either that chalk was gypfum, and has loft its vitriolic acid, or that gypfum was once chalk, and has made this acquifition. I am inclined to adopt the latter hypothefis: and, if this be the true one, we muft inquire whence has it derived the acid? was the chalk impregnated with the vitriolic acid, whilft it remained covered by the waters of the ocean? or is the acquifition fubfequent to that grand revolution to which I have frequently referred? Should we fuppofe the latter, and fhould we be inclined to feek the principle of acidity in the folar ray, we may perhaps be confirmed in this idea by the confideration, that, by means of green vegetables and water expofed to its meridian influence, all modern chemifts have produced vital, that is, dephlogifticated air, in great abundance, always in proportion to the quantity of light, or, in other words, to the greater or leffer influence of the folar rays and that faltpetre, by diftillation, produces the fame kind of air, in the proportion of twelve thousand inches to a pound, leaving behind the vegetable alkali uncombined with acid. "Should we be inclined to grant, agreeable to the experiments of Dr. Ingenhoufz, that vegetables by day emit vital, and by night mephitic air; confidering that Mr. Cavendish pro duced nitrous acid by the combination of vital air with atmospheric mephitis, in the proportion of feven to three, we fhould not be at a lofs for a never-failing fource, from whence this acid may arife. Thefe fpeculations might be purfued, and, obferving that one pound of nitrous acid, diftilled on mercury, yields one thoufand eight hundred and eight cubic inches of nitrous, and one thoufand nine hun dred and four of vital air, we should be confirmed in our opinion that we have difcovered the origin of the fought-for acid. Nitrous air is obtained from animal fubftances fimply by putrefaction, or it may be had by the combination of inflammable and vital air: for, as Dr. Priestley has remarked, in the Philofophical Tranfactions of the 27th of November, 1788, "When either inflammable or de"phlogifticated air is extracted from any fubflance in contact with the "other kind of air, fo that the one is made to unite with the other in "what may be called its nafcent "ftate; the refult will be fixed air; but, if both of them be completely "formed before their union, the refult will be nitrous air." "Thus, in the various facts and obfervations above related, we may fee the intimate relation and connec tion between inflammable, fixed or mephitic, and nitrous air; that the two latter refult from the combination of the former with vital air in given quantities; whilft, with a greater proportion of vital air, we obtain nitrous acid; and that, of thefe its conftituent principles, in warm climates, animal fubftances are, by their putrefaction, conftantly producing one, whilft vegetables, by day, are as conftantly pouring forth the other." 1791 NATURAL "I NATURAL HISTORY of the GRANA KERMES. [From the fame Volume.] HAD here an opportunity to examine the natural hiftory of the grana kermes. It is found on the cofcoja, or quercus coccifera of Linnæus, here growing to the height of from twelve inches to two feet. The grana appear on the ftems or final branches, fome near the bottom of the plant, but moftly on the upper branches, yet always protected by the leaves, and fixed to the ftem by a gluten, which both to the fight and to the touch resembles thin white leather, fpread over the ftem, and covering, like the cup or calix of the acorn, a fegment of the grana. Upon a more minute inveftigation, I traced the agglutinating coat through a fmall foramen into the grana, from whence it had proceeded, and where it fpread, like the placenta, on the internal furface. what feemed to be the vifcera and blood-veffels, but near to the foramen these two coats adhered closely together. "The interior membrane is thin, white, and tough, with a lunar feptum, forming the ovary, which at firft is very small, and fcarcely difcernible, but progreffively enlarges, till in the third ftage it occupies the whole fpace, when the tincturing juice difappears, and only eggs are to be seen, to the number of fifteen hundred or two thoufand. "It is clear to me that the grana derives no kind of nourishment from the plant on which it is fixed; and from its pofition I am inclined to think, that the little animal choofes the quercus coccifera, which in its prickly leaf refembles the holly, only for the fake of fhelter and protection from birds. "I put fome of the grana into a coffee cup on the thirty-firft of May, and, June the twelfth, 1 difcovered a multitude of animalculæ, of a bright red colour, exceedingly minute, running about the cup with aftonishing rapidity, but for fhort intervals. A friend put fome grana into a fnuff-box, where he foon forgot them; but when, at the distance of a few weeks, he had occafion to rafume his box, he found the top covered internally with dew, and a multitude of winged infects, all dead, adhering to it. "The grana were of various fizes, from an eighth to a quarter of an inch in diameter, perfectly fpherical, and covered with a white powder, which being rubled off, the furface appeared red, fmooth, and polifhed. Upon the fame ftem I found the grana in three feges. In the fift difcovered only tough membranes filled with a red juice refembling blood, but on paper leaving a ftain as bright and beautiful as the best carmine. In the fecond flage there appeared, under the first coat or pellicle, a thin tough membrane inclofing the eggs, now moft minute, and fcarcely to be diftin-Before my excurfion to Buzot, guished without the afliftance of a fome peafants of Las Aguas had convex lens. Between this mem- fpread themfelves on the adjacent Frane and the pellicle was the fame mountains, where they colle&ed red liquor, but lefs in quantity than more than four arrobas, or one hun was contained in the former ftage. dred weight of grana, which they By a careful diffection I took off the had fold in Alicant for fifteen reals, pellicle which was evidently fepa- or about three fhillings a pound." rated from the inner membrane by AC ACCOUNT of the BAYA, or INDIAN GROSS-BEAK. By ATHAR "T : [From the second Volume of the Afiatic Researches.] THE little bird, called Baya in Hindu, Berbera in Sanfcrit, Babui in the dialect of Bengal, Cibu in Perfian, and Tenawwit in Arabick, from his remarkably pendent neft, is rather larger than a fparrow, with yellow-brown plumage, a yellowith head and feet, a light-coloured breaft, and a conic beak very thick in proportion to his body. This bird is exceedingly common in Hinduftan he is aftonishingly fenfible, faithful, and docile, never voluntarily deferting the place where his young were hatched, but not averse, like most other birds, to the fociety of mankind, and eafily taught to perch on the hand of his master. In a ftate of nature he generally builds his neft on the highest tree, that he can find, especially on the palmyra, or on the Indian fig-tree, and he prefers that, which happens to over hang a well or a rivulet: he makes it of grafs, which he weaves like cloth, and fhapes like a large bottle, fufpending it firmly on the branches, but fo as to rock with the wind, and placing it with its entrance downwards to fecure it from birds of prey. His neft ufually confifts of two or three chambers; and it is the popular belief, that he lights them with fire flies, which he catches alive at night and confines with moift clay, or with cow-dung: that fuch flies are often found in his neft, where pieces of cow-dung are alfo ftuck, is indubitable; but, as their light could be of little ufe to him, it frems probable that he only feeds on them. He may be taught with eafe to fetch a piece of paper, or any fmall thing, that his mafter points out to him: it is an attefted fact, that, if a ring be dropped into a deep well, and a fig nal given to him, he will fly down with amazing celerity, catch the ring before it touches the water, and bring it up to his mafter with appa rent exultation; and it is confidently afferted, that, if a houfe or any other place be shown to him once or twice, he will carry a note thither immediately on a proper fignal being made. One inftance of his docility I can myself mention with confidence, having often been an eye witness of it: the young Hindu women at Benares and in other places wear very thin plates of gold, called tica's, flightly fixed by way of ornament between their eye brows; and, when they pafs through the streets, it is not uncommon for the youthful libertines, who amuse themselves with training Baya's, to give them a fign which they understand, and fend them to pluck the pieces of gold from the foreheads of their mistrelles, which they bring in triumph to the lovers. The Baya feeds naturally on grafs-hoppers and other infects, but will fubfift, when tame, on pulfe macerated in water: his flesh is warm and drying, of easy digeftion, and recommended, in medical books, as a folvent of stone in the bladder or kidneys; but of that virtue there is no fuficient proof. The female lays many beautiful eggs refembling large pearls: the white of them, when they are boiled, is tranfparent, and the flavour of them is exquifitely delicate. When many Baya's are affembled on a high tree, they make a lively din, but it is ra ther chirping than finging; their 1 2 want want of mufical talents is, however, amply fupplied by their wonderful fagacity, in which they are not ex celled by any feathered inhabitants of the foreft." ORIENTAL METHOD of curing the ELEPHANTIASIS, and other DISORDERS of the BLOOD. "IN [From the fame Work.] N the year of the Meffiah 1783, mortar, and then reduced to an imwhen the worthy and refpecta-palpable powder in one of stone ble Maulavi Mir Muhammed Hufain, with a stone pestle, and thus comwho excels in every branch of ufe-pletely levigated, a little water ful knowledge, accompanied Mr. being mixed with them. Make fmall pulfe, and keep them dry in a flady place. One of thofe pills must be swallowed morning and evening with fome betel-leaf, or, in countries cold water: if the body becleanfed 'from foulnefs and obftructious by 'gentle catharticks and bleeding, before the medicine is adminifter Richard Johnson from Lachnaupills of them as large as tares or to Calcutta, he vifited the humble writer of this tract, who had long been attached to him with fincere affection; and, in the courfe of their converfation, One of the fruits of my late excurfion, faid he, is a pre-where betel is not at hand, with fent for you, which fuits your profeffion, and will be generally useful to our species: conceiving you to be worthy of it by reafon of your affiduity in medical inquiries, I haveed, the remedy will be speedier." brought you a prefcription, the ingredients of which are easily found, but not easily equalled as a powerful remedy against all corruptions of the blood, the judham, and the Perfian fire, the remains of which are a fource of infinite maladies. It ⚫ is an old fecret of the Hindu phy⚫ficians; who applied it alfo to the cure of cold and moift diftempers, as the palfy, diftortions of the face, relaxations of he nerves, and fi⚫milar diseases: its efficacy too has been proved by long experience; and this is the method of preparing it. "The principal ingredient of this medicine is the arfenick, which the Arabs call fhucc, the Perfians mergi muflr, or moufe-bane, and the Indians, fanc'haya; a mineral fubftance ponderous and crystalline : the orpiment or yellow arfenick, is the weaker fort. It is a deadly poifon, and fo fubtil, that, when mice are killed by it, the very f fmell of the dead will deftroy the living of that species: after it has been kept about feven years, it lofes much of its force; its colour becomes turbid; and its weight is diminished. This mineral is hot and dry in the fourth degree: it caufes fuppuration, dif folves or unites, according to the quantity given; and is very ufeful in clofing the lips of wounds, when the pain is too intense to be borne. • i. c. 105 grains. Take of white arfenick, fine and fresh, one tólá*; of picked • black pepper fix times as much: let both be well beaten at intervals for four days fucceffively in an iron Ал An ungent made of it with oils of any fort is an effectual remedy for fome cutaneous diforders, and, mixed with rofe-water, it is good for cold tumours and for the dropfy; but it must never be administered without the greatest caution; for fuch is its power, that the smallest quantity of it in powder, drawn, like alcohol, between the eyelashes, would in a fingle day entirely corrode the coats and humours of the eye; and fourteen reti's of it would in the fame time deftroy life. The heft antidote against its effects are the fcrapings of leather reduced to afhes if the quantity of arfenick taken be accurately known, four times as much of thofe afhes, mixed with water and drunk by the patient, will sheath and counteract the poifon. "The writer, conformably to the directions of his learned friend, prepared the medicine; and, in the fame year, gave it to numbers, who were reduced by the difeafes abovementioned to the point of death: God is his witnefs, that they grew better from day to day, were at last completely cured, and are now liv. ing (except one or two, who died of other diforders) to atteft the truth of this affertion. One of his firft patients was a Pársì, named Menuchehr, who had come from Surat to this city, and had fixed his abo e near the writer's houfe: he was fo cruelly afflicted with a confirmed lues, here called the Perfian fire, that his hands and feet were entirely ulcerated, and almoft corroded, fo that he became an object of dis ust and abhorience. This man confulted the writer on his cafe, the state of which he disclosed without referve. Some blood was taken from him on the fame day, and a cathartick administered on the next. On the third day he began to take the arfenick-pills, and, Py the bleffing of God, the virulence of his diforder abated by degrees, until figns of returning health appeared; in a fortnight his recovery was complete, and he was bathed, according to the practice of our phy ficians: he seemed to have no virus left in his blood, and none has been since perceived by him. "But the power of this medicine has chiefly been tried in the cure of the juzam, as the word is pronounced in India; a diforder infecting the ' whole mafs of blood, and thence called by fome ffadi khun. The former name is derived from an Arabic root fignifying in general, amputation, maiming, excifion, and, particularly, the truncation or erohon of the fingers, which happens in the laft ftage of the disease. It is extremely contagious, and, for that reafon, the Prophet faid: furru mina'lmejdhúmi cama teferrú mina'l afad, or, "Flee from a perfon af flicted with the judham, as you "would flee from a lion." The author of the Bahhru'ljawahir, or Sea of Pearls, ranks it as an infectious malady with the meafles, the fmall-pox, and the plague. It is alfo hereditary, and, in that respect, claffed by medical writers with the gout, the confumption, and the white leprofy. "A common cause of this diftemper is the unwholesome diet of the natives, many of whom are accuftomed, after eating a quantity of fifh, to fwallow copious draughts of milk, which fail not to caufe an accumulation of yellow and black bile, which mingles itself with the blood and corrupts it: but it has other caufes; for a Brahman, who had never tafted fish in his life, applied lately to the compofer of this effay, and appeared in the highest degree affected by a corruption of blood; which he might have inherited, or acquired by other means. Thofe,. 13 whole |