“ Whereby the opacous, malleable and hardly fusible Body of Silver, was, by the addition of a little spirit of salt, reduced into Chrystals, differing from those of other Mettals; diaphanous also, and brittle, and far more easily fusible, than Silver; wholly unlike either a Salt or a Mettal, but very like to a piece of Horn, and withall insipid, though the Solution of Silver, be very bitter, and the spirit of salt, highly sowre, &c. ”

“ Some say, there needs no more, but to build Ships of harder kind of Wood, than the usual. Others having observed, that these Worms fasten not to a kind of wild Indian Pear-tree, which is highly bitter, do thereupon suggest that the best Expedient would be, to find out a Wood having that quality. But certainly there being now no Timber, fit for Ships, that is not known, 'tis not likely that any will be found either more hard, or more bitter, than that, which has been hitherto employed. ”

“ It will be requisite also, that the Observers give notice of the Scituation of the place, where their Barometers stand, not only, because it will assist men to Judge, whether the Instruments were duely perfected, but principally, because, that though the Baroscope be good (nay, because it is so) the Observations will much disagree, even when the Atmosphere is in the same state, as to Weight, if one of the Instruments stand in a considerably higher part of the Countrey, than the other. ”

“ In which operation, the mixture, by working a great change of Texture, did so alter the nature of the compounding Bodies, that the sea-salt, though a considerably fixt Body, was distill'd over in a moderate Fire of sand, whilst the Oyl of Vitriol, though no such gross salt, was by the same operation so fixt, as to stay behind: Besides that the same, by a competent heat yielded a substance, though not insipid, yet not at all of the taste of Sea-salt, or of any other pungent one, much less having the highly corrosive acidity of oyl of Vitriol, &c. ”

“ This Menstruum (called by the Author Peracutum) being put to highly refined Gold, destroyed its Texture, and produced, after the method prescribed in the book, a true Silver, as its whiteness in colour, dissolublenes in Aqua fortis, and odious Bitterness, did manifest: which change of a Mettal, commonly esteemed to be absolutely indestructible by Art, though it be far from being Lucriferous, is yet exceedingly Instructive ”

“ What diseases are Epidemical, that are supposed to flow from the Air: What other diseases, wherein that hath a share, the Countrey is subject to; the Plague and Contagious sicknesses: What is the usual salubrity or insalubrity of the Air ”

“ The Experiments are ten. 1.⁠A Solution of Vitriol and Camphire; in which by a change of Texture, appear'd the Production of a deep colour from a white Body, and a clear Liquor without any external heat: The destruction of this Colour, by adding only some fair water: The change of an Odorous Body, as Camphire, into an Inodorous, by mixing it with a Body, that has scarce any sensible odour of its own: The sudden restauration of the Camphire to its native scent and other qualities, by common water, &c. ”

“ Since which time, another from the same Noble Observer intimates, That, as for that cause of the height of the Quick-silver in Droughts, which by him is suspected to be the elevation of steams from the Crust or Superficial parts of the Earth, which by little and little may add to the Weight of the Atmosphere, being not, as in other seasons, carried down from time to time by the falling Rain, it agrees not ill with what he has had since occasion to observe. For, whereas about March 12th, at Oxford, the Quick-silver was higher, than, for ought he knew, had been yet observ'd in England, viz. ”

“ In the Second and Historical Part, the Author, appealing to the Testimony of Nature, to verifie his Doctrine, sets down, both some Observations, of what Nature does without being over-ruled by the power and skill of man ”

“ That it will be very convenient, that the Observers take notice not only of the day, but, as near as they can, of the Houre wherein the height of the Mercurial Cylinder is observ'd: For I have often found; that within less than the compass of one day, or perhaps half a day, the Altitude of it has so considerably vary'd, as to make it in many cases difficult, to conclude any thing certainly from Observations, that agree but in the day. ”

“ Whereunto may be added other Astrological matters, if they be thought worth mentioning. 2.⁠About the Air may be observ'd, its Temperature, as to the first four Qualities (commonly so call'd) and the Measures of them: its Weight, Clearness, Refractive power: its Sublety or Grossness: its abounding with, or wanting an Esurine Salt: its variations according to the seasons of the year, and the times of the day; What duration the several kinds of Weather usually have: What Meteors it is most or least wont to breed; and in what order they are generated ”

“ These, in the mean time, were thought fit to be publisht, that the Inquisitive and Curious, might, by such an Assistance, be invited not to delay their searches of matters, that are so highly conducive to the improvement of True Philosophy, and the well-fare of Mankind. ”

“ Inches, upon the first considerable showers, that have interrupted our long Drought, as he affirms, he foretold divers hours before that the Quick-silver would be very low, (a blustering Wind concurring with the Rain) so he found it at Stanton to fall 1/8 beneath 29. Inches. ** Dr. Beale concurs with his Observations, when he saith, in a late Letter of March. 19. to his Correspondent in London; By change of Weather and Wind, the Mercury is sunk more than an Inch, since I wrote to you on Munday last, March 12. ”

“ We have at present a Man here, that pretends to have found an admirable secret to remedy this evil. That, which would render this secret the more important, is, that hitherto very many ways have been used to effect it, but without success. Some have imployed Deal, Hair and Lime, &c. and therewith lined their ships; but, besides that this does not altogether affright the worms, it retards much the ships Course. The Portugals scorch their ships, insomuch that in the quick works there is made a coaly crust of about an Inch thick. ”

“ Transact. p. 157. 5. 8. & 9. where the Word, Generally, signifies no more, than for the most part. that when high winds blow, the Mercury is the lower; and yet that it self does sometimes fail: For, this very day (March 3.) though on that hill, where I am, the somewhat Westerly Winds have been blustering enough, yet ever since morning the Quick-silver has been rising, and is now risen near 3/8 of an Inch.
I had thoughts to add something about another kind of Baroscope (but inferior to that in use) whereof I have given some intimation in one of the Prœliminaries to the History of Cold. ”

“ And the same Numeral Saline Corpuscles, that being associated with those of one Mettal, had already produced a Body eminent in one Taste, did afterwards being freed from that Body, compose a Liquor of a very differing taste; and after that too, being combin'd with the parties of another Mettal, did with them constitute a Body of a very eminent Taste, as opposite as any one can be to both the other Tasts ”

“ A Confirmation of the former Account, touching the late Earthquake near Oxford, and the Concomitants thereof, by Mr. Boyle.⁠Some Observations and Directions about the Barometer, communicated by the same Hand.⁠General Heads for a Natural history of a Country, small or great, proposed by the same.⁠An extract of a letter, written from Holland, about Preserving Ships from being Worm-eaten.⁠An Account of Mr. Boyle's lately publish't Tract, entituled, The Origine of Forms and Qualities, illustrated by Considerations and Experiments. ”