„f earth, 6'c. ;

more grateful; others bitter, mordacious, or astringent: some flat andinsipid ; all of them to be detected by percolation of untainted Waterthrough them; though there be who affirm, that the best Earths likethe best Water , and Ojy/, has neither Odour nor Taste.

Ly the Touch , if it be letter a, fatty, detersive, and slippery; ormore asperous, gritty, porous and friable ; likewise if it stick to thefingers like Bird-lime, or melt, and dissolve on the tongue like Butterfurthermore, good and excellent Earth ffiouid be of the lame constitu-tion, and not of contrary, as loft and hard; churlish and mild; moista nd dry ; not too unctuous, nor too lean, but rcloluble, and of a justa nd procreative temper, combining into a light, and easily crumblingMould; yet consistent, and apt to be wrought and kneaded, such ashaving a modicum of Loam naturally rising with it, to entertain theMoisture, does neither defile the Fingers, nor cleave much to the Spade,vdsich easily enters it, and such as is uliially found under the Turf offasture-grounds, upon which Cattel have been long fed and foddered.In a word, that is the best Earth to all Senses, which is of a blackishgray, cuts like Butter, sticks not obstinately, but is short, light, brea-king into small Clods; is sweet, will be temper’d without crusting orchapping in dry weather, or (as we lay) becoming Mortar in wet.

Lastly, by the Sight , from all the Instances of Colour , and other vi-sible Indications For the common Opinion is, (though long since ex-ploded by Columella') that all hot, and choleric Grounds, are red orbrown ; cold and dry, blackijb ; cold and moist, whitish ; hot and moist,ruddy ; which yet, Exhalations from Minerals , the Heat of the Sun,and other Accidents may cause; but generally, they give preeminenceto the darker Grays ; next to the Russet ; the clear Tawny is foundWorse; the light and dark-ash colour ( light also of weight, and resem-bling Alhes) good for nothing; but the yellowish-red worst of all.And all these are fit to be known, as contributing to noble and usefulExperiments , upon due and accurate Comparisons, and Enquiries fromthe several Particles of their Constitutions, Figures, and Modes, as farat least, as we can discover them by the best auxiliaries of Microscopes yLotions , Strainers , Calcinations , Triturations and Grindings; uponsuch discovery to judge of their qualities, and by essaying variety ofMixtures, and imitating all sorts of Mould , foreign or indigen , tocompound Earths as near as may be resembling the natural, for anyspecial or curious use, and thereby be enabled to alter the' Genius ofGrounds, as we fee occasion.

The consideration of this it was, which gave me the Curiosity to fallupon the examining of a Collection I had made of several sorts both ofEarth and Soils, such as I could find about this Territory; whereofsome I washed, to find by what would melt, reside, or pass away in thepercolation, of what visible Figure they chiefly seemed to consist, armeda s I was with an indifferent Microscope , of which be pleased to takethis brief account.

Gravelly and Arenous Earths of several sorts, before they wereWalhed, appeared to be, most of it, rough Chryfials , of which someVery transparent and gemmy; few of them sharp or angular, but roun-dish ; mixed with Atoms and Particles of a mineral hue, which beingwell dried, an d bruised on a hard serpentine Stone, and Mullar of thelame, was with little labour reduced to an impalpable whitish Sand,

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