Musæum regalis societatis, or, A catalogue and description of the natural and artificial rarities belonging to the Royal Society and preserved at Gresham Colledge made by Nehemiah Grew ; whereunto is subjoyned The comparative anatomy of stomachs and guts by the same author.

CHAP. I. Of SALTS.

A Parcel of NATURAL SAL ARMONIAC. (Rather Ammoniac, from its supposed similitude to that of the Ancients, bred under the Sands in Africa.) This I call Natural, as being found sublimed, by the subterraneal Fire, in a Cole-Mine near New-Castle upon Tyne. Given by Dr. L. Hodgson, who first made experiment of the nature hereof. And hath answer'd several Quaeries about it, pro∣posed by Mr. Boyle. a Here is some of it lying upon and between Beds of a light and sooty Earth; and some pure and white as Sow. It hath the perfect Tast of the Factiti∣ous; consisteth of the like Fibers or Styriae; and may be easily sublimed into Flowers. b Cerutus hath also de∣scrib'd a Sal Ammoniac, as he calls it, sublimed by the sub∣terraneal Fires of Puteoli; but This is of a different kind, as appears from his Description of it. c Hereof are made se∣veral Preparations of great Use to Physitians, Alchymists, and others, as the Spirit Simple, Aromatiz'd, and Tinctur'd; the Tinctur'd Flowers, &c.

A parcel of SALT taken from Tenariffe, 1674. and given by Dr. George Trumbal. 'Tis very white, and light like flowers of Sal Ammoniac, or the Earth call'd Agaricum Minerale. Taken by some to be a kind of Nitre. But not rightly. For it hath the perfect Tast of a Lixivial Salt. Makes an Effervescence with Aqua Fortis, as those Salts will, but Nitre will not do. Hath, as those, a fixed Body: neither will it flow, or flame, though exposed naked to the same fire, wherein Nitre will do both. Yet hath it somewhat of a nitrous Tast intermixed; as have also many Lixivial Salts. I conclude it therefore to be a fixed Alkaly, or, in nature, a kind of Lixivial Salt.

Another parcel of the same sort of SALT, taken out of the Cave or the Pique of Tenariffe, 1674. by the same Hand. Different from the former, only in being of a purer white.

A Third parcel of the same, taken, I suppose, from ano∣ther quarter of the said Mountain.

A square piece of Crystalline Sal Gemmae (rather Gem∣meus) weighing almost twenty Ounces.

A Ball of Crystalline Sal Gemmeus; with another piece of the same Species.

A piece of styriated Sal Gemmeus, tinctur'd with some Rays of yellow. It grows almost in the form of Sal Ammo∣niac.

A piece of styriated Sal Gemmeus tinctur'd with partly an Amethystine, partly a Saphirine Blew.

Ambrosinus gives a Figure of Crystal of this Salt, much like that of the Corns of common Sea-Salt; from which it differs no more, than Pit-Salt.

Sal Fossilis properly so call'd, is, as it were, the Ore of the Sal Gemmeus. Yet This, as well as Metals, is sometimes found native. The principal Mines are in Poland and Ca∣labria: of which, see a Relation in the Phil. Transactions.a In the lesser Poland, saith Comer, b are some pieces of this Salt (he means the Ore) like huge Stones; so hard, that Houses and even whole Towns are built with them. Near Eperies, a City in Upper-Hungary, is a Salt-Mine, in which are pieces Ten thousand pounds weight. c

Of This as of common Salt, may be distill'd that Acid Liquor commonly, but absurdly call'd the Oil. This mo∣derately taken, but especially if it be dulcify'd by Cohoba∣tions with a simple, or rather with an aromatiz'd Spirit of Wine, is sometimes of excellent use to restore the Digestive Faculty to the Stomach. But the common sort, taken, as it often is, without discretion, really breeds more Diseases, than it pretends to cure. See several Preparations of Salt in Schroder and others. Ambrosinus, I think it is, who reports, d That in the Province of Canicla, in the Great Cam's Dominions, the people melt and cast Salt into a round Form, for Money. But who ever knows the nature of common Salt, must also, that this Report is a great mistake.

BLEW VITRIOL, Native, and crystalliz'd, from the Copper-Mines of Herngrundt in Hungary. Given by Dr. Ed∣ward Brown, together with the several Species following.

GREEN VITRIOL, Native; from the Silver-Mines of Schemnitz in Hungary.

Native GREEN VITRIOL, mixed with some Rays of a pale Blew; from the same place. With its astringent and sweetish Tasts, is joyn'd some Acritude. It grows to its own Ore, of a purplish ash-colour; and of a milder Tast.

A parcel of the same Species, from the Copper-Mine of Herngrundt.

Native VITRIOL of a pale Purple, and consisting of pointed Crystals. This also hath some Acritude. From the same Mine.

Native WHITE VITRIOL. It grows in glossy Grains like Nitre grosly powder'd; and not without some Acritude. From the same place.

Made WHITE-VITRIOL of Chremnitz.

WHITE-VITRIOL Ore of Chremnitz. Of a pale Okre colour, and meanly astringent.

A sort of Native VFRDEGRIESE, from the Copper-Mines of Herngrundt. It consisteth of flat and parallel Plates, as in a Slate; of a blewish Green, yet not so blew, as the factitious. 'Tis also of a much milder Tast. It maketh a strong ebullition with Spirit of Nitre. These from the above-mention'd Person.

A rich ORE of Green Copperas, from Cornwall. Of a kind of Brick-colour, crack'd a little with lying in the Air, and hath upon it several efflorescent lumps of Copperas.

A poorer sort of Green Copperas ORE. On one side, be∣ing scraped, of a blewish ash-colour; and with little Tast. On the other, of a yellowish Green, and tasteth strong as Vitriol. Maketh an Effervescence with Spirit of Nitre.

A Fibrous or STYRIATED ORE of Green Copperas. 'Tis white, and form'd almost like Sal Ammoniac; but hath the perfect Tast of Green Vitriol. Acids stir it not.

Besides the places mention'd, and others, Green Copperaas is plentifully made here in England, as at Debtford, and else where. The Copperas Stones or Fire-Stones are found on the Sea-shore in Essex, Hamphire, and so Westward; the best of a bright Silver-colour. For the making of Copperas,

they make Beds sometimes an hundred feet long, and fifteen broad at top; well ram'd first with Clay, and then with Chalk. In these Beds the said Stones are laid about two feet thick: which by Sun and Rain, are gradually dissolv'd; and in five or six years time, begin to turn into a kind of Vitriolick Earth, which will swell and ferment like levened-Dough. And once in four years, the Bed is renewed with fresh Stones. In a Boyler containing about twelve Tuns of Vitriolick Liquor running from the Bed, they put in by degrees, about fifteen hundred pounds of old Iron; which both quickens the boyling, and prevents the setling and melting of the Copperas at the bottom of the Boyler, and of the Boyler it self. Sometimes, in stirring the Earth on the Beds, they find pieces of Native Copperas. See a parti∣cular and exact account of these Works at Debtford, com∣municated by Mr. Colwal, the Founder of this Musaeum, and by Me published in the Philosophical Transactions. a Of the Nature of Vitriol, see several considerable Observa∣tions grounded on Experiment, in the same Transactions. b Amongst other particulars, an excellent way of purifying it from its Okre.

The three principal Parts hereof are, an Acid Spirit, fixed Salt, and Sulphur. The last, a good Hypnotick, in some Cases, where Opium is not safe.

Native Vitriol, saith Ambrosinus, c given to the quan∣tity of ʒj in any convenient vehicle, is a great Remedy in Germany and Hungary for the Plague. Blew Vitriol of ex∣cellent use against Venereal Ulcers. Both of this, and the Green, is made the Powder called Sympathetick; the De∣scription whereof may be seen in Papinius, and out of him in Wormius. I doubt not, but that the Stiptick Liquors of Mr. Lyster and of Mr. Deny, are both made of Vitriol.

A sort of ALUMINOUS Earth, found near the River Patomach in Virginia. 'Tis soft and very light; of an ash∣colour, and acid-astringent Tast, almost like that of Alum. Whether the people there make Alum of it, or use it in Deying, we have no account.

Of the Nature of Alum, see a very good Discourse in the Philosophical Transactions. d Of the English Alum-Works an accurate Account, communicated by Daniel Col∣wal Esq and by Me published in the same Transactions. e

The Alum-Stone (of a blackish colour, and flaky, like Cornish Slate) is found in most of the Hills between Scarbrough and the River of Tees in York-shire. As also near Preston in Lancashire. Of these Stones calcin'd, is made a Lee; and of the Lee, Alum. The Lee after the first shooting of the Alum; is called Mothers. In which, certain Nitrous and other parts call'd Slam, being predominant; to precipitate the same, they add the Lees of Kelp; made of Tangle, a Sea-Weed commonly among Oysters. And then, a certain proportion of Urine, both for the same purpose, and to keep the Kelp-Lees from hardening the Alum too much. The Mine, before it is calcin'd, being exposed to the Air, will moulder in pieces, and yield a Liquor whereof Copperas may be made.

Fallopius's Aq. Aluminis Magistralis, is of good use against untoward Ulcers. Deyers boil their Cloaths, or Yarn in Alum-Water, that they may take both a better, and more dura∣ble colour. It is used, likewise, for the making of a Leather soft and white, or fit to take a clear colour, which the Tan'd, will not do. And I little doubt, but that to wash the Skins of Beasts or Fowls herewith on both sides, or perhaps on the Feathers, only strewing Alum in fine powder, would be a good way to keep them from the Moth, and growing dank in moist Weather, and so to preserve them for ever.

Notes

• a

  See Phil. Trans. N. 130.
• b

  See Part 4.
• c

  Mus. Calceol. S. 2. p. 149.
• a

  N. 61.
• b

  Descript. Polan. lib. 1.
• c

  Dr. Brown's Travails, p. 112.
• d

  Aldrov. Mus. Metal.
• a

  N. 142.
• b

  N. 103. & 104.
• c

  Aldrov. Mus. Met.
• d

  N. 103. and conti∣nu'd, N. 104.
• e

  Num. 142.