m

Book III.

Of MINERALS.

375

upon which the Sun has (hone fome Time; andwhen the Water is fufficiently impregnated withthe Salt that it will diflblve nc more, which isfound by the Swimming of an Egg in it, (forevery Body knows that Water can be charg'dbut with a determinate Quantity of Salt orSugar) then the Water is to be ftrain'd orfiltrated through Straw ; and when it is veryclear to be put on the Fire and boil'd 'till itcomes to a Skin, and afterwards put intoBaskets to reduce it to what we fee it. Themore this Salt is wrought, the whiter, plea-fanter, and better Quality 'tis of; its con-ftant Softnefs is befides very peculiar to it,as well as its growing the more infipid the lon-ger 'tis kept. There are ft ill other Sorts ofSalt in France, as that of Lorrain, which ismade with fait Water caft upon hot Plates ofIron; that of Franche Cornti, and many more ;which I forbear to fpeak of, not having anyCommerce in them.

Of the Purification of Sea Salt.

To purifie Salt, it ought to be diffolv'd inWater, and the Diflolution filtrated throughbrown Paper, then the Humidity to be eva-porated in an Earthen Pan, and fo therewill remain a very white Salt ; but it will bepurer and better, if inftead of evaporating,all the Humidity, Part is left to cryftallize ina cool Place ; for at the Bottom of the Vef-fel is found the fineft Salt, which may be fe-parated from its Moifture and dry'd ; thenought Pare of the fait Liquor to be evapora-ted again, and having put the Vefiel into aCellar, let it cryftallize ; thus muft you con-tinue to evaporate and cryftallize, 'till at laftall the Humidity muft be evaporated becaufeit will not (hoot into Cryftals any more ; theSalt that is behind being fill'd with an olea-ginous or bituminous Matter that hindersCryftallization. If you'd make the Salt upinto Loaves like to thofe of Sugar , it muftbe put into Moulds when 'tis a little moreevaporated to a Skin, and after it has lain alittle to coagulate and ftiffen, it muft be putinto a Stove to dry it perfe&ly. This Salt,well purified, differs not in Appearance fromdouble refin'd Loaf Sugar.

Decrepitated Salt is a Sea Salt calcin'dby the Fire, .which ferves for many Pur-pofes.

Of Spirit of Salt.

Spirit of Salt is an Ambre colur'd Liquordrawn from dry Sea Salt, by the Affiftanceof dry'd Potters Earth, a Retort and Fire.The beft Spirit of Salt we have comes gene-rally from England, and if 'tis good muft bevoid of Flegm, that is faithfully and care-fully prepar'd, of a fine yellow Amber Co-lour, and of a very acid and pungent Tafte.I (hall not fpend Time, at prefent, to runthrough all the Particularities and differentSorts of Spirit of Salt, Monfieur Lemery hathdone it at large already, only I muft obferveof Spirit of Salt, that which is right and goodis much in ufe in many Cafes as in Hernia's,Apoplexies, Scurvy of the Teeth, Gums, &c.The Way of taking it, may be a few Drops byits felf, or in Water, or any other Vehicle al-moft, ad gratum acorem, for cleanfing theTeeth, mix it with clarified Honey of Rofes.Thofe that wou'd have a dulcified Spirit ofSalt, to be taken in a greater Quantity, maymake it according to Bafil Valentine, bymixing Spirit of Wine, and Spirit of Salt,equal Parts, and digefting of them togetherin a Sand Heat for three Days.

Sal Marinum, Sal Commune, orSea Salt, is a Salt they make from Lemery.the Sea Water by Evaporation andCryftallization : I believe that the Origine orRife of that Salt comes from Sal Gem,and feveral Reafons confirm me in this Opi-nion ; the Full is, That Sea Salt is altogetherlike Sal Gem, or that Salt made from theSprings in the French County, the Pits ofLorrain, and feveral Salt Lakes in Italy andGermany,wher\ct Salt comes, as all the Worldknow. The Second is, That there is noSalt whereof there is fiich Plenty as of theSal Gem .- It fills not only in Europe Abun-dance of Mountains of a great and vaft Ex-tent, but it is found in aimoft all the Minesin Egypt and the Indies ; and there is nodoubt but it is at the Bottom of the Sea, aswell as the Earth we live upon, where wemeet with Mountains, Rocks and Mines,full of Sal Gem. The Third is, That theNaturalifts have at all Times obferv'd, thatthe Waters which pals thro' the Mines ofSal Gem, and are loaded with the Sa;flow by an Infinity of Channels into the Seat

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