of Copper in Hungary, and Isle of Cyprus. 2. Green, found in Germany, Italy, and England. 3. White, and 4. Red Vitriol; this laft was brought to us lately out of Germany, and is called natural Colcothar, or Chalcitis.

10. Sal-Ammoniack, is either natural or artificial; the Natural is found in many Parts of Africa, and very hot Places under the torrid Zone; the Artificial is made at Venice, and diverfe other Places.

A Pleafe, in the next Place, to tell me what Sulphur is, and the Bodies you call Julphureous?

B. Sulphur, is an inflammable Fofil, found in many Places in Europe, efpecially in Sicily; is of two Sorts: 1. The Greyish, called Quick Sulphur; it is a Sort of Clay, apt to crumble, foft, and ready to take Fire; it confifts of an Oil, an acid Salt, and Earth. 2. Yellow, or common Sulphur, called Brimstone; this containeth much Oil, an acid vitriolick Salt, and but little Earth.

A. Pray, Sir, what do the Chymifts mean by that Principle they call Sulphur; not Brimftone fure, do they?

B. No, no; they mean an Oil, which is called Sulphur, by Reafon of its Inflammability, and is a fweet, fubtile, unctious Subftance; which is faid to caufe the Diver

fity

Of Sulphurs, &c.

213

fity of Colours and Smells, and to give Beauty or Deformity to Plants, &c. according to its Difpofition in Bodies.

A. What Bodies do you reckon amongst the fulphureous Kind?

B. These following: Arfenick, Bitumen, and its various Kinds, as Ambergreafe, Afphaltos, Naptha, Amber, alfo Petroleum is reckoned of this Clafs.

A. Pray rehearse me also a fhort Account of the Nature of these Bodies alfo.

B. I defign it; which take as follows:

1. Arfenick, is a foffile Substance, confifting of much Sulphur, and fome cauftick Salts; it is of three Sorts, the white, or proper Arfenick; the yellow, called Auripigmentum; and the red, called Sandaracha.

2. Bitumen, is a Kind of Pitch, or flimy Clay; it is very much of the Nature of Sulphur, being very inflammable; it is of 2 Sorts, one liquid, which fwimeth like Oil on Water; the other more hard and compact, is dug out of the Earth.

3. Ambergreafe, is a Kind of Bitumen, found in many Places on the Sea-fhore; it grows hard in the Sun-Beams; the best Sort is grey when dry, eafily foftens in the Heat, and appears blackish when wet.

4. Afphaltos, this is that flimy bitumi-. nous Subftance, of a purple Hue, which is found

P3

found in the Lake of Sodom, or Dead-Sea, in the Land of Palestine; from whence its Waters are faid to ftink to that Degree, that no Fish can live in them, nor the Birds in the Air fly over it, and live.

5. Naptha, is another Sort of Bitumen, being liquid; but fomewhat more apt to take Fire, and is more more hardly extinguished.

6. Amber, is also a Kind of coagulated Bitumen; though it is evident, its first State is foft and viscous, from the Flies, Ants, Straws, &c. found in its Texture; it is different in Colour, as white, yellow, and black; is found in fmall Currents near the Baltick-Sea, the Dutchy of Pruffia: It hath an electrick Property; for being rubbed, it will attract Hairs, Feathers, Straws, &c.

7. Petroleum, or Oil of Peter, is of a fulphureous Nature; it diftils through the Clefts of Rocks in Italy, Sicily, and Pro

ence; and feems to be an Oil of fome Bitumen, which the fubterranean Fires have raifed.

A. Sir, I thank you: I fhould be glad, in the next Place, to be informed a little of thofe Bodies, of the fourth Head, called Minerals.

B. Those are fuch Sort of Fofils, as are not inflammable, nor ductile, nor to be melted, or liquified; but are hard and brittle,

may

Of Sulphurs and Minerals.

215

may be reduced to a Powder, or, by Fire, calcined to a Calx; of which, the following are most worth Notice:

1. Marcaffite, or Bijmuth, is a metalick Matter, white, fmooth, hard, brittle, fharp; is of a fulphureous Nature, like to Tin; it is difpofed into Facets, or fhining Scales, like Pieces of Glafs; hence called TinGlafs.

2. Antimony, is a Mineral, confifting of a Sulphur, and a Subftance approaching to that of Metal, containing alfo (as 'tis thought from its emetick Quality) an acid Salt; it is found in diverse Places, in Tranfylvania, Hungary, France, and Ger

many.

3. Cinnabar, is a Mineral, consisting of a Mixture of Quick-filver and Sulphur, sublimed together by Means of a fubterranean Heat, in the fame Manner as the Chymifts make artificial Cinnabar; it is while in the Lump of a brownish Colour, but when pulverized is of a very high red.

4. Mercury, or Quick-filver, is the most wonderful of all Minerals, being Fluid, like Water; the most weighty and ponderous of all Bodies; it is abfolutely Opake, admitting none of the Rays of Light through its Compofition; whence it is fuppofed to confift of exceeding small, fmooth, folid, fpherical, or fpheroidical Particles of P 4

Mat

Matter; whence alfo it becomes extream voluble, and allo volatile, eafily evaporating over the Fire. It is commonly found under Mountains (fometimes alfo running in Mines) in many Places of Europe, as Spain, Poland, Hungary, &c.

5. Chalk, is mineral Earth, of a bituminous Quality, yet is an alkali Salt; is of a foft, and friable Texture in many Places; and in others of a hard and maffy Subftance, called Quarry; it every where abounds in Hills, and Ridges of Mountains, and other Places.

6. Coal; this is a Mineral, confifting of Sulphur in great Quantities, mixed with a terreftrious Subftance; it is a Kind of a refinous Bitumen, of a middle Confiftence, not easily inflammable, yet will run and melt with Heat; its Texture is not foon destroyed by Fire, but is thereby at laft reduced to a Calx, or Cinder; it is dug in great Quantities out of the Earth in England, and other Places, and ferves chiefly for Fuel.

A. Pray how came you to reckon Mercury amongst the Minerals?

B. Becaufe dug out of the Earth, and fo really a Mineral; and alfo because the beft Philofophers rank it with Minerals, its nature approaching nearer thereto, than to that of Metals; of the Number of which fome make it.

A. Pray