended at it's usual Height it appears that the Pressure of the Atmosphere hath as strong Effects if the End of the Tube through which it is convey'd only admits of the Pressure of the Air which it receives downwards But if instead of being so bent See Plate the 7th Fig. the 4th the End of the Shorter Leg be Hermetically seal'd as represented Fig. IV. Plate the VII the Mercury is sustain'd at it's usual Height it will appear that the Spring of a small quantity of Air is able to bear up a Cylinder of Mercury N. B. If the Tube thus Hermetically seal'd be shaken the Mercury will form some Vibrations upon the Included Air the Spring of it being compressed and expanded again successively for a while But the former of these Tryals may be made in a Pipe conveniently shapen before the Longer Leg is fill'd with Mercury and the latter by stopping the Orifice with a Cork and Close Cement which may be pierc'd with a Wire when this is us'd as a Baroscope which way may be taken with a Travelling Baroscope EXPERIMENT XXVIII A Baroscope of use but at some times TO shew that the Suspension of Mercury in a Glass Tube less than 30 Inches long does not proceed from a Fuga Vacui I caus'd one to be Hermetically seal'd at one End the Length of it being about two Foot and a half and fill'd it with Mercury a small quantity of Water being left upon it and when the Atmosphere was much lighter I found that the Mercury subsided and that there appear'd a small Bubble of Air in the Water which being no bigger than a Pin's Head was so far compress'd before as not to appear EXPERIMENT XXIX The Ascension of Liquors in very slender Pipes in an Exhausted Receiver HAving tinged Spirit of Wine with Cocheneel which bubbled in the Exhausted Receiver for some time several slender Pipes being put into it it rose highest in those whose Bore was narrowest but when the Air was let in again the Liquor in both subsided to a Level But two Pipes of different Bores being let down into that Liquor a second time tho' it answer'd the former Tryals in the Ascent yet the Surface in the slenderer Pipe remain'd something above the other when the Air was let in again But what was more Remarkable was that tho' the Liquor in the Vessel in this Tryal emitted no Bubbles yet that in the Ends of the Tubes did which were suppos'd to be caus'd by the sides of the Glass they were contain'd in EXPERIMENT XXX When the Pressure of the External Air is taken off it is very easy to draw up the Sucker of a Syringe tho' the Hole at which the Water should succeed be stopp'd FOR a further Illustration of the Doctrin of the Spring and Weight of the Air we made the following Tryals The I. TRYAL We took a Syringe of Brass see Plate 8th Fig. 1st whose Barrel was about six Inches long See Plate the 8th Fig. 1st and it's
hath delivered concerning the Mechanical Production of Tasts Odours and Colours I have laid down in this Volume and shall proceed to the remaining Objects of our Senses in the Third Volume where I shall give a short Account of the Method I take in that and in the mean time subscribe my self the candid Readers Very humble Servant R. Boulton London Octob. 13. 1699. Vol. II. Plate 1 Fig 1. pag. 4. Fig 3. pag. 5. Fig 4. pag 6. Fig 2. pag. 2. Vol. II. Plate 2. Fig 4. p 14 Fig 1. p 8. Fig 5 p 17. Fig 3. Fig 2. p 14. Vol. II. Plate 3. Fig 2. p 22. Fig 1 p 21. Vol. II. Plate .4 Fig 3. p 27. .29 Fig 4. p 29 p 23. Fig 1. Fig 2. p 25. Plate .5 Vol. II. Fig 1. p 32. Fig 5. p 485. Fig 3. p 32. Fig 2. p 32. Fig 4. p 33. Plate .6 Vol II. Fig 1 p 33. Fig 3. p 35. Fig 5. p 366. Fig 2 p 34. Fig 4. p 365. Plate .7 Vol II. Fig 1. p 35. Fig 2. p 37. Fig 4 p 374 Fig p 334 THE WORKS Of the HONOURABLE ROBERT BOYLE Esq EPITOMIZED BOOK III. CHAP. I. Experiments touching the Spring and Weight of the Air c. THE Bulk of the former Volume forbidding that I should add any more of the Experiments concerning the Air 's Spring and Weight I shall now proceed to lay down what our Author hath further deliver'd in his first Continuation of Experiments relating to that Subject EXPERIMENT I. The Cause of the Ascension of Liquors in Syringes is to be derived from the Pressure of the Air. AS in the Experiments recited in the former Volume it appear'd that the Pressure of the External Air occasions the Difficulty of drawing up the Sucker of a Syringe so I shall now shew that the Pressure of the External Air upon the Surface of the Water in which the Syringe is immersed causes it to ascend when the Sucker is drawn up TRYAL I. Having cemented a Glass Pipe to the lower End of a Syringe and immersed the lower End of that Pipe in a Viol which contain'd Mercury we tyed the Sucker of the Syringe to the Stopple which is in the Cover of the Receiver and having conveighed it into such a Receiver as Fig. 2. Plate 1. Represents See Plate 1. Fig. 2. we observ'd that upon drawing up the Sucker the Mercury did not in the least ascend till the Air was let into it and then it ascended up to the Top of the Glass Tube And this Experiment being varied by drawing the Sucker up an Inch before the Receiver was exhausted the Mercury rose to the Top of the Glass Tube tho' it did not in the least rise when the Sucker was drawn up as high again after the Receiver was exhausted And in trying this Experiment it was further to be noted that when the Receiver was exhausted it was as difficult to raise the Sucker as when the End of the Syringe was stopped the remaining Air which was able to keep the Sucker from rising being unable to raise the Mercury TRYAL II. Being a Prosecution of the former The former Tryal being again repeated besides what we observed in that Experiment we further noted that a considerable Weight being tyed to the Syringe to keep it steady and firm the Mercury did not rise till we permitted the Air to return again into the Receiver tho' the Sucker was raised two Inches But lest the Phaenomena exhibited by these Experiments should be influenced by the Air contain'd in the Glass Pipe I caus'd the Pipe to be fill'd with Spirit of Wine and immersed it in a Viol which contain'd the same Liquor tinged with Cocheneel and observ'd that tho' when the Receiver was exhausted the Liquor afforded Bubbles plentifully and at the Top seemed to boyl yet it did not ascend in the least notwithstanding the Sucker was raised two Inches and a half But when the Air was let into the Receiver again it ascended into the Body of the Syringe which appeared by the small Quantity of Spirit remaining in the Bottle in which the Glass Tube was immersed EXPERIMENT II. An Attempt to discover the Motion of Aether in the Exhausted Receiver HAving instead of the Glass Tube mention'd in the former Experiment provided a crooked one of Brass See Plate 1. Fig. 1. such as the first Figure represents and joyn'd a Glass Tube to the shorter Leg with Cement we caus'd Weights to be fixed to the Top of the Sucker to depress it speedily when occasion required This Syringe was fixed to a Pedestal to keep it firm and to hinder it from tottering and a Feather was likewise fixed with Cement to the lower End of the Syringe so that the small End was placed above the Orifice of the crooked Tube All which being conveyed into a Receiver and the Pump set on Work we observ'd that the Sucker by the help of the Turning-Key being often elevated and permitted to fall again the Feather was gradually less shaken with what was forced out of the Syringe as the Receiver was more and more exhausted till at the last the Feather did not seem in the least to be moved before Air was again let in and then it was blown up as before In which Experiment we observ'd that as the Cavity of the Receiver was more or less exhausted the Descent of the Sucker was accordingly quickened so that had there been a Substance finer than Air in the Receiver the Blast would have been greater as the Descent of the Sucker was swifter We tryed the same Experiment a second time contriving to draw up the Sucker higher than we did before but the Event was no more satisfactory than the former But that I might be informed what Quantity of Air was drawn out every Exsuction as well as when the Feather was more or less shaken by the Wind thrown out of the Syringe I made use of a Glass Tube such as Figure the Third represents See Plate 1. Fig. 3. instead of the former Brazen One and the one End being immersed in a Jar and placed in the Receiver as the Air was pumped out several Bubbles broke through the Water out of the Pipe but External Air getting in at a Leak the Water was pressed up into the Pipe again nevertheless upon an Exsuction of that Air it again subsided yet yielded so many Bubbles that we could not conveniently make any further Observations till the Receiver having stood still for some time the Water was freed from Air and then tho' the Pump was set on Work till the Gage discovered the Receiver to be very well exhausted yet we could not discern that any Bubbles were forced through the Water in the Bottom of the Tube by frequently elevating and depressing the Sucker for tho' there appear'd a few in the Top of the Water yet we judged that those rather proceeded from some aery Particles lodging in the Pores of the Water But what was most Remarkable
high Octob. 16. 77. Three Ounces of bruised Grapes being included in an exhausted Receiver large enough to contain 30 Ounces of Water with half an Ounce of Spirit of Wine Octob. 17. The Mercury did not ascend much Octob. 18. It was not an Inch high Jan. 2. 18. The Receiver was quite full and some of the Liquor as it was poured out produced Bubbles in some Turpentine about the Orifice which broke outwardly Tho' Spirit of Wine promotes the Generation of Air in Vacuo yet in the open Air it hinders it See the II. VIII and XIV Exp. Art II. EXPERIMENT VII July 19. 78. MVST expressed From Must bruised Grapes were put into a Receiver when it was 10 Months old The 21. The Mercury was no higher 23. It was raised 3 Inches 24. Raised 5 Inches 25. In the Morning it was 104 in the Evening 137 and the Must made its way out 26. More Must got out The Air was further expanded but the Mercury was suspended at the same heighth 27. The Screw being left open half the Must got out From thence it appears that by keeping Grapes for some time their Fermentative Virtue becomes more powerful EXPERIMENT VIII Jan. 30. BOiled Apples being put into Receivers From boil'd Apples with and without Sugar they both presently filled them full of Air. Jan. 31. Raw Apples being shut up in Receivers in one of which was put a third part of Sugar and the other without Feb. 10. The former had yielded some Air. Feb. 14. The raw Apples and Sugar rais'd the Mercury 30 Inches Those which were boyled raised it two Inches In the other Receivers we had no Air generated Feb. 18. In the Receiver in which the raw Apples and Sugar were enclosed the Mercury was raised 56 Inches The Boiled Apples and Sugar raised it 3. The raw Apples had yielded little but in that which was almost full the Apples were very little Fermented but of a very pleasant Taste Feb. 21. The Cover was broke and the Apples and Sugar had lost some of their Juice but they were not Rotten March 1. In the great Receiver in which raw Apples were shut up the Mercury was rais'd 25 Inches In the little One not above 7. Where Boiled Apples and Sugar were contained it was raised 9 Inches March 8. In the large one it was 29. In the less 22 ½ That where the Boiled Apples were stayed at 9 Inches March 17. Some Juice got out of the large Receiver In the less the Mercury stood at 67 Inches and the boiled Apples and Sugar raised it 15 Inches From whence it appears that the Sugar and the largeness of the Receiver as well as the Crudity of the Fruit contributed to the Production of Air. ARTICLE II. Several ways to hinder the Production of Air. EXPERIMENT I. Decemb. 20. 78. DOugh made without Leaven From Dough. but with the same Meal with Bread-Corn being enclos'd in a Receiver where the Heat of a Fire kept it warmer than at Midsummer in 10 hours it yielded no Air So that if Dough be once too cold it hinders it's Fermentation for the future which I the rather believe because Dough being shut up in the Summer presently generated Air. EXPERIMENT II. May 23. THree Ounce of Dough Leaven'd being enclos'd in a Receiver large enough to hold 50 Ounces of Water I put Spirit of Wine to it May 24. The Mercury was Three Inches high May 26. The change was small May 27. None at all May 29. None at all June 2. It ascended a little June 14. Not at all Decemb. 14. Being taken out it smell'd subacid And being put into an Empty Receiver it swell'd so much as to take up twice as much space as before with a gentle Ebullition May 23. The same Quantity being of Dough shut up without Spirit of Wine May 24. The Mercury was 19 ½ Inches high May 26. It 's Heighth was 38. May 27. No alteration Decemb. 14. It continued at the same Heighth and the Dough smell'd subacid From whence it appears that Spirit of Wine prevented the Generation of it in the last Experiment EXPERIMENT III. August 29. PEars From Pears and a Mercurial Gage being clos'd up in a Receiver fill'd with Water such a Quantity of Air was pressed in as was able to raise the Mercury 26 Inches higher than it us'd to be In a little time they were all made like a Pultis for Consistence Aug. 30. In 24 hours the Mercury was depress'd an Inch and an half Aug. 31. It remain'd at the same Heighth Sept. 1. They began to yield Air the Mercury being rais'd to 27 Inches Sept. 2. In 24 hours it was rais'd 8 Inches higher Sept. 3. The Heighth of the Mercury was 17 Digits higher the heighth being 52 Inches Sept. 4. The Mercury was buoy'd up 7 Inches further rested at 59 Inches Sept. 5. The heighth of the Mercurial Tube was 64 Inches And a Pear broken in the Receiver was turned Black Sept. 6. It was rais'd 3 Digits and ¼ higher than what is usual Sept. 7. It was 3 Digits lower and rested again at 64 Inches Sept. 8. This day the Mercury subsided to 58 Inches Sept. 9. It was rais'd up 3 Digits higher again and was suspended at 67 Digits Sept. 10. In 24 hours it was rais'd 1 ½ higher being suspended at 69 Inches Sept. 11. It descended to 67 Digits again the Night being very cold Sept. 12. No Alteration happen'd at all Sept. 13. It subsided further to 64 Digits the Cold was sharper Sept. 14. It was 70 Digits high Sept. 16. It subsided to 69. Sept. 19. It stood at the same heighth Sept. 20. It was rais'd again to 71. Sept. 23. It subsided to 69. Octob. 1. It was buoy'd up again to 75 Digits Octob. 3. On the 2 there was no alteration To Day it stood at 70 the Weather being exceeding cold Octob. Yesterday the Mercury remain'd at the same heighth but this Day being Rainy it rose again to 75. Octob. 7. The Weather being the same the Mercury was at a stand Octob. 10. This Day it subsided to 69 Inches the Rainy Weather continuing Octob. 12. To Day it was Depress'd to 65 Inches Cold Weather coming on again Octob. 13. It was 64 Inches high Octob. 14 It was 69 Digits high Octob. 15 It was 74 Digits high Octob. 24 It was 68 Inches The Season being cold Nov. 2. It was 64. The Cold more violent Nov. 5. The Mercury was 80 ½ Inches high The Cold more moderate Nov. 2. It was 65 Inches high It was sharp frosty Weather Nov. 27. It was 68 Inches high A Thaw coming on Dec. 6. It was 61 Inches high The Weather being very Frosty From the former Experiment it appears that Fruits yield not Air plentifully when violently compress'd in the Air The Air afforded when they are compressed not being ⅛ of what they yield in the Empty Receiver But that the Cold might concur to hinder the Generation of Air will be evident from the following
Experiment EXPERIMENT IV. Feb. 22. 77. TEN Ounces of Paste being included in a Receiver which was large enough to hold 22 Ounces of Water From Paste I impress'd Air enough into it to sustain 73 Inches of Mercury above the length of a Cylinder which the Weight of the Atmosphere is able to bear up In two hours there was no sensible Alteration Feb. 23. In 18 hours the Mercury was rais'd 7 Inches And in 6 hours more it ascended 8 Inches higher being buoyed up to 83 Inches Feb. 24 It was 90 Inches high Feb. 25 It was 97 Inches high Feb. 26 It was 101 Inches high Feb. 27 It was 105 Inches high Feb. 28 It was 107 ½ Inches high March 1 It was 112 Inches high Water seemed to be expressed out of the Paste March 2 It was rais'd to 120 Inches March 3 It was rais'd to 121 Inches March 4 5 It remained at 121 Inches March 8. Upon a Thaw the Mercury ascended 4 Inches and rested at 125 Digits March 10. It rose 6 Digits higher being suspended at 131 Digits March 21. The Season being so long Cold no Air was generated except that in the three last Days the Mercury was rais'd 7 Inches and rested at 138 Digits April 4. One of the Iron Wires made use of to straiten the Receiver was broke and the sides of the Receiver started out of their Places 4 or 5 Foot From whence it appears that Cold and Compression hinder the Generation of Air. EXPERIMENT V. March 1. 77. TWO Raisins of the Sun being bruis'd were shut up in an exhausted Receiver with Six Ounces of Vinegar It afforded Bubbles plentifully March 2. It still yielded Bubbles but the Mercury was not rais'd half an Inch. March 25. The Vinegar seem'd to contain Bubbles but the Mercury was not rais'd an Inch. So that Vinegar hinders Fermentation and the Production of Air. EXPERIMENT VI. April 7. HAving put 10 Ounces of Paste into a Receiver able to contain 22 Ounces Paste included in a Receiver of Water as much Air was press'd in as sustain'd Mercury above its usual height 128 Inches In Six hours it was rais'd four Inches being sustain'd at 132 Digits April 8. In 16 hours it ascended 9 Inches higher but for nine hours after it rested at 141. April 9. Some Air broke out in the Morning the Mercury subsided to 130 Inches therefore thrusting in as much Air as rais'd it to 141 I clos'd it it up with a Screw Apr. 10 It was at 151 Digits Apr. 11 It was at 158 Digits Apr. 12 It was at 168 Digits Apr. 13 It was at 176 Digits April 14 It was at 183 Digits April 15 It was at 183 Digits April 16 It was at 187 Digits April 17 It was at 191 Digits April 27. Eight Days it's Station was unalter'd but the two last it was rais'd 7 Inches being rais'd to 198 Digits April 30. So much Air being let out that the Mercury was rais'd but 50 Inches above it's usual height to try whether the compress'd State of that Air hindred it from expanding the remaining Air being pinned up presently rais'd the Mercury sensibly and 3 hours after the Mercury was rais'd to 62 Digits from 50. In five hours space after rose 1 ½ May 1. In 15 hours it rais'd only an Inch. May 3. On the Second it was at a stand to Day it was rais'd 1 ½ May 4. The Mercury ascending no higher I let the Air go and the Screw being set again in five Minutes the Mercury was rais'd two Inches May 7. In 3 Days it was rais'd 2 Inches higher May 8. In the two last Days it was rais'd ½ an Inch. And the mass being shut up in Vacuo in 5 hours the Mercury was buoyed up an Inch. May 21. It had not been rais'd 3 Inches yet May 30. It rested at 4 Inches and ½ From whence it appears that all the Air that Paste will afford may be obtain'd from it tho' it be compress'd yet it is hindred in some Measure till that Pressure is taken off And from hence it appears that Air may be generated by repeated Turns and Reciprocations and that it is more slowly generated in compress'd than in free Air it usually yielding all that it will in two or three Days time EXPERIMENT VIII Artificial Air. July 30. 77. HAving included Plums and Apricocks cut asunder in a Receiver Plums and Apricocks I press'd so much Artificial Air of Cherries into them as rais'd 64 Digits of Mercury August 1. They yielded no Air but became Yellow as if too ripe August 3. The Mercury was rais'd a little higher and a whole Apricock appear'd full of Drops of Water August 7. The whole Apricock grew softer and the Mercurial Cylinder 59 Inches taller than it's usual Length August 8 It was 61 Digits high August 9 It was 65 Digits high August 10 It was 71 Digits high August 11 It was 74 Digits high April13 It was 78 Digits high April14 It was 80 Digits high April15 It was 80 Digits high April16 And till the 22 th it rested at the same height The 24th it was 77 Inches high On the 29th I open'd the Receiver and found that the Fruit was well Colour'd and smell'd Sub-acid the Flesh being Spongeous It emitted several Bubbles when first it was freed from the ambient Pressure Common Air. July 30. 77. The same Fruit being conveyed into a Receiver with Common Air some being cut and others whole July 31. The Mercury was rais'd 8 Inches high August 1. At six a Clock in the Evening the Mercury was rais'd 20 Inches August 3. The Fruit was much more firm than those Included with Artificial Air. The Mercury was rais'd to 35 Inches August 4. The Mercurial Cylinder was rais'd to 42 Inches August 6. The Apricock appear'd unalter'd The Mercury stood at 57 Inches Aug. 7 It was 81 Digits high Aug. 8 It was 95 Digits high Aug. 9 It was 113 Digits high Aug. 10 It was 124 Digits high The Apricock began to turn Yellow But did not in the least appear Moist Aug. 11 It was 131 Digits high Aug. 13 It was 157 Digits high Aug. 14 It was 163 Digits high Aug. 15 It was 171 Digits high Aug. 16 It was 171 Digits high Aug. 17 And for some time after it stood at the same height Aug. 27 It was 182 Inches high Aug. 29 The Receiver being open'd the Apricocks were more Acid and less grateful to the Taste than those in factitious Air The Pulp was well Colour'd but Spongy they yielded Bubbles as the others did From this Experiment we may be induced to think that the Artificial Air hindr'd the Apricock enclos'd with them from yielding Air yet it enriches their Colour and Firmness and is good to preserve their Taste EXPERIMENT VIII Grapes without Spirit of Wine AN Ounce and an half of unripe Grapes bruis'd being enclos'd in a Receiver capable of holding 10 Ounces of Water Oct. 11 The Ascent of the Mercury was small Oct. 12 The Ascent
26 Inches high Aug. 13 The height of it was 33 Aug. 14 The height of it was 36 Aug. 15 The height of it was 39 Aug. 16 The height of it was 41 ½ Aug. 17 The height was 44 Aug. 11 The height was 47 Aug. 19 The height was 50 The Air being transmitted and the Goosberries taken out they had lost their Colour and almost all their Acidity They produced Air very regularly except a little faster when some part had been drawn out EXPERIMENT VII Sept. 12. Crude Grapes CRUDE Grapes were put into a Receiver with as much Air as rais'd Mercury 3 Digits Sept. 13 The hight was 5 Sept. 14 The hight was 10 Sept. 16 The hight was 17 Sept. 17 The hight was 19 Sept. 19 The hight was 23 Sept. 20 The hight was 25 Sept. 22 The hight was 30 It was stop'd with a Screw Sept. 23 The hight was 3 ½ Sept. 24 The hight was 32 Sept. 26 The hight was 34 ½ Sept. 27 The hight was 36 ¼ Sept. 28 The hight was 36 ¼ Sept. 29 The hight was 37 ¼ Sept. 30 The hight was 37 ¼ Oct. 2 The hight was 39 ½ Oct. 4 The hight was 39 ½ Oct. 5 The hight was 40 ½ Oct. 7 The hight was 41 ½ Oct. 8 The hight was 42 ½ Oct. 15 The hight was 46 Nov. 2 The hight was 54 Nov. 5 The hight was 58 Jan. 10 The hight was 70 There was no sensible alteration in the Gage when the Frost was most severe tho' the Grapes and their Juice was Froze Sept. 21. The Grapes being little alter'd and the Mercury not much higher the Receiver was openâ—d and the Grapes tho' more pungent had not lost their Taste but their Juice preserv'd it's red Colour Hence it appears that Grapes yield not all their Air in a little time EXPERIMENT VIII August 10. 77. Pears in Vacuo PEars cut in two being included in a Vacuum about Evening the Mercury was rais'd 10 Digits Aug. 11 It rose to 20 Aug. 13 It rose to 38 Aug. 14 It rose to 48 Aug. 15 It rose to 55 Aug. 16 It rose to 60 Aug. 17 It rose to 68 Air being Transmitted it subsided to 53 ½ Aug. 18 The hight was 61 Aug. 19 The hight was 64 Aug. 20 The hight was 70 Aug. 21 The hight was 72 Air being transmitted it stood at 61. Aug. 22 The hight was 68 Aug. 23 The hight was 74 Aug. 24 The hight was 79 Aug. 25 The hight was 81 Air being transmitted it sunk to 61. Aug. 26 The hight was 56 Soem got out being transmitted it sunk to 52. Aug. 27 The hight was 60 Aug. 28 The hight was 68 Aug. 29 The hight was 75 Aug. 30 The hight was 83 Aug. 31 The hight was 88 Sept. 1 The hight was 93 Sept. 2 The hight was 100 Sept. 3 The hight was 89 Some Air got out Sept. 4 The hight was 100 Sept. 5 The hight was 100 Sept. 7 The hight was 100 No Air got out Sept. 9 The hight was 107 Sept. 10 The hight was 107 Air being Transmitted it sunk to 99. Sept. 11 Sept. 13 The hight was 105 Oct. 8 Air got out Pears yielded their Air by fits ARTICLE XI Various Experiments EXPERIMENT I. March 16. Melted Lead in a Receiver LEad being melted in a Brass Vessel an Inch and ½ in Diameter it was conveigh'd into a Receiver and the Air pump'd out before the Lead cool'd when it was cool the Surface was concave especially in the Middle tho' when it cools in open Air the Surface is generally convex except in the Middle The same success happen'd when the Experiment was made with Tin Neither of the Metals afforded Bubbles EXPERIMENT II. Sept. 2. A Solution of Salt in Water A Solution of Salt in Water being conveigh'd into a Receiver Sept. 15. The Salt was not Christaliz'd EXPERIMENT III. August 8. 76. Artificial Air. ARtificial Air from Goosberries was included in a Receiver March 1. 7 6 7. No Alteration in the height of the Mercury EXPERIMENT IV. August 8. Air weighed A Phial which was large enough to hold 7 Ounces 5 Drachms and 3 Grains of Water having the Air exhausted was pois'd to an Aequilibrium with another weight Upon which a Piece of a Bladder which cover'd it was pierc'd with a Needle and the Air getting into it weigh'd 4 Grains ½ which Weight is to the former as 1 to 814 so that Water is 800 times heavier than Air of the same Bulk EXPERIMENT V. Jan. 16. 77. Aqua fortis and fixed Nitre AQua fortis and fix'd Nitre being mix'd in a Receiver together yielded much Air. March 5. The Air was not destroy'd nor the height of the Mercury alter'd But Nitre was produc'd in Vacuo from the Mixture EXPERIMENT VI. May 12. 76. Several Bodies in Vacuo A Phial which had a long Neck being so far fill'd with Oyl that it wrought up to the middle of it's Neck was conveigh'd into a Receiver and so much Air Compress'd into it as rais'd the Mercury 120 Inches above the usual height The Surface of the Oyl subsided ¾ of an Inch being condens'd by Cold which was evident since the compress'd Air being let out the Surface rose not again August 5. The same Experiment being made with Water there was no sensible Alteration in the height of it's Surface tho the heat might have given reason to expect some change Jan. 14. 78. A Glass Phial being fill'd with Spirit of Wine till it rose within 3 Inches of the Top of it's Neck was by the heat of my Hands caus'd to rife to the top of the Vessel Which being then Invert'd into a Vessel full of Mercury and my Hands remov'd the Cold Spirit admitted 3 Inches of Mercury into it's Neck yet being conveigh'd into a Receiver and so much Air compress'd into it as rais'd 90 Digits of Mercury the Spirit was not in the least condens'd by compression tho Cold had such a considerable effect on it When the Receiver was open'd there was no appearance of Bubbles in the Spirit of Wine It would be worth while to consider why Cold should have such a considerable Effect in condensing Spirit and why it cannot be condens'd by Compression EXPERIMENT VII May 12. 76. Spirit of Wine and Oyl of Turpentine SOme Spirit of Wine contain'd in a Glass Vessel with some drops of Oyl of Turpentine upon it were briskly mov'd about till the Receiver being exhausted they stuck to several Bubbles which rose out of the Spirit of Wine and were by them carri'd to the sides of the Vessel where they were kept except 2 Drops which the Bubbles left behind upon the Surface of the Spirit which whilst the Receiver was exhausting continued their Motion but in a little time after were wholly at rest Yet upon a Re-ingress of Air they for a little while renew'd their Motion again The same Experiment being repeated with Spirit of Wine and Oyl of Turpentine
wholly freed from Air there was neither any Ebullition nor an appearance of Bubbles yet the Drops of Oyl mov'd in Vacuo after the same Manner as in open Air. Hence it appears that the Motion of the Parts of Oyl depend not in a Dissolution in Vacuo since all Dissolutions are company'd with a production of Bubbles EXPERIMENT VIII May 19. 76. Radishes in a Receiver with Claret HAving cut two Radishes transversly and suspended them all Night in Vacuo over a Vessel of Claret the small End of one being downwards and the other in a contrary Posture all being freed of their Air the next Day I freed two other Radishes from their thick Skin and cutting them transversly suspended them over the Wine as the others in Vacuo upon which immersing them all in the Wine they emitted Bubbles considerably especially those that had been longest in the Receiver From this Experiment we may urge that Bubbles are form'd of Particles of Air contain'd in Water and the Reason why those Radishes yielded most Air whose Skins were not pull'd off is because those Skins are full of Canals and Pores to contain Air in for the forming of Bubbles The Liquor ascended equally in all the Radishes notwithstanding their Postures EXPERIMENT IX May. 4. A small Tube immers'd in Water A Small Glass Tube open at both Ends being immers'd in Water the Water in Vacuo ascended as high as it usually does in common Air but in a little time it was rais'd higher by Bubbles of Water which divided and intercepted the Cylinder of Water in 3 several places besides several Bubbles of Water pass'd out at that End of the Tube which was immers'd One End of this Tube being Hermetically seal'd up the Experiment succeeded after the same manner as when it was open but in the open Air the Water ascended not One thing in this Experiment was very Remarkable viz. That the Water suspended in the Tube yielded no Bubbles but only at the Bottom of the Tube nor did the Cylinder of Water even at the Bottom yield Bubbles when it was rais'd above the Surface of the Water which it was before immers'd in May. 5. The Experiment was repeated but before the End of the Tube was immers'd in Water a Drop which ran over the Superior Aperture of the Receiver fell down to the open End of the Tube and was rais'd two Lines in the Cavity of the Pipe No Bubbles were form'd in half an hour till the Tube was immers'd in Water and then successively they rose one after another In trying this Experiment several times I observ'd that tho' whilst the Tube was immers'd several Bubbles appear'd about the End of it yet when it was rais'd above the Surface of the Water none were to be seen May 6. The Experiment was try'd with an Infusion of Nephritick Wood in which the Success was alike except that in the Infusion when the Bubbles were small they ascended to the Top of the Liquor which is an Argument of it's Thinness and that it hath no Viscocity May 10. I repeated the same Experiment with a Mixture of Spirit of Wine and an Oyl made per Deliquium In which nothing was to be observ'd different from the former but that the Liquor ascended not so high From these Experiments it may probably be inferr'd That the Formation of Bubbles in the Extremity of the Tube depends on aerial Particles which swim in the Water and meeting with some Impediment at their End are kept there till new ones joyning with them form Bubbles EXPERIMENT X. July 18. 76. Beans with Water in an Iron Tube BEANS such as Horses eat being shut up with Water in an Iron Tube 2 days ago to day seem'd unalter'd but the Stopple of the Tube being pull'd back Air and Water broke out which Eruption was succeeded by a bubling Noise which continu'd above an hour July 25. The Iron Tube was open'd a second time and a bubling Noise succeeded as before Whence it appears that Beans contain Air which cannot discharge it self in a Compression till that Compression is remov'd EXPERIMENT XI March 4. 77. Spirit of Sal Armoniack and Copper A Glass half full of Spirit of Sal Armoniack being included in Vacuo with Filings of Copper in it in 15 Minutes it was tinged with a diluted Blew which upon an Ingress of Air in 3 Minutes became vivid and thick April 4. The Liquor having been enclos'd in Vacuo had almost lost it's Colour which it regain'd when the Air was let in again EXPERIMENT XII May 8. Oyl per Deliquium with Spirit of Wine OYL made per Deliquium being shut up in a Receiver with Spirit of Wine swimming upon it when the Air began to be exhausted great Bubbles rose from the Spirit and small ones from the Oyl but in an hour the Oyl afforded Bubbles large enough to fill the whole Diameter of the Pipe in their Ascent and an hour after that they broke out so violently as to strike against the Top of the Receiver May 9. The Experiment being repeated in a Vessel which was longer and narrower I observ'd that the Bubbles which rose from the Oyl were not very large till ¼ of an Inch above the Surface of it and then they were suddenly expanded EXPERIMENT XIII May 3. 76. Aq. Fort. and Spirit of Wine A Mixture of Aqua Fortis and Spirit of Wine being divided into three Parts and each of those included in a distinct Vessel with a piece of Iron one of them was included in Vacuo upon which several considerable Ebullitions succeeded The Liquor when taken out was black and Turbid tho' in the other two it was not alter'd in Colour but only a black Powder was settled in the Bottom Wherefore one of those being included in Vacuo after Ebullitions less violent than those in the Vessel first included the Liquor in a quarter of an hours time being taken out was almost as black and turbid as that first put into the Receiver That in the open Air was not much alter'd May 4. The Liquors shut up in the Receivers appear'd clear and green But that in the open Air bubbled more than the day before and was of a red Colour And all three being shut up in Vacuo the red Liquor afforded larger Bubbles Hence it appears that Spirit of Wine promotes Ebullition in Vacuo EXPERIMENT XIV Jan. 21. 78. Spirit of Sal Armoniack with Filings of Copper A Glass half full of Spir. Sal Armon with Filings of Copper stopp'd with a Leather Stopple was put into a Receiver with unfermented Paste Jan. 22. The Air yielded by the Paste penetrated the Leather which is impervious to common Air which appear'd by the Tincture it gave the Liquor Jan. 25. The Liquor had almost lost it's Colour so that the Particles of Artificial Air are so minute as to penetrate Pores which common Air cannot Feb. 2. The Glass being shut up in a Receiver which admitted Air so
gradually as to be fill'd in 24 hours the Liquor still remain'd Colourless Feb. 15. The Glass being again shut up in Vacuo with Paste the Air afforded by it did not as before penetrate the Leather nor was the Liquor in the least tinged by it EXPERIMENT XV. April 2. 78. HAving put a Shrew-Mouse into the Engin describ'd A Shrew-Mouse in Vacuo for the Filtration of Air through Water when the Pump was stirr'd and the Air began to penetrate the Water it was a little better but could not recover Apr. 12. The Experiment was repeated with a weakly Mouse that had been kept fasting a long time the Success was the same as in the last Experiment for the Mouse being taken out before it was dead could not recover in the free Air. EXPERIMENT XVI May 2. 78. SIX Weeks ago Spawn of Frogs in Vacuo c. Spawn of Frogs being included in common Air in Vacuo and in another Receiver with compress'd Air which sustain'd 60 Digits above the ordinary height The Mercury in Vacuo in 15 days was rais'd 1 Inch. The Spawn in common Air was corrupt and blackish that in the compress'd Air remain'd unalter'd A Month after the Spawn in Vacuo was turn'd into Water except the black Spots but had not alter'd it's Colour That in the common Air was very black That in the compress'd Air began to be reddish which Colour sensibly increas'd May 22. That in the common Air had lost it's Colour June 23. That in the compress'd Air had acquir'd a Greenness Octob. 15. That in Vacuo was exhaled out of it's Vessel and remain'd in the Receiver in the Form of Water That in the common Air was void of Colour and that in the compress'd Air was still red EXPERIMENT XVII May 9. 78. AN Orange having been divided Oranges in Vacuo and included in two Receivers in which was left an equal Vacuity the Capacity of the larger being so far fill'd with Water as it was bigger than the Cavity of the other I observ'd that that which was shut up with Water was four times more mouldy than the other The same Experiment was repeated the third part of the Cavity of one Receiver being fill'd with Water yet the Orange was not touch'd by it June 15. Neither of the Pieces of the Orange was mouldy and the same Experiment being again repeated neither Piece was mouldy in a Months time The Difference seems to be the Effect of some Disposition in the Air. EXPERIMENT XVIII June 1. 78. A Small Glass Tube Venice Turpentine in a Wind-Gun half full of Venice Turpentine being put into the Wind-Gun as soon as the Air was compress'd into a tenth Part of the Space it possess'd before The Leather which cover'd the Elliptick Hole was driven out The Tube being taken out I perceiv'd several Bubbles in the Top of the Turpentine which I suppos'd had been press'd into it when the Cavity of the Gun had Air compress'd in it Therefore placing the Tube again in the Gun I caus'd the Air to be condens'd to 15 times as little compass June 3. The Turpentine being taken out was free from Bubbles but by degrees a great many were form'd in it June 4. Having freed Turpentine from it's Air and pour'd Water upon it I shut up all in the Wind-Gun June 8. At the first sight both the Water and Turpentine were free from Bubbles but soon after they appear'd and ascended in the Turpentine almost from the Bottom So that the Air that form'd these Bubbles penetrated the Water and most of the Turpentine EXPERIMENT XIX Aug. 11. 78. WHEN Spirit of Sal Armoniack was clear'd of it's Bubbles Filings of Copper and Sp. Sal Armon in Vacuo I mix'd Filings of Copper with it in Vacuo upon which it yielded several Bubbles they did not yield Air but destroy'd what was contain'd there before The Liquor was green and turbid Decemb. 5. The Spirit was for the greatest part got out of the Vessel and condens'd in the Receiver that which continu'd in the Vessel was as clear as Water The Mercury was wholly driven out of the Gage whence it was reasonable to suppose that the Air was gradually consum'd in the Receiver EXPERIMENT XX. Septemb. 2. 78. A Cylinder of Tin and another of Lead Mercury rais'd in a Tube in Vacuo c. being immers'd in Vacuo in Mercury and two others in Mercury expos'd to common Air. Sept. 6. The Mercury in the Tin Cylinder in Vacuo was rais'd 4 Inches and a half The Pipe being cut transversly half of that Space above the Mercury it was immers'd in and in another place an Inch above the Surface of the Mercury the Amalgama had penetrated into the Metal half a Line above and a whole one below The Mercury in the Lead Pipe had not sensibly penetrated into that Metal except where it was immers'd It was rais'd in it 2 ½ Sept. 7. The Mercury had ascended 5 Digits in the Tin Pipe which was expos'd to the Air. Sept. 10. The same Cylinder continuing in the Mercury was besmear'd up to the very Top 6 Inches above the Surface of the stagnant Mercury which had penetrated the Tube the deeper by how much the nearer the stagnant Mercury so that near the Surface it had penetrated 3 Lines deep The Mercury was not rais'd above 3 Digits and a half in the Lead Pipe nor had it made any sensible Penetration So that the Pressure of the Air contributes little to the Ascent of Mercury into Metals EXPERIMENT XXI Decemb. 12. 78. THE Head of a Whiting being cut off A Whiting in Vacuo and divided into 5 parts one of them was shut up in Vacuo another in common Air another in compress'd Air which sustain'd 50 Digits above the usual height The fourth was included with Air from Paste the last piece was expos'd to open Air. Decemb. 15. That in the open Air in the Morning began to shine and in the Evening yielded a Light more vivid Decemb. 16. It gave over shining till Evening Dec. 17. It shined a little Dec. 18. at Night it shone a little Dec. 20. It continu'd to shine Dec. 22. It ceased Dec. 23. That included in common Air began to shine The 24. It did not Jan. 26. 79. None of them shined ARTICLE XII Artificial Air destroy'd EXPERIMENT I. August 3. 77. ARtificial Air of Cherries being transmitted into a Receiver full of common Air Artificial Air of Cherries destroy'd till the Mercury was rais'd 25 Inches above it's usual height Aug. 4 It sunk to 23 Aug. 6 It sunk to 20 Aug. 7 Aug. 8 a little Aug. 10 to 19 ½ EXPERIMENT II. May 26. 76. Artificial Air generated and destroy'd SIX Grains of Sal Armon being let fall into a sufficient Quantity of Oyl of Vitriol in Vacuo there follow'd a great Ebullition so that the Mercury rose to it 's usual height but presently subsided again May 27. The same Experiment being try'd
fortissimo Vitreo ponantur ad ignem arenae donec vitrum optime incalescat praedicta solvantur liquentur instar Picis quod observabitur quando filum quoddam immittitur in fundum quod extractum postea instar Terebinthinae trahetur ubi satis coctum erit Postea remove vitrum ab igne subtiliter pulverisa ad usum serva Another eminent Physitian preserv'd himself from the Plague by taking every Morning a little Sea Salt dissolv'd in Sea Water And in another Plague I knew two recover'd with a Conserve made of Goats Rue Why the Plague sometimes unexpectedly ceases But further besides what hath been discours'd on it is not less disagreeable with our Hypothesis that sometimes the Plague unexpectedly ceases since those subterraneal Effluvia which continue the Infection ceasing to be emitted from the Earth those in the Air are soon spent and swept away with the Wind which Effluvia may cease to be emitted either because they meet with some other Effluvia in the Earth which corrects them or because they primarily rose from a Conflict and Agitation depending on the mutual Action of two Bodies which as Spirit of Salt pour'd on filings of Iron or Aquafortis on Salt of Tartar emit Fumes less plentifully as the Ebullition declines And that noxious Exhalations may be corrected by a combination of others as pernicious not only appears from what hath been before deliver'd but may be illustrated by noting that tho' Spirit of Salt-Peter will corrode Silver yet if Spirit of Salt be added to it it soon loses that Quality PROPOSITION IV. It is very probable that most of the Diseases that even Physitians call new Ones are caus'd either chiefly or concurrently by Subterraneal Steams New Diseases caus'd by subterraneal Steams BY new Distempers I would be understood to mean not every one that varies a little in Symptoms from the same sort at another time but such as at their appearance are by their Symptoms altogether unknown That these Distempers depend not on any intemperate and manifest Qualities of the Air nor on the influence of those Heavenly Bodies that move about us seems evident because the Influence of the latter are too indeterminate and the alterations in the Temper of the Air much more frequent than the Access of new Distempers But from what hath been said under the Third Proposition it appears that the Globe we inhabit abounds with various noxious Minerals which are subject to various Confluxes Conflicts and Dissipations and which by emitting Effluvia may infect the Air and cause new Diseases which may continue accordingly as the Cause is more or less durable so Manna for these two or three Ages hath been found on certain Trees which faculty of producing Manna they still retain yet had it not before Experiments to shew that Metals may be rais'd in the form of Vapours To conclude this Chapter and to render what we have taught concerning mineral Effluvia more probable I shall add the following Experiments from whence it will appear that malleable Metals may be rais'd in the form of Vapours into the Air and become part of Fumes or perhaps of Invisible Vapours or even of Flame it self EXPERIMENT I. Dantisic Vitriol and Sea Salt Distill'd HAving powdered three Pound of Dantsic Vitriol and two of Sea-salt and distill'd them with a strong naked Fire we obtain'd a blew Spirit of Salt Besides which there rose a Powder of a Cupreous and Martial Nature which settl'd in the bottom of the Liquor EXPERIMENT II. English Vitriol and Sea Salt THE former Experiment being repeated with English instead of Dantsic Vitriol we obtain'd a Yellow Spirit with a Yellow Powder which seem'd to be a Crocus Martis EXPERIMENT III. Mercury Sublimate and Copper WE cast thin Plates of Copper into a Retort upon a double weight of good Mercury Sublimate and having luted on the Receiver by a long continued Fire we obtain'd some running Mercury and some Sublimate which had not fastned upon the Copper In the Bottom of the Retort we found a weighty brittle and resinous Substance fusible and inflammable almost like Sealing Wax this being beaten and expos'd for some time to the Air turned to a kind of Verdigreese which gave a green Tincture to Spirit of Salt This being Distilled ad Siccitatem several times till fully impregnated with the Spirit it was mix'd with Triply and with a strong Fire afforded a colourless Liquor like Water which upon an Addition of Spirit of Harts-horn turn'd Blew EXPERIMENT IV. Venetian Sublimate and Cornish Tin VEnetian Sublimate Distill'd from Cornish Tin into a good large Receiver yielded a Spirituous Liquor which emits white Exhalations upon an Access of free Air but if the Orifice of the Vessel be but cover'd with a Piece of Paper Air promotes the rising of Metalline Vipours it presently ceases to emit those Exhalations yet begins again when that Paper which lay but lightly upon it before is taken off Whence it appears that the Air may promote the rising of metalline Vapours in the Atmosphere And that Metalline Fumes will ascend in the form of Vapours will appear from the following Experiment viz. Having satiated Aqua fortis with Copper and steeped some brown Paper in it to soak up some of the Menstruum when the superfluous Moisture was partly evaporated we laid some of it upon the Hearth near a Wood Fire upon which the Paper being Scorched emitted Fumes like Smoak which rising up in the Air as soon as they came to the Flame they imparted to it a Colour partly Blew and partly Green as it was variously mix'd with the Flame and Smoak of the Wood. CHAP. XX. Suspicions about some hidden Qualities of the Air. Latent Qualities in the Air. BEsides the four first Qualities of the Air viz. Heat Cold Moisture and Driness and those which Philosophers and Chymists have discover'd as Gravity Springiness c. I am apt to suspect that there are other latent Qualities in it due to the substantial Ingredients which it is made up of For the Air we live in is not a simple Body but a confus'd Aggregate of Effluviums which being jumbl'd together constitute a great Mass of Heterogeneous Matter endew'd with different Qualities For from what is elsewhere deliver'd it appears that there are various Effluvia besides those that afforded ordinary Meteors which arise from Bodies in subterraneal Parts several of which have no Names or at least none assign'd them and have several Powers and Qualities which we know not of Besides the Sun and Planets may have Influences here below distinct from their Heat and Light which may mix with the Atmosphere we live in And for as much as those celestial Globes that move about us may be endew'd with substances that we here know nothing of the Effluviums which come from them may affect us in a different manner from any Bodies we here have in our Atmosphere And tho the
exprimit per Tubum C. D. primum quidem vehementius subinde remissius prout Aeris vis elastica sensim conquescit Hoc idem quod de Aere intra Vas comprimendo ad aquam evibrandum comminisci placuit servatâ analogiâ dicendum est de Aere tum conatu manûs rectâ trusillum impellentis tum ope Cochleae similiter conformatae intra conceptaculum comprimendo ut ex fistula deinde multa vi emittatur plumbea Glans ubi reseratus Aeri exitus illum subito dilatari permiserit Quin Pneumatica hujusmodi tormenta citra conceptaculum Aeris compressi construere non inutile accidat si quemadmodum nostrates pueri surculos sambuceos fungosa medulla exhauriunt utraque Tubuli extremitate papyraceis Globulis obstructa alterum Globulum congruo Cylindro propellunt atque inclusum Aerem densant quoad Aeris vim elasticam impellentis manûs Conatum non ferens extremus alter Globulus edito scloppo expellatur ita ferream fistulam longiorem paraveris cujus alteri extremitati immittatur plumbea Glans obducta papyro aut simili Materia ut exquisitè Tubi osculum implens demum universam Aeris vim excipiat alteram extremitatem aliquot Spiris ambiat cava Cochlea quam impleat Cylindrus ferreus in congruentem Cochleam deformatus si enim hujusmodi Cylindrus vis brevior fuerit quam fistula apto Manubrio convolutus in fistulam sensim immittatur totum Aerem quo fistula replebatur ad exiguas spatii angustias adiget ex quibus magna vi demum qua data porta erumpens ejacul abitur plumbeum Globulum Casati Mechanicorum Lib. 8. Cap. 5. p. 792. 793. c. TITTLE V. Of the Magnetical Particles in the Air. TITLE VI. Of the Destruction Generation Absorpsion and Extrication of the Air. Concerning the Production of the Air. AIr being a body not only concern'd in agreat many Phenomena of Nature but likewise so necessary to the Preservation of Animals Is thought it of no small use to thy whether it might be Artificially prepar'd and obtain'd from Bodies which seem'd not at all to abound with Air for could it be done it would not only be considerable in helping to explain several Phaenomena of Nature but to preserve Divers much longer under Water To try therefore whether it might be effected and whether that which seem'd to be Air were truly so I made use of the following Experiments taking a durable Springiness or Elasticity as the Criterion by which I should judge whether the Air generated were Genuine or not EXPERIMENT I. Jan. 17. Air generated by a mixture of Oyl of Vitriol and Filings of Steel FIlings of Steel and a conveniently shap'd Glass which contain'd Oyl of Vitriol and was seal'd at both Ends but with a Hole open'd near one of them were coveigh'd into a long and large Tube so much Water being put in with them as was sufficient to dilute the Oyl This being done and the External Tube and the Water exhausted till the Mercury in the Gage was so far rais'd in the open Leg that little remain'd in the seal'd Leg we clos'd up the External Tube exactly and observ'd that when the Oyl was caus'd to run out of the internal Tube by acting upon the Metal it caus'd several Bubbles and a sensible Heat when this Conflict had continu'd some time so much Air was generated as depress'd the Mercury in the open Leg down to the Bottom and rais'd it so much in the other that the Air above it was more compress'd than when the Atmosphere had free Liberty to press against it The Spring of this newly produc'd Air was so strong and durable as to keep the Mercury at â—he same height 3 or 4 Days and some Days after a Boy having heedlesly remov'd the Tube from its usual Station the Mercury in the Gage ascended an Inch and a half at which Height it continu'd till the 25th of January EXPERIMENT II. March 8. Flower moisten'd with Water A Glass Viol which was large enough to hold a Pint was fill'd with Flower of Wheat drench'd with Water and the Orifice being clos'd with a Cork and strong Cement after the Glass had been placed 13 Days in a warm Place it was burst by the Violent expansion of the included Matter tho' the Night before part of the Glass below seem'd empty The Taste of the included Matter seem'd to me only a little sowrish but to another manifestly acid EXPERIMENT III. March 9. Raisins included in Vacuo with Water BRuised Raisins with a little Water being put into a Bolt-head when it was exhausted I plac'd it in a warm Place In four Days no Air was generated but some time after the Bolt-head was burst in pieces and the Raisins thrown about EXPERIMENT IV. Feb. 22. A Glass which would hold about 3 Pound of Water having a sufficient Quantity of Raisins put into the Water a Bladder was ty'd to the Neck of it which had all the Air squeez'd out and in two Days time it was so fill'd with Air that we could not tye it up without losing some of the Water EXPERIMENT V. April 28. SPirit of Salt and Filings of Steel being put into a wide mouth'd Glass we cover'd it with a Receiver fitted with an Eel-Skin and a Wire to the latter of which a thin Glass Vessel was ty'd hermetically seal'd at the Bottom and furnish'd with a sufficient Quantity of Filings of Copper This being done and the Receiver exhausted we thrust the Glass which contain'd the Filings against the Bottom of the Viol and broke it off whereupon the Filings falling into the Menstruum a considerable number of Bubbles were generated The Viol being kept ¼ of an Hour longer in Vacuo the Liquor acquir'd not the least Greenness EXPERIMENT VI. Air shut up in Oyl of Turpentine and Spring Water A Bubble of Air about the Size of a Pea being left at the Top of a round Viol with a long narrow Neck the Cavity of it being fill'd with fine Oyl of Turpentine and then inverted into a Viol fill'd with the same Liquor Another Viol which had a Bubble in the Top was fill'd with Alcohol of Wine and inverted it into the the same Liquor On the sixth Day the Bubble in the Oyl disappear'd and on the seventh that in the Spirit of Wine vanish'd EXPERIMENT VII May 23. Frog 's Spawn A Receiver which had been three Years exhausted was open'd and a black opacous Liquor which we judg'd to be Frog's Spawn which was contain'd in a Viol being taken out was of a stinking Smell but not mouldy It had yielded some Air. EXPERIMENT VIII IT is observ'd that when Miners meet with running Waters under Ground they are by those supply'd with Air enough for Respiration tho' it is observ'd that standing Waters do not afford Air. Experiments about the Production of Air and the Examining thereof propos'd Sect. I. To produce Air by Fermentation in Receivers exactly clos'd and in
of Salt I am induc'd to believe that the Air abounds with Volatile ones For besides that an Acquaintaince of Mine obtained a Spirit and Salt of Similar Qualities with Spirit of Harts-horn from Earth dug up some Yards deep we may observe in favour of what I propose that the very Soot which rises from fires near great Towns a great part of which is dispersed in the Air abounds with a Saline Spirit which may be obtain'd from it by Distillation as likewise a great quantity of Volatile Matter may be raised in the form of Vapours from Animal substances putrified and corrupted But besides these more simple Salts there may be several others compounded in the Air which may result from several Coalitions of simple Salts and several Compound Salts may not unlikely arise from Subterraneal Parts In favour of which I shall add that in America the Effluvia of a Vulcano not only offended the Faces of some that approach'd too near but caused a manifest alteration in the Colour of their Hair And it hath been observ'd that several Sulphureous Exhalations have been gathered about the Crannies of Mount Vesuvius which issuing out of small Crannies stick to the Edges like Flower of Brimstone To which I shall add that I had a Stone brought me from another Vulcano whose Pores were full of a White Salt compounded of a fixed one and another Volatile much like Sal-Armon The Salts we have hitherto taken Notice of are such as may be referred to a determinate Species But I am apt to believe that there are others which are such as are not known nor have they any Names given them this appears from what we have elsewhere taught of Subterraneal Fumes and may be further illustrated by intimating that I have observ'd Old Glass-windows sometimes corroded as if Worm-eaten which probably proceeded from some corrosive Particles carried thither by the Wind. As for the Nature of these several Salts that at different times and in various Places impregnate the Air amongst the different Methods that might be taken to investigate them I shall mention the following Several ways to discover the Nature of the Salts in the Air. First We may expose such Bodies to the Air as we think will most likely be work'd upon by the Salt we judge Predominant in that place as Lime where we think Nitre abounds as also we may hang up Silks of such Colours as Nitre is most apt to fade or discolour In places where we think Vitriol abounds we may expose Preparations of Sulphur which it usually turns Black In other Places we may spread White Linnen Cloths and observe what Salts they imbibe along with the Rising Vapours and Falling Dew A Second way to discover the Nature of the Salts in the Air may be by exposing some Body which several Salts have different Effects on EXPERIMENT I. CLean Copper Plates being placed over Glasses under which Spirit of Salt and Spirit of Nitre diluted with Water were set I Oserved that they were discoloured alike by the ascending Fumes it being common for these Spirits to draw a green Tincture from Copper as Spirit of Soot and Urine do a Blew one I have observed a piece of Copper brought from a Mine overcast in several Parts with a Verdigrease which effect I judged to depend on the Efficacy of some Effluvia in the Air. And possibly with other Bodies discovering different discolourations we be enabled to learn what kind of Steams those Effects are produced by And it hath been observ'd not only at Amsterdam but elsewhere that Plate in a little time in those Airs would acquire a Rusty Colour or one partaking of Yellow and Black A Third way which may be taken to discover the different Nature of Effluvia may be by exposing Preparations of Mineral Bodies whose Colours are apt to be changed by the Air. EXPERIMENT II. IF a Solution of Silver in Aq. Fortis be precipitated with Spirit of Sea Salt the Powder will be at the First White but after a while being exposed to the Air the Surface of the Liquor will acquire a dark Colour which may perhaps vary as the Air is differently impregnated EXPERIMENT III. AN equal Weight of Filings of Copper and Powdered Sal Armoniack being mixed and put into a Covered Crucible and kept over a moderate Fire till the Sal Armon had done Smoaking as much of the remaing Mass as could be parted was taken out and looked of a Dark Colour but being grossly beaten and exposed to the Air looked like Verdigrease a substance whose Colour commonly varies according to the Nature of the Salts concerned in the production of the Pigment But a Parcel of the same Mass being grosly beaten and Hermetically Sealed up from the Air and left in a South Window was not discoloured when that exposed to the Air had acquired a Virdigrease Colour EXPEREMENT IV. SPirit of Soot of Wood dissolved Copper into a lovely Azure but the substance growing dry in the Air changed it's Ceruleous for a Cyanious Colour such as may be seen in good Turquoises Which Change depended not on the Saline-Sulphureous Salt Which I rather believe because I had the same success when I made use of an Urinous Spirit drawn from an Animal substance Most of the Inland Parts of our Country abound not with Corrosive Vapours the Bars of Iron being not so subject to be corroded and Rust So that I believe this Salt may proceed from Sea Vapours or a dissolution of some Corroding Salt upon the burning of a Sea or Mineral Coals Mox ollam ex igni removent Agricola de re Metal Lib. 12. postea ex refrigerata eximunt halinitrum purissimum quod candidi marmoris speciem gerit aetque tunc etiam id quod terrenum est in fundo residet At terra ex qua dilutum fuit factum Rami quernei vel consimilis Arboris alternis sub dio ponantur aqua quâ combibit halinitrum conspergantur quo modo quinque vel sex annis rursus apta fit ad conficiendum dilutum Halinitrum quodammodo purum quod dum terra tot annos quievit interea ortum fuit quod lapidei parietes in Cellis Vrinariis locis opacis exudant cum primo diluto permistum decoquatur Si verò locus aliquis talium venarum copiam suppeditaverit ipsae statim non conjiciantur in cast ella sed primò convehantur in areas atque cumulentur quanto enim diutius aeri pluviis expositae fuerint tanto meliores fiunt Nam in ejusmodi cumulis aliquot post Mensibus quam Venae in are as fuerint conjectae nascuntur fibrae longe venis bonitate praestantes deinde vehantur in sex plurave Castella longa lat a ad novem pedes ad quinque alta Si verò dum dilutum recoquitur seperata non fuerint mox ex minoribus Vasis infundatur in Majora eaque concludantur in quibus item atramentum sutorium seperatum ab alumine
of Tartar being digested with several times it's Quantity of Onions acquir'd a Garlick Smell EXPEEIMENT X. With an inodorous Body and another not well scented to produce a Musky Smell A Perfume made of an inodorous and another Body not well scented THIS we have done by casting small Pearls into Spirit of Vitriol for whilst the Menstruum was dissolving them we could evidently perceive a strong Musky Smell EXPERIMENT XI With fixed Metals and Bodies either inodorous or stinking to produce strong and pleasant Smells like those of some Vegetables and Minerals To imitate vegetable Smells c. THO' Gold is inodorous and Aqua Regis of an offensive strong Smell yet the Solution being precipitated with Oyl of Tartar and the Precipitate fulminated per se in a Silver Vessel we observ'd that when the Fulmination was newly made the Steams were of a very pleasant Smell like Musk so that Art by lucky Contextures may imitate natural and specifick Odours And not only so but Nature may endew several differing Bodies with similar Smells for in the West-Indies there is a sort of Seed which for it's Smell is term'd Musk-Seed and in Muscovy the Skins of Musk-Rats have such a kink of Smell and Ducks at a certain Season of the Year if violently chased emit a Musk Scent And on the other hand there is a certain Wood in the East-Indies which smells like Stercus Humanum And I remember that having distill'd Saccharum Saturni with a strong Fire besides the Empyreumatical Liquor the Caput mortuum which was of a grayish Colour emitted a pleasant Scent And we may observe that Nature sometimes takes the same way to produce different Effects since tho' the Dung of most Animals is faetid yet that of a Musk Animal is well scented So that it is enough to introduce into a Body noble Qualities that it hath a due Contexture and Constitution of Parts And on this Occasion I shall add that the Excrements of other Animals are sometimes so much vary'd by the Temper and Dispositions of our Constitutions that Dung hath at a certain distance smell'd well and like Musk to some People And not to mention what hath been said of Alexander the Great I knew a Gentleman whose Sweat was very fragrant And Civet which is so well scented in a lax Air is as offensive to those that come too near great Quantities And it hath been observ'd that a Monky upon eating Spiders would cause a Scent like Musk. EXPERIMENT XII To heighten good Smells by Composition To inrich Smells by Composition IT is observ'd that a due Proportion of Civet or Musk mix'd with Amber-grease promotes the Scent of it for it is not the Quantity but the Justness of Proportion that inriches the Scent The best Proportion being 8 parts of Amber-grease two of Musk and one of Civet And it hath been observ'd that Bodies inodorous mix'd with the Ingredients of Perfumes promoted their Scent for which End Wine Vinegar hath been made use of by some And I my self prepar'd an Essence of Musk by digesting some of it in Spirit of Wine for some Days and then decanting the Tincture and a weaker sort may be made by pouring Milk upon the remaing part of the Musk and decanting it after a cold Digestion And one thing in this Tincture observable is that tho' it of it self hath but a weak Scent yet if a few Drops of it be mix'd with good Sack it perfumes the whole very richly both in Smell and Taste CHAP. III. Many Changes of Colour produced by one simple Ingredient Several changes of Colour produced by one simple Ingredient TO make it appear how much the Colours of Bodies depend on the Variation of Texture and their Modification I try'd the following Experiments in which several Phaenomena are exhibited by the Mixture of a colourless Ingredient such as Spirit of Salt I. If a little Spirit of Salt be mix'd with Syrup of Violets upon a piece of Paper it is presently turn'd from a Blew to a red Colour inclining to a Purple II. But if Spirit of Salt be dropp'd in a just Proportion into a Solution of Filings of Copper made with Spirit of Sal Armoniack the Blew will be turn'd into a green Colour III. Having mixed Syrup of Violets with Spirit of Urine Harts-horn or Oyl of Tartar per Deliquium and by that means turn'd it green I mix'd Spirit of Salt with it which turn'd it red IV. If Spirit of Salt be dropp'd into Water in which Red Rose Leaves well dry'd are put it will make the Tincture to be of a lovely Red. V. But if Tincture of Brasil be heightned by an addition of Spirit of Hartshorn or Urine Spirit of Salt will make it as pale as Sack so that that which heightened the Red Tincture in the former Experiment destroys it in this VI. Tho an Infusion of Lignum Nephriticum in Water betwixt it and the Light appears yellow yet when held so that the Eye may be placed betwixt it and the Window it appears to be blew yet upon the dropping of Spirit of Salt into it it loses that property VII Having dropped Spirit of Salt upon Paper stained with Ink the black was presently changed into a yellow and blew colour VIII If Filings of Steel be dissolved in Spirit of Salt the filtrated Liquor will upon Evaporation shoot into green Cristals which if when they are dry they be kept in a Crucible a moderate Heat will turn them red IX We found that the red Precipitate of Mercury per se would dissolve in Spirit of Salt tho crude Mercury will not we likewise found that the Redness of Minium was wholly destroyed by boyling it in Spirit of Salt and that the Tincture of Coral extracted with this Menstruum was wholly void of colour X. If Filings of Copper be long digested in a Sand-Furnace in a good quantity of Spirit of Salt viz. as much as will cover it the breadth of two Fingers the Metal being in part dissolved will be of a colour not unlike a muddy Red if held betwixt your Eye and the the light XI But if it stand some hours in a wide-mouthed glass it will be of a green colour finer than that which is made by a solution of Mars XII If Spirit of Salt be dropped into a Solution of Silver or Quicksilver in Aqua Fortis the mixture will be of a milky whiteness and presently deposite a white Precipitate XIII And the same Phaenomena will likewise happen if Spirit of Salt be dropped upon a Tincture of Benjamin or a Solution of Resinous Jalap XIV Having mixed a sweet Solution of Red Lead in Spirit of Vinegar with a Tincture of Red Roses I dropt Spirit of Salt into the mixture which precipitated the red and turned the green mixture into a durable Scarlet which if disturbed by a mixture of the white precipitate will be of a Carnation colour XV. Spirit of Salt which was muddy by standing upon Filings of Copper
whilst it was stirred about the Spirit of Wine in the Weather-glass gradually subsided EXPERIMENT IV. Another immersed in Spirit of Roch Allom c. Having poured as much rectify'd Spirit of Roch Allom into a wide mouth'd Glass as was sufficient to cover the globulous part of a Thermoscope when the Spirit of Wine was equally cooled with the Air about it we poured into it a volatil Salt obtain'd by Sublimation from Sal-Armoniack and a fixt Alcali and tho' upon the joint Action of these two Bodies a considerable Noise was raised with Bubbles and Froth yet the Spirit of Wine began to subside and continued to do so 'till the Spirit of Allom was wholly glutted with the volatil Salt the whole Descent being the length of an Inch. From this Experiment and the foregoing it appears That when Alcalies and Acids produce Heat upon a mutual Conflict which ensues their Mixture they have not that Effect precisely consider'd as such since it is evident that an urinous Salt mixed with an acid Spirit viz. of Roch Allom produces Coldness and not a true Effervescence EXPERIMENT V. A Thermoscope in a Mixture of Oil of Vitriol and Sal Armon One part of Oyl of Vitriol being shaken together with twelve parts of Water the Mixture acquir'd a little Warmth but when it was cool being poured into a wide-mouth'd Glass and a Thermometer immersed in it when the Liquor in the Thermoscope was equally cool with the external we poured in a sufficient quantity of Sal-Armoniack to glut the Acid The effect of which Mixture was that upon a cold Ebullition the Spirit of Wine descended an Inch. EXPERIMENT VI. Heat produced by a Mixture of Salt-peter and Oyl of Vitriol Tho' Salt-Peter usually produces a Coldness in Liquors yet eight Ounces of it being mixed with six of Oil of Vitriol the Mixture acquired a considerable degree of Heat emitting Fumes copiously EXPERIMENT VII The effect of Gun-powder mixed with Water Though Gun-powder be a Body so inflammable yet it evidently imparts a Coldness if mixed with Water If a small quantity of Oil of Vitriol be mixed with the Salt formerly made use of before the Oil hath been mixed with Water it acquires a considerable degree of Coldness A Digression about Potential Coldness Potential Coldness Mechanically explained Potential Coldness is usually looked upon to be a Quality so absolute as not to be explicable without the Doctrine of Substantial Forms But it will easily appear That it may without any great difficulty be clearly explained by Mechanick Principles if we consider that the Figure Shape and Texture of Bodies may be so contrived as to lessen the usual and natural Agitation of Humors about our Sensory and consequently the Perception of this Imminution may cause such a Sensation as is usually term'd Potential Coldness which account being allowed it will follow That Potential Coldness is only a relative Quality depending on the dispersion of the Agents through the Bodies to be cooled by them According to which Notion the cold Fitts in Agues may easily be conceived to arise from an Intermixture of the Parts of some clammy Matter which before a Dissolution were unable to cause any considerable Effect in the Mass of Blood but presently after being mixed with the Blood produce such a change in the Motion of its Parts as affects the Sensory with such a Sensation as is usually esteemed Potential Coldness which Sensation may not only be so produced in Agues but by a like Cause in other Distempers and in several Parts of the Body as in Hypochondriack and Hysterical Cases To render which Account more probable I shall subjoyn That I have learnt by the Effects of Poysons that the small Parts of them being interpersed through the Parts of Humors previously disposed may cause a notable Refrigeration And I my self have prepar'd a penetrating Chymical Liquor a Drop of which being given to an Animal would cast him into a seeming Sleep and a little larger Quantity being by Mischance applyed to an akeing Tooth gave the Person a sort of trembling and almost an universal Refrigeration And that Coldness may be produced by the Mixture of some subtile Parts of Matter with the Mass of Blood appears from the following Histories Famulum habui says Benivenius Cap. 56. Abditorum apud Schenk Lib. 7. de Venen Obs 24. qui a Scorpione ictus tam subito ac tam frigido Sudore toto Corpore perfusus est ut algentissima Nive atque Glacie sese opprimi quereretur verum cum algenti illi solam Theriacam ex Vino potentiore exhibuissem illico curatus est And to this I shall add another related by Amatus Lusitanus Cent. 6. Obs Vir qui a Scorpione in Manus digito punctus fuit multum dolebat refrigeratus totus contremebat per Corpus dolores Cute tota quasi aut puncta formicantes patiebatur c. What Refrigeration depends on Whether such Refrigeration depends on a sort of Coagulation of the minute Parts of the Blood or whether it may be produced by a different Determination of the motion of the Parts of those Liquors as to the Lines they move in I shall not now examine but shall rather offer it to be considered since the internal Constitutions of several Parts of the Body are different from each other and since the Size and Textures of several Agents are also various whether they may not upon that account have different Effects upon distinct Parts of the Body for all the Qualities of such Agents do not wholly depend on the Action of the Corpuscles of the Medicine only but depend on some adventitious Qualities which they acquire by being mixed with particular Humors and which they may dispose to be more or less worked upon by the other Efficients of Heat or Cold. And these Conjectures may not be render'd a little probable by observing That tho' Spirit of Wine inwardly taken causes Heat yet externally it abates the Heat of inflamed Parts but hath different Effects on a tender Eye And though internally five Grains of Camphire may diffuse Heat through the whole Body yet externally it is used in refrigerating Medicines How far these Observations may be of Service in determining whether Camphire c. be hot or cold I shall leave to Physicians to consider and shall here only offer in Proof That Potential Coldness is only a relative Quality the following particulars viz. That from the VI. and VII Experiments it appears that according to the Dispositions of Bodies to be worked on the Agent may have different Qualities As Fumes of Lead may coagulate Mercury tho' it hath not a like Effect on other Liquors And further although Sal-Armoniack and Nitre be when separate cool and tho' the latter melted in a Crucible takes not Fire of it self yet upon an addition of Sal-Armoniack it flashes vehemently But I shall leave this Digression and proceed to Experiments about Cold. EXPERIMENT VIII Oyl of
not so hard as common Ice And I am inform'd that in Moscow the Spirit of Wine would freeze leaving some dissolv'd in the middle which was much stronger than ordinary Brandy And I am told that in Russia it is usual to have Wine froze French Brandy being exposed to the Air in Russia froze and Sallet-oyl become as hard as Tallow but Water at the same time did not freeze TITLE III. Experiments touching Bodies indisposed to be frozen Bodies not disposed to freeze 1. THE subtil parts of several Bodies being brought over by distillation would not freeze by such an application of Snow and Salt as froze other Bodies Of this sort were Aqua-fortis Spirit of Nitre of Salt Oyl of Turpentine and almost all the Chymical Oyls we had then in possession Spirit of Wine and of other fermented Liquors and Sack if good would scarce freeze but the inflammable Part being spent by burning it would easily freeze 2. Two drachms of Salt of Pot-ashes being dissolv'd in an ounce of Water the mixture would not freeze tho' the outside of the Vessel was cover'd with Ice At another time a strong Solution of Salt of Tartar would not freeze tho' at the same time Salt of Pot-ashes being dissolv'd did 3. That common expressed Oyls of Vegetables will freeze after their manner and curdle in cold Weather is commonly observed yet Train-oyl which is usually made of the Fat of Whales by the help of Fire continued fluid in Weather that was very sharp but in an excessive cold night it lost its fluidity which seems to disfavour what Olaus Magnus writes who says That in the Northern Regions it is usual to cast Train-oyl upon the Water in their Ditches to keep the Water from freezing and thereby unpassable the Oyl as he says not being subject to congele with Cold but it may be worth while to enquire Whether the Train-Oyl he speaks of be the same as is used by the Swedes Laplanders and Muscovites and whether they have a different way in keeping of it or not 4. Tho' a Solution of Sugar would freeze yet a strong Solution of Sugar of Lead would not in a mixture of Snow and Salt which is remarkable since the Spirit of Vinegar it self would freeze Besides there must needs be some Water in the Solution and the Sugar being but a Vitriol of Lead it is not a little strange that it should not freeze as well as common Vitriol tho' in this latter concrete Metal be corroded by a Spirit which if we may judge by the Liquor afforded in Distillation is very much sharper and stronger than Spirit of Vinegar 5. Quick-silver would not freeze in the sharpest Air tho' expos'd to it in very thin Glasses and in such a manner that a little quantity of it made a large Surface 6. A very sharp Frost was not able to freeze a strong Brine tho' at the same time other saline Solutions were congeal'd But a Solution consisting of twenty Parts of Water and one of Salt was froze in a very sharp Night the Ice swimming at the top in Figures almost like Broom spreading from the surface of the Water downwards The Salt dissolv'd in this Water is double the proportion of that which is usually in Sea-water I thawed Ice of Salt-water to try whether the dissolved Ice would be fresh or not but it retain'd a little brackishness which I suppose it receiv'd from the contiguous Brine tho' I am inform'd That in Amsterdam they make use of thaw'd Ice instead of common fresh Water in Brewing And Bartholinus de usu Nivis Cap. 6. p. 42. says De Glacie ex marina aqua certum est si resolvatur salsum saporem deposuisse quod etiam non ità pridem expertus est Cl. Jacobus Fincbius Academiae Nostrae Senior Physices Professor benemeritus in Glaciei frustis è portu nostro allatis Particulars referrable to the III Title 1. Spirit of Sal-Armoniack made with Quick-lime volatile Oyl of Amber a small quantity of Oyl of Vitriol being exposed two Nights and a Day froze not A Solution of Silver in Aqua fortis was and Spr. Sanguinis Humani being froze swelled so much as to force out the Cork 2. Unrectify'd Oyl of Turpentine exposed to the Cold in a Bottle would not freeze but another Portion being contain'd in an earthen Porringer did 3. I am inform'd That there is a Lake of Water in Scotland out of which a small River runs the Water of both which is never froze but dissolves Snow or Ice if cast into it 4. Sallet-oyl being made use of to keep the Locks of Guns from freezing hinder'd them from being discharg'd but Oyl of Hemp or Train-oyl kept them from freezing TITLE IV. Experiments and Observations concerning the degrees of Cold in several Bodies Of the degrees of Cold in several Bodies TO discover the different degrees of Cold we have proposed several Thermometers in the preceeding Chapters concerning which we shall add this Advertisement viz. That tho' those which are to be immersed in Liquors have the Ball end round yet when we are to try the degrees of Cold of consistent Powders it is better to make use of such as have flat Bottoms that they may be able to stand on their own Basis For so it will be pleasant to see the suspended Bubble in one of our Thermometers rise and fall as it is removed from one Body to another 2. Freezing hath been so generally esteemed the utmost Effect of Cold That most have been content without examining strictly the several degrees of it Nor indeed is it very easily done since if we do it with common Weather-glasses it will be a hard thing to distinguish whether the Cold of one Day exceeds that of another since there intervening so much time betwixt the Observations the Alterations may be caused by an increase in the weight of the Atmosphere And should we make an estimate by the Testimony of our Senses we should easily be mistaken since it is believed That the different sensations of Cold which we perceive depend on the various Dispositions of our Bodies But allowing that vulgar Thermometers might give us a true Information of the degrees of Cold which Nature affords yet they acquaint us not whether Art may not produce greater much less will they help us to make an estimate of this Disparity And though we may make some guess by the Operation of Cold on Liquors exposed to it yet some as Aqueous Liquors freeze too soon and vinous Liquors here in England will not freeze at all except French Wine which happens seldom and leaves too great an Interval betwixt the degrees necessary to congeal Wine and sufficient to freeze Water besides the uncertainty proceeding from the several strengths of Wines Wherefore to discover the Intensity of Cold produced by Art above the highest degree that Nature affords See Plate 1. Fig. 1. we furnished a sealed Weather-glass Such as Plate 1. Fig. 1. Delineates with
condensed by Cold the Air breaks in to prevent a Vacuum For that Water is expanded by Cold appears from what I have said besides nothing is more commonly observ'd than that Water being froze in a Vessel whose sides are strong enough to keep it from bursting them the Superficies of the Ice is generally protuberant and convex And that the breaking of Bottles depends not on Nature's abhorrency of a Vacuum appears since should we suppose That the Fluid contain'd in a Bottle would be so far condensed as to possess less space than before it is possible there might be a Vacuum there and the Bottle not burst since glass-Glass-Bubbles much thinner than ordinary Bottles will endure the frost tho' stopped close with Air in them But not only Water expands it self upon freezing but other Aqueous Bodies so Eggs being froze burst their shells asunder And Milk Urine Rhenish Wine and good Spirit of Wine being set to freeze in distinct Glass-Eggs the Wine being froze swell'd an Inch above the first Surface the Milk two Inches and the Urine six or seven And a Solution of Dantzick-Vitriol did not only become Opace but rose considerably higher in a Cylindrical Pipe upon Congelation Whether more stable and consistent Bodies are capable of being expanded by Cold would be worth enquiring since it hath been observ'd That in Nova Zembla the very Clocks have been froze so that they would not goe and the like hath been observ'd by Capt. James in his Voyage at Charlton-Island his Watch being froze as well as his Clocks Whether these Effects depended on any Swelling of the Ropes or whether the Spring of his Watch might be weakned by Cold or whether some Iceicles stuck to the Internal Parts of it I shall leave as bare Conjectures to be further examined into by Experience The Phaenomena of an Experiment about Freezing referrable to the VII Title read before the Royal Society Having filled a Bolt-head which was as big as two Turkey Eggs with Water till it rought a pretty height into the slender Stem being put into a Mixture of Snow and Salt it subsided a little but when it began to freeze it would sensibly swell The Experiment being repeated with a Glass whose Stem was as thin as a Raven's Quill when first the Ball of it was immersed in the frigorifick Mixture the Water presently ascended the height of a Barly-corn and presently subsided again which the Florentine Virtuosi would attribute to a Constriction of the Glass upon the Application of the frigorifick Mixture Secondly And tho' the Florentine Virtuosi relate That they have observ'd the Water after it had subsided a little to rest and then subsided again yet in all the Tryals I made I did not observe it Thirdly When the Water had subsided a little it would be at a stand till the Liquor began to freeze Fourthly The Experiment being try'd with Glasses whose Stems were unequally big upon Glaciation the Ascent of the Water in the large ones would be indiscernible but in a slender one it would ascend several Inches in a Minute till it rose up to the top of the Stem Fifthly Tho' the Forentine Academians say they have observ'd the Water to rise again before Glaciation yet I could never see such a Phaenomenon Sixthly If the Glass was taken out of the Mixture when first it began to freeze as soon as the small Iceicles were melted it would subside again yet if reapply'd to the Mixture a second time it would freeze in half a Minute TITLE VIII Experiments concerning the Contraction of Liquors by Cold. Of the Contraction of Liquors by Cold. 1 THO' the Liquors we have mention'd expand themselves upon an Intense degree of Cold yet we are not thence to couclude that all will since we have found it by experience not only in Spirit of Wine Aqua fortis Oyl of Turpentine and several other Liquors which would not be brought to freeze but also in Oyl congeal'd by the vehemence of the Cold. 2. Amongst the several Experiments made of the Efficacy of Cold to condensed Liquors I shall lay down the following 3. Spirit of Wine being put into a small Glass-Egg with a slender Stem in a Mixture of Snow and Salt subsided ¾ of an Inch. 4. Mercury being freed from Air and placed in a Bold-head in a Mixture of Snow and Salt subsided 2 Inches Common Oyl placed in the same Mixture subsided till it froze but if it were immediately thaw'd near the fire it would expand it self so much as to rise about the Mark. The Experiment succeeded a second time and being try'd a third time the Lumps of the congeal'd Oly would sink in the fluid Oyl Oyl of Aniseeds artificially froze subsided considerably in a small Pipe Empyreumatical Oyl of Gaujacum being exposed to the utmost degree of Cold would not freeze but evidently subsided Particulars referrable to the VIII Title 1. Two seal'd Weather-Glasses the one made of a Tincture of Cochineele in Spirit of Wine and the other of a blew Tincture of Spirit of Man's Blood and Copper in Spirit of Wine were immersed in Water till it began to freeze and then being remov'd into Oyl of Turpentine set in a Mixture of Snow and Salt we observ'd That the Liquor in both Thermometers subsided Oyl of Aniseeds being put into a small Glass with a large Stem and placed in a frigorifick Mixture made by a Solution of Sal-Armoniack subsided 3 Inches the substance of the Oyl being turn'd into a white Concrete which when it was leasurely dissolv'd the fluid Part emitted several Bubbles and it was further observ'd in this Concrete That tho' when thaw'd it swims upon Water yet when congeal'd it will not TITLE IX Experiments concerning the Bubble from which the Levity of Ice is supposed to proceed Of the Levity of Ice and its Cause 1. IT is usually accounted an Argument of the levity of Ice above Water that it swims upon it For tho' the superficies of small Portions of it are not sensibly emergent above the Surface of the Water yet in Greenland where huge Rocks of Ice float in the Sea they are observ'd to be as high above the Water as the Masts of Ships which could we suppose to float in an erect Posture and to be of a prismatical Form that Part immersed would be nine times as much as that above the Water As for the Reason why Ice is born up above the surface of the Water so much in Greenland more than in our Climate besides that the size of those pieces of Ice contributes to the rendring the Observation more remarkable the Water's expansion in that cold Climate may cause it to be further expanded there than here and consequently lighter 2. Pieces of Ice free from Bubbles floated in Spirit of Wine drawn from Brandy and likewise from Quick-lime and tho' if that Spirit were warmed it would presently subside yet as it cooled the Ice would ascend nevertheless some part of it being thaw'd
Garden about 2 after ten Nights Frost the Ground in the Garden was froze about 6 Inches ½ and that in the Orchard was froze 8 ½ or more Eight Days after it was froze about a Foot Deep 5. A Pipe of Glass 18 Inches long being thrust down into a Hole in the Ground the Surface of the Water contained in it being level with the Earth the next Morning the whole Capacity of the Cylinder was froze 3 Inches from which Stick of Ice a Part of the Cylinder was froze 6 Inches deep but the rest of the Water remained unfroze The Ground in the Garden that Night was froze ten Inches deep 6. It hath been observ'd that in Moscow the Ground in a Garden was not froze above two Foot deep but Capt. James says in Charlton-Island he observ'd the Ground froze ten Foot deep and the same Author in his Journal p. 86. says That the Water does not freeze naturally above six Feet One Particular referrable to the XIII Title I am told That a Lee-ward of great Banks of Ice they may discover them by the access of Cold twenty Leagues TITLE XIV Experiments concerning the Different Mediums through which Cold may be diffused Of the Mediums through which Cold may be diffused IN trying these Experiments we are to take Notice that the Mediums are not to be too thick since from Experiments already deliver'd it appears That a compact Medium very thick will not give way to Cold. 1. Having placed a Mixture of Snow and Salt in a Pipkin and another in a white Basin glazed within and without they were both incrustated with Ice And that Cold will penetrate Pewter-Bottles appears from Experiments already laid down 2. Having caused two Cups to be made of Lattin or Plates of Iron covered over with Tin the Convex Part of one of which was less than the Concave of the other and the less having a broad Ledge by the help of which it rested on the Brim of the other so as to leave an Interval betwixt its Convex Superficies and the Concave of the other we filled that Interval with Water and putting a Mixture of Ice and Salt within the less Cup and on the outside of the other we had Cups of Ice made of the inclosed Water 2. The Learned Erasmus Bartholinus in his discourse De figura Nivis mentions an Experiment by which Air is turned into Water in the midst of Heat viz. Ice or Snow being put into a a funnel which he supposes refrigerates and condenses the Ambient Air but I rather think That the Dew which he supposes to be condensed Air is made up of moist Vapours swimming in it which is so small in Quantity That having suspended a Tunnel in the Air with a Mixture of Snow and Salt which is much more refrigerating than either Ice or Snow by themselves it gathered but a very small Quantity and that too lasted no longer than whilst the Mixture was dissolving besides those condensed Vapours were first Froze before they dropped down in the form of Water 3. That in Hermetically sealed Glasses a Mixture of Snow and Salt will freeze Vapours on the outside is evident from what hath been laid down but that Cold should not only penetrate Glass but afterwards act upon Water in Vacuo was a little more strange For having suspended a Tube of Water in Vacuo and piled Snow and Ice about it as high as the Included Water wrought it worked upon it and Froze it from the top to the bottom 4. But what is yet more strange is That Cold will act through a evidently hot Medium for drinking a good quantity of Mineral Waters timely in the Morning I observ'd a Manifest Coldness through the Muscles of my Abdomen which was in a higher degree remarkable in a Gentleman who drunk much greater quantities 5. To try whether the fluidity of Water depended on a Congenite motion in the Parts of it or whether it was conveyed to it by impulse from the Ambient Air we provided a Glass-Bubble about the size of a Wall-nut and of a Pear like shape whose Stem was purposely made crooked and suspending it by a thread in Oyl of Turpentine contain'd in a narrow Glass and this being placed in a Mixture of Snow and Salt tho' the Oyl continued fluid yet the Water in the Bubble was froze And when we went to take it out the Bubble being crack'd the greatest Part subsided to the Bottom of the Mixture but we perceiv'd That that which was pulled out was divided by a line through the middle from the top downwards And it was further observable in this Tryal That the two separable Pieces of Ice being left in a Mixture of Ice and Salt for 14 hours were very little wasted The like success we had with a Bubble of Water suspended in Spirit of Wine but another suspended in Sea-Salt was not froze at all nor was another that we hung in a sharp brine But the same Experiments being tryed another time the Water was froze both in the Bubble suspended in Spirit of Wine and in that which was immersed in the strong Brine the Bottle which contain'd the latter being crack'd which cracks were not much unlike the lines drawn from the Pole of a Globe to the Meridian reaching from the top of the Bubble downwards 6. A Bubble suspended with Water in it in a Glass immersed in Snow and Salt was froze without the Intervention of any Liquor TITLE XV. Experiments and Observations concerning Ice Concerning Ice 1. THO' in the East-Indies it hath been thought strange That Water in England should without any Artificial means be turned into a consistent Body yet it is related by some That in Russia the Ice on the contrary is found much harder than Ours 2. To make an Estimate of the Cohesion of the Parts of Ice we thought to have tryed what weight Cylindrical pieces of Ice of different Diameters would bear But being frustrated in such Tryals we try'd how much weight a Plate of it placed betwixt two Iron-Bars would bear but having not convenient weights we were forced to be content to know That it bore a much greater weight than one could suppose it capable of 3. A peice of Ice 3 Inches long and as many broad and about 4 of an Inch thick was laid cross a frame and a peice of Iron of this Figure 7 having a scale hung at the longer Leg the Horizontal Leg was placed upon the middle of the Ice and then 117 Ounces Troy-weight being put into the Scale when the Iron had melted half the Ice through on one side and a third Part of the other the weight was able to break it The Experiment being repeated when the piece of Ice was 2 Inches and a half long it bore 17 pound Averdupois and 48 Ounces Troy-weight when the Iron on one side had melted ⅔ and on the other ½ Parts of the thickness of it 4. Plates of Ice being laid upon a stool
colour and taste of Wine In thirty eight hours Canary exposed in a spoon was covered with a thin film which grew no thicker in four days But neither Claret or Canary would freeze in Tubes or Bottles Two ounces of Spirit of Wine exposed in a spoon all evaporated in twelve hours but the same quantity of Brandy left about a spoonful of Ice void both of taste and it 's Inflammable Quality but being held betwixt my Eye and a candle it discover'd several bubbles An Ox and a Sheep's Eye were both frozen through in one Night the three Humours being Opacous hard and inseparable The Chrystalline humour was white like Whitings boil'd the waterish and glassy humour seemed to be made of flakes of Ice Sheeps Blood exposed to freeze the Serum was turned to Ice which being separated from the Blood and thawed at the fire congealed a second time into a Membranous substance but the Blood was not in the least froze The Heart and Blood in the Vena Cava of a Dog and Cat exposed dead to the Air were both froze Milk froze into white flakes being soft and with few bubbles in it and retaining the proper taste of Milk The yolks and Whites of Eggs were froze in one Night they thaw best by lying on New-Castle Coals or in a deep Cellar I am told that Eggs tho' they have been froze will produce Chickens-Eggs held near the Surface of the Water when froze will acquire a crust of Ice on the outside the inward Parts of it still remaining froze and if those Eggs whilst froze be poched they will be very tough An Egg and an Apple being suspended two Foot deep in a Cistern and taken up after twenty four hours tho' both of them were full of Ice within yet neither of them had contracted Ice on the outside Horse-Radishes and Onions froze yet Beer in which Horse-Radish and Scurvey-Grass are infused will not freeze so soon as strong Beer without them Oranges and Limons froze have a hard and tough rind and lose their genuine taste and when thawed they soon become rotten Apples Cut in the middle will have a thin Ice on both plains which may be discerned by a knife or the touch The skins of these Apples soon turn brown and they begin to corrupt there Oyl exposed look'd like Butter melted and coagulated again but in Caves and Cellars it would never appear more than Candied White Wine-Vinegar froze in a Tube without apparent bubbles Whatever hath a watry humour in it will coagulate But what will not the next Paragraph contains Spirit of Wine Aq. Mariae Coelestis c and Canary in large Vessels Soap-Boilers Lees Spirit of Salt Vitriol Salt-Petre Aqua fortis Spirit of Sulphur and Spirit of Soot will not freeze but the two last afford a Precipitate the first of the colour and taste of Brimstone but not inflammable the latter a yellowish powder more bitter than the Spirit and inflammable But tho' these Spirits would not freeze yet being mixed with twelve Parts of Water all of them froze except Spirit of Salt Nitre and Aqua fortis I am told that one having dissolv'd Ice in the North Seas found it Salt As for the figures of Liquors froze Allum appear'd in lumps Salt-Petre Tartar Milk Ale Wine and Sal-Armoniack in plates And other Liquors which composed a soft Ice seened to be composed of Globuli adhering to each others Water Kelp and Frits resembled the fibres of an Oaken leaf the interstices being filled up with smoother Ice and the middle Fibres as in Plants appeared larger than the others and made acute Angles at the lesser end of the leaf But as for the figures of frozen Urine those having been accurately describ'd by the curious Mr. Hook I shall pass that part of my task by I took the Salts of Rosemary Rue Scurvey-Grass Mint and Plantan and putting ½ or ¾ of an ounce of each into ½ of a pint of their distilled Waters the Rue and Plantan being sealed up none of them froze resembled the Plants they belong'd to but the Aromatick Waters were much enriched in their scents especially the Rosemary Kelp froze represents the leaves of Alga Marina A Recipient full of Water being froze and the top of the Ice broke there appeared a Cavity within which was thick set with Plates of Ice from which Stiriae appeared on each side like the Teeth of Combs some of which stood at such a distance that I could put my finger betwixt them A flask full of Water being froze it appear'd full of bubbles like tailed hail-shot the sharp points of all of them pointing upwards They had Cavities which would admit a Pin into them and might be discerned in the Ice appearing like black spots And in the middle of the Ice was contained a Cavity filled with Water in which were several of these bubbles imperfectly formed All the Liquors I made Experiments with did sensibly rise above the mark before they froze and more after congelation Vinegar and Urine rose ½ an Inch and Lees made of Salts of Rosemary Kelp and Frits about ½ of an Inch. Solutions of Allum and Copperas less and Saline Liquors in general less than Water which rose a full Inch and small Beer in a narrow Tube four Inches Oyl of Vitriol alone subsides below the mark hot Water subsides till it is cool and then rises again Water being froze in Beer-Glasses rises up and forms solid Triangles but the rising of it is more visible in narrow Glasses Ice in a flask rose four Inches above the Water-mark and hung two Inches out of it but in a Bolt-head it rose five Inches above the Water-mark If Glasses be filled about ⅔ full they seldom break Round Spherical Glasses usually break uniformly A Bolt-head being filled up to the neck with Water the top which was twelve Inches above it was sealed up upon which the Water being froze was raised three Inches into the neck and the Glass breaking in the thinnest Part from that point several Lines ran as from a Pole to the Meridian but none of them went round the Glass nor were they all of the same length In a flask cracked in many places the cracks were irregular Glass Bottles and stone-Jugs kept little order in breaking and Metals none at all but Woods cleave with the Grain Two oval Boxes one of Box and another of Maple containing each two ounces were fill'd full and by the Frost in one Night were cracked from the bottom to the top A Pepper-Box of Latin had its neck broke off and the joints at the bottom loosned Lead-Pipes above ground were broke in many places and some that lay a foot under ground Brass-Locks and Barrels of Pumps usually break with the Frost A Copper-Box of the shape of a Pear was cracked the fourth time it was froze The Cylinder of a silver Ink-horn bore the Frost but a silverball was considerably extended by the Frost Tobacco-Pipes and Earthen Ware were burst with the
of Sal Armon and Quick-lime being fluxed together an ounce of the Powder put into Water caused a violent Heat tho' Sal Armon it self produces Cold. EXPERIMENT XXV We observ'd that beaten Sublimate being mix'd with powder'd Antimony after it had stood some time in the Air the Mixture grew sensibly hot which Phaenomenon I attribute in part to the Moisture imbibed from the Air since it is requisite to make the Experiment succeed that it should be exposed in a moist Cellar EXPERIMENT XXVI Tryals have assured me that in Summer fine Sulphur and Filings of Steel being mixed together in Water will grow intensely hot if stirred about an hour after they are mixed and will likewise emit Steams copiously EXPERIMENT XXVII Several Tryals have convinc'd me that a Mercury may be so prepared as to afford an Incalescence with Gold EXPERIMENT XXVIII Having distill'd from Quick-silver four times its weight of Oyl of Vitriol and by that means reduced it to a Powder which upon the account of the Salts of the Menstruum was white and glistering and being put into Water in which a Weather-Glass was immersed it caused the Spirit to rise manifestly which is the more remarkable because Helmont observes that the Salt adhering to the Mercury corroded in a good quantity by Oyl of Vitriol if it be washed off and coagulated becomes a kind of Allum And this Phaenomenon is still the more remarkable because Vitriolum Martis made with Oyl of Vitriol and Filings of Steel being put into Spirit of Wine was not impelled up as by the former Mixture but after a while rather subsided Common Sublimate dissolved in Water neither sensibly depressed or raised the Spirit of Wine CHAP. XIII Of Mercury growing hot with Gold communicated in the Transactions of Feb. 21. 1675 6. Of Mercury growing hoe with Gold HAving obtain'd a Mercury fine and clean and even purged by Sublimations and Distillations and incorporated a multitude of heterogeneous Particles with it so that they could not be discovered and much less separated except by a skilful Artist I mixed sometimes half and sometimes an equal quantity of Calx of Gold with this Mercury in the Palm of my Hand stirring and pressing it with the Finger of my other Hand by which means the Ingredients being mixed they grew sensibly hot in a Minute and I observ'd that when they were mixed in equal quantities they would produce a much greater degree of Heat than if their Proportion was not exact And the like success ensued when the Mixture was preserved from being contiguous to the Skin by being contained in a piece of Paper laid betwixt my Hand and it and the same succeeded in the Hands of other Persons But with Silver it would not produce an Incalescence But tho' this Mercury grows hot with Gold yet I much question whether as Chymists call them Mercurii Corporum made by extraction from Minerals and Metals will grow hot with Gold as I found Antimonial Mercury did And I am far from affirming that that which is called Philosophick Mercury or even those obtain'd from Gold and Silver are fitter for such uses than common Mercury skilfully purged and impregnated with the subtle and active Particles of congruous Metals and Minerals To what hath been said of this Mercury I shall add that it preserves its quality of growing hot with Gold two or three Years and tho' it be distill'd from Gold again and again And whereas its usual to take eight or ten parts of Quick-silver to make an Amalgama with Gold this Mercury would do it being used in an equal Proportion As for the manner of preparing this Mercury I don't think it convenient to publish it only this I shall say that it may be made more ways than one and without employing Antimony or such solid Metals as Mars But that of ours I observ'd succeeded best in the production of Heat by being mixed with Quercetanus's Calx of Gold viz. by melting Gold with three or four parts of Silver for by putting this into Aq. fortis the Silver will be dissolv'd and the Gold remain in the form of a Calx But lest an Incalescence produc'd by such a Calx should be supposed to proceed from saline Particles of the Aq. fortis working on the Quick-silver I shall add that it will not produce such an effect on common Quick-silver but ours will cause an Incalescence even with pure Leaf-Gold CHAP. XIV New Experiments to make Fire and Flame ponderable EXPERIMENT I. A Thin Plate of Copper being placed in a Crucible which had a Hole on purpose in the bottom of it this Crucible was inverted into another which contained flaming Sulphur so that the Copper-Plate was exposed to the Flame of it In two Hours the Sulphur being consum'd the Copper-Plate was manifestly swelled and tho' its Weight at the first was but a Dram and a half and twenty five Grains yet it became thirty two Grains heavier which is about a fifth part above its former Weight EXPERIMENT II. Refined Silver being placed over the Flame of Sulphur after the same manner as the Copper was in an Hour and a half weighed one Dram five Grains and three quarters its weight before being a Dram wanting two Grains Whether it depends on the closeness of the Metal and incongruity of the Pores that Silver acquires not proportionably so great a weight as Copper I shall leave to the Reader to consider But from these Experiments it appears that the Corpuscles of Fire like other Menstruums may be united with the Bodies it works upon EXPERIMENT III and IV. An ounce of Copper Plates being kept in a shallow crucible in a Cuppelling Furnace two hours weighted thirty grains more than before But an ounce of filings in three hours time were caked into a lump and weighed forty nine grains more than before EXPERIMENT V. Calcined Harts-horn and an ounce of Brick being two hours in a cupelling Furnace the latter neither increased or lost of its weight but being exposed to the Air in a scale by imbibeing the moisture of the Air in a little time caused it to preponderate but the Harts-horn lost near eight grains of its former weight which I supposed to be caused by an Evaporation of some moist Particles of the Air because by being exposed to the Air a while it increased in weight again EXPERIMENT VI and VII An ounce of Tin being calcined in a Cupel under a Mouffler in two hours had gained a dram in weight And an ounce of Lead placed upon a Cupel made of calcined Harts-horn was turned into a litharge upon it and the Part of the Cupel was lost in the fire yet the Lead and it weighed seven grains more than before EXPERIMENT VIII A Cupel made of ten Parts of Bone-ashes and one of Charcoal-ashes with a sufficient quantity of Ale weighed about two ounces and this being placed under a Mouffler and weighed again when it was throughly hot it weighed two grains more but being kept under the
The weight of the Ball of Crystal we employed was to its bulk of Water as 2 57 100 to 1 and the weight of the Prism as 2 66 100 to 1. And this method of weighing Amber in different Liquors may not only acquaint us with their specifick Gravities but also from thence we may learn to know which are most Spirituous For tho' a piece of Amber weighed but 6 ¾ grains in Water yet in common red French Wine it weighed 8 ½ in Nants Brandy 17 ⅛ and in rectifyed Spirit of Wine 34 ⅛ This Hydrostatical method of estimating may likewise contribute to discover the strength of Acid Liquors those that are strongest causing the solid to weigh less as they are stronger the greater decrement of weight proceeding from the greater proportion it contains of Salts that are not Volatile It may likewise save the wasting of several Liquors as Spirit of Wine or Brandy in trying their goodness And further it may be imployed in estimating the intensive weight of Wine Beer Ale Mead Cyder c. and distinguish their goodness without consuming them But Amber will not be heavy enough to distinguish the strength of Oyl of Tartar per deliquium and such heavy Bodies since they are too heavy for it to subside in Besides the afore-mentioned there may be another use made of our Hydrostatical solid viz. To shew when Menstruums are of a convenient strength For that there is a peculiar degree of Spirituousness requisite in some Solvents is evident since if Aqua Fortis be too strong it will not be able to dissolve Silver no more than if it be too weak till it is diluted by an addition of Water and it is much more fit to dissolve filings of crude Lead when more dilute So rectifyed Spirit of Wine is not always the most proper Menstruum for gummy Bodies since it dissolves only the purest Resin and leaves the Mucilaginous Parts behind which may be as good in Medicine as the other and further we see that Gum Arabick and Tragacanth are not so easily dissolved in good Spirit of Wine as in weak Liquors and the like may be observed in dissolving Myrrh To what hath been said on this occasion there is one thing to be added that when this Expedient is made use of in Oyl of Vitriol or Tartar per deliquium it is necessary to put something into the Scale to compensate the lightness of the Horse-hairs since in such Experiments the specifick Gravity of the Liquors exceed the Gravity of the Hairs and consequently they will be apt to buoy up the Body immersed and misinform us in its true specifick weight To the afore-mentioned ways of Hydrostatically estimating Liquors we may add the following And first it may be done by filling a Vessel with a slender Stem successively with different Liquors and weighing them as also it may be done by a Brass Cylinder made heavier at one end than the other by which it may be made to float and to swim deeper or higher above the Water as the Liquor contained is heavier or another way is by fitting too Bubbles together with Cement by which their Stems being joined and the one caused to sink lowest by a Ballast of Mercury as the other is filled with a heavier or lighter Liquor it will manifestly preponderate Another way proposed by Mersennus is by weighing a Glass and a Stopple in Water and then filling the Bottle quite full and putting in the Stopple for the weight of the Glass and Stopple being deducted from the weight of the whole the remaining weight will be the weight of the Liquor proposed But instead of this we made use of a round Glass-Ball with a Glass Stopple which being first weighed in Air and Water and counterpoised there we were able to discover the weight of the Liquor contained and its proportion to the bulk of the Liquor it was weighed in and if the Bubble were too light to subside in some heavy Liquors we would bring it to a just weight by a Ballast of Mercury But since such Vessels as these are very hard to be got and some other inconveniencies attend it we think it less satisfactory than those other ways we made use of and proposed before A sixth Use that may be made of these Hydrostatical Tryals Use VI is in reference to several Medicinal Bodies for thus the Jucies of Plants may be weighed if when they are contained in our Hydrostatical Jar delineated in the Figure above they be hung at a nice Ballance in Oyl instead of Water since they are not subject to mix with it And by this means we may be satisfied whether Juices of Plants alter their specifick Gravity when kept a good while and after fermentation And by this method likewise we may be able to weigh Honey Vinegar Verjuce c. As also we may compare and weigh the Juices of Fruits of different kinds and the subordinate Species of each kind as also the several Juices in their several states of Crudity or Maturity But the use of this Hydrostatical Bucket being very tedious and difficult to those that are not very skilful in making Experiments the other will be more useful which are tryed with Amber But to what hath been already delivered on this subject I shall add that tho' in several Tryals made with precious substances a nice Ballance is requisite yet in most cases the difference betwixt Bodies is great enough to be discerned by a Ballance not altogether so nice for let the Ballance be never so nice there is difference in the Textures and Compositions of Bodies of the same Denomination for which as well as in defect of a nice Ballance allowances are easily made But perhaps it may be objected by some against the method I have been proposing that since I generally weigh most Bodies in Water it will be a hard matter to make them with any exactness since it hath been observed that most Waters themselves differ in specifick Gravity But to this I shall briefly answer that I have not perceived so considerable a difference as will frustrate these Experiments in which we require not a Mathematical but a Physical certainty CHAP. XII Hydrostatical Stereometry applyed to the Materia Medica IT being usual for Physicians in the descriptions of several Parts of the Materia Medica to signifie the size of Bodies by very indeterminate Terms I thought that they might be assisted by Hydrostaticks to give descriptions much more exact and satisfactory and for that end having made two hollow Brass Cubes whose Cavities being Cubical Inches contained 256 grains or a Cubical Inch of Water it being a Law in Hydrostaticks that whatever Body is weighed in Water it loses so much of its weight as an equal bulk of Water weighs I concluded it would thence follow that whatever solid was weighed in Water if in that fluid it lost 256 grains of its weight it might be said to be a Cubical Inch and as it lost more or
artificial Spaw whose Taste not only agrees with that of the Natural Spaws but it will like Tunbridge or the German Spaw turn a Tincture of Gauls Purple EXPERIMENT V. The Bezoar Stone being a Medicine of great use not only in malignant Feavers but the Plague and by reason of its dearness apt to be counterfeited I shall add the following way of distinguishing betwixt good and bad viz. by disgesting about fifty grains finely powdered with six drachms of Spirit of Nitre in a digestive Furnace for after they have been mixed some time the Spirit begins to dissolve the Powder and extracts a red Tincture which being placed in a North-ward Window about eight and forty Hours shoots into Chrystals much like those of Salt-Petre To shew that the purging or astringent Qualities of Bodies depend on the Disposition of the Patient as well as of the Agent I shall intimate that a certain Lady having eat a Toast with Cinnamon upon it was so violently purged for about two days that it brought Convulsions and a Spasmus Cinycus upon her which was not removed in three Years A Physician to whom I communicated several things sent me the following Account in a Letter from Dublin dated Feb. 27. 1682. viz. That he found the good Effects of Ens Veneris in removing the Subsultus Tendinum in a Febris Petechialis which was fatal to many for about fourteen Months The Method I took in this Feaver was if the Patient was costive first to prescribe a Glister and a large blistering Plaster between the Shoulders keeping it running 'till the Declension of the Distemper all this time I prescribed Emulsions of Aqua Aronis Card. Bened. Citri totius Syr. Gratorum cum Aceto Orange and Butter-milk Posset c. I avoid the use of all those things that quicken the Circulation of the Blood and I rather prescribe Blistering to prevent than cure Affections of the Genus Nervosum because the Matter being once fixed in those Parts they become ineffectual A designed Chymical Medicine Considering that the Menstruums usually employed in opening and preparing the Body of Steel were Acids I tryed to do it in the following method Having dissolved fresh filings of Steel in a warm place in a sufficient quantity of Spirit of fermented Urine highly rectifyed per se the filtrated solution had a taste different from all other Chalybeat preparations and being set in a cold Window in three days precipitated a powder of a green colour yet the decantated Liquor by Evaporation would not in the least Cristalize This Preparation hath effects quite different from those Preparations made by Acids and is much more agreeable to some Persons A designed Chymical Medicine That I might try whether a Metalline Sulphur might be obtained from Steel I pitched upon a Menstruum void of Sulphur that if the Preparation should yeild Sulphur it might not be suspected to come from the Menstruum Wherefore I dissolved Steel in Spirit of Sea-salt and upon Evaporation obtained very curious Cristals from which we drew by Distillation in a Retort a good quantity of Liquor which came over in the form of Steams which had a very Sulphureous smell which being rectifyed and mixed with Aqua Fortis would dissolve Gold and give it the colour of Silver which may intimate to us how much the Vitriols of Metals may differ according to the difference of the Menstruums which dissolve them since our green Vitriol affords Liquors different from that made with Oyl of Vitriol Besides which it may be worth while to note that though neither common or Roman Vitriol will dissolve in Spirit of Wine which is Inflamable yet our Vitriol would readily and here it will not be unnecessary to hint by the by that a solution of our saline Vitriol may not improbably be of use in Wounds being a very powerful Astringent and fit to prevent the breeding of Worms in Wounds disposed to abound with such in cold Climates But what we cheifly designed in this Experiment and what is most to be taken notice of is that the dry substance raised by the fire was distinguished by accidents into three kinds of substances First a Powder which when exposed to the Air turned yellow Secondly a deep coloured substance betwixt red and brown of Parts much grosser than the former Thirdly a substance of a shining red whose Parts were very fine and subtle The Caput Mortuum was changed into a Talky substance consisting of Lamelloe situated and connected much after the same manner as the thick Plates which make up Muscovia Glass CHAP. VII Experiments and Observations Solitary EXPERIMENT I. A notable Comminution of Gold into Powder that will sink in Water A Comminution of Gold into Powder WE dissolved a grain of refined Gold in Aqua Regia adding about two spoonfuls of Water to the Solution in which Mixture a small piece of Metal being suspended it in a few days afforded a deep coloured Precipitate which was so light that it was a considerable time in subsiding and as easily raised in the form of Mud upon an Agitation of the Vessel where it was to be noted that tho' upon an Agitation the Liquor at the first seemed Opacous yet in a little time it appeared to be of a fine Purple colour so that the Particles of Gold were so far divided as by being scattered through two ounces of Water to give a Tincture to it EXPERIMENT II. A Proof of the Metalline Nature of Granates The Metalline Nature of Granates c. In Confirmation of what I have elsewhere delivered viz. That the Virtue of Gems depends on a Mixture of Metalline Juices with the Particles of those Gems whilst in fluid forms I shall take notice that a Granate of a dark colour being applyed to a Load-stone it so strongly attracted it as not without violence to be separated from it EXPERIMENT III. I am told by an Ingenious Gentleman that he saw a flat Saphir in the East-Indies which had a small Cavity in the middle of it filled with a fluid substance which was not so apt to petryfie as the rest EXPERIMENT IV. To prove that Fishes hear under Water I shall here lay down a Relation which I received from an Ingenious Gentleman who in a Garden near Genoa observed the Gardiner to assemble the Fishes in the Pond together by a certain noise which he made EXPERIMENT V. To illustrate and confirm what hath elsewhere been observed concerning the various colours refracted by the minute and Parts of Solids I shall here note that a Globe of Rock-Crystal being sawn in two the new superficies refracted the Rays of the Sun so as to exhibit colours more lively than those of a Rain-Bow which were refracted this way or that as the superficies of the Stones were differently situated in reference to the Sun-Beams and the like Phaenomena succeeded the like Tryals with a Touch-stone Which Experiments may confirm what hath elsewhere been delivered concerning colours of Bodies depending on a
the Root are impelled into it and thence conveighed into the other Parts of the Tree being conveighed in the form of Sap which passing through new strainers receives alterations requisite to turn it into Wood Bark Leaves Fruit c. And in young thriving Animals it cannot be imagined how the nourishment should be conveighed to all the Parts without supposing them furnished with Pores for its reception and passage Another Argument of the Porosity of Animal Bodies may be brought from the plenty of Humours carried off by sweat and insensible Transpiration And by the help of good Microscopes we may discern Pores in the skins of Animals and especially in the inward sides of Gloves which are nothing but skins dressed and they are further evident since Quick-silver readily passes through the Pores of Sheeps skins and leaves the dross behind in the Leather and the like I have tryed with the skin of a Man's Arm tanned which Pores according to Steno and Malpighius are the Excretory Vessels of the Glandulae Miliares contained in the skin And that the skins and shells of Eggs are not void of Pores appears since the moisture contained is so far dissipated through them as to diminish their weight And Sanctorius in his Medicina Statica tells us that if the Meat and Drink taken one day amounts to eight Pound five Pound will be carried off by insensible Transpiration And he elsewhere says that in the space of twenty four hours â—n the Winter time a healthful Body may exhale fifty ounces or more a great part of which is carried off through the Pores of the Membranes of the Aspera Arteria And if ones finger in hot Weather be held to the Surface of any cold Body it will presently be sullyed over with the steams that issue out of the Pores of the skin And their Porosity is further confirmed by observing how soon those black and blue spots in the skin occasioned by bruises are removed for which use Helmont employs white Bryony root and I have seen a Poultess of chopped Hyssop and fresh Butter remove the Pain and black colour of a contusion in a little time And not only the Skins but the Membranes of Bodies are stocked with Pores since the Bladder of a dead Animal appears to be full of them for if Salt of Tartar be put into a Bladder and it be then immersed in Water enough of it will penetrate the Bladder to dissolve the Salt and render it Liquid and the like succeeded but much more slowly when the Experiment was tryed with Sugar and some say that Syrups made this way instead of using ordinary Water are much more preferable And as a further instance of the Porosity of the shells of Eggs I shall add that one having been immersed in very sharp Vinegar tho' the shell was part of it consumed yet being taken out and wiped it was considerably swelled and heavier than before the Menstruum being imbibed and insinuated into the Pores of it And I am not only told that the Chineses had a way of salting Eggs but I found by coating one over with Clay after it had lain some time in Brine the substance contained tasted evidently Salt And I know a Physician who was affected with a giddiness upon the use of Clysters of Sack and another told me that having applyed Tobacco to the sore Leg of one of his Patients it caused her Stomach to turn or actual Vomiting and another told me that he used to Vomit himself by applying Decoctions of Tobacco to his wrists or other extream Parts and it is a common custom to Purge Children by the Application of external things and it hath been observed that Bathing the sore Heads of Children with a Decoction of Tobacco hath caused a giddiness And a Virtuoso told me that having taken another by the Hand which was gently besmeared with Oyl it gave him three or four stools presently And to what hath been delivered of the Porosity of Membranes I shall add the aptness of Lute-strings to imbibe into their Pores moist Particles and also the Metastasis or Translations of Morbifick matter in diseased Bodies as the matter which causes a Feaver being discharged upon the Brain causes a Delirium and other Distempers as it is discharged upon the Pleura the Membranes of the Chest the Throat or Guts Another Argument of the Porousness of Animal Bodies may be drawn from their aptness to imbibe Effluvia from without as when Cantharides externally applyed affect the Bladder to which instance may be added the effects of Plasters and Oyntments and Pericarpia for I have often cured Agues with a Mixture of â—â—â—ians Hops and Bay-Salt and it is vulgarly known that Mercury externally used in Oyntments will salivate To which may be added the effects of Periapta and Appensa of Blood-stones in stopping of Hemorragies and of another kind of Stone made use of by the Indians in Obstructione Menstruum And I have found my self that the Moss of a dead Man's skull would stop an Hemorrhage as soon as warmed by the contiguous skin And Zwelfer tells us of one who preserved several from the Plague by using Helmonts Troches of Toads in Amulets and several of these Troches being put upon the Plague sores of the infected they were afterwards cured by the use of vulgar Remedies And to these I shall add that having drawn a Spirit from a Mixture of flowers of Brimstone powdered Sal-Armoniack and good Quick-lime in equal quantities by degrees of fire in a Retort till the sand be red hot if a piece of Copper be foulded up in Sheeps Leather and held over the Vial it is contained in the Metal will be tinged with the rising fumes without discolouring the Leather and the same will succeed only more slowly through a double fold of Leather And all the alteration the Leather received from these pervading fumes was that they gave it a sulphureous smell And this Experiment may favour the accounts we have of the Effects of Lightning which hath been observed to discolour the money in Men's Pockets without burning them and the same effect hath been taken notice of by some who have ascended a burning Mountain in America And it is observed that Lambs Leather hung up in the Air acquires a moisture which adds considerably to its weight And to these instances may be added the effects of Cantharides upon some that only carried them in their Pockets the Effluviums of them having caused them to piss Bloody Urine And as a further Confirmation of the Porousness of Bodies I shall subjoyn that the Permeating Liquor above mentioned had the like effect upon Copper through the tough skin of an Egg and likewise through a wet Sheeps Bladder and to confirm what I have said of the Porousness of Animal Bodies I shall add that a Gentleman who had a long time a Perforation in his Thorax and was wont to inject medicated Liquor often to cherish the Parts and likewise to wear a silken Bagg
we could readily precipitate with the Spirit of Blood a Substance which looked like a white Earth and such a Substance I obtained in a far greater quantity from that which the Salt-makers call Bittern which usually remains in their Salt Pans when they have taken out about as much Salt as would coagulate in figured grains This Spirit of Human Blood does likewise precipitate a Solution of Dantzik Vitriol in Water but that Solution is not a total one TITLE XII Of the Affinity between Spirit of Human Blood and some Chymical Oyls and Vinous Spirits THAT there is an Affinity betwixt Spirit of Human Blood and Spirit of Wine appears since we have formerly observed that being put together they will concoagulate and continue united a long time and tho' a rectified Spirit of Wine will not draw a Tincture from Blood yet Spirit of Blood will But as for Lixiviate Liquors such as are made of Salt of Tartar fixed Nitre c. we find not that they will strictly associate with it Spirit of Blood readily mixes with that Adiaphorous Spirit formerly mentioned but dephlegmed Spirit of Blood mixed by agitation with its Oyl will presently separate again tho' with Spirit of Wine it will permanently unite tho these two Liquors belong to a different viz. the one to the Animal and the other to the Vegetable Kingdom With the essential Oyls of Aromatick Vegetables the Spirit seems to have a greater Affinity for an equal proportion of this Liquor and of Oyl of Aniseeds drawn in an Alembick per Vesicam being shaken together they made a soft or Semifluid coagulation which continued in that form for a day or two and would probably have longer done so if I had not had occasion to proceed further with it To shew that Spirit of Human Blood may either communicate some of its saline Parts to essential Oyls or work a change in them I digested a while in a Glass with a long neck some recstified Spirit of Human Blood with a convenient quantity of Oyl of Aniseeds drawn in an Alembick and found that the Oyl grew coloured of a high yellow and afterwards attained a high redness which may afford us a hint of the cause of some changes of colour that are produced in the Liquors of the Body To take off the stinking quality of Human Blood and to render it more grateful we mixed with it in a Glass about an equal quantity or half as much Oyl of Aniseeds and having shaken them together in the Glass we placed it in a Furnace with a gentle Heat by which means the slight Texture of the Coagulum being dissolved part of the Oyl appeared floating upon the top whence being separated by a Tunnel the Liquor was whitish and without a stinking smell it smelling and tasteing strong of Aniseeds tho' the saline Particles retained a considerable degree of their brisk and penetrating taste Another way I took to deprive Spirit of Human Blood of its offensive smell was by employing a Medium to unite it with essential Oyls for having dissolved an eighth part of Oyl of Aniseeds in highly rectified Spirit of Wine and added an equal quantity of Spirit of Human Blood and upon a convenient agitation we suffered the Mixture to settle a considerable time after that it appeared that some of the Oyl swam in drops distinct from the other Liquors which consisted of a Mixture of the two Spirits impregnated with a few particles of Oyl which they had detained This Liquor abounded with little Concretions made by the Coagulation of the Sanguineous and Vinous Spirits which by a gentle Heat were sublimed in the form of a Volatile Salt to the upper Part of the Glass and this Salt had not only a much less penetrating Odour than the meer Volatile Salt of Human Blood but had quite lost its stink and yet retained a considerable quickness and something of the scent of Aniseeds and the remaining Liquor was likewise deprived of its ill smell and moderately imbued with that of the Oyl To try whether there would be any Affinity between our Spirit and the highly rectified Oyl of Petroleum I shaked a convenient quantity of them together in a new Vial upon which they presently turned into a white Mixture and tho' after a few hours the greater part of the Oyl swam above the Spirit yet there appeared betwixt the two Liquors a good quantity of whiteish Matter which seemed to be produced by the Union of many Particles of the Spirit and Oyl which were most disposed to combine TITLE XIII Of the Relation betwixt Spirit of Human Blood and the Air. TO try whether the Air will have any considerable effect on the Spirit of Human Blood after Distillation as it evidently hath on the Blood before I spread thinly upon a piece of white Paper some small filings of Copper and wetting them well without covering them quite over with a few drops of Blood by that means they being well exposed to the free Air the Action of the Liquor was so much promoted that within a minute or two it did even in the cold acquire a blueish colour and in fewer minutes than one would have expected that colour was so heightned as to become Ceruleous but another parcel of the same filings being put into a Vial the intercourse of the Air being excluded the Liquor would not in some hours acquire so deep a colour Having in a clear Cylindrical Vial of about an Inch Diameter put more filings of Copper than was requisite to cover the bottom and poured so much Spirit of Blood upon them as rought about a fingers breadth above them it in a few hours acquired a rich colour which after a day or two began to grow more faint and afterwards gradually declined till it was almost lost yet the Liquor was not altogether limpid or colourless as I have often had it with Spirit of Urine or Sal-Armoniack and these remains of blueishness I attributed to the effects of the Air included in the Bottle with so small a quantity of Liquor And tho' I thought it not impossible but that length of time might destroy it's blueishness yet unstopping the Vessel I observed that in two minutes of an hour the Surface of the Liquor where it touched the fresh Air became Ceruleous and in a quarter of an hour the whole Body of the Liquor had attained a deeper colour than that of the sky which colour grew sensibly paler again when the Vial was stopped But one thing I must add is that I have found the Experiment to succeed with some Analogy when another Volatile Spirit hath been made use of in which there was no Volatile Salt of Human Blood but the Experiment being repeated the Air produced a green and not a Ceruleous colour which makes me suspend my Judgment till satisfied by further experience whether the event of the former tryal depended on any Affinity of the Spirit with Blood or not And here I shall add that a parcel of
long apt to think that the same peccant matter may produce several Distempers as its effects are diversified partly by its greater or lesser quantities as well as more or less active qualities and partly by the particular Natures or Structures and Scituations of the Parts that it invades which seems to be favoured by the frequent Metastases of Morbifick matter in several Distempers since the same Acid or sharp Humours sometimes occasion a Colick sometimes after that a Palsey at other times a Cough a flux of the Belly an Opthalmia a Violent Head-ach Convulsions c. As the peccant Humour falls upon this or that part upon which account one or two Medicines may be able to cure several Distempers especially if endewed with any variety of active Virtues and upon these grounds I am inclined to believe that the Spirit of Human Blood may be a good Remedy in several internal affections of the Body and indeed Volatile Alkalies in general have been so prosperously made use of in Physick since the year 1656 as to invite several Physicians to employ them instead of other Medicines which clog and weaken the Patient and want several advantageous qualities which may be found in Volatile Alkalies And indeed Spirit of Human Blood mortifies Acid Salts which occasion several Diseases It is likewise a great Resolvent and fit to open Obstructions which produce not a few Diseases it is also Diaphoretick and Diuretick and able to discharge several noxious Salts and to expel several Malignant and Contagious Particles of matter It resists Putrefaction and Coagulation and gives a briskness and Spirituousness to the Blood which promotes free Circulation upon which account it is a good Cordial and an Antidote against some Poysons It is very friendly to the Genus Nervosum and to cure its Distempers and Balsamick in some sort of Asthams it neither causes great evacuations nor does it clog the Stomach or is disadvantageous in any manifest qualities And it may likwise be very good in such cases as Spirit of Sal-Armoniack hath been found successful in Helmont commends it in Epilepsies which he says it will cure in Adult Persons And I have known it cure an inveterate Consumptive Cough and a very bad Head-ach which had a long time baffled very eminent Physicians But besides the Virtues it hath when simply used its Virtues may be enobled and diversified by a long digestion or frequent Cohobations of the Spirit with the Oyls Salt or Phlegm of the same Concrete or by uniting it with Acids as Spirit of Nitre or Vinegar Verdigrease Oyl of Vitriol c. either used in a Liquid form or when reduced by evaporation into Crystals Or the Virtues of it may be enobled by uniting our Spirit with Metalline Solutions as of Gold Silver or Mercury and with Solutions of Minium made with Spirit of Vinegar by a Mixture of which Liquor and a slow evaporation of them I have obtained finely shaped Crystals Or again either by uniting with it Sulphur opened with Salt of Tartar or by dissolving in it Metalline Bodies as Copper Zinke and Iron Or by adding about a double weight of Alcohol of Wine for these Liquors being shaken together will in a very great measure coagulate into a Salt which will retain a considerable degree of quickness and penetrancy And why such Salts as these should not be efficacious I see no reason since such a kind of a Mixture tho' made with another Urinous Spirit hath had extraordinary effects in Fevers nor is the Liquor this Salt leaves behind useless in Medicine when well dephlegmed But this Spirit may be rendered still more commodious if impregnated with essential Oyls and by that means several Oyly Volatile Salts may be produced which may be useful in peculiar Distempers as those Oyls respect this or that part in their Medicinal Virtues CHAP. X. An Appendix to the Memoirs for the Natural History of Human Blood Containing first particulars referable to the second Part of the foregoing History EXPERIMENT I. HAving caused twelve Ounces of dryed Blood to be carefully distilled the Substances obtained from it were of Volatile Salt and Spirit together five Ounces the Liquor poured off from the wet Salt being thirteen Drachms fifty four Grains so that the Salt was three Ounces two Drachms and six Grains of fetid Oyl there were two Ounces of Caput Mortuum four Ounces and two Drachms so that about six Drachms of the whole was consumed in the Operation The Caput Mortuum being calcined yielded but six Drachms and a half of ashes the fixed Oleaginous Parts being consumed by the accension the colour of the ashes was reddish when cool tho' in the fire they appeared white as soon as the Oyl was consumed these ashes being turned into a Lixivium afforded five scruples of white fixed Salt besides a little which got into the contiguous Sand which being recovered by Water and reduced to a Salt made a scruple more So that there remained for the Terra Damnata fourteen Scruples and a half which is a good deal above twice the weight of the Salt whence it appears that the pure fixed Salt is but between the fifty seventh and fifty eighth part of dryed Blood and therefore probably amounts to no more than about the 170th part of the mass of Blood and the fixed Earth is to dryed Blood as about nineteen and about a half to one EXPERIMENT II. A parcel of Blood weighing ten Ounces and seventy three Grains being slowly distilled to dryness in a Head and Body on a digestive Furnace afforded of Phlegmatick Liquor seven Ounces two Drachms and forty seven Grains and of Caput Mortuum or dry Substance two Ounces two Drachms This pulverable matter being distilled in a Retort by degrees of fire yielded two Drachms forty eight Grains of Oyl The Spirit being poured off the Salt weighed but forty eight Grains and the Salt being washed out with the distilled Water we obtained thence by Sublimation into the neck of a Glass-Egg one Drachm five Grains of dry Salt The Caput Mortuum weighed six Drachms twelve Grains which being carefully calcined yielded two Scruples and four Grains of ashes which were red and these being elixivated afforded eighteen Grains of Salt besides the remaining Earth which is of a red colour with an Eye of Purple Particulars referrable to the Primary Title of the Natural History of Human Blood EXPERIMENT I. Spirit of Vinegar put upon Blood turned its red colour of a dark or dirty colour EXPERIMENT II. Juice of Limons poured upon the superficies of Blood impaired its florid colour EXPERIMENT III. Juice of Oranges changed Blood less than Limons EXPERIMENT IV. The black part of clotted Blood exposed to the Air presently became of a pleasant and florid colour EXPERIMENT V. Spirit of Sal-Armoniack dropped upon black clotted Blood presently rendered it florid but not so much as the open Air. EXPERIMENT VI. Fixed Alkalies or lixiviate Salts resolved per Deliquium turned it red but not so florid as the
Urinous Spirit EXPERIMENT VII The Juice of Scurvey Grass fresh drawn inclined the black Surface of clotted Blood to redishness EXPERIMENT VIII Blood being closed up with an eighth or fourth part of Spirit of Wine about three years was coagulated but neither stank nor was it in the least putrified EXPERIMENT IX A small piece of concreted Blood being left three days in Spirit of Wine was rendered moderately hard and friable throughout EXPERIMENT X. Upon tryal we found that an Ounce of distilled Water would dissolve at least two Drachms of Volatile Salt of Human Blood and by the help of Heat it was able to dissolve twenty five Grains more nor did any of this Salt shoot into Crystals upon its Refrigeration EXPERIMENT XI The aforementioned Solution being put into a Retort to be drawn off with a pretty quick heat we obtained a distilled Liquor that contained almost all the Volatile Salt except a little which escaped in a dry form and this Liquor being as strong as moderate Spirit of Human Blood it may give us a hint what proportion of a Liquor to Salt may be sufficient for such a Spirit And one thing here may be worthy our notice viz. That the Liquor which was too much impregnated with Salt having been exposed to the Air in a frosty Night we perceived at the bottom of the Glass a good deal of Volatile Salt shot into Crystals tho' the Crystals that were this way obtained were fine and clear and some of them larger than Spangles yet being very numerous and sticking together we could not discover the shape of particular Grains nor whether they were all of the same shape but divers of them appeared to be flat thin Plates with fine rectilinear Angles so that we conjectured if the whole Plates could have been seen their broadest Surface would have been found Hexagonal or of some Polygone figures very near of kin to that EXPERIMENT XII An Ounce of distilled Water was shut up in a Glass-Egg with as much Salt as could be dissolved in it and exposed to congeal in a frosty Night but the Salt was neither congealed nor the Water tho' afterwards it was removed into a frigorifick Mixture which would perhaps have froze Beer or Ale or the weaker sort of French Wine yet we did not perceive the least Glaciation EXPERIMENT XIII Tho' Sea-Salt dissolved in Water renders it less subject to be froze yet being joyned with Ice or Snow and externally applyed it conduces to the freezing of it Wherefore we mixed about a Scruple of Salt of Human Blood with Ice to try whether it would have the like effect and accordinly we found that a slender Pipe of Water being immersed in it the Water in the bottom of the Pipe was froze EXPERIMENT XIV Some of the fibrous part of Human Blood being exposed to the Air in an open and shallow Glass in a frosty Night the next Morning it was lightly frozen and the Surface of the Ice prettily figured with resemblances of Combs with Teeth on both sides not much unlike Sal-Armoniack coagulated in common Water And not here to mention what hath been said by some of the Virtues of Human Blood I shall propose a couple of Medicines to be prepared from it one of which may perhaps have no inconsiderable effects The first Medicine I attempted to make was by putting to Salt of Tartar Oyl of Human Blood instead of Oyl of Turpentine and by stirring them long together in the open Air to make such a saponary concretion as Matthew's Corector which is esteemed and employed with good success by some London Physicians The other Medicine I endeavoured to make was by uniting by long digestion the Salt Spirit and Oyl of Human Blood into a Mixture which some Chymists call a Clyssus Particulars referrable to the third Part of the History EXPERIMENT I. THE Blood of a young Man when cool having its Serum and fibrous Parts separately weighed the latter weighed about six Ounces and the serous part not many Drachms from that weight EXPERIMENT II. The very ingenious Mr. Hook and my self having often observed on the Surface of frozen Urine figures which much resemble Combs or Feathers considering the Affinity usually agreed on betwixt the Serum of Human Blood and Urine we exposed some of it strained through a linnen rag to separate the Grumous part to the Air in a shallow Vessel several Nights consecutively and observed that being froze there appeared upon the Ice contiguous to the Air certain figures which did not ill resemble those of conglaciated Urine EXPERIMENT III To try whether Serum as well as Urine might not as well be made use of for invisible Ink we traced some Characters with it upon white Paper and when they were dryed we held the unwritten side over the flame of a Candle keeping it always stirring that it might not take fire upon which the Letters on the upper side appeared of a dark colour tho' not of an Inky blackness Particulars referrable to the fourth Part of the History SINCE according to the several ways of distilling Human Blood the Spirit of Salt c. produced may be considerably diversified I distilled three Portions of Human Blood each with a different additament The first which was distilled with Quick-Lime we shall subjoyn the following account of viz. Four Ounces of coagulated Blood being mixed with an equal proportion of Quick-Lime we distilled them by degrees of fire in a Retort placed in Sand by which means we obtained a proportion of reddish Spirituous Liquor which seemed not very Phlegmatick together with some Oyl the quantity of which was but small the rest being probably detained by the Lime and a small Portion of that little Oyl that came over sunk in the Spirit the rest swiming upon it The Spirit being set in a digestive Furnace in a small Head and Body to rectifie with a gentle Heat the Receiver was three or four times removed and we observed that the first Spirit that came over was not near so fetid as that which ascends when it is distilled per se and the like was observed in the succeeding Portions the Oyl being detained behind by the Quick-Lime the rectified Spirit was clear and colourless and had a taste much stronger than its smell and so strong that it made me think some Volatile Alkalious Parts of the Quick-Lime were carried up with it to be satisfied of which we dropped some of it upon a Solution of Sublimate with fair Water and on the first contact we perceived a precipitate a little inclining to yellow as Quick-Lime in a greater quantity usually turned it But afterwards the Precipitate appeared white like that made with ordinary Volatile Liquors of an Urinous Nature Some of this Spirit put into a Glass-Egg afforded not any Volatile Salt in a dry form and the tryal being continued we found that the Spirit by the action of the fire lost its limpidness and became muddy or troubled Another Portion of it being mixed
part without altering the Blood yet when once it hath caused a change in it the Blood it self as it successively circulates through that Part may in some measure act Specifically upon it And tho' a Medicine may communicate to the Blood Particles of matter so modified that they may not immediately relieve the Part by either strengthening it or causing the Distempered matter to be carried off by a gentle irritation yet it may do it by both these ways as when Rhubarb is taken it not only purges the Liver of Choler but strengthens the Tone of the Parts by its astringency And Osteocalla is observed to be a Specifick by promoteing the Generation of a Callus to cement broken Bones PROP. V. Sometimes a Specifick Medicine may act Prop. V. by producing in the mass of Blood such a disposition as may enable Nature by correcting expelling or other fit ways to surmount the Morbifick matter or other cause of the Disease And this is agreeable enough with what most Moderns hold viz. That Distempers chiefly depend upon the Temper and ill Constitution of the Humours And a change in the Humours may be effected By furnishing the Blood with some sort of active Corpuscles which may agitate and ferment it and to quicken the Circulation of the Blood Upon which occasion it may be necessary to advertise That the Medicines usually made use of for that purpose being very hot there are several Constitutions of Patients and several other Circucumstances upon which account they do more harm by their Heat than good by their Spirituousness besides the sluggishness and want of fermentation in the Blood may proceed from causes which this sort of Medicine will not correct for I have tryed that a Vinous Spirit would not dissolve Blood which was a little dryed nor draw a Tincture from it tho' an Urinous Spirit presently did so that a Specifick Medicine in such a case may perform what is intended without the inconveniences which other Medicines are liable to For we know that experienced Physicians call some Medicines cold Cordials as Sorrel which hath an Acid taste and it is possible sometimes those Humours whch make the Blood sluggish may not be of a cold but a hot Nature in which cases hot Remedies may rather increase than diminish their ill effects as if the white of an Egg be reduced to Water by beating Spirit of Wine will instead of diminishing increase its Viscidity And I once prepared a Vegetable Substance which upon an addition of Wine became much more Viscous than before But to proceed a Specifick Medicine may alter the mass of Blood by contributing to its Tenacity without respect to its Fermentation for if the Blood be too thick it cannot readily pass through the small Capillary Vessels by which Circulation is in a great means retarded as on the other Hand if it be too thin it gets out of the Capillary Vessels and first Stagnates and then Putrifies but these ill consequences may be prevented by such Medicines as either on the one Hand divide the Parts of the Blood and make them more minute or on the other such as associate them and stick them together Another way by which a Specifick Medicine may rectifie the state of the Blood is by working so upon the Heart as to make it transmit Blood more advantageously and that either by corroborating its fibres or dissolving some ill distempered matter that obstructs the Contraction of it and that a small alteration in the Constitution of the Heart may do much in respect of the Circulation of the Blood will be easily granted by any one that does but consider what insensible Agents actuate it And that the almost insensible Obstruction of Circulation produces considerable effects in the Body is evident from the effects of Sorrow which presently puts the whole Body out of order and also from the effects of Joy or shame both of which promote the Circulation of the Blood and it hath been observed that Joy hath had so sudden and considerable an effect as to take off the sharpness of Hunger and that Medicines may affect the Heart after the same manner I am inclined to believe especially since I knew a Lady who was so affected upon the smell of perfumed Gloves that the Blood flew into her Face and put such a colour into it as if she had blushed And if the state of the Blood may be thus altered it may much contribute to the removal of some very troublesome Distemper induced for want of a due Circulation of the Blood PROP. VI. Sometimes a Specifick Remedy may unite with the peccant matter and compose a Quid Nutrum which may be less offensive to Nature tho' not so easily expelled And this seems to me to be the most genuine effects of a Specifick Medicine and when peccant Acids are lodged in the Spleen or any other part less sapid Alkalies may unite with them without creating any manifest disturbance and form a harmless Liquor as Aqua Fortis by being digested and distilled with a very ardent Spirit loses its corrosive Acidity and ill scent and becomes a harmless sweet and fragrant Liquor and I knew one who relieved a Nephritick Patient with the use of inflamable Spirits And I have elsewhere shewn that Spirit of Wine acts not upon all Acids uniformly but variously according to the Nature and proportion of the Acid. And Spirit of Wine mixed with rectified Spirit of Urine will in a great measure take off the corroding Qualities of it and composes a Salt which is weaker than the Spirit and being sublimed or reduced to a Liquor becomes a good Medicine and with a little skill will make a very good Menstruum in several Chymical Experiments A few Grains of Glass of Antimony taken inwardly will both Vomit and Purge but if instead of Spirit of Wine we make use of that of Vinegar and when by digestion the Liquor is sufficiently impregnated it be abstracted Antimonial and Acetous Corpuscles will emerge several Grains of which may be taken without either Vomiting or Purging from whence it appears that all Correctors are not to be esteemed Alkalies since Acids themselves prove to be Correctors too And after a like manner not improbably the Poysons of Animals and others may be subdued And it is not improbable that by a Combination of a Distempered Humour with a Medicine a Salutiferous Liquor may be formed and tho' sometimes a Medicine is altered before it comes to the part affected yet that alteration may render it Medicinal An instance of the former we have in the Preparation of Mercurius Dulcis where by uniting Poyson with Quick-Silver an Efficacious Medicines is made and an Illustration of the latter may be brought from that Odour which it gives to the Urine of the Person who takes it different from any smell it had of it self before And tho' against what hath been been said for Specifick Medicines some may offer that there are some which are only